Architeuthis Walks on Land + Miranda Cuckson

The viola and bassoon are not typically brandished in the pursuit of free improvisation and noise, but the duo Architeuthis Walks on Land brings fierceness and energy to these typically “orchestral” instruments. By way of extended techniques, bass amplification, and rich textures, Amy Cimini and Katherine Young create a space where composition, indeterminacy, and immediacy intersect. Contrasting—yet complementing—the duo with a fluid elegance and grace, violinist Miranda Cuckson presented a set of complex and microtonal works for solo violin. Cuckson, a well-known performer in the new music scene, has built her reputation on technical refinement and beautiful tone. She presented music by Xenakis, Ferneyhough, and Haas. 

Amy Cimini and Katherine Young have been performing together as Architeuthis Walks on Land since 2003. The duo developed their approach to improvisation in the rich experimental music communities of Chicago and New York City, and have collaborated with artists such as Anthony Braxton and the Tri-Centric Orchestra, Peter Evans, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Jessica Pavone, and Hans Joachim Irmler from Faust. Violinist and violist Miranda Cuckson is acclaimed for her performances of a wide range of repertoire, from early eras to the most current creations. She studied at the Juilliard School, where she received her BM, MM, and DMA degrees and won the Presser and Richard F. French awards. She is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, appearing in major concert halls, as well as at universities, galleries, and informal spaces, and is on the violin faculty at Mannes College the New School for Music.

Program

Miranda Cuckson, violin

Iannis Xenakis - Mikka S (1976)

Georg Friedrich Haas - de terrae fine (2001)

Brian Ferneyhough - Intermedio alla Ciaccona (1986)

~interval~

Architeuthis Walks on Land

Amy Cimini, Viola + Katherine Young, Bassoon +

from The Surveyors (2014)

The Speculators 84°03′N 174°51′W

The Assayers 82°06′S 54°58′E

The Surveyors