Ensemble AJCW Premieres Bruce’s “Steampunk”

The spring season of Skidmore College’s Zankel Music Center kicks off at 8pm on Friday with Ensemble ACJW performing the world premiering of “Steampunk,” a new, 22-minute composition by David Bruce.

The program will also include Beethoven’s Septet in E-flat Major and Janacek’s “Mladi.” Admission is free and open to the public.

According to Bruce, the inspiration for “Steampunk” came from the Beethoven septet that will also be performed that evening. “The horn and bassoon immediately stood out to me as defining colors of the group and somehow a connection formed between them and the images of the steampunk world,” says Bruce.

“I think above all it was the French horn with its crazy, complicated brass plumbing, making it about as iconic a steampunk instrument as you could hope for; but similarly the bassoon, the bass clarinet and the cor anglais each have the distinct air of an eccentric Victorian gentleman, the product of a particular kind of obsession. It seemed like a line-up from a steampunk cartoon.”

Admission to the concert is free, but tix are required and may be reserved online. Skidmore’s Ben Givan leads a pre-performance discussion with composer Bruce and the members of the ensemble at 7pm.

The program by Ensemble AJCW will also be repeated at 7:30pm Monday at Carnegie Hall in NYC.