At Pittsburgh’s Music on the Edge series, the No Exit ensemble, in photo, performs works by Mathew Rosenblum, Douglas Knehans, Cindy Cox, Constantine Koukias, Agata Zubel, Edward Smaldone, and Pamela Madsen. Photo by Steven Mastroianni.
“ ‘Classical music,’ perhaps better described as ‘concert music’ when talking about 21st century compositions, adopts different genre conventions and stylings with aplomb and abandon,” writes Jeremy Reynolds in Monday’s (2/6) Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (login may be required). “Composer Eric Moe [is] a professor at the University of Pittsburgh and co-director of Pittsburgh’s annual Music on the Edge Music series, which presents a range of groups in concert unified only by their skill in exploring ‘what’s next’ in music. ‘We get a lot of people in their 30s and 40s looking for a concert music experience,’ Moe said. Music on the Edge kicks off at the Andy Warhol Museum, the series’ co-presenter, on Saturday at 8 p.m. with the Chicago-based group Dal Niente, an ensemble dedicated to commissioning new music that pushes boundaries and blends new sounds and styles…. Experimental concert music is about trying new combinations and techniques and sounds. Melody and harmony might be less important than the special blends of sound achieved with unusual instrumental combinations or electronic mixing. For some performers and listeners, the pursuit of the ‘new’ is the most important part of these concert experiences…. ‘These concerts are for the adventurers and the explorers,’ Moe said.”
