24 Preludes and Fugues is a challenging exploration of unusual musical scales and individually designed instruments.
While traditional Western music divides every octave into 12 ‘semi-tones’, composer Dennis Aman has explored 24 alternative structures, from a scale of only one note per octave to an array of 24 ‘Equal Divisions of the Octave’ (EDO), and every count between.
These novel and demanding works are performed by the celebrated new music duo The Living Earth Show, whose unique skill and musicality bring to life Aman’s custom-built instruments and unusual tones.
Bios
DENNIS AMAN - Composer & Instrument designer
A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Aman studied electronic music with Richard Festinger at San Francisco State University, followed by private instruction in composition with Dan Becker. Aman was a chorister with the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, and is currently a member of the Cornelius Cardew Choir. His compositions have been performed in Lithuania, Ukraine, and Japan, and most recently at the 'Eclectic Salon' at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles.
In addition to writing and performing, Aman is a producer and co-host of 'Music From Other Minds', a weekly New Music radio show on KALW Public Radio (91.7 FM) in San Francisco. He is passionate about modifying and building new acoustic instruments.
THE LIVING EARTH SHOW - Percussion & Guitar Duo
Called “a vanguard effort of new chamber music” by the San Francisco Examiner, “transcendent” by the Charleston City Paper, and “a fully distorted perpetual motion of awesome” by I Care If You Listen,The Living Earth Show–a Bay Area new music initiative–exists as a megaphone and canvas for some of the world’s most progressive artists. Comprised of electric guitarist Travis Andrews and percussionist Andy Meyerson, the ensemble commissions, curates, organizes, and promotes these composers through challenging them to realize their most ambitious creative visions. Whether through live performance (in the form of multi-media productions of commissioned, evening-length compositions), audio and video recordings, or educational outreach, the ensemble crafts musical experiences that engage both its collaborators and its audience.
Memorizing every work it performs, The Living Earth Show thrives on pushing the boundaries of technical and artistic possibility in its presentation of commissioned electro-acoustic chamber music. The ensemble has commissioned and premiered works by such diverse composers as Timo Andres, Brian Ferneyhough, Samuel Adams, Ken Ueno, Luciano Chessa, Ted Hearne, Jon Russell, Adrian Knight, Alden Jenks, Nick Vasallo, and Matt Marks. Several of these commissions were recorded for the group’s critically acclaimed debut album, High Art, which was released through Innova Records in 2013. The ensemble has been presented at universities and conservatories across the country, and has served as featured artists at festivals including Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, the Tribeca New Music Festival in Manhattan, Switchboard Music Festival in San Francisco, Fast Forward Austin, MicroFest in Los Angeles, and 12 Nights in Miami.