Program note:
Blue Airball Rising is divided into four quarters (movements) with four interludes. Basketball revels in the vertical realm—the ups and downs of the sport give it its shape. The downs of the sport signify execution and decisiveness—the descending portion of a ball’s arc toward the basket or the victorious descent of a player after a brief hang on the rim celebrating a pummeling dunk. Whereas the ups of the game are chock full of potential, expectation, and “hold-your-breath” uncertainty, such as the rising arc of a three-point shot or the tense fluidity of a player’s body lifting itself toward the hoop. As the title indicates, this piece will dwell on the ups, the uncertainties, and expectant hopes. Many thanks to the players, the basketballers, and to Avian Music for all their work.
About the composer:
Sophocles Papavasilopoulos has written music for a variety of venues and media including theater, opera, film, video, dance, video games, and the concert stage. He received his BM from Oberlin Conservatory where his chamber opera Poohsticks was produced. Soft for Digging, a film directed by J.T. Petty featuring Sophocles’ music, has been presented at Sundance as well as numerous other festivals. His game music credits include a variety of PC/Mac and GameBoy games for such clients as Mattel, Acclaim, Infogrames, and Simon & Schuster. His collaborations with writer Sheila Callaghan include Elemental, a four-act play with music. He is currently pursuing a PhD in composition at New York University.
