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- Fantasy on St. Cecilia
- Fasting Heart
- Widdershins
- Fantasia sobre el Flamenco
- Gabriel's Wing
- Gazebo Music
- Hearing the Call
- Ignoto Numine
- "Judith Shatin is Professor of Music at the University of Virginia. Her quarter-hour, single-movement work explores 'the mystery of musical ideas' by creating its own gloss on typically classical devices: a theme is clearly announced; development begins immediately, quickly fragmenting and transmuting it beyond recognition. At times the three instruments sound together as one organ-like mass; elsewhere they play as a trio and have solos. The direction is from simplicity to complexity, clarity to mysticism . Tension builds to a final coda where instruments can no longer contain it, and the players are forced to join in vocally. This is another intriguing piece, in another very personal idiom."
- Kairos
- Nightshades
- Study in Black
- View From Mt. Nebo
- COAL
- Piping the Earth
- Ruah
- Stringing the Bow
- Elijah's Chariot
- Beetles, Monsters and Roses, a.k.a. Four Songs for Girls Chorus and Tape
- "Luminous seems the best word to describe this piece. I Am Rose shimmers and lingers, using harmonic clusters and repeating rhythmic figures to create what the composer refers to as ‘a kind of mantra.’ While this is not to neglect the sections of the work indicated as "whimsical," ‘playful,’ or ‘joyous,’ the smooth and dreamy sections are the true hallmarks of this work, winning one over with their feeling of timelessness. I Am Rose is scored for tape and six-part women’s voices, and is ideal for teaching part independence. The twentieth-century harmonic language includes the liberal use of tone clusters, which originate as unisons. Several exposed chords are more clearly tonal to the ear. Meter changes are frequent, but the quarter-note pulse is steady throughout, presenting few rhythmic challenges. The electronic accompaniment is available from the publisher in either cassette or DAT format, and cues are provided for rehearsal with keyboard. The various meanings of the word ‘rose’ – name, flower, color, and even verb should lead singers into engaging discussions of interpretation. Conductors will enjoy investigating and performing the spectrum of colors and emotions in the work, and audiences should be fascinated by the result."
- Hearing Things
- Three Summers Heat
Premiere:4/11/97
Gayle Martin Henry, pianist
The Philips Collection, Washington, DC.
Commission:Gayle Martin Henry
"...Having commissioned composer Judith Shatin to rework her piano
concerto "The Passion of St. Cecilia" into a solo version, Henry
performed the new piece, "Fantasy on St. Cecilia" in its world premiere
at this recital. Opening with spine-tingling lower register
reverberations, the piece seemed little more than a presentation of
slightly outdated ideas. However, any initial concerns were dispelled as
it progressed into a complex, impressionistic middle section and a very
satisfying resolution. Shatin's ideas are far from time-worn, and she
presents them in a unique and riveting manner... "
Judy Gruber
The Washington Post
4/22/97
Premiere:11/6/87
Judith Pearce, flute
Princeton University
"...there was a dazzling performance by flutist Suellen Hershman of
"Fasting Heart" by Judith Shatin, a colorful work for solo flute that
mixes into the instrumental gymnastics the sounds of sung tones chanted
through the flute."
Anthony Tommasini
The Boston Globe
4/10/89
Premiere:
" 'Widdershins' is an almost obsolete word (now encountered most often
in texts dealing with sorcery) that means 'counterclockwise.' It
describes neatly some of the moods and structures in Judith Shatin's neatly
contrived and richly textured atonal work, which drew a dazzling performance from
Takacs and prolonged applause from the audience."
Joseph McLellan
The Washington Post
11/5/83
"She [Judith Shatin] follows this work up with Fantasia sobre el Flamenco for two trumpets, two trombones and tuba (1998), a clash of bright and dark melodies borne by regimented and free-flowing rhythms."
Stephen Ellis
Fanfare
May/June 2000, pp. 292-293
"Judith Shatin's Gabriel's Wing, for flute and piano (1989), likewise conveys in its nine minutes a well-crafted sense of ecstatic climax...Much of this program makes difficult demands, and I hear no tentativity, reach, or strain; a strong sense, rather, of Patricia Spencer's skillful empathy. If it's a rapturous mood you're after. this well produced Neuma provides it in high-quality abundance."
Mike Silverton
American Record Guide, The Magazine for Serious Record Collectors
Volume 21, Number 3
January/February 1998
"...The works by Shatin are more challenging technically, but are worth the extra effort for their unusual and attractive atmospheres. Gabriel's Wing won the National Flute Association's Published Music Competition in 1992. ...Judith Shatin (b.1949) is an American composer and flautist. familiar with the possibilities of the instrument in both traditional and extended techniques. She is known equally for her dramatic acoustic compositions and for her imaginative use of computer-generated sound.
Gabriel's Wing (1989) for flute and piano. In a tightly constructed piece, the angelic flute takes flight through the piano's evocative medium. By clever use of pedalling, chords rich in overtones and other harmonic effects, the piano provides an exciting backdrop for the flute's soaring phrases which are enhanced by singing with the flute tone.
Kate Lukas
Pan, The Journal of the British Flute Society
December, 1998
"Gazebo Music, Judith Shatin's flute and cello piece composed for an
open-air performance, effectively evokes a nature scene without resorting
to blatant pastoral imitiation."
Kate Rivers
The Washington Post
10/2/94
"Of the Roxbury Chamber Players recording of Gazebo Music (Opus One 44, LP)
Ms. Werrel and Comita take the title at its word, emphasizing the solitary,
contemplative aspect of Ms. [Shatin's] delicate, understated writing."
Clarke Bustard
Richmond Times-Dispatch
3/19/89
"Judith Shatin's Gazebo Music (1981) for flute and cello was composed
for a dance in which the dancers came through the woods up to the gazebo
and then glided away. The arch form and flowing music fit perfectly: soft
chords, pastorale, a waltzlike center section, pastorale, soft chords."
Donald Printz
Richmond Times-Dispatch
11/17/86
"Judith Shatin's two-minute Hearing the Call - smartly, crisply scored for two trumpets and two snare drums is the eponymous work for this collection, and is the perfect ceremonial attention-getter."
Stephen Ellis
Fanfare
May/June 2000, pp. 292-293
Premiere: 11/ 23/86
The Monticello Trio
The Jewett Art Center, Wellsley College.
Commission: Monticello Trio.
"The other recent piece here is 'Ignoto Numine,' a fine 15-minute work
by the intriguing Judith Shatin. The profusion of musical ideas is both
engaging and splendidly controlled; and it gets a committed reading."
Joshua Kosman
San Francisco Chronicle
3/31/91
James H. North
Fanfare
Volume 14, Number 6 7-8/91
"...The works by Shatin are more challenging technically, but are worth the extra effort for their unusual and attractive atmospheres...Judith Shatin (b.1949) is an American composer and flautist. familiar with the possibilities of the instrument in both traditional and extended techniques. She is known equally for her dramatic acoustic compositions and for her imaginative use of computer-generated sound.
Kairos (1991) for flute, computer and effects processing. The relationship of the flute and its player's singing voice to the electronic medium is unique to this work. Several extended techniques are used by the live performer, but even more exotic transformations are achieved by the manipulation of all the sound material by a computer via MIDI and by a voice processor, Quadraverb. This sets the music off on a Ulysses-like journey containing all the challenges and dream-sequences a true adventure should have.
Kate Lukas
Pan, The Journal of the British Flute Society
December, 1998
"In Judith Shatin's [Allen-sic] "Nightshades" (1977), the cello and
piano meet on equal ground and battle out the musical material together
in a bravura manner that performers should find very rewarding."
Peter G. Davis
NY Times
Premiere:
"Study in Black is a well written composition for flute and percussion
and would require two mature and musical players to perform it. It would
be appropiate for either a colleg flute recital or a percussion recital.
The publisher is to be commended on the printing of the work. It is a
grade 5."
John Beck
Percussive Notes, Vol. 25 #1
Fall 1986
Premiere: 8/ 24/86
The Garth Newel Chamber Players
Garth Newel Center, Hot Springs, Va.
Commission: The Garth Newel Chamber Players
"No less angst-ridden was Judith Shatin's piano trio View from Mt.
Nebo,
whose fervor recalls Shostakovich with a carefully wrought tension that
raised more than bow hairs."
Charles McCardell
The Washington Post
5/4/93
Premiere: 11/13/94
Masterworks Chorale, Jay Stenger, conductor
Frank Theater, Shepherd College, Shephardstown, WV.
Commission: Lila Wallace - Reader's Digest Arts Partners Program.
"The term 'folk oratorio' looks like an oxymoron, yet Judith Shatin's
Coal blends folk and oratorio so skillfully that it not only makes sense,
but can be transposed to other places as a prototype, tying regional
industry
to art."
Leslie Kandel
Chorus!
Volume 7, Number 5, 4/95
Premiere: 11/ 2/90
The Women's Philharmonic, JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Festival of New American Music at California State University, Sacramento, CA.
Commission: Co-commission of the Women's Philharmonic and the NEA
"This was another world premiere, and so was 'Piping the Earth' by
Judith
Shatin, a work about the earth and the wind....It starts with a deep
rumble
over which individual instruments sing fragments of phrases, creates
several
climaxes out of instrumental means of great variety, and offers moments
of stunning beauty. It's a fascinating 10 minutes."
William Glackin
The San Francisco Bee
11/4/90
"It hardly prepared one for the musical firestorm of 'Piping the Earth,' a new, one-movement work by Judith Shatin. Apparently conceived as an investigation of the way sound changes in space, the finished work does propose an active and ever-changing soundscape over a constant (if hardly static) harmonic base. It also enthralls. There's no sense of detached solipsistic, intellectual enterprise in this work, which dazzles with its array of active sound surfaces and shapes. Falletta's sure grasp of the work allowed it to take its multi-directional course with confidence about its outcome. The performance was breathtaking."
Timothy Pfaff
San Francisco Herald
11/5/90
"The evening's high point came midway through the second half, with the premiere of Judith Shatin's exuberant and captivating 'Piping the Earth.' Vividly orchestrated and bursting with imaginative detail, the piece grabs a listener's attention right from the opening moment, an ominous stillness in which a low wind can be heard creeping through the bassoons, cellos, and bass drum. Shatin's writing is rhythmically urgent...and pursues a course both logical and surprising. Evocations of the wind, or example, recur periodically, associated with a fundamental pitch, and there are other clear structural points. At the same time, there are wonderful bursts of inspiration, such as a silvery dominant-seventh chord that courses up and down like a crystal fountain through the woodwinds and strings."
Joshua Kosman
San Francisco Chronicle
11/5/90
Premiere: 3/24/87
The Prism Chamber Orchestra, Rober Black, conductor, and Renee Siebert, flute.
Merkin Hall, NYC.
Commission:NEA Composer's Fellowship.
Judith Shatin...shows a rich and disciplined imagination in her earlier
"Ruah" ("Air, Wind or Breath") for flute and orchestra. In Hebrew, as in
many other languages, the word for "breath" is also the word for "spirit"
(which is the Latin word for "breath"), and "Ruah" is, in fact, a multifaceted
essay on the human spirit, its windlike freedom of movement and volatile
changes of mood summarized in the titles of the three movements: "Soaring",
Serene," and "Impassioned." It is beautifully performed and recorded on
the Composers Recordings label (CRI 605) by Renee Siebert, for whom it was
composed, with Robert Black conducting the Prism Orchestra."
Joseph McLellan
The Washington Post
2/23/92
"But it was the performance of flutist Sara Stern, playing 'Ruah,' a
flute concerto by Virginia composer Judith Shatin, that held the audience
spellbound. From the first movement, 'Soaring,'; which portrayed all
manner
of things in flight from the tiniest creatures to the most majestic
angels,
through the pensive second movement and on to the work's final movement,
'Impassioned,' flutist and orchestra breathed as one being. Conductor Cal
Stewart Kellogg's solid musicianship held in one hand complete control
of his orchestra, and in the other full understanding of this remarkable
opus."
Ruth Baja Williams"Judith Shatin's music for flute and chamber orchestra [Ruah, second movement] has a worn, expressionistic edge-it strikes plaintive chords that dissipate like smoke."
Mount Vernon Gazette
6/8/95
Laura Jacobs
Village Voice
5/9/89
Premiere: 2/23/92
The Virginia Chamber Orchestra, Fabio Mechetti, conductor
Northern Va. Community College, Annandale, Va.
Commission: The Virginia Chamber Orchestra with support from the Virginia Commission for the Arts.
"Shatin's new work [Stringing the Bow], commissioned by the
orchestra
and dedicated to Mechetti, is a marvelously inventive piece, informed with
a fine sense of musical logic and a precise knowledge of the special
qualities
of string instruments and what makes them sound good in ensembe...the
music
showed a composer fully in control of her material at all points and
attuned
to what makes an audience come back for more."
Joseph McClellan
The Washington Post
Premiere: 5/9/96
Kronos Quartet
Theatre Artaud, San Francisco, CA
Commission: Kronos Quartet with support from the NEA
"More interesting was "Elijah's Chariot" by Judith Shatin, which used
the taped sound of the shofar (the ram's horn used by Jews during a High
Holidays service) to generate a dense and affecting musical dialogue.
Using
the shofar's proud, vaulting dissonances as material, Shatin draws the
quartet into ever tighter thickets of sound, which climax and then
dissipate
when the prophet Elijah is transported to heaven..."
Joshua Kosman
San Francisco Chronicle
5/11/96
Premiere: 11/4/94
The San Francisco Girls Chorus, Sharon Paul, conductor.
Calvert Community Church, San Francisco, CA
Commission: San Francisco Girls Chorus with support from the NEA.
"The premiere of Four Songs for Girls Chorus and Tape fully justified
the trust reflected in a Composer's Fellowship from the National Endowment
for the Arts and support for Judith Shatin's local participation by
California
and National "Meet the Composer " grants. Since Professor Shatin directs
the University of Virginia's Center for Computer Music, it is not
surprising
that the various electronic effects provided a quirky sonic ambiance for
vocal writing of great expertise and imagination. The composer's notes
indicated that her familiarity with the SFGC (San Francisco Girls Chorus)
singers allowed her full freedom to be inventive, and she selected texts
that she believed 'the girls would enjoy.' The poems of Mary Ann Hoberman,
Walter de la Mare, Gertrude Stein and Ogden Nash fulfilled the composer's
goal to find 'lively verbal rhythms, a whimsical quality, and references
to the anima of nature.' The success of Four Songs justified the difficult
preparation involved, and should assure many future performances here and
elsewhere."
Byron Belt
Chorus!
Volume 7, Number 4, 3/95
Robert K. Demaree
The Choral Journal
February, 2000
Premiere: 4/11/89
Mark Rush and Tannis Gibson
Old Cabell Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA.
"The piece that examined the relationship [between acoustic and
electronic sound] most directly was Judith Shatin's 'Hearing Things'
(1989). At first, the barriers are distinct: the computer sound is icy and
disembodied, the violin lines are full of passion and the synthesizers move
between those poles. Gradually, the electronic sounds adopt the
expressivity of the violin, which held its ground persuasively in a brief
but virtuosic cadenza played beautifully by Curtis Macomber."
Allan Kozinn
The New York Times
5/18/92
Premiere: 6/9/89
Marilyn Boyd DeReggi, Synthese 89, the Bourges Festival
Commission: The Barlow Foundation for the Sistrum Ensemble.
"Shatin's 'Three Summers Heat'...used electronically generated sounds
in poetic contexts. Haunting taped voices, speaking in English and
Chinese,
were part of the aural collage that mingled with the declamations of
DeReggi,
a stylish performer with a knack for interpreting lyrics in unusual
settings
such as 'Three Summers Heat.'"
Charles McCardell
The Washington Post
1/8/90