[2.4] Angélica Negrón Curatorial Statement

angelica-negron2

I first heard the toy piano on John Cage’s album “The Seasons” which featured Margaret Leng Tan playing his “Suite for Toy Piano”.  I was immediately captured by the odd tuning of the instrument and its humorous, irreverent tone. Miniature physical objects have always fascinated me but after listening to Cage’s composition the challenge of turning toys into art became an important part of my work as a musician.  I was very interested in the primitive mechanisms that make these toys work and the peculiar sound produced as a result. There was also something particularly attractive in having the ability of revisiting moments from my childhood through something that was still relevant to my immediate reality.The beauty of simplicity is sometimes overlooked and even more its potential for conveying intricate and complex messages. When I first started to work on the program for PLAY!, I found myself struggling to find pieces that not only use toy or unconventional instruments but that also had other elements in common besides their unusual instrumentation.  As I gradually developed the content of the concert, it became apparent that most of the pieces in the program displayed the dualism of simplicity and complexity. The simple and unpretentious nature of their instrumentation seemed to inspire elaborate narratives within sometimes structurally complex compositions, often times requiring tremendous technical agility from the performers. Even when the pieces appear to be rudimentary in their construction or instrumentation, there always seems to be an underlying complex system at work or vice versa.  Articulations, dynamics, range and other elements are typically quite limited in toy instruments compared to conventional instruments. These idiomatic particularities present an interesting challenge to the composer, stimulating the creation of new sounds and techniques, often producing imaginative results that allow for harmonious coexistence of ostensible opposites.MATA Interval 2.4 will feature new and recent works for toys and unusual instruments by composers that in some way or another explore the continuous interplay between simplicity and complexity.  Douglas Perkins will be performing Nathan Davis's delicate and entrancing “Simple Songs of Birth and Return” for mbira and processing, and balloon artist Judy Dunaway will be joined by virtuoso vocalist Jenny Walshe in a premiere of a new piece for latex balloon and vocals showcasing how an everyday object can be turned into a musical instrument.  Tristan Perich will be contributing a new piece for three toy pianos and 1-bit music continuing his work with lo-res digital audio and acoustic instruments, and special guest Margaret Leng Tan will be performing two movements from Erik Griswold's "Old MacDonald’s Yellow Submarine" as well as John Kennedy's "The Winged Energy of Delight” which features toy piano, toy cymbals and sand blocks.  These last two pieces both demand that one performer plays several toy instruments ensuing a highly choreographed performance.Some of the pieces in the concert will also combine toy instruments with conventional instruments exploring different sonorities within more traditional ensembles. In this spirit, I will be premiering a new piece for the great new music ensemble TRANSIT which features a Speak and Spell toy as well as various toy megaphones and bubble wrap.  This piece, titled “What I’m Trying To Say Is…”, explores the frustration of misunderstandings in every-day communication by looking into the process of articulating, processing and decoding messages.  TRANSIT will also be performing the energetic and adventurous "Suite Primaire" by Daniel Wohl, which features melodica, slide whistle and involves the performers' voices as a natural extension of their instrumental playing within sophisticated textures. I'm thankful to MATA for supporting my idea for PLAY! and honored to have all these amazing musicians join me in this wonderful adventure. I have to say I’m especially thrilled that the lady I first heard playing Cage’s “Suite for Toy Piano” will also be a part of this program, and I hope you’ll join us for an exciting night filled with little but powerful things.