From ‘Psycho’ to Copland, free Clemson concert explores American sound

What could be more different than the prickly, nerve-jangling music of “Psycho” and the warm expansiveness of Aaron Copland’s “Appalachian Suite”?

Yet both are distinctly American sounds — and both are part of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s “American Soundscapes” program, coming to Clemson University’s Brooks Center for the Performing Arts on Oct. 6.

The program, presented as part of Clemson’s Utsey Series, celebrates American music in the year of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Along with Copland and Bernard Herrmann’s “Psycho” Suite, the program features music by Amy Beach and William Bolcom.

And there’s another reason for Upstate audiences to take notice: The performance by one of the country’s most distinguished chamber ensembles is presented free as a part of the 40th anniversary of the Utsey Series.

Violinist Kristin Lee, who has performed with the Chamber Music Society for 15 years, said the anniversary of the Declaration provided a natural opportunity to explore American music.

“Everybody has been performing and programming American music all season long,” Lee said.

For the Chamber Music Society, the program also offers an opportunity to present familiar American works alongside music that audiences may encounter less often.

Copland’s much-loved “Appalachian Spring Suite” is perhaps the best-known work on the program. The suite grew from Copland’s music for choreographer Martha Graham and is performed here in its original 13-instrument version.

“It truly is a masterpiece,” Lee said.

American variety

Kristin Lee is a violinist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet, meanwhile, offers a look at an important American composer whose music has received renewed attention in recent years. Lee describes it as a large, three-movement composition that combines virtuosity, lyricism and rich Romantic harmonies.

William Bolcom’s “Three Rags for String Quartet” provides another distinctly American sound. Bolcom became known in part for incorporating ragtime into his compositions, and Lee said these three works offer an especially direct expression of the style.

“They’ll be very pleasing and very familiar to the ears of our audience,” she said.

Then comes “Psycho.”

Herrmann’s suite is unusual fare for a Chamber Music Society program because it originated as a film score. Scored for string ensemble, it includes music associated with some of the film’s most memorable scenes, including the famous shower sequence, with strings imitating the screams of the victim.

But hearing the music without the movie may reveal just how much it contributes to Hitchcock’s suspense, Lee said.

“People often forget that the power of the music is really impactful in creating the fear factor,” she said.

The experience reverses the usual relationship between film and music: Instead of watching the movie while hearing Herrmann’s score in the background, audiences can hear the music and imagine the film.

The Clemson performance is part of a national tour of the program, offering Upstate audiences an opportunity to hear some of the country’s leading chamber musicians — free of charge.