Compassion & Sacrifice (2012)

Compassion & Sacrifice (2012)

for Speaking Violist and Speaking Pianist

Premiered by Chantal Lemire, viola; and Michael Park, piano

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Compassion & Sacrifice is many things to many people.

For the composer, it is a speaking duo for viola and piano. For the performers, it is the unique challenge of having to speak while playing their instruments. For arts lovers, it is a critique of how arts funding is portrayed in the right-wing media.

Compassion & Sacrifice is the latest creation from one of Vancouver's most vibrant collaborative teams: Michael Park and Ray Hsu.

In response to the jaw-dropping Sun News Media interview between Krista Erickson and iconic dancer, Margie Gillis, Michael and Ray discussed the interview at length, becoming obsessed with the ideas of media analysis, copyright, and fair dealing. Using those discussions as the basis, Ray sculpted a dialogue between musicians nested with quotations from the interview. By musicalizing that dialogue, Michael has ensured that it's not one you'll soon forget.

In his rather puckish way, Ray Hsu live tweeted from the world premiere that, "The concert ranged from the beautiful, the weird, and the feel good. I think mine was the weird one."

The original video that started it all is available online at the Sun News Network's website, original aired June 1, 2011. It features Krista Erickson interviewing iconic dancer, Margie Gillis.

http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/video/971454253001

Unheard Futures of the Past (2012)

Unheard Futures of the Past (2012)

for Orchestra (2222/4231/timp+1/arpa/archi)

This 7-minute piece for orchestra develops materials from Michael’s earlier graphic novel collaboration, Futures of the Past using techniques of ostinati and efficiency of musical materials.

Unheard Futures of the Past was selected to be read at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s 2012 Jean Coulthard Readings:

Wednesday, March 28, 2012 

10am - 1pm

Orpheum Theatre, Vancouver

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Parts are available upon request.

Program Notes:

Futures of the Past was the extravaganza that never happened. 

At the book launch, the video was screened for a room filled to the brim with comic book fans. We had challenged the conventions of graphic novels, and created something truly beautiful in our look at Chinese and Canadian rail transportation. And even though it had been published as words and images in a book, this video was my chance to let the music’s role shine through!

But those graphic-novel fans were all chattering away, distracted by a misguided emcee. And the audio was played through a pair of underpowered laptop speakers. 

The irony of this essentially silent presentation was not lost on this composer, and I vowed that one day, this music would reach attentive ears. 

Those ears are yours, and this piece is a re-appropriation of my own musical ideas. These are the Unheard Futures of the Past.

Well, Is It Just Me, Or Is Everything Getting Shittier? (2011)

Well, Is It Just Me, Or Is Everything Getting Shittier? (2011)

for Tenor and Piano

This song is a setting of the same-titled poem by Ontario poet, Shannon Duncan.  The song was written for tenor, Drake Dantzler and pianist, Erika Switzer for performance at the second annual Art Song Lab.  

Well, Is It Just Me Or Is Everything Getting Shittier? by michaeljpark
performers: Drake Dantzler, tenor; Erika Switzer, piano

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Faces in a Crowd (2011)

Faces in a Crowd (2011)

for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Percussion

This dynamic chamber piece attempts to musicalize a sense of facial identity, relations, and recognition through the rhythmic perspective of the percussionist.

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Diabetes: Question Time (2011)

Diabetes: Question Time (2011)

chamber opera for six voices and piano

Commissioned by The University of Manitoba’s Contemporary Opera Lab, under the direction of Mel Braun, this 20-minute chamber opera explores internal conflicts and concerns relating to type-one diabetes.

Following the success of the COL commission, Diagnosis: Diabetes will be developed into a one-act opera which will serve as Michael’s doctoral thesis.  More information about that project can be found here.

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Stories Men Tell (2011)

Stories Men Tell

(2011)

1. Veteran

2. How I Fell in Love

3. Three Little Pigs

for Speaking Pianist

An exploration into the art of storytelling.  Playing and speaking, the pianist recounts stories: of a war veteran, how a man met his wife, and a daughter’s favourite fairy tale.

The following recordings of movements 1 and 3 were performed by pianist, Christopher Morano.

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Futures of the Past (2011)

Futures of the Past (2011)

soundscore for online video

Welcome to a new spin on the graphic novel! 

Creators Ray Hsu, Chloe Chan, and Michael Park asked. "What would happen if the words and images of a graphic novel were created in tandem with music that explores the same theme?"

Testing the conventions of graphic novel presentation, this collaboration examines the links between frontiers in rail transportation in Canada and China.

More Than Containers (2010)

More Than Containers (2010)

for Baritone and Piano

A short song for baritone, setting a poem by Ray Hsu as a conversational dialogue between piano and voice.  This song was premiered by baritone, Michael Broder and pianist, Laura Lowen at the Vancouver International Song Institute as part of the inaugural Art-Song Lab. 

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Songs of Ray (2010)

Songs of Ray (2010)

It's Cold in here 

In the cliff-light

for SATB Chamber Choir

text: Ray Hsu

This set of two songs, uses texts by Vancouver poet, Ray Hsu.  Commissioned by Charissa Bagan and Jake Funk for The UBC Chamber Choir.

Premiered by the UBC Chamber Choir Spring Concert, 2010.

Gramps Ain't No Namby-Pamby (2010)

Gramps Ain't No Namby-Pamby (2010)

for Bassoon and Baritone

Using text written by the composer, this piece is a dialogue between a grandfather and grandson where the audience only ever hears half of the conversation.  By having the bassoonist perform their role, playing the rhythm and contour of the (un)spoken text, this piece explores the power of music to create syntactical meaning through the association of speech and musical gesture.

Commissioned by bassoonist, Susan Durnin, Gramps Ain’t No Namby-Pamby has also been performed by bassoonists Margaret Fay, and award winning soloist, Allen Harrington.

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Peter Meets Susanna (2009)

Peter Meets Susanna (2009)

for Speaking Pianist and Chamber Orchestra

Written for my Master’s thesis, this piece was my first formal composition for Speaking Pianist. Using Wallace Stevens’ Peter Quince at the Clavier, this 20-minute piano concerto presents the unique challenge of requiring the pianist to speak while playing complicated, idiomatic piano writing. The chamber Orchestra is scored for: 1 Fl, 2 Ob, 1 Cl, 2 Bsn, Tpt, Tbn, Percussion.

Premiered by the UWO Thesis Orchestra, conducted by Jim McKay, with pianist Alison Wiebe, and narrated by Michael Park.

Click here for a PDF of the score.

Parts available upon request.
 

Valley Candle (2009)

Valley Candle (2009)

for Soprano and Piano

instrumentation: soprano, piano

text: Wallace Stevens

duration: 5 minutes

written for Rachel Mallon

Click here for a PDF of the Score.

Double Double, Toil and Trouble (2008)

Double Double, Toil and Trouble

(2008)

for Voice and Tape

instrumentation: soprano, MaxMSP, PCM digital processer

text: Shakespeare

duration: 7 minutes

Performed by Rachel Wood, soprano; Michael Park, electronics