“Music is motion in time,” said Felix Salzer. The great Austrian theorist may not have been talking about physical motion –the movement of bodies, the flying of hands and darting of eyes –but if he was, he certainly would be on to something. Every performance of music is an aural experience, yes –but it’s also a kinetic one. The musicians move to coax sound from their instruments; the listeners nod (or shake) their heads, tap their toes, and clap their hands; the conductor’s gestures and expressions connect performer to audience. All of this motion even if a dancer never enters the room!

The program, Sway, is filled with motion in time. Ian Whillock’s titular piece draws its inspiration from the lilting rhythms of Afro-Cuban music; Drew Firkins’ piano trilogy uses vivid colors to paint shooting stars, monster-movie chases, and tears falling down cheeks. Our other three composers explore different types of motion: time-warp juxtaposition of the Classical era to the jazz era, the slow dissolution of a physical object, the emotional whiplash of moving from one side of a climactic moment to another.

The Flyover New Music Series, aka Flyover New Music, is the new music series from the composition studio at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Glenn Korff School of Music. The series is administered and overseen by composition faculty and students.

Free and open to the public.

Program: https://unl.box.com/s/skdkdd7fjj9ulnxnu7nbp3oc6pxpj1v9

Program Notes: https://unl.box.com/s/h23c2uapydpaczhv26gzs447qnxrhrqa

Live Webcast: http://netnebraska.org/interactive-multimedia/television/glenn-korff-school-music-flyover-new-music-westbrook-music