CSUF SENIOR COMPOSITION RECITAL SHOWS VISION

Student composer David van Gilluwe offers a wide variety of sounds and textures.

By Steven Robles - May 4, 2010

On Saturday May 1, the Fresno State Concert Hall was home to local composer and Fresno State student David van Gilluwe’s vast array of work. The afternoon’s pieces included “Centrifuge” for timpani and piano, “Concepts” for flute and piano, “Three Stop Signs” for solo clarinet, and “Collapse – The American Economy from 1999-2009” for percussion ensemble and soloist.

The afternoon started with “Centrifuge” with Sarah Basiletti on the timpani accompanied by Aarne Kela at the piano. The piece used a variety of techniques for the timpani and the demanding part was performed flawlessly by Basiletti. The role of the piano is mostly supportive, additive. At times, the music sounded like a work for solo timpani, but there was additional sound following the timpani, adding fascinating color and harmony to the texture. At other times, the piano had parts of its own that interacted with the timpani.

Next, “Concepts” for flute and piano was brought to life by Elisa Moles and Jordan Williams respectively. Although the piece had some extended techniques for the flute, the focus seemed to rely on a strong atonal melodic texture, driven by rhythm and a constant pace. While the texture, rhythm, and pace were interesting at first, it all started to become repetitive over time and one wished for some contrasting texture to break it up.

“Three stop signs” for solo clarinet performed by Taylor Ledak gave the afternoon an intimate and personal character, with its dotted rhythms and variety of articulations. Ledak kept a level head throughout the performance, and in the absence of a score for the listener, it was not possible to discern whether the irregular tone was intended or not. Although there was a lot of rhythmic and melodic character, the music would have benefited from greater contrast between sections and a sense of direction. At the end, I felt that I had enjoyed a bit of clarinet music, but I was not convinced that something meaningful had just taken place.

The program ended with van Gilluwe’s latest opus titled “Collapse – The American Economy from 1999-2009,” a percussion piece played by the Fresno State Percussion Ensemble and soloist Michael Downing. Other than some minor errors, the piece was performed at a high level. It included many rhythmically demanding parts that pushed the ideas along and made the music very fun to listen to. Van Gilluwe created many interesting textures, but he did not create a coherent overall structure that made the listener feel a sense of direction, change, or narrative. This effectively fulfilled what he promised in the title—the ultimate structure of the composition collapsed by the time it was over.

New music can be challenging to the ear and the mind, but overall this program was intriguing and enjoyable. Van Gilluwe's musical vision seems to acknowledge things past, but it mainly looks forward to interesting and creative possibilities in terms of form and structure. His was a very successful senior recital.

--Steven Robles studies composition with George Warren. His works include music for orchestra, string quartet, wind quintet, and various ensembles and solo instruments.