Thornton Edge experiments with odd instrumentation

The Thornton School of Music held its Thornton Edge performance Tuesday in the Newman Concert Hall, featuring conductor Donald Crockett and visiting guest piano duo HOCKET. The evening program included inventive contemporary pieces and unconventional instruments, such as wine glasses, piano strings and melodicas. When combined with classical instruments, they blossomed into a flowing, evocative ensemble.

Crockett, who has directed Thornton Edge since 1984, as a new development in the history of music. For this performance, Crockett and his students began preparation in late January to blend the musicians’ talents and bring energy into the program. 

“There are various basic textures in music … one type of texture we use here is called heterophony, simultaneous unfolding of lines like a web,” Crockett said. “This is our specialty, [performing]  pieces with unusual sounds.”

Ariel Machell, an alumna who graduated in 2018, attended the concert. 

“I always think it’s particularly fascinating to come to things like this because I don’t particularly understand it,” Machell said. “A lot of it happens in the way that communication happens: without words, reacting to feelings and emotions … There’s definitely an artistry involved that to the layman, all you can do is just sit there in awe. ”

Thornton Edge brought life to Andy Akiho’s “Karakurenai,” a piece that features improvisation and distinct sounds from instruments like coat hangers and chopsticks. 

The ensemble also performed selections from “Duplicity,” a soundtrack by James Newton Howard. The piece features string instruments and incorporates subtle pizzicato tones, a trombone switching mutes multiple times and a setup of bronze gongs setting the mood for the concert. 

Piano duo HOCKET performed its original piece “Outsider.” In their performance, the group members  slammed their forearms down on the piano keys.

The night ended with USC alumnus Dan Visconti’s “Low Country Haze” as the finale. The concert’s use of unconventional instruments and modern music techniques created a sense of mysticism and innovation throughout.

“We treat our own instruments as strange instruments,” said Adam Karelin, a freshman trombone player in the ensemble. “We get to know our own classical instruments through different perspectives. It totally overthrows our perceptions of what a classical concert can be … It’s exciting, it’s fresh and it’s relevant. To me, it’s the music of our times.”

Theodore Haber, a sophomore violinist in the ensemble, said Thornton students have no qualms in exploring new methods to create innovative sounds. 

“Everyone is very down to do that,” Haber said. “Nobody is like, ‘A wine glass? I’m not going to touch a wine glass.’ It’s a very open-minded group.”

The next Thornton Edge performance takes place April 9 at Newman Recital Hall and will feature guest pianists HOCKET.