Rice music professor writes original score for documentary on birth of modern world

CONTACT: Ellen Chang
PHONE:
(713) 348-6777
EMAIL: ellenc@rice.edu

RICE MUSIC
PROFESSOR WRITES ORIGINAL SCORE
FOR DOCUMENTARY ON BIRTH OF MODERN
WORLD

Anthony Brandt,
assistant professor of composition at Rice University, has written the original
score for “Crucible of the Millennium.” The documentary, which focuses on birth
of the modern world, will be aired nationally. Local listeners can see the
documentary on KUHT, Houston Public Television, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 9.
The soundtrack, which also includes traditional music from around the world,
features performances by the Mexican ensemble Huehuetl, currently
Artists-in-Residence at Houston’s MECA, a theatre arts non-profit
organization.

The two-part documentary
traces the birth of globalization to the meetings of cultures that took place in
approximately 1500. The stories of these encounters — between Chinese, Indians,
Arabs and Europeans in Calicut, India, and between Native Americans, Europeans
and Africans in the New World — is detailed in historical documents and images,
and analyzed by a host of distinguished scholars. Issues such as isolationism
versus exploration, and tolerance versus subjugation were debated by the
societies of the time.

When each culture is
studied individually, its indigenous music is incorporated into the soundtrack.
When the cultures meet, Brandt’s score is used to represent their intermingling
and transformation. Composing the score involved finding ways of both reflecting
and contrasting with the folk music that surrounds it. The score is written for
an ensemble including oboe, bassoon, harp, piano and three percussion. It was
conducted by John Axelrod, and performed by members of Houston’s Orchestra
X.

“Crucible of the
Millennium” received most of its funding from the National Endowment for the
Humanities. Addition funding was provided by the Corporation for Public
Television, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundation, the Debs Foundation and the
Donnet Fund

Editors: A photo of
Anthony Brandt may be downloaded at <http://riceinfo.rice.edu/projects/reno/photos/photo_brandt.html>