Peter Askim: News

In the July 2008 issue of The Strad, Peter Askim was named one of the "Modern Masters" of the double bass world, selected as one of the "figures from the 20th and 21st centuries who have played pivotal roles in the double bass's continuing development". See the Press/Reviews section of this website for more.

Peter Askim is the guest on Episode 80 of podcaster Jason Heath's Contrabass Conversations. Follow this link to hear an interview with Peter and a recording of his bass concerto "Islands".
http://contrabassconversations.com/2008/05/23/cbc-80-peter-askim-interview/

The recent performances of the Idyllwild Arts Academy Orchestra with Matt Haimovitz were a huge success. Haimovitz performed both the Ligeti 'Cello Concerto and the West Coast premiere of the fantastic new "Klezmer Fantasy for 'Cello and Orchestra", written for him by Stephen Dankner. Audiences were enthralled by his imaginative and moving performances of both works. The concerts also included the World Premieres of two new works commissioned by the Idyllwild Arts Academy. "Idyllwild Crown" by Grammy-nominated composer Christopher Theofanidis is a four-movement powerhouse of a work that left the audiences breathless, as did Peter Askim's new "Songlines", based on the book about the Australian Aboriginies by Bruce Chatwin.

Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings was just featured on Terence McKnight's show Evening Music on WNYC, New York's Classical Public Radio Station. A description of the broadcast and a link to the information:
Impermanence
Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Terrance McKnight samples a track from the CD release of Meredith Monk's celebratory and moving meditation on life, Impermanence. Also, bassist/composer Peter Askim performs his Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra, and we anticipate the upcoming new production of "Satyagraha" at the Metropolitan Opera with an excerpt from Philip Glass's "Symphony for Eight."

http://www.wnyc.org/shows/eveningmusic/episodes/2008/04/08

International Society of Bassists President Rob Nairn gave "Moving, Still" a glowing review in the latest edition of "Bass World". Nairn calls "Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings", "certainly one the most engaging concerti written for the bass in recent years, and says of Askim's orchestral works, "Peter’s textures and soundscapes (perhaps born of his diverse experiences and influences) exhibit an amazing array of colors, yet with a clarity, transparency and directness that are unique."

Of "...but the rain... for Shakuhachi and 21-String Koto," Nairn writes, " Its haunting textures manage to sound urgent and intense, with some fascinating and complex rhythmic sections and a dramatic emotive climax."

Read the full review under the Press/Reviews link.

The CD "Moving, Still" has been getting overwhelmingly positive reviews in such publications as The New Mexican, Double Bassist Magazine and Bass World magazine.

Some highlights:
" "Islands", a big concerto for double bass and orchestra, is a colorful, energetic, and gripping tone painting of four Hawaiian islands. "As Glaciers Thaw ..." for string orchestra is a brilliantly orchestrated and heartfelt composition, mammoth in conception but perfectly detailed in sound and presentation."

Craig Smith, Santa Fe New Mexican

There is a driving force behind Peter Askim’s music that reflects the energy in his approach to composition and performance. "Moving, Still" shows the breadth of this imaginative musician’s abilities as composer, conductor and performer, an enigmatic mixture of skills that inform his regular existence... Rather than a limiting palate, for Askim the bass provides no end of colour and contrast.

Matthew Power, Double Bassist Magazine

See the Press/Reviews page for more complete critical response.

The CD Moving, Still is available for download on eMusic.com.

The Double Bass and Piano version of Peter Askim's Bass Concerto "Islands" is the International Society of Bassists' first publication under its new publishing arm. Order from http://www.isbworldoffice.com/isb_shop/merchandise.html. Available in solo and orchestral tunings.

Moving, Still is now available for purchase online from the International Society of Bassists
http://www.isbworldoffice.com/isb_shop/merchandise.html

The new CD "Moving, Still" is now available for purchase at amazon.com, cdbaby.com and peteraskim.com and for download at iTunes. Search for Peter Askim.

The new CD "Moving, Still" features works by composer Peter Askim for a diverse range of ensembles and performers. Featuring such renowned artists as Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center flutist/conductor Ransom Wilson, conductor Naoto Otomo and the Tokyo Symphony, pianist Douglas Aschraft and members of Orchestra Asia-Japan Seizan Sakata and Reiko Kimura. Composer Peter Askim also appears as both conductor and double bassist on the newly released recording.

Works include "As Glaciers Thaw..." for String Orchestra (commissioned by the Iolani Concert Orchestra), "Islands: Concerto for Double Bass and Strings" (commissioned by the Iolani Concert Orchestra and the Tam Young Arts Chair), "Meridians" and "Moving, Still" for Orchestra (Commissioned by Idyllwild Arts), "...but the rain..." for Shakuhachi and 21-String Koto (Commissioned by Orchestra Asia-Japan), Edge for Solo Double Bass (Commissioned by the International Society of Bassists) and Eight Solitudes for Double Bass and Piano (winner of the 2002 International Society of Bassists Composition Competition).

Blending the rhythmic drive and power of rock and minimalism with the expressive lyricism of Neo-Romantic music and the textures of modernism, Askim's music cuts a new, emotionally-charged and personal path through the contemporary music landscape.