This is the exciting debut recording from the young Quebec composer Nicole Lizée. A member of the band The Besnard Lakes, Lizée also has become known for her works for large ensemble and solo turntablist, featuring scratch DJ techniques fully notated and integrated into a concert music setting. She moves among different musical idioms, integrating the sounds of jazz and popular music within a contemporary classical framework. The title work, This Will Not Be Televised, was voted one of the top ten best compositions at the 2008 International Rostrum of Composers.

Program Notes

This Will Not Be Televised (2005–2007)
for 7 players and turntablist

Written during the CBC strike of 2005, This Will Not Be Televised is a further exploration into the world of turntablism and its integration into a concert music setting. This work picks up where my two previous works for turntables (1999’s RPM and 2004’s King Kong and Fay Wray) left off. Pitch based manipulation techniques are one of the foremost techniques centered on in the piece. A sine wave record tuned to A=440 (originally intended to test stereo systems in the 1960s) and a nun’s chorus (from the soundtrack to The Sound of Music) are used to create melodies and themes that are accompanied and embellished by the live ensemble. These turntable melodies are created using a combination of pitch bends on the turntable’s pitch adjustment control and alternating the r.p.m. speed between 33 1/3 and 45.

Many of the records were selected for their vocal based material. Very short excerpts of unique vocal harmonies--“ooohs”, “whoas” and “yeahs”--from some of the most distinctive vocalists of the 60s, 70s and 80s are used. Many come from 1980s hard rock/heavy metal records. David Lee Roth, vocalist for the band Van Halen, has a tendency to create shrill overtones when he sings, which make for some intriguing sampling sonorities.

The concept of record juggling, used to some extent in my two earlier DJ works, is extended and expanded both in scope and virtuosity. The records are tuned to individual pitches and tempos and, at one point in the work, two slightly different excerpts from the same record are juggled to create a new sample. The ensemble acoustically enhances and emulates the juggling effects performed on the turntables, changing tempo and meter in sync with the DJ.

The piece concludes with the turntables and ensemble joining forces to create a driving, relentless outburst using an 80s synthesizer sample, heavy metal guitar solo and scratch techniques intertwined with a rigorous loop performed by the ensemble. The two build until a peak is finally reached using a well-known idiomatic heavy metal cadence performed by the DJ.

This work was commissioned by the CBC. It was named a Top 10 recommended work at the 2008 International Rostrum of Composers.

RPM (1999/rev. 2005)
for large ensemble and turntablist

Written as part of my Masters thesis, RPM is constructed around the concept of the turntable and DJ (Disk Jockey: one who controls the turntables). This idea not only manifests itself through the use of actual turntables, but also much of the acoustic material performed by the ensemble consists of “metaphoric turntables”. These are contrasting layers of sound that are superposed over one another played by small groups of specific instruments within the larger ensemble. These instrumental groups emulate the sonorities generated through turntable manipulation such as record juggling and splicing, dragging/transforming, the “hydroplane” and “tweak” effects, and various scratches. The work’s formal structure, pitch content, rhythmic flux, tempo, meter changes and instrumental registers are directly influenced by the samples derived from the records manipulated by the DJ.

The vinyl samples featured in the work are from a specific period in music. They can be described as “easy listening” or “mood” music from the 1950s and 60s. The records from this era and genre have distinct qualities–lush harmonies, classic close-mic’d vocals–that merge well with the live ensemble. I deliberately used very old, worn records laden with static and noise, where certain frequencies were worn down and others jumped to the front.

The final section of the work simulates a DJ Battle. These competitions occur regularly in the world of turntablism where two DJs showcase their talents in a duel-like fashion. The DJs alternate back and forth, demonstrating techniques that gradually increase in degree of difficulty. In this work the two contestants are the entire acoustic ensemble and the DJ. The two exchange increasingly raucous articulations until they finally play together in a chaotic climax to end the battle.

Girl, You’re Living a Life of Crime (2004)
for 5 players

Girl, You’re Living a Life of Crime is structured around the incessant looping and splicing of a musical pattern. A quick paced loop is immediately established and gradually becomes spliced and interrupted to create a stuttering or “skipping record” effect. The work is structured primarily as a pop/rock song with an incessant hi-hat figure setting the mood for the entire work. This intro is followed by what could be described as a verse that soon makes way for the chorus. This is where the piece gets stuck. The pattern that makes up the chorus is on heavy repeat; it loops until eventually the simulated record begins skipping at different points in the pattern. This continues at an increased rapid and frenetic pace until the record finally exhausts itself and comes to an abrupt stop.

Carpal Tunnels (2001)
for 5 players

Carpal Tunnels is a work for jazz quintet that manipulates certain idiomatic rhythmic techniques found in small group jazz. These concepts often occur spontaneously in improvisational situations. In this work they are placed in a formal structure where the element of chance is removed from the performance and they saturate the work to the point of exploitation. Over the course of the piece a gradual metric modulation takes place. The work, which is notated in 9/8 throughout, slowly modulates to create the illusion of a swinging 4/4 feel, then gradually modulates back to the prior emphasis of 9/8.

Jupiter Moon Menace (2001)
for 5 players

Inspired by the 1950s and 60s sci-fi aesthetic, Jupiter Moon Menace is an attempt to musically convey some of the iconography and semiotics of that period. It references films dealing with themes such as time travel, technology (and what that technology would look and act like), and the implications of life outside of our terrestial boundaries. The imagined reality of those filmic worlds is defined both by an often idealistic vision of the future and by a now quaint but fascinating visual style: smooth curves and clean white lines coupled with analog, binary systems.

Dr. Heywood Floyd’s sleek black attire and the white jumpsuits of the Ultra-Violence posse give a glimpse into the style of the future. One, a natural extension of 60s Mod fashion; the other, a twisted tip of the bowler hat to a time when the tyranny of couture would cease, replaced by a common utilitarian jumpsuit. Spaceships and other modes of conveyance share a sparse, nordic cleanliness, as does Korova bar–eerily lit and ghastly in its hyper stylishness. Other themes emerge: the mad scientist whose keen intellect invariably clashes with the mere mortal minds that surround him; artificial intelligence in the form of computers or robots, threatening to replace or supercede man’s position in the the hierarchy of the known universe.

Télévision (2001/rev. 2006)
for 2 percussionists

The genesis of anyone’s preoccupations and fixations can be found in one’s early, formative years. In my case, as the daughter of an electronics retailer and collector, I found an early appreciation (that exists to this day) for the inner workings of electronic devices. Exposed circuitry, glowing cathode ray tubes, resistors and capacitors lined in rows...soldered point to point. This was my daily glimpse into a world unseen by the mass consumer who, upon purchase, was strictly advised (by a small orange sticker) that there were “no user serviceable parts”.

I was privy to the hows and whys of wood paneled televisions, massive console record player/stereo/receiver combos, and as time wore on, any number of era-defining contraptions. The 80s saw the last hurrah of devices covered in oak and other wood grains and ushered in such life changing and time saving inventions as the Beta format VCR, the laser disc player and the Walkman.

This piece is not inspired so much by the content broadcast on television in my formative years as much as it is inspired by the symmetry and beauty of the interior components that were a constant backdrop during my childhood.
This work was commissioned by Lithium Ensemble.

The Composer

Nicole Lizée was born in 1973 in Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan. In 1995 she received a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University where she majored in piano and composition. In 2001 she received a Master of Music degree in composition from McGill University in Montreal where she studied with Denys Bouliane and John Rea. Her Masters thesis consisted of a work for large ensemble and solo turntablist that featured scratch DJ techniques fully notated and integrated into a concert music setting.

Nicole has received commissions from several artists and ensembles including l’Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal, CBC, Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, Ensemble Kore, So Percussion, Continuum, Bradyworks, Brigitte Poulin, Motion Ensemble, Matt Haimovitz, Toca Loca and l’Association des Orchestres de Jeunes du Québec.

Nicole has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and le Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. She has twice been named a finalist for the Jules-Léger Prize, most recently in 2007 for the work This Will Not Be Televised, scored for chamber ensemble and turntables. This work was selected as a top ten recommended work at the 2008 International Rostrum of Composers in Dublin. In 2002 she was awarded the Canada Council for the Arts Robert Fleming Prize, and in 2004 she was nominated for an Opus Prize.

The Performers

Canadian Chamber Ensemble
The Canadian Chamber Ensemble comprises the 16 principal musicians of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony. Under the direction of it's founder, Raffi Armenian, the CCE won critical and public acclaim through its extensive tours, recording and broadcasts in Europe and Central and South America. In 1990, the CCE was the first major Canadian arts ensemble to perform in Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 1996, members of the CCE were featured at the Takefu International Music Festival in Japan. The CCE has released 11 recordings, Including the Grand Prix Du Disque winner and Juno nominee, Serenades. Repertoire from its Music from Berlin in the 1920's was selected by director Woody Allen to underscore the opening credits of his film Shadows and Fog.

Alexandre Grogg, rhodes
Alexandre Grogg has studied improvisation with Lorraine Desmarais in Montréal and Ran Blake in Boston. In addition to co-leading the quintet Ensemble en pièces, with whom he has recorded the album Jardin d'exil, Alexandre has worked with various artists, including singer Sonia Johnson, bassist Normand Guilbeault, and multi-instrumentalist Michel Côté. He has also performed once with legendary trumpeter Bill Dixon. Mostly inspired by literature and consistently feeling imbued with the desire to perfect his musical language, Alexandre focuses on exploring low and slender timbres, mirrors of the wide frozen spaces that fill his childhood memories, as one single sound embodying the abstruse line from which the equivocal fog of humanity's aspirations come out.

Yuri Hooker, cello
Yuri Hooker is the Principal Cellist with both the Manitoba Chamber and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestras. Since his arrival in Winnipeg in 1999, he has become a well-known figure in the Manitoba music scene, and appears regularly with The Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, the Brandon Chamber Players, GroundSwell, and at the Clear Lake Chamber Music Festival. In past seasons he has appeared as soloist with the WSO, MCO and MusikBarock, and he has arranged and performed music for the MCO Chamber Music Night. He can also be heard regularly on CBC Radio Two. As well as performing, Yuri maintains a private teaching studio, and is Sessional Instructor of Cello at the University of Manitoba. He is the founder and director of the Winnipeg Summer Cello Institute, which had its inaugural session in 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Brandon University, followed by graduate studies under Janos Starker and Stanley Ritchie (period performance) at Indiana University.

Rei Hotoda, conductor
Rei Hotoda studied conducting with Gustav Meier at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. She holds a Doctorate in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Eastman School of Music. Ms. Hotoda has guest conducted orchestras throughout North America and Europe. Hotoda is currently the Assistant Conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Already she has led the orchestra in concerts to over 14,000 audience members in the Greater Manitoba area. Ms. Hotoda has conducted premieres of notable composers from Asia, Europe and North America including Toshio Hosokawa, Nicole Lizée, Sciarrino, Maierhof and Gene Coleman and has worked closely with Jennifer Higdon, Christos Hatzis and Dai Fujikura.

Erik Hove, alto saxophone
Erik Hove is an alto saxophonist who plays modern jazz and improvised music. He was born in Vancouver, B.C. and moved to Montreal to attend McGill University, taking lessons with Remi Bolduc. He then moved to New York to study with Blue Note recording artist Greg Osby. While in New York, he formed the turntable-jazz group Soundclash, which played extensively in New York and Montreal, and also began playing frequently with indie pop group Stars. Now based in Montreal, he continues to play with Soundclash, winners of L'OFF Festival de Jazz 2006 François Marcaurelle prize, who will soon be releasing a disc with Effendi records. He also heads a trio and a quartet. He plays with many local and international artists, including Lubo Alexandrov's Juno-winning Kaba Horo, pop group Memphis, Adrian Vedady, Miles Perkin's Common Thread, Thomas Carbou, and Alex Bellegarde, winner of the Montreal Jazz Festival's Grand Prize.

Meredith Johnson, double bass
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra principal bassist Meredith Johnson began playing the double bass while pursuing an undergraduate degree in English Literature at Vanderbilt University, studying with Sony Classical Recording Artist Edgar Meyer. He received his Masters of Music in Double Bass Performance at Boston University where he studied with Todd Seeber and Edwin Barker of the Boston Symphony. Mr. Johnson has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe. Since his appointment to the WSO, he has appeared with the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, the Agassiz Chamber Music Festival, and Groundswell. In addition to his position with the WSO, he maintains a private teaching studio, is principal bassist of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, bassist with the Brandon Chamber Players, and a member of the bass faculty of the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC.

Paolo Kapunan/P-Love, turntables
Paolo Kapunan moved to Montreal in 1995 to study trumpet at McGill University. Somewhere between ear training classes and choir practice, the trumpet took a back seat to the turntables, the alter-ego “P-Love” was born, and immediately after his last exam in 2000, he was whisked away by his friend Kid Koala on a series of tours throughout North America and Europe as the extra pair of hands. Since then, Paolo has recorded and toured with acts such as Steinski, Medeski Martin & Wood, and Amon Tobin. In 2004, he was part of Sixtoo’s touring ensemble, where he played everything from turntables to keyboards and trumpet and various handheld electronic devices. Paolo’s debut full-length album All Up in Your Mind was released in 2005 on Montreal-based Bully Records and distributed worldwide through British/Canadian label Ninja Tune. He and his wife currently live in New York, where he is currently playing guitar and keyboards for Brooklyn-based indie rock band Taxi Taxi.

Fred Liessens, percussion
Born in Sorel, Quebec, Fred started playing tympani with the school band at age 13. He went on to study music at College de Ste-Foy in Quebec City and later on at McGill University in Montreal. For five consecutive years, Fred participated as a student at the Mount Orford Summer Festival in the Eastern Townships in Quebec. He was also a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, the World Youth Orchestra and L'Orchestre des Jeunes du Quebec. While studying at McGill he performed with L'Orchestre de Radio-Canada in Montreal, L'Orchestre des Grands Ballets Canadiens and L'Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal. In 1981 Fred moved to Winnipeg to take the post of Principal Percussionist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In Winnipeg he also performs regularly with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and the Musik Barock Ensemble. He is also the leader of the Fred Liessens' Jazz Ensemble and his own marimba band "StickShift". Fred has recorded 2 CDs featuring his own compositions and arrangements.

Shawn Mativetsky, percussion
Versatile percussionist Shawn Mativetsky performs in a variety of musical genres with dynamism and skill. Equally at home in Western classical and contemporary/new music, Indian classical music, and world music, Shawn also composes and performs music for dance and theatre. He is active in the promotion of the tabla and North Indian classical music through lectures, workshops, and performances across Canada and the United States. Shawn Mativetsky is a ganda-band disciple of Pandit Sharda Sahai of the Benares tabla gharana and has also studied tabla with Bob Becker. Shawn holds a Master's degree in music from McGill University and has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts, the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Miles Perkin, double bass
Miles Perkin holds a bachelor of music degree from McGill University where he studied double bass with members of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra and performed with the McGill Contemporary Music Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra. He studied composition with American jazz legend Bob Brookmeyer while attending Brandon University as a visiting student in 2003. He has performed extensively in Canada, the United States, Holland, France and Germany. Miles has released three CDs to date. Aposiopesis (2008) is a collection of solo pieces for double bass and voice. The Guessing Game (2008) is his second release with Common Thread, an ensemble of 6 musicians. The debut CD from Common Thread (2005) was released with Ombu Productions. As a sideman, Miles Perkin is currently the bassist for Thom Gossage Other Voices, Jorane, Lhasa de Sela, Philippe Lauzier's trio, Brad Barr’s sUPER LITTLe, Erik Hove Trio, Joe Grass, Jason Sharp’s Mobius, Ka Noo, and Lily Masse’s Life Without Robots.

Steve Raegele, guitar
Originally from Ottawa, Steve Raegele has studied with Rod Ellias, Justin Haynes and Bill Coon. He has also taken master classes with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Wayne Krantz, Dave Douglas, Joe Lovano and Tony Malaby. Steve has appeared on recordings by Thom Gossage's Other Voices (5, Effendi) and the Isaiah Ceccarelli Ensemble (lieux-dits, Ambiances Magnetiques) as well as the The Besnard Lakes (The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, Jagjaguwar). As a member of Ensemble KORE, he has performed the music of Nicole Lizee, Lawrence Crane, and Scott Godin. He has played throughout Canada, The United States, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, France, and Scandinavia. Steve has performed at the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Guelph Jazz Festival, the Utrecht Jazz Festival, the OYA festival (Oslo), La Route Du Rock (France), The Great Escape Festival (UK), and Pukkelpop (Belgium).

Ben Reimer, drum kit/percussion
Ben Reimer graduated from the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 2001 with a Masters in Music, majoring in Percussion Performance. He is the Coordinator of Percussion Studies at Brandon University and teaches and performs in his hometown of Winnipeg, MB. Ben performs regularly with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Manitoba Theatre Center and GroundSwell. He has performed world premiers of works by such composers as Michael Matthews, David Raphael Scott, Ellen Lindquist, Jerry Semchyshyn and Nicole Lizée. In 2006 Ben commissioned the percussion solo Train Set by composer Eliot Britton for drumset and 5.1 surround sound effects. Ben is a Sabian, Vic Firth and Yamaha Performing/Educational Artist.

Daniel Scholz, viola
Daniel Scholz enjoys a versatile career as an orchestral performer, chamber musician, teacher and conductor. A native of Regina, Daniel studied at the University of Regina, McGill University and the University of British Columbia. He was a prize-winner at the Lionel Tertis Viola competition, the most prestigious event of its kind, held on the Isle of Mann. Mr. Scholz is the Principal Viola of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society, Brandon Chamber Players and the Rembrandt String Quartet. As a solo artist, Daniel has performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra, Musikbarock, the Okanagan Symphony and the Vancouver Chamber Players. Highly sought after as a teacher, Mr. Scholz is an instructor at the University of Manitoba and the Canadian Mennonite University, as well as the conductor of the Winnipeg Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Karl Stobbe, violin
A very diverse musician, Karl Stobbe performs all types of music for the violin. From large orchestral repertoire to small chamber orchestra works, concertos, chamber music, and other solo pieces, Karl has performed and recorded with with many of Canada's finest musicians throughout the country. A dedicated teacher, he has maintained a private studio for the past 16 years, and his students have gone on to do advanced university music degrees in Canada and the United States. This year marks his eleventh season as Concertmaster of the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra and his thirteenth season as a member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, where he holds the position of Associate
Concertmaster.

Darryl Strain, violin
Darryl Strain received his Bachelor of Music degree in performance from McGill University where he studied with Yehonatan Berick. He performed as a soloist with CBC Vancouver and Vancouver Symphony Orchestras after winning the White Rock Festival of Strings competition. Darryl has held positions of concertmaster and associate concertmaster of the McGill Symphony Orchestra and has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra. He plays violin and viola in his string quartet, which has worked with members of the Emerson, Cleveland, and Orford Quartets, and been aired on CBC Stereo.

Daniel Warren, conductor
Daniel Warren is currently the Resident Conductor (1999-present) of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada. He is in frequent demand as a guest conductor and has done so with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia, Orchestra London Canada, the Windsor Symphony, Symphony New Brunswick, The ERGO and Continuum ensembles and the Canadian Chamber Ensemble. He is heard conducting regularly on the CBC. For the past five years he has been the conductor for the "Westben Arts Festival Theatre" in Campbellford, Ontario, performing repertoire with orchestra and full chorus with soloists both operatic and instrumental, all in a wide variety of orchestral and operatic programs. Recently released is a CD of selections from the Nutcracker with the KW Symphony that Daniel recorded with them in the fall of 2006. He resides in his owner-built home in a rural setting with his wife and two children.

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