I’m thrilled about current collaborations with my friends — brilliant cellist Kyle Champion, and esteemed composer Bruce Babcock. Several reasons:
Working with Kyle Champion
I always have a spring in my step and and joyful spirit after rehearsing or performing with Kyle. A consummate musician, avid music educator and acclaimed performer, Kyle brings insightful interpretations to every work he performs.
Homecoming
The concert will be held at St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach, where I spent four incredible months of growth, beauty, healing and renewal last season as Interim Director of Music and where my remarkably talented student, Sean O’Neal, is now Director of Music.
Kyle Champion and James Walker in Recital
Featuring music by Bruce Babcock
Saturday, February 1 at 5:00 PM
St. Cross Episcopal Church
1818 Monterey Boulevard • Hermosa Beach, California
Learning New-to-me Repertoire
We’ve added two significant and contrasting works to our duo repertoire. Celebrated Russian-born American cellist Gregor Piatigorsky arranged Haydn’s Divertimento for cello and piano, and we’ll be performing two movements from this delightful piece. Also on the program is the deeply evocative Elegie for cello and piano by the esteemed Russian composer, music teacher and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period, Alexander Glazunov.
Premiering Bruce Babcock’s New Piece
I will move from the piano to the newly restored organ at St. Cross to premiere the organ version of Alternative Facts by Bruce Babcock. Bruce and I have a long and fruitful collaborative relationship, as over the years at All Saints Church, Pasadena, we were able to premiere several of his pieces that have become wonderful additions to the choral repertoire and are being performed and recorded by outstanding choral ensembles internationally.
Kyle Champion, Bruce Babcock and James Walker in rehearsal
Some words about Alternative Facts from the composer:
“Alternative Facts was composed as a reaction to the 2016 presidential campaign, election, and subsequent inauguration of our current president. Ever since he announced his candidacy we have, as a nation, endured a profound attack on reality, not to mention democracy, diplomacy, civility and honesty. This is now our exhausting ‘alternative facts’ daily life.
“The piece itself reflects the times we are living in. Discombobulating, annoying, loud, repetitive, confounding, crazy-making, tiresome, frenetic, all of the above.”
This excerpt page from the score gives a glimpse into the nature of the piece, with mixed meters, continuous motion and the foundational melodic and harmonic use of the interval of the tritone (augmented 4th or diminished 5th).
What this page doesn’t tell you is the tempo marking of Prestissimo, with the suggested metronome indication of 280 quarter note beats per minute (traditional metronomes have an outer limit of 208). These sections of breakneck speed alternate with free, improvisatory softer sections, using similar melodic material in an almost dream-like haze, suggestive of verbal clouds such as White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway’s use of the phrase “alternative facts.”
The original piano version of Alternative Facts was composed for the brilliant pianist Gloria Cheng. It was recorded and will be included on an upcoming album on the Navona label in 2020.
It is a delight to work with Bruce, exploring the possibilities presented with an organ version. It has been a joyful challenge and honor to prepare this organ version and we have begun planning the recording of this version as well.
More Exquisite Repertoire
I will also play a short ethereal piece for solo piano by Bruce Babcock, Metaphor Two, which will lead directly into the first movement of his exciting sonata for cello and piano, “imagined/remembered.” All this, plus a cello/keyboard sonata by Vivaldi, “The Swan” by Saint-Saëns and three movements of Bach’s Solo Cello Suite in D Minor.
I hope you can attend this wonderful musical event!
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