Present Music honors musical ‘Giants’

Present Music, an ensemble known for premieres of music so new that the ink is still wet when the curtain rises, looked back during Friday morning’s concert to honor some musical giants who influenced the composers that are the ensemble’s normal fare.

The 90-minute performance of the “Giants in the Chamber” program at Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum opened with Gyorgy Ligeti’s experimental “Poeme Symphonique for 100 Metronomes.”

The requisite 100, partially wound mechanical metronomes, positioned along the walls of the room, were started on cue. The resulting dense clatter began to die away relatively quickly, as metronomes wound down. Although the piece calls for the metronomes to fade out on their own, PM artistic director Kevin Stalheim opted to stop several of the last devices still ticking, with the last one, across the room, silenced by an ensemble member.

The rest of the program featured pianist Cory Smythe, violinist Eric Segnitz, cellist Adrien Zitoun, flutist Jennifer Clippert and clarinetist William Helmers, playing solos and chamber pieces for various combinations of instruments.

The concert included Clippert’s delicate, nuanced performance of Claude Debussy’s “Syrinx” (1913) for solo flute, and Segnitz’s intense, colorful performance of the Presto from Bela Bartok’s “Sonata for Solo Violin” (1944).

Smythe gave an aggressive, exciting performance of the driving rhythms and crashing harmonies of Olivier Messiaen’s “Regard de l’esprit de joie” (”Gaze of the Joyful Spirit)” from the composer’s “Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jesus” (”20 Contemplations of the Baby Jesus,” 1944), and a fascinating performance of Conlon Nancarrow’s “Canon B (2/3)” from “Two Canons for Ursula Oppens” (1988), both for solo piano.

The full ensemble performed the colorful “Three Short Pieces” (2014) by Alexandre Lunsqui, six brief, captivating “Romanian Folk Dances” (1915) by Bartok, and Charles Ives’ playful “Ragtime Dance” (1912).

Three disparate tangos, Erik Satie’s “Le Tango” (1914), Igor Stravinsky’s “Tango” (1940), and Astor Piazzolla’s “Libertango” (1974) closed the program with some infectious, foot-tapping fun. This Present Music concert will be repeated at 3 p.m. Sunday in UWM’s Helene Zelazo Center, 2419 E. Kenwood Blvd. For tickets, visit www.presentmusic.org or call (414) 271-0711 until noon Saturday. Tickets will also be available at the door.