Video: Published March 14, 2017 of “Solemnity” by Gene Pritsker (world premiere) – NJPE, B3+, William Schimmel

William Schimmel 70th Birthday Concert presented by WPU and Composers Concordance, September 19, 2016

Performed by the New Jersey Percussion Ensemble Peter Jarvis – Director, Conductor Peter Jarvis – Vibraphone Michael Aberback, Paul Carroll, Payton MacDonald – Percussion B3+ – John Clark, Franz Hackl, David Taylor William Schimmel – Accordion

Gene Pritsker – Conductor

Gene Pritsker descritbes his composition, “The word solemnity is used for occasions that are all about seriousness and dignity. The music is ceremonial that develops one percussion groove idea and one melodic idea. They move together solemnly, reacting to each other and evolving slowly. The percussive part of the music only uses 3 instruments: Cabasa, Djembe and a Tambourine.

The vibraphone, accordion, horn and bass trombone are the quartet that set the harmonic and melodic language of the music. It is a procession with a grave undertone, a mood that reflected my feelings while writing this music, shortly after the passing of my friend of 16 years, my dog Poochini. I am sure though, that this is not the last tribute I will write for him, for my feelings are strong and consistently reveal themselves in the music I create.”

Gene Pritsker is a very prolific composer for various types of instrumental ensembles. He has composed many compositions for and including the accordion. Gene Pritsker (born 1971) is a Russian-born composer, guitarist, rapper and record producer living in New York City. He moved to the United States with his family in 1979 and lived in Sheapshead Bay Brooklyn.

He attended the Manhattan School of Music from 1990 to 1994 where he studied composition with Giampaolo Bracali. While attending Manhattan School of Music he co-founded the Absolute Ensemble with Kristjan Järvi and formed Sound Liberation, which has released cd’s on Col-legno, Composers Concordance Records and Innova Recordings. Gene’s music has been performed by the Adelaide Symphony, MDR Symphony Orchestra, Athens Camarata, Brooklyn Philharmonic and the Berlin Philharmonic. He worked closely with the Austrian-American jazz keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul and has orchestrated Hollywood movies.

His compositions are published by Falls House Press, Gold Branch Music, Periferia Sheet Music and Calabrese Brothers Music, LLC.His compositions and performances can be heard on Col Legno, Enja Records, Eutrepe, Wergo, Innova Recordings, Composers’ Concordance Records, and Capstone Records labels. He is a member of Broadcast Music, Inc..

From the website of Gene Pritsker: Composer/guitarist/rapper/Di.J. Gene Pritsker has written over six hundred compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music and songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles. All of his compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles and are influenced by his studies of various musical cultures.
Composer/guitarist/rapper/Di.J. Gene Pritsker has written over five hundred seventy compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music and songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles. All of his compositions employ an eclectic spectrum of styles and are influenced by his studies of various musical cultures.

He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation; an eclectic hip hop-chamber-jazz-rock-etc. ensemble who have released cd’s on Col-legno, Composers Concordance and Innova Records. He is also the co-director of Composers’ Concordance, a new music presenting organization with a 30 year history of producing concert in NYC. Other organization he is associate with include the Grammy nominated Absolute Ensemble, which he co founded in 1993 with Kristjan Jarvi and has been a composer in residence and guitarist with ever since. Gene’s music has been performed all over the world at various festivals and by many ensembles and performers, including the The Adelaide Symphony, MDR Symphony, The Athens Camerata, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Brooklyn, Shanghai and Berlin Philharmonics, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, St. Lukes Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonietta Riga, Orchester des Pfalztheaters, Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, Anhaltische Philharmonie as well as such soloists as Anne Akiko Meyers, Lara St. John, Sarah Chang, Kathleen Supové, Martin Kuuskmann and Simone Dinnerstein. He worked closely with jazz fusion legend Joe Zawinul and has orchestrated major Hollywood movies, including ‘Cloud Atlas’, for which he wrote additional music and composed his ”Cloud Atlas Symphony’.

The New York Times described him as “…audacious…multitalented.” Joseph Pehrson, writing in The Music Connoisseur, described Pritsker as “dissolving the artificial boundaries between high brow, low brow, classical, popular musics and elevates the idea that if it’s done well it is great music, regardless of the style or genre”. Raul d’Gama Rose writes in All About Jazz: “Barring the obvious exceptions, much of 21st century composition appears to be thinning in significance, but this might be about to change. Gene Pritsker is one of a very spare handful of composers effecting this change.” Evan Burke writes in ICareIf YouListen: “Pritsker seems to look at all music as one genre, in which all other possible styles, sounds and traditions are meant to be used as building blocks and palette colors, combined in various configurations to create a boundless whole. This result is almost always more interesting, and representative of how most new music will be born in the 21st century, as genres and barriers begin to vanish, and as styles begin cross-fertilizing in previously unimagined ways.”

Organizations he is associated with include: Co-director of Composers Concordance & Composers Concordance Records, co-founder/guitarist of Absolute Ensemble and artist-in residence at the Austrian Outreach Festival. Gene Pritsker’s music is published by: Falls House Press, Gold Branch Music, Periferia Sheet Music & Calabrese Brothers music. Recorded on: Col Legno, Enja, Eutrepe, Wergo, Innova , Composers’ Concordance Records, SONY Classical, and Capstone record labels.

Future 2017 performances include:
9/3: Performing with Absolute Ensemble at Bremen MusikFest, premiering ‘Clib Crawl’ for chamber ensemble and DJ, feat. Mr. Switch.

9/17: Keve Wilson and Kathleen Supové perform ‘Lament For An Event’ and Greg Baker and Gene perform ‘Canons For Two Electric Guitars’ as part of Composers Concordance ‘Terrible Tows’ concert at William Paterson University

9/28:The CompCord Ensemble performs various compositions by Gene as part of their ‘Music Over Wall Street’ concert at Robert’s Wall Street Rooftop

10/7: Rocco Jerry performs ‘Curves’ for accordion and Sampelstra and ‘Stressor’ for accordion at Everett Theater, Southern Vermont College as part of The Progression Ensemble’s concert: Music by Gene Pritsker, Conrad Kehn and Yuji Takahashi

10/15: Rocco Jerry performs ‘Curves’ for accordion and Sampelstra and ‘Stressor’ for accordion at Morton Memorial Library and Community House in Rhinecliff, NY

For further information: genepritsker@gmail.com