Photo by Anna Scialli

MUSICAL SELECTIONS and SAMPLES,
This is a collection of some music I have recorded by friends, bandmates and myself.

Tydrus
This is an album of solo material put together to promote my latest opera, "Tydrus the Twit." None of the music on this album appears in the stage production of "Tydrus the Twit."

1. The Wrinkler
2. Home
3. I wake up in the morning and there ain't no job.
4. Home much corn can you put up your nose?
5. Baby, Don't Cry
6. Who Knows, Anyway?
7. What You Are.
8. Parking Lot
9. Festival Music
10. life is a lie
11. There You Are!
12. Lord in Heaven
13. One Little Thought of You

The Wrinkler, December 2008: Zeke Virant – keys and vocals, Jonathan Nocera – guitar, Danie Fishkin – bass, Aaron Wistar – drums

You can download the album in a neat little zip file by clicking here. Includes album artwork and notes.

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Who Knows What You Are, Anyway?
Orchestral Piece in Two Movements

I. Who Knows, Anyway?
II. What You Are.

Premiered May 22, 2009 by the American Symphony Orchestra in the Fisher Performing Arts Center, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY; Teresa Cheung conducting

If you would like a recording of this piece, please contact me via e-mail at zvirant [at] gmail [dot] com.

PROGRAM NOTES

I would like my compositions to be simple and clear statements. So why did I title my first symphony orchestra composition, “Who Knows What You Are, Anyway?” Let me try to explain:

It was on a long car ride home that I began writing the second movement, “What You Are.” For several hours, I was all alone with a cup of coffee, when suddenly, with over-caffeinated and road worn groans, I started singing the three-note theme. For two wonderful hours, I shrieked and grunted and conducted myself in a loud, unruly fashion, until I felt I had organized something. I arrived home, and over the course of a week, I had finished a rough draft of the second movement.

The first movement, “Who Knows, Anyway?” was an entirely different process. I spent months and months exploring and starting over. Finally, I found the edge I needed: five days of fever dreams. It was the second time in my life that I saw Wagner and Berlioz in my dreams (Wagner staring me down and Berlioz cheering me on). Something clicked, and I returned to steady work on the first movement.

I didn't plan on it, but I think the first and second movements stand together as two different ways of expressing the same thing. And I don't know if I understand what I wanted to express, but I am happy in knowing that I share that problem with plenty of people.
To give you all a better idea what I mean by not understanding, I would like to share something I read a few years ago that meant a lot to me. This is section 9 of Morton Feldman's essay, “The Future of Local Music”.

Marcel Duchamp goes to this art school and he sees this kind of tough, macho San Francisco painter and Duchamp looks at this picture he doesn't know. He says to the fellow, “What are you doing?” And the painter says, “I don't know what the fuck I'm doing.” Duchamp pats him on the back and says, “Keep up the good work!”

With all that explaining out of the way, I would like to say that I hope this music will help you feel fine.

I want to say thank you to my fabulous composition professor and mentor, Kyle Gann, to my wonderful mother and father, to my lovely girlfriend, Marjorie, to all my friends, and thank you for coming!

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Triangle Goons,
the Triangle Goons are a fun pop band from February - May 2009

1. A Centipede Story
2. At the Ocean
3. Baby, Don’t Cry
4. Love at the Beach
5. Lord in Heaven
6. Everybody Thinks You’re Stupid
7. In the Morning When You Wake Up
8. How much corn can you put up your nose?

Recorded on May 17, 2009 at Bard College by Tristan Shepherd
Produced by Tristan Shepherd and the Triangle Goons
Executively produced by Ted Quinlan

The Goons are:

Leslie Allison - vocals and keyboards
Willy Crichton - drums
Andrew Dieck - guitar and backing vocals
Mekko Harjo - bass guitar
Jimmy Pelizzari - guitar
Zeke Virant - vocals