Stephen Feigenbaum

[0:00]" I'm sitting down now wiz a young man his name is Stephen fight him mom I met him on the phone since the when we did New England weekend segment about a concert that was performed here in Boston -- searching on which will talk about speak sing whale. And Stephen as composer and his music is just amazing it's bridging that -- the classical world in the popular world and evenly between and Stephen -- nice to meet you -- you look very relaxed very composed there are on Germany's -- it's -- them back today -- sodomy and now you're only -- I would 1920 years although I'm -- twice and how long have you been actually sitting down to compose the kind of music harmony here along when you start for you."

[0:41]" Well I've been writing music come since I was eighth grade in arming the you'd put a lot of different. Times on our ever every year I say this this year of pieces that doesn't count anymore docket -- rent but -- yes I mean for the last three or four years evidence producers say."

[0:57]" When you talk about music it's not simply a taking guitar and in going into the garage and strumming a Neil Diamond dish or Bruce Springsteen cut -- The huge proving actual compositions for symphony and chorus and so -- have you always been a sort of drawn to move this area to visit to the orchestral --"

[1:15]" Yeah I'm in or started out as actresses like movie music. To sort of have 200 I think everybody gets an across the music at least. It from my -- gets entered through movies music finally -- John Williams and then an and you listen to like -- Mahler and Wagner during the same thing and so it's interesting and where you from the originally from Winchester okay see you're local local hero here -- and currently you're in school which -- where you are. At Yale College. -- on -- idea under going to deal with a music major -- idea excellent. Now before -- some examples and you've brought along some amazing things. Let me ask you about your transition here musically -- you also are you also a musician yourself you play a variety of instruments -- play piano and I sing but I've always done -- both sort of -- rock and -- kind of -- so -- I've come out from -- Russia to -- for awhile but like I -- them and I went back to playing --"

[2:10]" Nobody can put you in any kind of box you heard tryouts they have very original guy and and that's why I was drawn to you when we it will we chatted at first at your music. Now as you have something to say obviously is all composers do and the fourth player at first example when -- down to compose. Something for multiple orchestra multiple chorus and so forth are starting out with a basic melody -- basic -- a basic start and end point or does it sort of develop on its own."

[2:36]" As you're creating it. I mean it can be anything you can dispute like I have this this one like five or six -- idea and I want to do something with that -- Indian ideal like I want to read a piece that starts in one it's one kind of music and ends up in a different kind of music element that gradual transition and a general idea of what it'll do."

[3:14]" What that was -- I was on had a -- call you some there I SA and it is international. -- music festival -- shot which is it's the town and the middle of Germany medieval town pupil plays. And on there. All the students for a pieces for. Chamber groups and we -- performance -- so there are obviously -- hundreds and hundreds of people around the country and around the world your age who were -- when I wouldn't -- there's hundreds -- around but I mean -- it's amazing like when you get to a certain -- how small community is actually sort of the same people -- festivals and and the older you get the more people say you know what I think I'm going to be a lawyer fought off at the beginning of that and then and that's really quarter of people on me it."

[3:58]" Well let's listen to you brought along several examples of your work and the first one. Will just listen to a little sample here it's called grooves and Rochester."

[4:09]" And Stephen plug -- on this composing this is our first piece of music goes to Google groups and runs. Written for orchestra. Is actually a really strange. Chamber ensemble an arm on my teachers -- Resnick came up with. Thinking that you needed chamber ensemble that had a wide enough range to incorporate all these different aspects that are entering music today. So it has it has got bass clarinet in the trombone -- cannon electric bass or upright bass. The violent."

[5:06]" Which combines you know the instruments of yesteryear with the instruments of today -- distinction elected elected -- literature and yet does more harm than putting a piece like this together how much input does the composer have -- the orchestra finally gets it means there look at director but the writer who played as he certainly in the theater and and say no that's not right that's not a do you have that kind of input."

[5:53]" As we talk with the composer Stephen -- in -- We're going to listen to another example in a moment but do the did the orchestra members the leaders the coral. Singers do they get a little more edgy when the composure stood there I mean Mozart isn't here anymore I mean okay death and is wondering how does that dynamic."

[7:15]" There's always a story behind every composition. Inspiration that set for what is."

[7:20]" Boiling point all of them well when I wrote the piece on -- I wanted to have a piece that started out with a very like. Rock kind of based. Groove kind of music. It's very percussive and really using the string instruments like drums basically but I want to -- to bring in the really lyrical quality of all the string instruments to. So. Only to write a piece that went from one end of the one extreme of that kind of qualities of the other in a very seamlessly slow way."

[7:48]" You must be -- serious student of music of all kinds and who were some of your influences from the classical realm because. He just what I the short pieces that I have heard from a lot of things floating through it what we'll hear some of your I mean."

[8:39]" Listening to the music -- Stephen fight among reason twenty year old now twenty year old composer from Winchester Massachusetts. Annie's winning awards all over the world and and his performances are happening everywhere including Boston something we don't have a piece from but that by no but it's called speak seeing -- dancing instructor -- I know the importance of whale song to -- little bit about this piece that you did this summer."

[9:00]" Excuse was commissioned from the Boston landmarks orchestra which is an orchestra relatively new in Boston. It has really wonderful mission of performing free public concerts it's a public spaces for -- audiences. And so they had concert that was beamed around environmental issues. And they wanted to peace. Written for them that had whale sounds incorporated and eat just played back on audio orchestra played and siren that piece for them it is on."

[9:25]" Inspection premiered at the hatch -- For audiences to 3002 it's very cool I would I would think that that might extend to other orchestras it's a great idea yeah beautiful sound source Wilson and they Hansbrough I'd know the next thing we're listening to here on the show's called up. Down. Yeah."

[10:32]" So this does -- act. This is of his -- just actually it."

[10:37]" Since -- Germany and first movement is it's very upbeat experience sort of jazzy and life. It's sort of an up kind of peace. It's just this barrier very long and kind of depressing to send back and then there's glimmer of hope that a reference -- first machines that."

[10:55]" And again you don't you don't strike me as a guy who's you know one of those brooding artist assuming a pretty normal well rounded guy who probably has. Variety of interest right yeah I mean I definitely -- music but it's hard to get people Anderson your stuff -- you're depressed about all the time dad and and here here's my painting the scream take a look at -- are so that when you're writing how long does it take the -- you did this to -- goes -- something -- Huge generally have a maybe a week's work. Ahead of -- or and some of that happening today can some of the take must have been the result different."

[11:29]" people say our relatively fast of those students they've seen IRA music. Yeah -- like some of these -- is -- wrote in about two weeks -- I had nothing else going on and and you know so that's. Pretty intense work but it can be -- like if I I've fireworks for like ten hours on one day. And then I don't do anything on the -- for two weeks and I come back and do it again like like that kind of -- be the best because I think about a lot about it I'm not working on in the kind of sit down there and and that's better than just trying to -- for weeks."

[11:58]" We're listening to music to Stephen violence having to -- talk about it which is really cool. This piece is called landings and it's it's in another show to. Yet this is a piece I wrote -- group called counter induction which came to Yale and thanks to our music department and performed student or -- so that was that that was enough to get back. That is sort of terrorist list and this is the performance of them but Bennett want to competition of the New York -- on some of your one. And that's for piano violin and cello. The music that we hearing has been performing various. Organizations and you know you're the guy who's who's the centerpoint of all that's what's the goal. Ultimately going to mention -- cool to have. Some of the established symphony orchestras. Commission you mean that would be some -- they're sure looking forward to and definitely and but is also a thing about like even if you're the most. Like successful composer of music in the world today. Distill audience for the music is relatively small he find it even like if you had a concert contemporary music of the most important composer of today -- but. Letterman show up because there isn't -- very wide audience or I know even even be -- so's been doing that LD Angela and it's a very tough sell because -- people learn so. They want you want to hear the hit space yet it's if they want to listen."

[13:45]" Well I think part of the problem that is that the people that depicting want to hear the answers to say like really order music and essentially to listen to classical radio and falsely to are generally much older people in the audience -- has generally been you know a much older audience I think. The new music can be introduced to an audience but the audience has to be younger -- to be promoted from way."

[14:07]" James Levine it has made a point to bring new music to the orchestra and of course. Some people said they don't go for that but it's really amazing -- that bridge in at least for the -- a self help now the next one has and familiar name Stephen and you pointed out to me that it's based -- soon here and of course state BC comes to mind but he was one of many was taken that homer it has -- so this is your interpretation describe."

[14:32]" What you had in mind here the -- about Paul Berlin whose French poet from a hundred years ago and or this piece of the okay cammarata it was a really good program there and I want to sort of an uphill aspects of the text and music."

[15:08]" Okay."

[15:56]" The music is just great you're -- you're twenty years old but very worldly sort of old soul William -- have you been told that it's not about that night I mean I don't mean -- that's on a negative that's a good thing it's like and I always -- old movies for some reason I'm I'm back in the thirties and stories I have a real flair for just talking about the in the and there's something about appreciating styles and other because there are a lot of people our age in your age. Who -- to set their ways they don't want to experiment they don't want to listen you I assume you listen to rock and jazz and everything else yet try to take at all and then pivot. -- but also I -- means you can sort of sometimes think while I get this many people don't but I do and just does that mean since. Yeah maybe -- him well what I mean you know old announcement that I that is you're you're twenty years old and you're able to do what what people sometimes strike their whole lives to do mean reaching for art in achieving it so at that age old sort of struggle to people have you know writer's block