Houston New Arts Music present "Surpassing with Schnittke"

Houston New Arts Movement (HNAM) performed Transformations III: Surpassing with Schnittke, the final installment of a trilogy, on Saturday, May 17th, 2014.  The program, featured a sampling of rarely performed works by the Russian "polystylist" composer, Alfred Schnittke (1934 - 1998).

The program included the Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 (1978), the Piano Sonata No. 2 (1990), and the Piano Quintet (1972-1976).   Though Schnittke's works tend toward the juxtaposition of dissonance and consonance, simplicity and complexity, this deeply expressive music speaks to the human experience, resonating universally with its listeners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9smbPA_FDFU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdT1CoT8LFQ

Some reviews from those who attended on 5/17/14:

"Great show this past weekend at the St Pius V Catholic Church-Pasadena. Surpassing with Schnittke was definitely the most emotionally heavy concert of the Classical trilogy performed by the Houston New Arts Movement throughout the last year. The trilogy was spearheaded by Adam Vincent Clay and showed off the capabilities of human expression and talent. Saturday's show started with a Piano / Cello Sonata that jumped from scene to scene, encompassing an entire set of smaller movements into one sweeping, sluggishly manic, composition. Evoking scenes from a cemetery, a dimly lit room, a foggy forest, especially focusing on the more unbecoming side of human emotion we tend to sweep under the rug. The grief felt in the pieces were frequently broken up by brief moments of clarity as the musicians faltered into major melodies and chords, emphasizing their consonance in ways unmatched by traditional compositions. Adam then performed Piano Sonata No. 2, a more abstract piece that captures inexplainable thoughts and circumstances through extreme dissonance. At times Adam would be seen slamming his forearms down on the keys with complete disregard for harmony. Again contrasting extreme dissonance with brief hits of major chords and twinkling melodies. Finally, Adam was accompanied by a String Quartet for the final piece of the show which hummed with canons frequently bending in and out of dissonance, framing up scenes of bending tension and sharp geometric pillars. This piece was the most experimental of the three that night and what a great finale it was. Hopefully these musicians can get together again soon to perform these incredible compositions! Awesome show!" --Andrew Schmidt

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"Surpassing with Schnittke far surpassed all expectations. I congratulate Adam Clay for his courage in presenting three Schnittke pieces in a row, all with fantastic, highly capable, adept musicians. This music was unlike anything I've ever heard… and it was remarkable in that it affirmed the pain in our existence. The composer does not try to hide pain, fix it, or cover it up; with his dissonance, at times with hammering repetition, with long rests and crashing crescendos, he keeps on expressing and examining it, and gives others permission to do the same. How I wish I'd heard this when I was twelve or twenty-one or fifty: I would have known I was not alone in confusion and sorrow. 

This music didn't make me feel better. It didn't make me forget my pain or get high or laugh it off. This music is for courageous people, for Faithwalkers who can stare anguish in the face and not run away. I believe I am transformed by this single performance, because in affirming my pain, it also accepts the deep, searing, persistent pain of others. If I'm not in a hurry to hide it, cover it up, fix it or walk away, then perhaps I can be a better comforter. Jesus himself is a man of sorrows, and of superb courage who runs from nothing. Because of Schnittke's great faith in Christ, he was able to embrace the pain in this harshly broken world: if because of this experience I can listen longer and comfort others with more genuine compassion, then I will be more whole and complete. And then I will feel truly better."  --Carol Monahan

For more information about HNAM and upcoming performances, please visit: www.artsmove.net