Claim OwnershipBob Becker – NEXUS
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Premiere Percussion Ensemble
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Last year (2024) I continued my work on setting text by the American author Conrad Aiken (1889 – 1973). I chose verses from three poems included in his epic collection Time in the Rock: LXV, XLI and XCI, and then edited them to suit the structure of the music I was imagining. References to light,... Read more »
In April, 2024 Keyboard Percussion Publications released Clear Things May Not Be Seen, a piece I composed during 2017/18, as part of an ongoing project to set text by the American author Conrad Aiken. It is scored for two soprano soloists, string quartet, clarinet, bass clarinet, marimba and vibraphone, and lasts approximately 13 minutes. The... Read more »
Morton Feldman had this to say about Jo Kondo: “Jo Kondo…fell madly in love with the cowbells, and uses them very hauntingly and very rightly in his piece which gives the music a lot of distinction. I have no rapport with a cowbell so it’s very, very interesting.” In 1996 Robin Engelman made the acquaintance... Read more »
In 1976, at the invitation of composer Toru Takemitsu, Nexus made its first tour to Japan. A major event was our appearance on the Music Today Festival in Tokyo, for which Takemitsu had commissioned a new work from the brilliant young composer Jo Kondo (b. 1947). JK wrote a four-movement quintet titled Under the Umbrella,... Read more »
This year (2022) Keyboard Percussion Publications released two more of my compositions: Water Lilies, composed in 2012; and To Immortal Bloom, composed in 2017. Information about the works and how to order them can be found on the MostlyMarimba website here: https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/water-lilies/ https://www.mostlymarimba.com/product/to-immortal-bloom-by-bob-becker/ Water Lilies is an eleven-minute quintet, scored for piano, marimba, vibraphone, glockenspiel,... Read more »
In 1993 The Esprit Orchestra commissioned the distinguished Canadian composer Bruce Mather to write a concerto to feature the five members of NEXUS (Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Robin Engelman, Russ Hartenberger and John Wyre). Mather’s piece, Tallbrem Variations, was completed in 1994 and premiered by NEXUS and Esprit (Alex Pauk conducting) on March 29, 1996... Read more »
In June 2016 NEXUS performed a concert in the lovely seaside town of Rockport, MA. On the morning of the event, as we were having breakfast, someone mentioned a duck race was in progress right there in Rockport. I was intrigued, and also disappointed that I didn’t know about it earlier, as I would have... Read more »
In February 2020, just before live concert music disappeared due to COVID, I was able to present two concerts of my vocal chamber music in Toronto. The first, on February 4th, was part of the Canadian Opera Company’s Vocal/Chamber Music Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre; and the second, on February 6th, was included in... Read more »
Tragedy. “A drama typically involving a person destined to experience downfall or destruction, as through a character flaw, or conflict with some overpowering force such as fate or an unyielding society.” Hubris. “An extreme and unreasonable feeling of self-confidence.” Posthumous. “Published after the death of the author.” In May of 2001 I began work on... Read more »
Following Nexus’ first concert tour to Japan in 1976 my friend and colleague Bill Cahn composed two major works: Nara, for solo percussionist; and In Ancient Temple Gardens, for xylophonist/percussionist and chamber orchestra. Bill himself premiered the latter piece in 1977 with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra. Nexus celebrated its tenth anniversary during 1981/82 with a... Read more »
Related posts:
THE SOLO PERCUSSIONIST – The Music of William L. Cahn – Nexus Records 10339
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 6) – Palta (revised version)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 3) – Takemitsu Songs
In 1988 the distinguished Canadian composer Norman Symonds (1920 – 1998) wrote a duet for accordion and marimba titled El Duo. The brilliant accordionist Joseph Petric and I premiered the piece at The Music Gallery in Toronto, and then recorded it in 2001. El Duo is included on Petric’s CD “Orbiting Garden”, released on the... Read more »
Related posts:
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 4)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 5)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 7)
In 2003 Nexus was able to commission a new work from the distinguished Canadian composer Christos Hatzis through a grant from the Laidlaw Foundation. We premiered his piece Four Rituals for Percussion Quintet, Chorus and Audience in December, 2004 on the Faculty Artists Series at the University of Toronto. The piece is in four movements:... Read more »
Related posts:
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 5)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 6)
Choirs Can Join With NEXUS
In February, 2004 Frank Epstein invited me to be a soloist on the New England Conservatory Percussion Ensemble’s “Rendezvous in Rhythm” concert. Along with three of my xylophone medley arrangements I played my piece Palta in the revised version for tabla solo with 6 percussion players, piano and electric bass. Also on the program was... Read more »
Related posts:
DANCE OF THE OCTOPUS – NEXUS with Judy Loman – CBC 2-1037
Photos from the Fargo – Moorhead Symphony Orchestra
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 2)
In 1982 I was able to organize a commission for a new work from the distinguished Canadian composer John Hawkins. His piece Dance Variations is included on the NEXUS CD Rune, which was released in 1997. The recording was made by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Köln, Germany following a concert there by NEXUS in July... Read more »
Related posts:
RUNE – Nexus Records 10511
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 4)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 1)
In 1982 I was able to organize a commission for a new work from the distinguished Canadian composer John Hawkins (1944 – 2007). I wanted something that would feature a substantial solo marimba part for me, within the context of a serious percussion ensemble piece that could be performed by NEXUS. At the time I... Read more »
Related posts:
RUNE – Nexus Records 10511
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 4)
More from Bob’s Archive (Part 1)
In a recent blog post (Dance of the Octopus and Red Norvo) I lamented the fact that some recordings with interesting repertoire are no longer available. In 1996 the CBC invited several musicians to create short improvised pieces for use on their Weekender radio show. At the time, Weekender was broadcast for several hours on... Read more »
Related posts:
Adventures in Improvisation – October 1, 2009
Archive of Acoustic Disc Records Featuring the Xylophone
Bill: Bass Drum Afficionado
In a recent blog post (Dance of the Octopus and Red Norvo) I lamented the fact that some recordings with interesting repertoire are no longer available. In 1996 the CBC invited several musicians to create short improvised pieces for use on their Weekender radio show. At the time, Weekender was broadcast for several hours on... Read more »
Related posts:
Can symphonic music become popular music?
NEXUS and Sepideh Raissadat – Oct 27 Toronto
Archive of Acoustic Disc Records Featuring the Xylophone
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