felixolschofka SWARMIUS - UCSD Department of Music Intranet

f e l i x o l s c h o f k a
S W A R M I U S
friday
8 p.m.
jan. 18, 2008
mandeville
recital
hall
ucsd
dept
of
music

PROGRAM
Violin Concerto in D Igor Fedorovich Stravinsky
(1882-1971)
Sequenza VIII for violin solo Luciano Berio
(1925-2003)
Feu de Paille Pierre Max Dubois
(1930-1995)
INTERMISSION
Lucas — the Bringer of Light Joseph Waters
(B. 1952)
Grand Larceny Joseph Waters
PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES

PROGRAM NOTES
FELIX OLSCHOFKA
SWARMIUS
Violin Concerto in D by Igor Stravinsky
The concerto was composed in the summer of 1931 in France. The
idea of a violin concerto was born in the minds of Stravinsky’s music
publisher at the time, Willy Strecker of B. Schotts Söhne and
violinist Samuel Dushkin. Strecker introduced Stravinsky to Dushkin,
proposing that Stravinsky could consult with Dushkin about
various technical issues. Stravinsky noted in his autobiography that
Dushkin’s availability for advice was a factor in his undertaking
the violin concerto. He also sought the opinion of composer and
violinist Paul Hindemith, who allayed Stravinsky’s fears about his
unfamiliarity with the instrument, saying that this might help him
come up with new possibilities for the instrument. Blair Fairchild,
Dushkin’s patron, commissioned the work. It was composed in the
neoclassical phase of Stravinsky’s compositional evolution, after
his primitivist phase and before turning to serialism. The work
premiered on October 23, 1931 in Berlin, with Dushkin playing
the violin and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Stravinsky himself. Dushkin also gave the work’s first US performance,
with Serge Koussevitzky conducting the Boston Symphony
Orchestra. The concerto was choreographed by George Balanchine
as “Balustrade” in 1941. It premiered on January 22, 1941. In 1972
Balanchine created a new Ballet to the music. It was premiered by
New York City Ballet as part of the Stravinsky Festival.
Movements:
Toccata, Aria I, Aria II, Capriccio
A similar identical chord is played by the soloist in the beginning
of each movement, which the composer himself described as “the
password to the concerto.” It is believed that the chord, which
stretches from D to E to A with an additional octave in between

each, was conceived while Stravinsky was eating lunch in a cafe in
Paris. Dushkin claimed at first that the chord was unplayable but he
later figured out how to, much to Stravinsky’s delight.
Sequenza VIII for violin solo by Luciano Berio
Between 1958 and 2002, Luciano Berio wrote fourteen pieces
entitled “Sequenza”, along with several versions of the same work
for different instruments, revisions of the original pieces and also
the parallel “Chemins” series, where one of the “Sequenzas” is
used as the basis for a new composition on a larger scale. The
“Sequenza” series is one of the most remarkable achievements of
the late twentieth century. It is a collection of virtuoso pieces that
explores the capabilities of a solo instrument and its player, making
extreme technical demands of the performer whilst developing
the musical vocabulary of the instrument in compositions so
assured and so distinctive that each piece both initiates and potentially
exhausts the repertoire of a new genre. The “Sequenzas”
have significantly influenced the development of composition for
solo instruments and voice, and there is no comparable series of
works in the output of any other composer. Series of pieces tend
to be linked by the instruments for which the composer writes, but
this is a series in which the pieces are linked instead by the variety
of instruments for which Berio composed. The varied approaches
taken by the contributors in discussing the pieces demonstrate the
richness of this repertoire and the many levels on which Berio and
these landmark compositions can be considered.
Sequenza VIII for violin solo (1976) is one of the compositions
that Lucio Berio wrote for the solo instruments between 1958 and
2002. Developed as instrumental studies, sequences greatly augmented
the traditional approach to the instruments and set the new
standards for their intellectual, technical, and emotional understanding.
Sequenza VIII runs the gamut of exploitable possibilities
for solo violin writing in contemporary style. Berio’s majestic and
varied statements show the instrument as having dignity and dra-

matic sonority, while deliberately giving only mere hints of lyric
capability.
Based on an interplay between two tones (A and B), which fades
through the entire composition, like an ostinato in J. S. Bach’s
Chaconne in d-minor, Sequenza VIII discovers a whole new world
of latent, hidden polyphony, blending together “violin techniques
of the past, present and future”.
Feu de Paille by Pierre Max Dubois
Pierre Max Dubois’s “Feu de Paille” (“Straw Fire”) is a colloquialism
used in France to suggest a short, intense passion. The unusual
combination of violin and saxophone displays Dubois’ crafty compositional
skills, bringing together two instruments with remarkable
technical and dynamic possibilities.
Lucas — the Bringer of Light by Joseph Waters
Lucas — the Bringer of Light (March 21, 2007) explores, mainly,
the world as perceived through the senses of a 7 month-old baby.
At that age the world pours through our senses without hindrance
of defense mechanisms and without the narrowing caused by categorical
discrimination against sensory input labelled “redundant”
or “inconsequential” through repeated testing. Everything is new,
unique, raw, intense. There are no concepts of repetition or sequence,
only the infinite, pounding intensity of the river of NOW.
However the rudiments of language are already in place. The infant
expresses iteslf with an enormous range of vocalisms, from animal
shrieks to soothing cooing, to vocal sounds made purely for experimentation.
There is no primary consciousness in the infant, no sense of self,
no sense of the “remembered present” and certainly no secondary
consciousness — no awareness of being aware. The infant is pure,

unbiased, capable only of honesty, dependent, fragile and vulnerable.
The other subject of this work is, paradoxically, machines, or more
precisely our love of them and affection for them and the sounds
they make. The whole enterprise of music revolves around a
dependency and love of machines, whether electronic or mechanical.
Machines ARE us — they are fingers and feet. They sing to us
and soothe us. We bathe in their voices — the urban soundscape
is a aural orgy of unpoliced whirring, growling, revving, purring
— some call it noise pollution — most do not think about it — it
is said that the the wooshing of liquids in the womb sounds like a
vacuum cleaner.
I used to avoid all machine noises, until I made a careful study of
the dopplerized fly-bys of insects. Close scrutiny revealed the symmetry,
periodicity and redundancy of motors of all sorts, whether
on the backs of bugs or under the hoods of autos. From that moment
on my mind has become free to love the voices of machines,
and to hear in them our own songs.
Grand Larceny by Joseph Waters
Based on an idea by Todd Rewoldt (aka SAXIMUS), Grand Larceny
(October 3, 2007) concerns an exploration of speed metal. The
uncompromising intensity, careful construction & virtuosic technical
level that characterize this genre make a suitable prize for theft
by SWARMIUS. Props to all notorious music criminals bent on
implanting mosh pits into the edifice of the classical establishment.
Grand Larceny — a musical bank heist: Grab the money, race for
the door, jump into the getaway car, knock over fire hydrant as you
tear around the corner, cops & sirens in hot pursuit. Grand Larceny
was composed for SWARMIUS.

Performers
SWARMIUS comprises Felix Olschofka (violin), Todd Rewoldt
(saxophones), Joseph Waters (Electro-Acoustic Composer/Laptop
performer), and collaborates in today’s performance with guest
percussionist Joel Bluestone. The quartet is committed to expanding
the avant-garde classical literature to encompass a New Relevance.
The New Relevance demands works that are non-elitist,
rigorous, and multi-level: works that are simultaneously accessible
and challenging. To this end, SWARMIUS combines traditional
virtuosity with a search for new timbres, performance practices,
and 21st century cross-cultural aesthetic reflection. It challenges
timeworn, outmoded norms for the uses of classical music, the
means by which it is presented, and the venues in which it is experienced.
SWARMIUS unites performers, and composer, focuses
them on a common goal, and puts them onstage together. SWAR-
MIUS is in residence at the School of Music and Dance at San
Diego State University, home for 17 years of the maverick genius
Harry Partch Ensemble. SWARMIUS strives to emulate Partch’s
uncompromising aesthetic values.
Since 2005 SWARMIUS has extensively performed in Europe and
the United States at festivals such as NWEAMO (Portland, San
Diego, New York City), the Veneto Jazz Festival, Beethovenhaus
Bonn and the 14th World Saxophone Congress in Ljubljana. In
2007 concert venues were scheduled in Stockholm, Berlin, Venice,
Vienna, Morelia, Mexico City, Philadelphia, New Haven, Rochester,
and New York City.
Felix Olschofka, violin
Felix Olschofka began violin lessons with his mother at the age of
five and continued his pre-college studies with Michael Gaiser at
the Robert Schumann School of Music in Düsseldorf. He graduated
with a Master of Music in Performance from the Academy
of Music “Hanns Eisler” Berlin where he was a student of Werner
Scholz. In 1999, Felix moved from Germany to the United States
to join the class of Mauricio Fuks at Indiana University, Bloomington,
where he received a Performance Diploma.
After serving as the teaching assistant to Mauricio Fuks, Felix was

appointed Associate Instructor of Violin at Indiana University in
2002. In August of 2003 he joined the faculty of the school of Music
and Dance at San Diego State University and was promoted to
Associate Professor of Violin and Head of the String area in 2007.
His professional background includes Concertmaster of the Terre
Haute Symphony Orchestra (2000-2003) and Assistant Concertmaster
of the Brandenburg Philharmonic in Potsdam, Germany, for
its 1998/99-season.
In 1993 Felix gave his international solo debut at the Seoul Arts
Center with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra where he made his first
recordings with the Seoul Symphony Orchestra for Korean television
and radio. Since then he has appeared as a soloist and chamber
musician in multiple concerts and festivals throughout Europe,
South America, Mexico, South Korea and the United States.
Felix is a winner of numerous awards and competitions, including
1st prize of the prestigious German Youth Music Competition
(Solo Instrument and Chamber Music Category), 2nd prize of the
International Chamber Music Competition “Charles Hennen” in
the Netherlands and a grant from the Oscar and Vera Ritter Foundation.
Felix is currently pursing his D.M.A. in Violin Performance with
János Negyesy at the University of California, San Diego.
Todd Rewoldt, saxophone
Modern Saxophonist and founding member of SWARMIUS at
San Diego State University. A proponent of change, Todd Rewoldt
has emerged as a vital member of the modern music community.
Influenced at a young age by the music of Stockhausen, Babbitt,
NOFX, and Charlie Parker, his performances have been characterized
as “scorching,” “virtuosic,” and “wonderfully frightening.”
Rewoldt’s efforts to explore unique combinantions of instruments
and dance with saxophone has resulted in nearly 20 new premieres
by composers such as Frank Stemper and Joseph Waters. As a result,
Todd co-founded SWARMIUS as an outlet to bring audiences
new works featuring acoustic instruments, dance, and electronics.
From 2001-05, Todd performed with the New Arts Jazz Quintet (in
residence at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale), the MOTH-

ERSHIP Funk Orchestra, and the CARAVAN Jazz Quartet (four
year residency at the Tres Hombres Bar). Notable jazz performances
include those with pianist Mike Garson, vocalist Spider Saloff,
trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, Japanese piano virtuoso Makoto
Ozone, and at the Veneto International Jazz Festival in Veneto,
Italy.
Todd has performed extensively across the U.S., Japan, Taiwan,
Canada, Germany, Slovenia and Italy. His solo performances have
taken him to numerous electro-acoustic music festivals, including
HAPPENING, IMAGINE II, NWEAMO, The 14th World Saxophone
Congress, and the Ussachevsky Memorial Festival. Recordings
include Steve Reich’s Triple Quartet on Nonesuch, Eastman
Wind Ensemble at 50 on Warner Bros., and live performances on
WTTW-Chicago with the New Arts Jazz Quintet.
Dr. Rewoldt is Professor of Saxophone and Music Theory at
San Diego State University, and holds degrees from the Eastman
School of Music and the University of Toledo, where he studied
with Ramon Ricker, Russell Peterson, and Alayne Rever.
Joseph Waters, electro-acoustics
Joseph Waters is a member of the first generation of American classical
composers who grew up playing in rock bands. Throughout
his career he has been intrigued by the confluence and tensions that
entangle and bind the music of Europe and Africa. His interests include
physiological, sub-cultural pattern seeking mechanisms and
development of fractal cognitive models for understanding pattern
recognition. Much of his work involves interactions between electronic
and acoustic instruments. He is the founder of NWEAMO
(New West Electro-Acoustic Music Organization). Each October
the NWEAMO Festival travels between Mexico City, Venice, Berlin,
San Diego, Portland and New York City, presenting composers
from around the world in concerts that unite the worlds of avantgarde
classical and experimental electronica. He also performs and
composes for the Waters_Bluestone_Duel, a collaboration with
percussionist Joel Bluestone that explores the combination of live
electronics and percussion, as well as SWARMIUS the virtuoso
interdisciplinary trio in residence at San Diego State University. He

studied composition at Yale University, the Universities of Oregon
and Minnesota, and Stockholms Musikpedagogiska Institut.
Primary teachers were Jacob Druckman, Bernard Rands, Roger
Reynolds, Dominick Argento, and Martin Bresnick.
Joel Bluestone, percussion
When Joel was asked to submit a bio, he went to the computer and
was about to send the stock garbage when he said, “UCSD, I went
to school there! I was an undergraduate there from 1976-81. I studied
with Jean-Charles Francois. I played in Sonor and the La Jolla
Civil Orchestra. I graduated with a BA degree in Music. I have not
performed at UCSD for over 25 years! I have lots of memories and
am grateful to the faculty for the education that I received.”
Post-UCSD Joel was off to New York to receive his M.M. and
D.M.A. from the State University of New York, at Stony Brook.
His principal teachers there were the contemporary percussionists
Raymond Des Roches and Richard Horowitz, Principal Timpanist
of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
Current day job is being a Music Professor at Portland State University,
where he has been the head of the percussion department
since 1989. In addition, he is the Assistant Chairperson of the
Music Department and the Graduate coordinator. He is entering his
16h year as Co-Founder/Percussionist with the Northwest premiere
contemporary new music ensemble “Fear No Music”. He is the
Principal Timpanist with Sinfonia Concertante Orchestra and has
been the Principal Timpanist with the Missouri Symphony.
Current love: Performing and traveling all over the world with
Felix in SWARMIUS.
Katalin Lukács, piano
Romanian pianist, Katalin Lukács, is currently working toward
a DMA in contemporary music performance at the University of
California at San Diego. Recently, Katalin attended the Internationale
Ferienkurse fur Neue Musik in Darmstadt, Germany and
the Ostrava Days New Music Festival in the Czech Republic with
fellowship. She is an active member of the two San Diego based
ensembles: In-Frequencies and Bye Bye Butterfly.