MUSICIANS: Music by William Susman Poems by Sue Susman
Members of Octet: Vocals: Mellissa Hughes Saxophone: Demetrius Spaneas Trumpet: Mike Gurfield Trombone: Alan Ferber Drums: Greg Zuber Piano: Elaine Kwon Electric Piano: William Susman Double Bass: Eleonore Oppenheim
PRODUCTION CREDITS: Produced by William Susman Sound engineer and mixing: John Kilgore Recorded and mixed at Kilgore Sound, New York City Mastering engineer: Alan Silverman Mastered at Arf! Mastering, New York City Additional sound engineer: Josiah Gluck Additional mixing by Stephen Hart, assisted by Ana Sophia Dunham at The Site, San Rafael, California Cover design by Daniel Sofer / Hermosawave Photography by Ken Goodman Cover image by Ben Swift
In the early 90s, pianist Joan Nagano had recently formed a group here in the San Francisco Bay Area called The Belmont Ensemble. The instrumentation was voice, clarinet, french horn and piano. They were all supeerb musicians drawn from the SF opera orchestra. They asked me to write them a piece. I asked my sister Sue to send me some of her recent poems. I selected three for this song cycle that I felt spoke to each other and could tell a story. The result was Moving in to an Empty Space (1992).
When I set her poetry to music, I was also drawn to her shorter poems. They paint a picture using words that are bubbling with motion and sound. In many ways, setting her poems to music was cathartic. Her words almost composed the music for me.
In the first poem called Hot Time, the line, “At night people scurry and run together in packs,” and, “as the music blasts into flashing strobe-lights, the walls begin to swell and breathe,” are filled with sonic gestures. The way I treat the vocal line with these words is a centuries old technique called word or tone painting. The melody and dynamics here reflect the literal meaning of the words.
The title of the second poem in the song cycle, Begging the night for change, is filled with movement and also is a stunning metaphor.
And, in the third poem, Moving in to an Empty Space, the closing existential lines, “There is no message, no sound just the silent reflection of my own face shining in the night to remind me that I have always been here,” are pregnant with music.
When I formed OCTET ensemble around 2010, I wanted to create an instrumentation that drew on my background playing in jazz ensembles. This band takes its sound from the big band music I played as a teenager: trumpet, sax, trombone, rhythm section plus vocals. When looking for repertoire, it was natural to arrange Moving in to an Empty Space for OCTET. In 2018, my sister’s poems were published in a collection called The Forest Within.
The second of three songs, Begging the Night for Change, in its original instrumentation of voice, clarinet, horn and piano.
Begging the Night for Change arranged for OCTET Ensemble.
French pianist Vanessa Wagner and singer/songwriter Arthur H appeared together to celebrate Piano Day 2020. The concert was filmed on March 9, 2020 at Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris.
Philipp Glass – Glassworks, ouverture
Hans Otte – Das Buch der Klange, Part X
Bryce Dessner – Ornament 3
William Susman – Quiet Rhythms, Prologue and Action No. 9
Philipp Glass – Etude No. 9
Philipp Glass – Etudes No. 5
Poèmes :
Jacques Prévert – Sables mouvants. Chansons. Sanguine
Henri Michaud – Poteaux d’angles (extrait court)
Gaston Miron – La marche à l’amour (extrait)
Yves Bonnefoy (extrait)
Arthur H – Anatalius sans remord ni regret
Arthur Rimbaud – L’éternité
Music, Polyphony and Polyrhythm 