SFCMP’s Memorial Concert for Olly Wilson

Last night the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players (SFCMP) concluded its 50th season with a memorial tribute to Olly Wilson. Wilson joined the Music faculty at the University of California at Berkeley in 1970 and remained there until he retired in 2002. He continued to live in Berkeley until his death on March 12, 2018. The memorial concert was the second PostScript to the Future program in the SFCMP at the CROSSROADS series. The streamed video was recorded this past July 1 at the Paul Dresher Ensemble Studio.

The program concluded with one of Wilson’s major compositions, his three-movement “A City Called Heaven.” This was scored for flute (Stacey Pelinka), clarinet (Jeff Anderle, doubling on bass clarinet), violin (Ani Bukujian), viola (Meena Bhasin), cello (Thalia Moore), piano (Kate Campbell), and a large array of percussion, all played by Haruka Fujii. The three movements were designated only by tempo: Agitato, Adagio, and Allegro. Intensity of energy provided the overall rhetoric, but it was the virtuoso percussion work that provided the primary focal point for both eye and ear. The ensemble was conducted by Artistic Director Eric Dudley, who introduced the music with a brief interview with Fujii, in which she explained the “choreographic” approach to realizing the music Wilson had composed. The result was delightfully stimulating.

Eric Dudley conducting the full ensemble for Tyshawn Sorey’s memorial for Olly Wilson (screen shot from the video being discussed)

“A City Called Heaven” was preceded by “For Olly Woodrow Wilson Jr. (In Memoriam),” which Tyshawn Sorey composed on a joint commission by both SFCMP and the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Last night’s performance was the United States premiere of this composition, the world premiere having previously been given in Paris. In many respects this was the perfect complement to “A City Called Heaven,” developing a rich a rhetoric of quietude as Wilson’s piece offered one of intense energy. Those whose listening experiences extend back into the previous century may have been reminded of much of the work of Morton Feldman and his meticulous skill at endowing even the slightest moment with its own emotional impact. This was composed for a much larger ensemble, although each of the fifteen parts had a single performer. Sorey seems to have believed that a memorial tribute is best served by focused attention; and I, for one, would welcome the opportunity to experience this work physically, rather than through streaming.

The program began with a string quartet by cellist Tomeka Reid entitled “Prospective Dwellers.” Bukujian, Bhasin, and Moore were joined by Sam Weiser on second violin. This music served as a “curtain-raiser” for Wilson’s energetic rhetoric. Indeed, one could better grasp the core of that energy through the smaller number of performers. I must confess that I was never able to grasp the significance of Reid’s title, but the overall flow of her score kept my attention focused from beginning to end.