Modern Notebook

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Just a fraction of the music written by composer Julia Perry survives in a way that we’re able to enjoy through performance and listening today. Born in Lexington, KY in 1924, she was a prolific composer whose work would eventually evolve into a highly European-influenced, post-modern style. Her 1969 “Violin Concerto” is no exception, and we will discover it on the next program.Then: join Tyler for music and conversation as he’s joined by Anthony R. Green. Anthony is a composer, performer, and artist whose broad body of work comments on many issues related to social justice. A new work of his will be premiered in March while he is in residency with the Tampa-based Contemporary Art Music Project.

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Shawn Okpebholo’s work “lullaby | ballad | spiritual” is a work in which he sought to highlight the rich musical tradition of Alabama. And in exploring the region’s broad artistic heritage, he would discover three Alabama folk songs that would form the basis of the three movements of this work.Then: Dorothy Rudd Moore lived from 1940 until 2022, and is considered by many to be one of her generation's leading composers of color. We’ll hear work by Moore from 1974 titled “Dream and Variations,” considered one of her major solo piano works.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline, we kick off a series of programs for Black History Month highlighting excellent music by Black composers. Listen for a work by Hannah Kendall titled “The Sparkcatchers,” as well as “...a tiny dream…” by Anthony R. Green. Plus, Kevin Day’s Cello Sonata, which explores the various colors of the instrument and the way in which it blends with the piano.Then: Dancing was a part of composer KiMani Bridges’ youth, along with acting and music. It’s only natural, then, that dance would make its way into her work as a composer, like in this piece: “Warmth,” which evokes the intricacies of footwork in partner dancing.

The Lunar New Year is coming up on February 10, and on the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline we are celebrating with music about the moon and works by composers from the Asian diaspora. Tune in for solo piano music by Zhiliang Zhang inspired by Chinese Opera; a work by Narong Prangcharoen named after the colors of Thai porcelain; and a piece by Naoko Hishinuma titled “On a Full Moon Night.”Then, a solo flute work by Hee Yun Kim; music for prepared piano by Vivian Fung inspired by Balinese music; and a piano concerto by Toshio Hosokawa titled “Lotus under the moonlight.”

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline, we are headed to the Grammys! Tune in for a preview ahead of the awards ceremony, with Grammy-nominated music, performances, and recordings.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Caroline Shaw’s work “The Wheel,” is music inspired in part by Baroque music - opening with a Baroque solo cello line which is gradually encircled by other ideas. But it’s also music that the composer describes as giving “the feeling of walking alone through the city at night accompanied by one’s inner voices and reflections”.Then: “The Named Angels” is a string quartet work by Mohammed Fairouz inspired by the angels that are named and recognized in the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions; angels that embody justice, power, kindness, healing, death, and other universals that the composer says have made them pervasive in many of the world’s cultures.

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline, it’s music that evokes the imagery of red-tinged hues running across the sky, with a work by Angela Elizabeth Slater titled “Unraveling the Crimson Sky.” It’s music that moves through explosions of orchestral color, offering both moments of introspection and strident thematic material.Then: If you are a fan of the band Radiohead, you may recognize the name Jonny Greenwood as the band’s longtime lead guitarist. What you might not know is he has composed extensively for the orchestra as well as film scores. On the next Modern Notebook, we’ll hear a piece by Greenwood titled “Popcorn Superhet Receiver,” which explores a variety of unusual string sounds.

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Growing up, composer Daniel de Togni would often spend summers in the Northern Italian region of Veneto, where he would visit his relatives and friends. Many years later, as an adult, he would return there - and the journey of traveling across time would inspire his work “Postcards from Veneto,” featured on this week’s program.Then: “Outshifts” is a word used to describe the fringes and boundaries of a town, and it’s found in Robert Macfarlane’s list of forgotten words - a list that is essentially a metaphor for the natural world being lost in favor of evolving technology. It’s also the name of this piece by Emily Hall composed for violin and vocoder, in which the vocoder represents that man made ‘city glow’ and the violin represents nature.

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: As a composer, Vivian Fung seeks to address different artistic challenges in her work, often highlighting issues of her Asian identity. That’s the case with her String Quartet No. 2, which uses a Chinese folksong as the basis of several sections of the piece.Then: Love, loss, and what we carry from those who leave us behind: these are the themes of four poems by Neil Aitken, set to music by Juhi Bansal in a piece titled “The Lost Country of Sight. It’s music and poetry that, in the composer’s words, portrays the cyclical nature of life and relationships, a look at the exile of body back to earth.

It’s a Modern Notebook gift as Tyler Kline shares a mix of new works inspired by peace, light, and the Advent. Enjoy a collection of contemporary works for voice that expands the rich tradition of choral music for the Holiday season with music by Owain Park, Sungji Hong, Joanna Forbes L'Estrange, and others. Then, it's solo piano music by Kimberly R. Osberg titled "Peace by Piece,” which is a musical choose-your-own-adventure for both listener and performer that evokes a gentle, wintry land; and Dai Fujikura's "Ghost of Christmas."

As we enter the longest nights of the year, Tyler Kline celebrates with a special Modern Notebook highlighting works inspired by the Winter Solstice and beginning of the Winter season.Featuring a work by Greenlandic composer Arnannguaq Gerstrom titled "Ukioq," which means "winter" in the Inuit language. Plus, Monty Adkins' "Winter Tendrils," which comes from the image of freshly fallen snow on the fragile bare branches of a tree. And others inspired by the Solstice, including Anna Meredith, Melissa Hui, and Lou Harrison.

There is a certain stillness on a cold, clear night when the stars are shining brightly, that captures the feeling of the winter season. On a special Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline, listen for music inspired by starry skies and still moments, including a solo piano work by Chris Opperman titled "Underneath the Starlit Skies;" works by David Liptak and Emma O'Halloran inspired by constellations; and a work by Kenji Bunch that draws its inspiration from the Las Posadas holiday celebrated each year in December in the Southwestern United States.