Faculty to perform compositions

Friday, March 7, 1997

MUSIC:

Concert features four pieces that reflect professors’
experiencesBy Kathleen Rhames

Daily Bruin Contributor

Everyone knows the cliche "Those who can, do, and those who
can’t, teach."

Well, the wise guy who invented this obviously bypassed the UCLA
campus, where three music department faculty composers are proving
that this cliche is nothing but an old wives’ tale.

"When I was in graduate school, most of my professors were not
performers and I think that as a result, they were not as good of
composers as they could have been," says music professor Paul
Reale. "I myself am very suspicious of composers who can’t perform
at a professional level. I really feel they should be able to do
it."

Reale, along with professors Paul Chihara and David Lefkowitz,
are part of the UCLA faculty composers performing their musical
pieces this weekend at Schoenberg Hall. All three men, while
professors of composition in the School of the Arts and
Architecture, are also active composers. Teaching and performing
are careers that they feel are dependent on each other for
success.

"They’re completely integral," Lefkowitz says. "The fact that
I’m an active composer as opposed to someone who composes only once
in a while allows me to fine-tune my ability to teach. Performing
my work allows me to explore different genres of music, which is
essential to teaching."

The concert will feature four individual pieces ­ two by
Lefkowitz and one each by Reale and Chihara. While all three are
connected by a shared love of performing, they each bring their own
unique experience and style to the performance, creating an
eclectic evening of musical enchantment.

For instance, one of Lefkowitz’s pieces, titled "Off the Walls
of a Circular Room," is an ensemble piece that centers around a
series of musical pictures that follow one another, sometimes
obscuring the beginnings and ends of each. The music takes on a
circular form, with melodies filtering in and out of the piece in a
repeated pattern.

His second piece, "Listen Beloved," is a musical take on three
poems by e.e. cummings. Exploring different art forms through his
music is the driving force behind Lefkowitz’s work.

"A lot of my music is about other art forms," Lefkowitz says. "I
speak of art galleries and the visual arts because they make me
think of music in different ways."

Reale’s piece, on the other hand, is a more traditional work
centering around Gregorian chant. In what will be the U.S. premiere
of his Piano Sonata No. 7, Reale will perform the piece himself and
is eager to do so in front of a UCLA audience.

"I feel like I’m with a family here," Reale says. "It’s very
pleasant territory for me. When you’re at home and your friends can
come and hear you play it’s very comforting. It’s a very
family-oriented kind of thing."

A composer for nearly 50 years, Reale has devoted 28 years to
UCLA. He finds that his best ideas hit him when he bikes to school
from Canoga Park or when he seeks solace in the hills above UCLA.
He particularly enjoys composing piano music because it is a
universal and "portable" form of music.

"Like most of the sonatas I’ve written, this particular piece is
a big virtuoso vehicle and I can take it around the world," Reale
says. "It’s very traditional in the way it has fast music and slow
music ­ that type of thing."

Both Lefkowitz and Reale agree that performing their piece is
the most gratifying part of composing.

"I think one thing all of us composers have in common is that
we’re all interested in communicating musically to the audience,"
Lefkowitz says. "Although our pieces are unrelated, we’re united in
hoping the audience will understand the power of music."

For Lefkowitz, this weekend will mark the world premiere of his
ensemble piece "Off the Walls of a Circular Room." He will not only
conduct it for the first time but will also hear his own work
performed for the first time as well. For him, this concert
promises to be a little nerve-wracking.

Reale, on the other hand, has done this so many times that the
only thing he cares about is getting out there and having a good
time.

"I enjoy performing enormously and I really like to get up on a
stage and play," Reale says. "I get an absolute kick out of it.
Even if people don’t like the piece that’s OK. After performing for
almost 50 years I don’t worry too much about what people think. I
just do the best I can and enjoy it."

MUSIC: UCLA faculty composers perform March 8 at 8 p.m. in
Schoenberg Hall. Tickets are $7, $3 students. For more information
call (310) 825-4760.

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