PARTCH Ensemble—the Grammy Award-winning ensemble specializing in the music of the iconoclastic composer Harry Partch—presents a triple bill of premieres performed on Partch’s extraordinary instruments.
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Concert Reviews from REDCAT 2025
Photo by Felix Salazar There’s something almost monastic about the dedication of the PARTCH Ensemble… these musicians are dedicated to preserving the maverick composer’s idiosyncratic pieces and unique handcrafted instruments.
…From the first moments, vocalist Joanna Wallfisch’s performance was galvanic, a tour de force that ranged from flights of giddy passion to soul-wrenching panic — all leading up to Juliet’s commitment to face death for love.
Summer 1955 (part 1 of 2)
This year’s program includes the LA debut of Partch’s five-part Summer 1955, a setting of texts ranging from Psalm 137 and Shakespeare’s “Potion Scene” to Alice in Wonderland’s Adventures, and culminating in the composer’s clarinet arrangement of Ulysses written for jazz great Chet Baker.
- Two Settings from Lewis Carroll – “The Mock Turtle Song” 6:10
- By the Rivers of Babylon 3:30
- Two Settings from Lewis Carroll – “O Frabjous Day!” 3:23
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Partch, Harry
Earth Studies by Evan Ziporyn
Evan Ziporyn’s Earth Studies is a series of short pieces inspired by the visionary work of Speculative Architects Rania Ghosn & El Hadi Jazairy, aka DesignEarth. Bringing their utopian/dystopian texts and images into dialogue with Partch’s soundscape, these pieces explore the intersection of music, architecture, and the natural world. Earth Studies is a prelude to a forthcoming evening-length work.
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Ziporyn, Evan
Summer 1955 (part 2 of 2)
- Potion Scene (Romeo & Juliet)
- Ulysses Departs at the Edge of the World [Cl/Vc/DM/Boo]
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Partch, Harry
HEAVE HO
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Notes
Live at REDCAT, June 15, 2025
Program note by Stephen James Taylor:
HEAVE HO is a 6-movement piece embracing the spirit of perseverance in the face of adversity. At times humorous, at times jarring, at times cinematic, the music vibrantly romps through the harmonic and melodic fields provided by the Partch instruments and tuning system. His 43-tone scale is comfortably pulled into a newly created eclectic genre: Kendrick Lamar-meets Terry Riley-meets Ringling Brothers-meets Eno-meets Zappa-meets Leadbelly-meets Partch. Go figure.
Partch Instruments:
Adapted Guitar II, Adapted Guitar III, Adapted Viola, Bass Marimba, Chromelodeon, Diamond Marimba, Harmonic Canon
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Taylor, Stephen James
This performance is supported, in part, by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture as part of Creative Recovery LA, an initiative funded by the American Rescue Plan.
