Thank YOU: Juan Atkins, Milan Ariel, Public Works and the SF Music Community!
Thanks from the whole Mercury Soul family for coming to our Public Works show last week!
We were so thankful to see such a strong crowd show up to see Juan Atkins, who had such a great time that he played deep into the night. Below you can find some pics as well as some info about the music the string orchestra played, from JS Bach to Philip Glass.
It’s no easy feat animating large classical ensembles in clubs with immersive projections and stagecraft, but that’s our mission at Mercury Soul. In addition to our evening shows, we also bring lots of high school students into clubs to hear DJs and classical music as part of our education program. Please consider supporting our nonprofit here if you can, and please stay tuned for news about our upcoming shows this spring! You can join our mailing list (bottom of this page) .
All the best, Mason Bates, Artistic Director
What Did I Hear?
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Three Divertimenti
Benjamin Britten is regarded as one of the greatest 20th Century composers. His operas are among the most performed from the modern era, and his instrumental music is notable for its impeccable craft and elegance.
Three Divertimenti is a set of three individual character pieces meant as “pleasing entertainment” without the larger formal considerations implied by a multi-movement string quartet.
The bristling rhythms, glissandi (sliding notes) and colorful harmonics of the first piece “March” immediately place the music in the 20th century in terms of style, but as with most of Britten’s compositions, the music is tonal, accessible and broadly appealing.
The second movement “Waltz” is a bit more tame technically with compelling textures and traditional chamber dialog with a whiff of English pastoral character.
The last piece titled “Burlesque” reprises the unmistakable vibrancy of 20th century rhythms, techniques and sonorities in a mini-masterwork of color and dynamic contrast.
Even in his twenties, Britten demonstrated great skill, imagination and originality. He was dedicated to the mission of writing music for the public, a refreshing stance among so many early 20th century composers.
Philip Glass (b. 1937)
Mishima
Mishimais the soundtrack to the 1985 film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, produced by George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola.
The film depicts Yukio Mishima, a Japanese author of dozens of novels, numerous plays and movies. In the film, Mishima is depicted in the ritual act of Seppuku. Kneeling on a carpet, he plunges a dagger into his abdomen, sacrificing his life in protest of the violation of his country’s dignity.
CLASSICAL SET 3
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude No. 2 in C Minor WTC I
The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys for keyboard by Johann Sebastian Bach. In the composer’s time, clavier referred to a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically the harpsichord or clavichord. The collection is generally regarded as one of the most important works in the history of classical music.
The ‘well-tempered’ in the title refers to the new tuning system that been recently developed, vastly expanding the number of key-areas. The Well-Tempered Clavier celebrates this tuning system with 24 preludes and fugues in every possible key.
This prelude from Book I animates a highly chromatic chord progression with a motoric surface texture.
Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840)
Caprice No. 16
The 24 Caprices for Solo Violin were written in groups (six, six and twelve) by Niccolò Paganini between 1802 and 1817. The Caprices are in the form of études, with each number exploring different skills (double stopped trills, extremely fast switching of positions and strings, etc.)
The chief difficulties of No. 16 in G minor are string crossings and wide intervals. The only chord is the final note.
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Prelude No. 2 in C Minor WTC I
This prelude from Book II offers a fascinating study in comparison of Bach’s writing style. This second prelude in C minor was written twenty years after the one in Book I. Some 20 years later, Bach compiled a second book of the same format: 24 preludes in fugues in every possible key.
In the preface of the first book written in 1722, Bach wrote that the collection was “for the profit and use of musical youth desirous of learning.”
Repertoire from Juan Atkin’s DJ set included:
classic material from Kraftwerk (Numbers, Computerworld, More Fun To Compute) and Detroit contemporaries Robert Hood and Aux 88 (My Aux Mind) as well as disco and house classics from Giorgio Moroder (The Chase), Sylvester (You Make Me Feel – Mighty Real), Barabara Tucker (Beautiful), Cajmere ft. Dajae (Brighter Days) that had our Chicago and SF Bones JACKIN’ through the encore!
Techno Symphonic pieces written by Juan Atkins and scored by Mason Bates included:
- I Love You
- Sunlight
- No UFOs
- Game One
- Clear (Cybotron with rik davis)
- Technicolor
Juan Atkins further explorations
Spotify
on 40 years of techno (Detroit Metro Times)
classics all-vinyl mix
Live performance from Milan Ariel w Juan Atkins included:
- The Future Is Here
- 11 05
- Interstellar
- (encore) Alien Love
Milan Ariel – instagram
Milan Ariel – youtube
DJ Justin Reed performance included this material:
Kraftwerk (Trans Europe Express, Boing Boom Tschak)
Liaison Dangereuse (Los Ninos del Parque)
Robert Hood (Motor City)
Der Dritte Raum (Swing Bop – Acid Pauli’s mix)
Plastikman (Kriket, Lastrak)
Aphex Twin (Minipops ’67 – edit)
Bonobo (Ghost Ship)
Phuture (Acid Trax)
NUFrequency (Fallen Hero – MCDE remix)
Underground Resistance (Illuminator). (played in spirit)
among others…