Live Musicians
The following musicians have joined Vencl Dance Trio in concert.
1999.Thomas Millioto arranged and performed a suite for classical guitar.
2000.Richard Thomson composed and performed Six Piano Preludes.
2002.Pete Drungle composed and performed Seven Stories.
2004.Pete Drungle composed and performed in concert music for 2 X 4, the second dance in the Points of View Trilogy.
2016.Raman Ramakrishnan (cellist) and Jesse Mills (violinist) performed Avian Mirrors composed by Arlene Sierra.
Recorded Music
In making Trio dances I have used recordings of the following works and composers
1.Maquizcoatl, 1996.Composed by Jose Navarro & Banda Elastica, l996.Mexico City.
2.A Rainbow in Curved Air, 1969.Composed and performed by Terry Riley.
3.Contrasts, 1939.Composed by Bela Bartok and performed by Bela Bartok, Andre Szigeti, Benny Goodman.
4.Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano, 1949.Composed by John Cage and performed by Gerard Fremy.
5.In die Tiefe der Zeit, 1994. Composed by Toshio Hosokawa.Performed by Julius Berger, Violoncello, and Stefan Hussong, Akkordeon.
6.Psappha, 1975.Composed by Iannis Xenakis.Performed by Gert Mortensen, percussion.
7.Crippled Symmetry, Region 3, recorded in 1998.Composed by Morton Feldman.Performed by Dorothy Stone, Arthur Jarvinen, Vickie Rey, members of the California EAR Unit.
8. Drumming, 1970. Composed by Steve Reich. Performed by Steve Reich and Musicians.
9. Cicada Shell I and II, 2006, for chamber music. Composed by Arlene Sierra. Performed by the International Contemporary ensemble, Jayce Ogren, conductor.
10. Birds and Insects Book 1, 2007, for solo piano. Composed by Arlene Sierra. Performed by Vassily Primakov, piano.
11. Surrounded Ground, 2008 for sextet. Composed by Arlene Sierra. Performed by Charles Neidich, clarinet, Stephen Gosling, piano and the Daedalus Quartet; all composed by Arlene Sierra.
Remarks
In most concerts the music for the dance is recorded.This is because my process for finding and selecting music is complex; I need time.But usually I engage a versatile and talented musician to compose a 20-minute piece and perform it live between the first and second half of each concert.
I have noticed that either the visual or the auditory dimension of the audience dance experience usually dominates.I have also noticed that appreciating my choreography requires a balanced attentiveness between these components. Therefore I like to include a musician performing live in my concerts, with the music-making itself as the sole visual element, and then to place this contribution to the concert between my old work and my new one.I hope that this encourages audience members to appreciate and explore connections between the visual and the auditory components in their experience of each work presented.