The art of collaboration: composer Jennifer Higdon and icarus Quartet

“Virtuosity, precision and unflagging energy” — that’s how The Wall Street Journal describes icarus Quartet. The ensemble of two pianists and two percussionists will perform a unique program in the Triad tonight titled “Bartók Reborn" as part of the Secrest Artist Series. It features three world premieres including one by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon. The concert will take place in Brendle Recital Hall. 

Pianist and Wake Forest University Assistant Professor of Music Larry Weng is one-fourth of icarus. He says the tradition of performers collaborating with composers is ages old, and — given the makeup of icarus — the process is often very hands-on, empowering and fun.

"The vast majority of our training is to be able to accurately carry out the intention of the composer," says Weng. "So, most of the rehearsing, most of the thought that we put into rehearsal, is trying to figure out, what are those intentions? And so sometimes there'll be things that maybe don't necessarily work because of the instrumentation or how it works in the space, and then we offer alternatives. And that's always to say, 'Hey, this is not we're doing it this way.' It is 'Maybe this could be something that'd be cool, maybe this would be something that's in the vein of your message or your intention for this part of the piece,' but it's never a one-way street."

Weng says modern composers like Jennifer Higdon often use commissions like these to expand their own compositional pallets. Higdon’s new work “Turbo Shift” provides a good example by adding the percussive effects of the piano to her hallmark lyricism and poignant harmonies.

"[It's] almost like a tinkerers workshop," he says. "And so you'll hear all these wonderful mechanical whirs and dings that come from the percussion. And then when the pianos enter, you might hear things that sound — 'Hey, is that actually a piano sound?' And so it's a very, very fascinating sound world that she's introducing."

Weng says that percussive piano effect is thanks to a custom mute made by the composer herself.

"It is a sock filled with BBs," he says. "And what it does is that you lay it on the string, and it creates this wonderful, wonderful tinker-y sound, almost like a machine or a music box. It doesn't really sound like piano."

Higdon’s piece, like the other premieres on the program, is a response to Hungarian composer Béla Bartók’s “Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion.” She says she’s long been fascinated with his mastery of thematic material, rhythmic interactions, sense of time, and pacing.

"To me, Bartók is like an incredible clock worker," says Higdon. "With my movement, I thought about that a lot, of like, Bartók craftsmanship. It really was an inspiration point for me. When I was thinking about the piece, I thought, what if you were a drone flying around in a magical clockmaker's workshop?" 

The result is a roughly 12-minute homage to Bartók titled “Turbo Shift (A Crafter’s Workshop),” filled with fragments of his music mixed with Higdon’s signature creativity and her own remarkable craftsmanship.

"When I'm composing something, my first thought is, all right, here's the first note, how do I hold everyone's attention all the way to the end?" says Higdon. "And how do I make it such a good experience that they don't realize time is going by? It's an interesting creative challenge. It's not easy. You have to really constantly analyze everything and hope you're making good guesses. How can you just bend this a little bit so it's still interesting and you can follow along, but it's fresh-sounding?"

Higdon will be in attendance at the premiere of her “Turbo Shift” along with the other two featured composers Martin Bresnick and Viet Cuong. 

"I'm so excited to hear them [icarus Quartet] play it," she says. "You know, for a composer, it's the ultimate dream to have players who are just top-notch. But it also shows off their individual skill, and it shows off them as a group. So, you want to draw everyone into that magic. That's the most important thing."