Upcoming CD Release Highlights UWM's World-Class Talents

MILWAUKEE - Regarding a recently completed project, Pavel Burda voices sentiments that may ring true for many.

"I wonder... if had known what all would be involved, would I have started this in the first place?"

The "recently completed project" is a compact disc recording, "EPIFANÍA: Five Pieces of Leonard Salzedo with Tuned Gongs," that will be released this spring. The odyssey began 22 years ago when a choreographer heard a piece of music he loved while driving through Europe. The composer's name was Leonard Salzedo, as the choreographer found out from the radio station.

The choreographer managed to locate the composer. The UWM Dance Department, together with the Milwaukee Ballet and the 20th Century Ensemble (under Burda's direction) used Salzedo's Concerto for Percussion, Opus 74. The performances of the Concerto were enthusiastically received by audiences in Milwaukee, Chicago, Madison, and other locations, and the work was later recorded for a separate CD, with Burda conducting.

During the mid 1980s, the UWM Music Department acquired a collection of 28 chromatically tuned gongs made by the Paiste Company. Burda, searching for a composer to create music for the gongs, decided Salzedo was the best candidate. "Based on the successful performances of Salzedo's `Concerto for Percussion,' I felt that we could work together." Burda envisioned music in which the compositional focus was the interaction of the unique timbres of the gongs with different ensembles, such as a string quartet or a choir.

So, the collaboration was sparked by the success of Opus 74. Burda visited Salzedo in London, and their work together began. The project that began as one piece of music snowballed, as one piece begat another piece, then another.

Salzedo and Burda continued to work together during the mid-1980s and the `90s. There were five world premieres on the UWM campus after 1985, four of them attended by Salzedo. "In the late `90s, it became obvious that we had music that should be released on a CD. We had five compositions involving about 100 performers, five world premieres, and recordings that totaled over 60 minutes," says Burda, who conducted them all.

The CD covers a 15-year time span, as the composer delivered his writings. (Burda describes the period from 1980-85, when he was first becoming familiar with Salzedo's work, as the "overture.") When the two musicians worked together, music was always written with Burda's input and regular communication, what Burda describes as "a true collaboration." Work on the CD became even more complex when Salzedo became ill. (He passed away in 2000.) Burda regrets that his collaborator and friend will not be here to celebrate the CD's release this spring.

UWM musical groups and artists are prominently featured on the CD. For example, two UWM choirs and the UWM Music-With-Percussion Ensemble are listed in the CD's credits. The Christopher String Quartet from Italy, which was in residence at UWM when the CD was recorded, is included. Also showcased are the talents of the Music Department's Robert Porter, associate professor emeritus; Sharon Hansen, professor; Wayne Cook, professor emeritus; and Lou Cucunato, instructor.

Burda credits Professor Jon Welstead with many hours spent recording, editing and mastering the recording. "Special thanks" are given to Dean Bob Greenstreet and the Graduate School.

The CD will be released by Albany Records, Inc., New York.

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