Alexis Bacon studied at University of Michigan and Rice University and currently works at Michigan State University. She has received several awards for her compositions including the IAWM Search for New Music Pauline Oliveros Prize and the Ossia International Composition Prize, and has also been commissioned for several pieces.
Suite for Piano is a four movement work for solo piano. She explains in her program notes that though one of her earlier works that she has written, it remains to be one of her favorites. She goes on to explain each movement in detail. “The “Prelude” and the “Sarabande” make use of slow cluster chords. The “Canon” is a fast, jazzy 3-part canon in 7/8, with one voice at the 5th and the third voice in inversion. “The Rite of Fugue” is a play on Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” and Bach’s “The Art of the Fugue,” in which several themes from Stravinsky’s masterwork are reworked into a traditional fugal form.” (www.alexisbacon.com)
Suite for Piano
Meditation No. 1 is a piece written for solo violin. In her program notes she explains that ““Meditation” is a work for unaccompanied violin, in which a short melodic idea is variously expanded and compressed before finally reaching its full melodic potential.” The piece is wildly lyrical and expressive yet at times unexpected. It starts with a series of double stops and quickly expands towards variations of similar ideas while progressing towards her lyrical lines around 1:25. However, even here, the same idea can be heard by the rocking back and forth of her chordal structured long notes. Continuing to develop her original material, she continues to develop the lyrical lines while occasionally nodding towards those ideas either in broken chords or double stops. A brilliantly refreshing piece, it will keep the audience listening for the constant change of direction and interesting development of her original content.
Meditation No. 1
Ojibwe is a piece for one Percussionist (Snare Drum, Shakers, Vibraphone) and 2-channel Fixed Media. This piece is written as a story of the rebirth of the Ojibwe language. She recorded her communication with a man who has family ties to the original tribes who speak Ojibwe and used the recordings as a part of the fixed media. The phrases that she received as a result of her interview helped her shape the piece into three general sections: “the language was threatened, the language nearly disappeared, and the language is returning.” In her electronic music she hopes to take the listener on an emotional journey as well as communicate the complexity of American voices.
Ojibwe
Alexis Bacon music brings many emotional and musical elements to her music which makes it highly tangible for the listener. To follow her career or listen to her music, please visit her Website, or follow her SoundCloud channel.
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I do not own any of the music or videos in this blog post or in any other posts that you may find in this blog.
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