Jason Hardink to premiere "and so on"

Jason Hardink is a tremendous musician, with both a solo career and a longtime position as keyboardist with the Utah Symphony. Not only does he excel in the standard repertory, but he’s also a fierce proponent of new music. He’s recently been featured on the Utah Symphony’s recording of Messiaens Des canyons aux etoiles. He is a former music director of the Nova Chamber Music series.

Hardink is premiering Michael Carnes and so on as well as a new piece by Jeffrey Holmes on February 3, 2025. Location is Westminster University, Gore Concert Hall and the time will be 7:30 PM.

There will surely be other treats on the menu as well. One of the real treats is Jason’s piano: one of the finest Steinway D models I’ve ever hear. Come hear the music and meet the people.

Updated Recording: Then: for those who are no more (string quartet)

A rendering of a piece always misses the mark in many ways. You’re asking technology to do what humans do much better. I’ve not been satisfied with renders of this string quartet. Recently I’ve been using a new technology that allows me to get much closer to my intentions. Still not perfect, but I think we’re at the point when any ensemble considering the piece will have a fair idea of what they’re getting into.

This piece is dark and contemplative, in keeping with its title. Please click the button below to learn more, listen to the piece and request a score.

Concert Announcement: Premiere

I’m happy to announce that my Bagatelles for Clarinet and Viola will be getting its first performance in lovely Eastport, Maine on August 24, 2024. Performers will be Brian Schuth, clarinet and Anne Black, viola. I’m looking forward to meeting Brian in upcoming virtual conference, but I’ve known Anne for ages. She’s a stalwart of new music in Boston (as well as early music). You can learn more about the concert here. It will also feature music of Stravinsky, Hovhaness, Clarke and Maconchy.

I’ve written a little about Bagatelles in previous posts. It was composed for Russell and Leslie Harlow, both excellent musicians, in Park City. Sadly, Leslie (viola) died before they were able to perform the piece. Russell has given his blessing to this performance and I appreciate his generosity of spirit. I think that the description of the music on the concert site is spot on and captures just what my intentions were:

“Utah composer Michael Carnes’ Five Bagatelles, for clarinet and viola, will receive its World Premiere performance at EAC, interspersing a more contemporary set of light, playful dance movements with two haunting, chant-like pieces.”

— Eastport Arts Center

If you’re in that part of the world, I hope you can attend.

Updated recording and video of Brass Quintet #3

Just another brief note here. As you can tell, I’ve been doing some cleanup around here. The page for the quintet had some problems and I’ve fixed them and added a video to boot. The mix is new and should sound more natural. So if you haven’t visit the page (and especially if you have) it’s right here.

Updated recording and video of Spidgin (for flute and piano)

It’s been far too long since I’ve posted, but it’s been a busy time. I’ve recently finished a bit of chamber music and a new symphony. It might take a while to get anything posted about that. So in the meantime, you can hear a new mix of Spidgin and watch it with score on Youtube. Just go right here for more.

Recording (and revision) of Three Scenes for Woodwind Quintet

Back in spring of 2023, I completed a woodwind quintet. It was quickly programmed on a chamber music series in Salt Lake City (Intermezzo Chamber Music) and given its premiere on July 31 of 2023. Players were excellent. As with many first performances, it’s rocky in spots, but still worth a listen.

I also realized that there were a few small modifications I needed to make in the first movement and I’ve done that.

If you visit the page for the piece here you can listen to the first performance. You can also see a video of the revision while following the score.

At some point there will be a full video of the first performance as well, although I’m not sure when that will be. I’ll post a link whenever that time comes.

New Video of Acellorimba

In early July, there was a fine performance of one of my older pieces: Acellorimba for cello and marimba. The performers were:

• Karen Kaderavek - cello. This piece was written for Karen, along with Nancy Zeltsman. They gave the original performance in 1985

• Sebastian Buhts - marimba. Sebastian is a rising star on marimba and I’m delighted he’s part of this performance.

We’re fortunate that there was a nice video capture, along with an audio recording. So you can now enjoy a summer moment in upstate New York. To learn more about the piece, please visit its page.

2023 performance of Acellorimba by Michael Carnes. Performers are Karen Kaderavek and Sebastian Buhts.

Finishing Up the Audio Recording Part of Life

I’ve had some great advice along the way, and I’ve shared some of what I’ve learned on this website. I’ve recorded lots of superb musicians—some well known around the world. But as I’ve become more involved in composing again I’ve realized there simply isn’t time to do recording any more. Dragging equipment around (getting there early and leaving late) and the many unseen hours and days of cleanup and mastering don’t leave me the time I need for writing or family. So I’m calling it a day.

I still have a number of things to record for the upcoming academic year and I’m going to enjoy them. I’m not accepting any new projects and I’ll be finished with all this activity less than a year from now. It’s been quite a ride, but I have other things to do and other places to be.

Many of you who visit my website have come for these technical articles. There might be one or two more, but each one of those takes as much time as a recording project. If you have originally come for those articles, I hope you’ve stayed for the music. I’m planning on much more of that, and you’re always welcome to drop in.

I began recording classical music around 1980 or before. In the beginning it was music of my own: performances that wouldn’t have been captured otherwise. I had a lot to learn! But by 10 years later, I was developing some skill. Groups began to ask me to record their concerts. It was always mainly avocational—a way of giving back to the community. I charged for really big projects, but I made it a point not to take on many of those. I used many recordings to improved the reverbs I wrote when I was Exponential Audio.

Spidgin, a short and flashy piece for Flute and Piano

Perhaps you haven’t been introduced to Spidgin. It dates to 2007. I’ve always envisioned Spidgin as a perfect little encore piece. It’s fast, flashy and virtuosic. the flute and piano chase each other around the score, only lining up together on a few occasions over its two minute span.

It also holds an unusual position in my oevre. I was camping down in southern Utah, enjoying astronomy under dark skies with friends. I got a call telling me the piece was being played in Salt Lake City that day. I’d known nothing about it—hadn’t been to rehearsals, gotten a concert notice, nothing. And there simply wasn’t time to dash back up to SLC and take a much-needed shower. I know it was performed, since I saw a review in a local paper a day or two after. But I wasn’t there and no recording was made. I have plenty of other pieces that were performed and un-recorded. But never a premiere. So, for now, I have a nice rendering instead. Please listen to it here.

Then: for those who are no more

This is a sort of memento mori, written in 2021 during the still-growing wave of Covid. My original intention was to write a sort of memorial piece for those who had been taken by this disease. But I expanded it to take note of all the dead everywhere: all who had once lived but are no more. The only thing stranger than death may be life itself. There is a time in life when we experience the world as ourselves. We think what we think, see what we see, and experience a panoply of emotions.

At death, that all ends. But we still live in a more indirect way in the thoughts and memories of those who knew us. But in time they pass, and perhaps we still appear in family histories with an even dimmer glow. And at some point that’s gone as well. But all of us, present and past, are likely to have some recollection of a time we were most alive. We think of that as Then.

This piece has not yet received a performance, but I hope that changes before long. For now, you’re welcome to listen to a high-quality digital rendering

You can listen here