The icarus Quartet, an ensemble of two pianists and two percussionists anchored by Wake Forest Music faculty member Larry Weng, performed three world premieres in Brendle Hall at Wake Forest University on September 30, 2024. The new works were commissioned by the Secrest Artists Series by composers Martin Bresnick, Viet Cuong, and Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon. The concert, Bartók Rebórn, featured Béla Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion and the new works were inspired by this piece's unique sonorities.
Martin Bresnick
"Hagyaték"
Hagyaték, the title of my composition, is the Hungarian word for "Legacy." In this work, commissioned by and dedicated to the icarus Quartet, I honor my most direct musical ancestors, Béla Bartók and György Ligeti, the influence of whose imaginative and exhilarating compositions are not far to seek. Also present is a sonorous memory trace of my friend, the composer Loren Rush. The only legacy or hagyaték worthy of the name must not only derive from but also extend and engage the energies of its still vital source. May it be so with Hagyaték!”
—Martin Bresnick
Viet Cuong
"Cloak of Night"
“This piece owes something to Bela Bartók. After all, he chose the instruments. The commission, from my friends in the wonderful icarus Quartet, called for a response to his Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion. More specifically, I was asked to respond to the second movement, an exemplar of Bartók’s "Night Music." With this somber, eerie selection as my point of departure, the prismatic work that emerged stands in rather stark contrast. Cloak of Night is imbued with the energy of its own creation-sometimes anxious, often ecstatic, and always looking ahead. The title nods to Bartók, but more refers to its compositional process, with the work being done mostly in those darkest hours of night, with all the lonely secrecy they afford.”
—Viet Cuong
Jennifer Higdon
"Turbo Shift (A Crafter's Workshop)"
“Imagine you are a very small drone, flying around a somewhat magical clock maker's workshop. As you move through the air, you see all sorts of mechanical inventions, lying around in full form or in partial construction--tiny pieces and very large ones. And sitting at his desk is the maker himself…carefully constructing new gizmos and fixing old ones. He is meticulous—carefully notating every MEASURE of the small, intricate parts that go into his masterpieces. There is a joy in his dreaming up new creations: figuring out what can be put in, and what must be left out, and how much crafting each piece takes to make a spectacular thing.
“While the tools of our craftsman are laid out neatly upon a work desk, a look around reveals a workshop where there are many projects in process. Two obvious things: a complexity of ideas and joy in the making.
“I have always felt that Bartók is just such a master craftsman. Studying his Sonata, I found the 3rd movement to be some of his most joyous music. In tribute, I have built a piece on fragments, progressions, rhythms, and intervallic relationships from that particular movement. So hang on for a turbo speed journey in honor of a crafter and his workshop.
“Turbo Shift” …subtitled: (A Crafter’s Workshop) is dedicated to the gifted, meticulous, and imaginative icarus Quartet.”
- Jennifer Higdon