Episode 97 — March 23, 2021
Kenji Bunch: "Until Next Time" for viola
Performed by Caeli SmithViolist Caeli Smith first fell in love with Kenji Bunch’s music as a kid while she listened to his piano trio, Swing Shift, on her portable CD player. But it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic that she decided to learn one of his pieces. The work, Until Next Time, is written for solo viola in scordatura tuning, which creates an immeasurable resonance in the instrument. Smith performs Until Next Time from a church in Philadelphia for this House Music series video.
Smith has long been a follower and fan of Metropolis Ensemble’s work, and performed with the group in 2015 at a QuestLove-curated food salon. This event was both a concert and party, where QuestLove paired food to music, showcasing gourmet chefs and boundary-pushing musicians in a trendy apartment setting. She remembers the event for the immersion she felt while performing: Every element linked together. And, she remembers one other unique aspect—the musicians wore all white instead of the usual all black concert attire.
In her performance of Bunch’s Until Next Time, Smith leans into her echoing viola, exploring the wide, yearning music. Most of the piece is notated, and the phrasing of the music was easy to learn because Bunch is a violist, but there’s a section of improvisation that provided Smith with a fun challenge. She couldn’t put her fingers in their usual spots since the viola is tuned differently, so learning this section allowed her to play with new ways of broadening the harmonies and sounds of her instrument. In performing this wistful piece for the House Music series, she hopes to pay homage to the sadness and separation of this past year, but also look forward to the times ahead.
Notes by Vanessa Ague
House Music: Bite-sized concerts recorded at homes around the world
In 2020-21, we created a weekly video series featuring short-form concerts of newly-commissioned works, supporting 208 artists around the world during the pandemic.