VanguardTV: Collision Etude No. 4, "Rainbow" by Alyssa Morris

Alyssa Morris writes some of the most interesting, fun, and engaging new music for oboe, and her Collision Etudes are no exception. This set of six etudes are an homage-of-sorts to another well-known etude collection, the Six Etudes pour Hautbois by French composer Gilles Silvestrini, which are each inspired by a French Impressionist painting. Similarly, Morris’ Collision Etudes are inspired by six paintings by American women. In today’s video, I play the fourth of these etudes, titled Rainbow, after a work by 20th-century African-American painter Alma Thomas from her collection “Moving Heaven and Earth.”

Alma Thomas (1891–1978)
Rainbow, 1978
acrylic on canvasboard

The piece unfolds in five distinct sections, each corresponding to a block of color in the painting, with the key centers determined by chromesthesia (sound-to-color synesthesia). A key element of the etude, and one of my favorite things about it, is Morris’ use of harmonics, or alternate fingerings for certain notes on the oboe that create a different tone color. From the very beginning, you’ll hear me oscillate between two versions of the same note that have slightly different qualities. Another great feature of Rainbow is Morris’ use of some of the highest notes on the oboe towards the middle of the etude. Though playing those notes can be tough, it’s also a lot of fun!

VanguardTV: Minuet from Cello Suite No. 1 by J.S. Bach

I will confidently say Bach is king of writing a good melodic line. In his most famous cello suite he keeps the listener’s attention by giving us a simple melodic line to follow while keeping things interesting with his iconic harmonies. Minuet 1 is cheery, light, and playful. Bach opens the dance floor in G major and keeps the waltz smooth and bright without much harmonic interruption. He  begins to create tension in the B section by slipping into e minor territory, but quickly brings us back  to our airy dance ending with a curtsy on tonic.

In Minuet 2, Bach hits us with melodrama straight out the gate in g minor. Tension builds as Bach frequently switches between octaves. In the B section Bach keeps us suspended in the tenor  register, which on both cello and Bassoon is considered the most human voice like range of these  instruments. Just as the harmonies get more intricate Bach expertly brings us back to “home base” ending on a low G. The emotional ride is over. We head back to Minuet 1 for a quick revisit and end our journey just as we began.

Bach creates such amazing sound spaces with very few tricks and that is why I will always enjoy performing his music. Hope you enjoy!

VanguardTV: Splinter, VIII. Red Pine by Marc Mellits

Welcome to VanguardTV, a weekly video series where we’ll be sharing virtual performances of some of our favorite reed quintet music, plus some solo projects and other exciting content! We’ve also recently launched a Patreon and we’d greatly appreciate your support. For just $5 a month, you’ll get exclusive access to our video content on Fridays, 3 days before everyone else gets to see it!

We’re starting off this series with one of our absolute favorites in the reed quintet repertoire. Marc Mellits’s Splinter does an excellent job of showing off the reediness of this ensemble. This last movement, Red Pine, puts the spotlight on our bass section, Nico and Jaquain! The cool rhythms and the funky melody make this movement an excellent closer for the piece and are an absolute blast to play.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the first video in our new series! Let us know what you thought in the comments below.

VRQ is Recording an Album!

VRQ is excited to announce that we will be recording our debut album this December! The album will include six brand-new works for the reed quintet composed by some of our friends from our time at the University of Michigan: Douglas Hertz, Karalyn Schubring, Gala Flagello, Daniel Zlatkin, Nina Shekhar, and Karl Ronneburg.

A big project like this takes a lot of money, which is where YOU can help! Keep an eye out for our KICKSTARTER campaign launching NEXT WEEK! We are also incredibly grateful for the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance EXCEL Lab's support of this project.

Keep an eye out for lots of exciting updates as we prepare to launch our first album!