Retreat
for horn, organ, piano, harmonium, and melodicas
devised and composed by michael malis and zara teicher
Michael Malis - pipe organ, piano, melodica
Zara Teicher - French horn, harmonium, melodica
About the Music
Retreat is a collaboration ideated by Michael Malis and Zara Teicher. It is comprised of four compositions entitled:
1. Resign (for Pipe Organ and Horn)
2. Realign (for Piano and Harmonium)
3. Reseed/Recede (for Pipe Organ and Horn)
4. Repeat (for two melodicas)
Retreat asks the performers and audience to disappear into long expanses of sound, forgoing their sense of self to welcome spacious and dense vibrations. The 4 movements – Resign, Realign, Reseed/Recede, and Repeat – converge to offer a blueprint for giving up oneself to something larger – an ocean of sound, within which desire might fade away. It also asks us to consider the many meanings of a retreat – perhaps a withdrawing into oneself, perhaps a place of meditation, or perhaps the reversal of a military invasion.
Retreat utilizes the spaciousness of St. Anthony’s Cathedral in Detroit as a sort of third entity in the performance. The building itself acts as a vessel for the vibrations of the two instruments, mainly pipe organ and French horn, allowing the listener to become immersed in the mixing of the harmonious vibrations. The compositions themselves are meditations, loosely based on sacred music. The result is an engaging sonic environment in which the listener can withdraw from the mundane world and enter a state of introspection.
“Resign” for Pipe Organ and Horn, is a notated piece of music with layers of internal circular structures. Both performers are instructed to play their respective parts asynchronously. This results in constantly shifting harmonies, surprising moments of coaslecence and dissonance, as well as intentional microtonality. The overall effect is sort of hypnotic but never predictable.
“Realign” for Piano and Harmonium is a structured improvisation based around an expanding and narrowing series of pitch sets. It capitalizes on the unique harmonic spectrum of the Harmonium and the contrasting sound quality of the Piano.
“Reseed/Recede” for Pipe Organ and Horn is the longest section of Retreat. This piece invites both performers to improvise around 11 different pitch sets, creating a sense of subtle shifts within an overall continuity. Meditative drones showcase harmonic idiosyncrasies resulting from the unique qualities of the particular Pipe Organ at the Cathedral. There are also moments of surprise, of silence, of dynamic and timbral contrast, all of which result in an encompassing and vast sound environment.
“Repeat” is a in improvised piece for two harmoniums. The piece begins with a statement from one player and a response from the other. This counterpoint continues, exploring the possibilities of a single harmonic structure and highlighting the rhythm of the breath, but eventually morphs into a more choral-like quality. This piece rounds out Retreat with a bit of gentleness and closeness.
About the artists
Zara Teicher is a Detroit-based musician, composer and visual artist. Her primary instrument is the French horn. Recently, she has performed as part of the Other Tones experimental music series in Detroit, the Third Place Music Festival in Ann Arbor, and at Detroit venues Trinosophes, Cliff Bell’s, and the Hamtramck Neighborhood Arts Festival. Her videos have been shown at the Detroit Film Theater and Trinosophes. She has performed with many ensembles including Grammy nominated LA-based ensemble Wild Up and the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. She has been a musician in residence at the University of California San Diego and the Hammer Museum (Los Angeles) and has performed at the Darmstadt Summer Course (Germany) and the Klangspuren Festival for New Music (Austria). She worked in Los Angeles for several years where she was an active performer, studio musician, and frequent collaborator with composers in premiering new works. Zara has an MFA in Music from California Institute of the Arts where she studied with Wadada Leo Smith and a BM in Music from Northwestern University where she studied with Gail Williams and is a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy.
Michael Malis is a composer, pianist, and music educator based in Detroit, Michigan. A multi-faceted musical artist, he works across genres in improvisational, concert music, and interdisciplinary settings. As a recording artist, he has 11 releases as a leader or co-leader. 2022’s From Darkness We Awaken, featuring chamber-improvising ensemble Virago (who commissioned the piece) was released on Brisbane Australia-based MADE NOW MUSIC, and was called “transfixing” with a “disarming intensity” (All About Jazz). His duo project with saxophonist Marcus Elliot, Balance, has been praised as “contemporary jazz of the highest order, a benchmark for where the genre can go” (Detroit Metro Times.)
As a composer, Malis has been commissioned by Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Detroit Composers’ Project, Virago, Hole in the Floor, and others. As a pianist, he has shared the stage with such luminaries as Marcus Belgrave, Gerald Cleaver, Jaribu Shahid, John Lindberg, William Hooker, A. Spencer Barefield, Tyshawn Sorey, Brandee Younger, J.D. Allen, and Marion Hayden.
Malis studied with legendary pianist Geri Allen at the University of Michigan. He currently serves as Visiting Instructor of Jazz Piano at Interlochen Arts Academy.