Every July, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble offers a concert series of contemporary music written by a majority of living composers. Seven members comprise PNME: Sean Connors (percussion), Lindsey Goodman (flute), Timothy Jones (bass-baritone vocals), Norbert Lewandowski (cello), Bobby Mitchell (piano), Kevin Schempf (clarinet), and Nathalie Shaw (violin). Under Artistic Director Kevin Noe since 2000, the ensemble annually performs at City Theatre in the South Side.
PNME offers two performances of each program on consecutive Friday and Saturday evenings. Programs vary from simply melodious to conceptually stimulating to amusingly theatrical. This weekend's program opens with a solo performance by Connors in The Anvil Chorus (1991), composed by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lang. It also features a dynamic trio Triple Crown (2009), composed by PNME's own founder David Stock. PNME also performs a mesmerizing quartet, The Life of Birds (2008), composed by Mason Bates, who was selected as Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's 2012-2013 Composer of the Year.
PNME performances prove to be not only musically exciting but also visually thoughtful. Take The Anvil Chorus. After the spoken introduction by Noe, Connors unexpectedly appears like a floating apparition on a lift against the stage's back wall. This simple feat of clever placement and lighting already heightens entertainment. The piece begins with a loose rhythm of abrasive clangs but develops into a percussive melody that convinces the audience to understand the instrumentation. People in the audience absentmindedly nod their heads or tap their feet, an indication of a successful performance.
In Triple Crown, Connors, Lewandowski, and Mitchell have a more traditional stage presence. Lewandowski sits centered with his cello, and the two larger instruments are on either side of him. There are three parts to the piece. In the first, dramatic downbeats give way to eerie trills. The second part sounds like a tango in andante, with the combination of each musician's movements creating the visual effect of a dance. Although separated from one another by space, each musician, involved with his own instrument, shows the audience how individual efforts result in music that requires a collective effort. Finally, the third part of Triple Crown evokes a distinct personality from each instrument, which is mildly reminiscent of Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of the Animals (1886).
The Life of Birds is the highlight of this program. The violin, cello, flute, and clarinet quartet gloriously captures the notion of fluttering and singing birds. Put simply, it's a delightful piece that the members of PNME play flawlessly. Other numbers include Quicksilver (1992) by Randall Woolf, Klingende Buchstaben (1998) by Alfred Schnittke, and Silences (2004/2012) by Jeffrey Nytch. Attending at least one PNME performance is every bit worth two hours of a summer evening. Through varied programs comprised of contemporary compositions, the ensemble is sure to keep even regular attendees on their toes.
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