Thirteenth Annual Florida Electronic Music Festival: Hubert Howe
Mark Zaki's Everything We Say is Deformed was based on a text from the play Reading Frankenstein by Antoinette LaFarge, Annie Louie and Mary Shelley, read by actress Marika Becz. The text was usually understandable, and the words were suggestive: "verbs were created without original sin - make, break, give, run, die... Adverbs appear to us as angels... The brain cannot model itself on anything bigger than itself... You must remain free" (these are just a few quotes from the text). The electronic sounds, which were described the piece as an "'art song' for voice and virtual ensemble," resembled bells, a distorted guitar, noises, "crickets," and other things. The text, or rather sounds derived from the reading, often became part of the background, sliding in and out of intelligibility. At one point, disconnected vowels accompanied the reading, which became more and more emotional as the piece went on. The interesting thing about this work was the interplay between the words and the accompanying sounds, which were clearly derived from the words but in ways that made one wonder how, just as the phrases which were quoted above made the listener pause and wonder what they meant.
Newark Star Ledger: Peter Spencer
Composer/Violinist Mark Zaki is part of the flourishing post-serialist scene based around Princeton University. His CD Strange Lines and Distances... features Zaki with colleagues like Gyula Csapo and Steven Mackey in a series of abstract collages made from computer sounds, real instruments (okay "analogue" instruments), and the occasional human voice. Zaki's electronic violin is the most consistently distinctive voice here, its bow-on-string texture a welcome antidote to some of the more antiseptic synthesized sounds. Most impressive is the titanic modthree, a fifteen minute Mackey/Zaki duet for electric guitars that never repeats itself, never loses emotional force, never stops trying to scare you to death.
Los Angeles Times: Timothy Mangan
Vibrant in rhythm, sure in pace and a robust performance.
Newark Star Ledger: Paul Somers
Mark Zaki's splendid performance of forMalone for unaccompanied viola turned out to be a clear working out of a simple three note motive, which revealed nearly every secret of the instrument.
Mark Zaki's Everything We Say is Deformed was based on a text from the play Reading Frankenstein by Antoinette LaFarge, Annie Louie and Mary Shelley, read by actress Marika Becz. The text was usually understandable, and the words were suggestive: "verbs were created without original sin - make, break, give, run, die... Adverbs appear to us as angels... The brain cannot model itself on anything bigger than itself... You must remain free" (these are just a few quotes from the text). The electronic sounds, which were described the piece as an "'art song' for voice and virtual ensemble," resembled bells, a distorted guitar, noises, "crickets," and other things. The text, or rather sounds derived from the reading, often became part of the background, sliding in and out of intelligibility. At one point, disconnected vowels accompanied the reading, which became more and more emotional as the piece went on. The interesting thing about this work was the interplay between the words and the accompanying sounds, which were clearly derived from the words but in ways that made one wonder how, just as the phrases which were quoted above made the listener pause and wonder what they meant.
Newark Star Ledger: Peter Spencer
Composer/Violinist Mark Zaki is part of the flourishing post-serialist scene based around Princeton University. His CD Strange Lines and Distances... features Zaki with colleagues like Gyula Csapo and Steven Mackey in a series of abstract collages made from computer sounds, real instruments (okay "analogue" instruments), and the occasional human voice. Zaki's electronic violin is the most consistently distinctive voice here, its bow-on-string texture a welcome antidote to some of the more antiseptic synthesized sounds. Most impressive is the titanic modthree, a fifteen minute Mackey/Zaki duet for electric guitars that never repeats itself, never loses emotional force, never stops trying to scare you to death.
Los Angeles Times: Timothy Mangan
Vibrant in rhythm, sure in pace and a robust performance.
Newark Star Ledger: Paul Somers
Mark Zaki's splendid performance of forMalone for unaccompanied viola turned out to be a clear working out of a simple three note motive, which revealed nearly every secret of the instrument.
Newark Star Ledger: Peter Spencer
The (Princeton) Composers Ensemble certainly recognizes that the cutting edge cuts both ways. Not every piece composed this year will be listened to next year, but this uncertainty is part of the fun of their concerts, picking out the program's undeniable nuggets and making note of them for the future. Mark Zaki's Fantasie Deconcertante for violin turned out to be one of the most affecting pieces on the bill, neatly sidestepping the various traps of 12-tone modernism while remaining true to its skewed vision. The piece was obviously written to Zaki's strength's as a violinist, and his sure and supple playing enabled him to both subvert and reinforce the concept of bravura playing.
Zwolse Courant (Netherlands): Wim Brandse
Zaki's performance was intense and played without adorn, and above all with a genuine expression that came out of the music itself.
Twentse Courant (Netherlands): Herman Goldenbelt
An exceptionally beautiful concert was presented last night in Gobelin Hall by fortepianist Bart van Oort, violinists Elizabeth Field and Mark Zaki, violist Martha Moore, cellist Lucia Swartz and bassist Matthias Beltinger. The enormously high level that these musicians have reached was evident in the opening concerto for fortepiano and strings by Johann Christian Bach. In terms of timbre, sound, balance, intonation, rhythmic togetherness, and especially in stylistic concept, this was practically an ideal performance. Naturally, most of the attention went to fortepianist Bart van Oort, whom I easily dare call the best in this genre. But since the accompaniment of this masterpiece contains much interesting music in its own right, this estimation applies to the string players as well.
Scranton Times: Daniel Kusick
In a concert that was one of the high points of the festival, Zaki's articulation, integrated sound and overall concept were beyond fault. Everything came together here splendidly with an exuberant mood that totally pervaded the performance.
The (Princeton) Composers Ensemble certainly recognizes that the cutting edge cuts both ways. Not every piece composed this year will be listened to next year, but this uncertainty is part of the fun of their concerts, picking out the program's undeniable nuggets and making note of them for the future. Mark Zaki's Fantasie Deconcertante for violin turned out to be one of the most affecting pieces on the bill, neatly sidestepping the various traps of 12-tone modernism while remaining true to its skewed vision. The piece was obviously written to Zaki's strength's as a violinist, and his sure and supple playing enabled him to both subvert and reinforce the concept of bravura playing.
Zwolse Courant (Netherlands): Wim Brandse
Zaki's performance was intense and played without adorn, and above all with a genuine expression that came out of the music itself.
Twentse Courant (Netherlands): Herman Goldenbelt
An exceptionally beautiful concert was presented last night in Gobelin Hall by fortepianist Bart van Oort, violinists Elizabeth Field and Mark Zaki, violist Martha Moore, cellist Lucia Swartz and bassist Matthias Beltinger. The enormously high level that these musicians have reached was evident in the opening concerto for fortepiano and strings by Johann Christian Bach. In terms of timbre, sound, balance, intonation, rhythmic togetherness, and especially in stylistic concept, this was practically an ideal performance. Naturally, most of the attention went to fortepianist Bart van Oort, whom I easily dare call the best in this genre. But since the accompaniment of this masterpiece contains much interesting music in its own right, this estimation applies to the string players as well.
Scranton Times: Daniel Kusick
In a concert that was one of the high points of the festival, Zaki's articulation, integrated sound and overall concept were beyond fault. Everything came together here splendidly with an exuberant mood that totally pervaded the performance.
