Mathew Rosenblum - Möbius Loop

Mathew Rosenblum's music is filled with diverse musical elements derived from classical, jazz, rock, and world music traditions. The Boston Globe called his music "an ear-buzzing flood of sound, rich in unusual overtones," The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described his work Mobius Loop as "richly layered... and stated that it "shimmered with vibrancy." A wide array of groups have commissioned, performed, and recorded his music such as the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, the Harry Partch Institute, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, the Calmus Ensemble of Leipzig, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, FLUX Quartet, and Sequitur. Using a variety of tuning systems, his work does not live within traditional boundaries, creating a compellingly fresh landscape. Mathew Rosenblum was named a 2013 Guggenheim Fellow. 
 
Rosenblum's works have been performed throughout the United States, South America, and Europe including the ISCM World Music Days in Oslo, the Gewandhaus in Leipzig, De Ijsbreker in Amsterdam, the Tonhalle in Düsseldorf, the Bing Theater in LA, Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City, and at the Sonic Boom Festival, the Kitchen, Merkin Hall, Symphony Space, the Guggenheim Museum, and Miller Theatre in New York City.
 
Rosenblum received degrees in composition from the New England Conservatory of Music and Princeton University and is currently professor of composition at the University of Pittsburgh where he also co-directs the Music on the Edge new music series. His works have appeared on the MODE, New World Records, Albany, BMOP/sound, Capstone, Opus One, and CRI Emergency Music labels and is published by C.F. Peters Corporation and Plurabelle Music (distributed by Subito Music Corporation). Mathew Rosenblum is represented by Serious Music Media.

“Möbius Loop is a one movement work. It was written in the months directly before and after the death of my mother. That time period was perhaps the most emotional in my life. The slow reflective middle section of this work is a tribute to her. Most of the music in Möbius Loop, however, is upbeat and hard driving, and was directly inspired by my energetic seven-year-old daughter, Sara Rosenblum. In fact, it is from a playful piano improvisation of hers that the opening measures of the piece originates. As a composer, I am fascinated by hybrid musical styles in which widely varying cultures and traditions merge or even clash. I often find myself trying to create such musics. In Möbius Loop, my interest in popular music, freer jazz forms, and Cuban music, is reflected. The work also combines two tuning systems, the normal twelve note equal tempered system and a twenty one note-to-the-octave "just" system I designed to be used in conjunction with the twelve note equal tempered system. The title, Möbius Loop, refers to the Möbius Strip, a twisted triangular shaped figure that signifies cyclic transformation and lifecycles. The work is framed by one big loop; the hard-driving and rhythmic opening material returns at the end. Working in from both ends of the piece brings one to the quiet and still music in the middle. There are also loops within loops. When new musical material is presented in the body of the work it is almost always contrasted and then repeated to form smaller loops within larger ones. This concept is reflected on many levels within the piece. Möbius Loop is dedicated to the memory of my mother Sonia Rosenblum, my first inspiration, and my daughter Sara Rosenblum, one of my continuing inspirations.”
- Mathew Rosenblum