In view of the catastrophic economic realities of today’s music business I have stated on various occasions that it has become difficult for me to maintain enough enthusiasm to continue producing new music. I also feel that I have exploited my own musical universe as much as is perhaps desirable or necessary. Which doesn't mean the music shouldn't be presented more often. There exist plenty of compositions that have been performed publicly only once. More performances of original or updated versions would certainly be possible and interesting - a thought that has indeed already spawned a number of projects, such as "The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra Update" (https://www.mantlermusic.com/Records/Rec_comp/Rec_comp_sgles/jco_update.htm) the "Orchestra Suites" (https://www.mantlermusic.com/Records/Rec_comp/Rec_comp_sgles/coda.htm) and "Sempre Notte" (https://www.mantlermusic.com/Records/Rec_comp/Rec_comp_sgles/sempre_notte.htm) all presented live and recorded at Porgy & Bess, which has been, in fact, the home for most of my music already since 2006 (!)

Still, not being able to simply NOT working, I find myself again with a new series of “re-editions” of existing compositions for this concert. Every time I re-consider an old work I always discover elements that can be “improved” by (sometimes severely) editing and differently orchestrating, essentially turning such a re-interpretation into a quite new composition. Always having considered myself as an “orchestral” composer, I have, dictated by economic restrictions, chosen what I would now consider my “minimal” ensemble – one that could nevertheless accommodate my approach to composing – a group consisting of (open-minded) classical as well jazz musicians, a concept that still anchors the music in an environment clearly coming from jazz.

PROGRAM

My "One Symphony" (https://www.mantlermusic.com/Records/Rec_comp/Rec_comp_sgles/song_one%20symphony.htm) was commissioned and recorded by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and has not been performed again since its premiere in 1998. The basic concept for it was that of "symphony" in its most elementary form - simply the utilization of a relatively large number and variety of instruments to perform musical materials organized to create a larger whole with a (to me, anyway) logical continuity. There was no programmatic content or message and its neutral title was chosen to suggest it being one of many possible symphonies. For this concert it will be presented in a new, quite drastically revised version as "One Chamber Symphony".

"Chamber Music Eight" was commissioned and performed by the Max Brand Ensemble in 2012, as was "Song for Winds" (now entitled "Après / Intolérance"), an instrumental version of some materials from what was, at the time, a work-in-progress, namely the song cycle "Comment C’est" (https://www.mantlermusic.com/Records/Rec_comp/Rec_comp_sgles/comment.htm) which was eventually premiered and recorded (as usual, at Porgy & Bess) in 2016. (Michael Mantler)