“And I Always Thought” – Music by Martin Bresnick

Music by the visionary composer Martin Bresnick takes center stage at this special 80th birthday event, where a stellar roster of artists performs a program devoted entirely to his recent chamber works, including three New York premieres. On the faculty of Yale School of Music for an extraordinary 50 years, Bresnick has enjoyed one of the most influential teaching careers in contemporary American composition.

Parisot (2016) New York Premiere
I. Paradox  II. Parallels  III. Paragon
Ashley Bathgate, cello

Bitter Suite (2021) New York Premiere
I. Ofyn Veg (On the Road)
II. Mayn Rue Plats (My Resting Place)
III. Chorny Kot/Shvartse Kats (Black Cat)
IV. Dona, Dona
Emma Meinrenken, violin
Lisa Moore, piano

Bundists (Robert, György and me) (2015)
Lisa Moore, piano

And I Always Thought (2015)
Emma Meinrenken violin
Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet
Lisa Moore, piano

Josephine the Singer (2012)
Michael Ferri, violin

Every Thing Must Go (2007)
I. Andante
II. G. L. in memoriam
III. Pensoso, con sobrio espressione
PRISM Quartet (Timothy McAllister, Zachary Shemon, Matthew Levy and Taimur Sullivan, saxophones)

Hagyaték (Legacy) (2023) New York Premiere
Icarus Quartet (Matt Keown and Jeff Stern, percussion; Max Hammond and Larry Weng, piano)

PRISM Quartet is honored to have commissioned three works from Martin Bresnick: Every Thing Must Go (2007), Mending Time (2019), and Self-Portraits 1964, Unfinished (2022, co-commissioned by PRISM and The Crossing).

Martin Bresnick was educated at the University of Hartford, Stanford University, and the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna. His principal teachers of composition included György Ligeti, John Chowning, and Gottfried von Einem. Bresnick has taught internationally, including at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, and the Royal Academy of Music in London, among others.

Bresnick’s diverse compositions span opera, chamber and symphonic music, film scores, and computer music, and are performed globally by prominent ensembles. His extensive discography includes releases across numerous labels such as New Focus, Tall Poppies, Starkland, and Cantaloupe, while his works are published by firms like Carl Fischer Music and Bote & Bock.