Matthias McIntire 🎻🎵

Good afternoon, Nostr ☀️ It’s been a few days since I’ve posted. I’ve been in crunch time finishing a new piece I’m composing! It’s nearly done, but I’m deep in the orchestration phase right now, so things are full on. I thought today I’d share something I haven’t done yet on Nostr: a real “work-in-progress”. I’ve actually been working on this piece since I started posting on Nostr at the beginning of August!! So I’m excited and nervous to share a bit of it. It’s called “lost child” and it’s written for solo violin (that’s me) with live electronics and full orchestra. The piece explores two ideas. On one hand, it’s a reflection on childhood… that part of life that feels lost once you’ve grown up. On the other, it ties into the concert’s theme of “finding home”. The story of the music follows a child lost in a strange, sometimes frightening world, and they’re trying to find their way home. Guided by the sound of a family whistle (something my own family has to find each other in crowds or across distances), eventually the child finds their way home. And home for me in this piece is the love and safety one feels with family. The clip I’m sharing today is the opening of the piece. It begins with electronics (which you won’t hear in this version), then the orchestra enters, and finally the solo violin. You’ll see me playing along with a “virtual instrument playback” from my score, and later I show a bit of the score itself with the green playback line moving through it!! So stay to the end to see that :) It’s a longer video, but I hope you’ll stick around for a glimpse into this project that’s been a major part of my life these past few months. The premiere’s at the end of November — almost there! I hope you enjoy this little window into “lost child”🎻 I’d love to hear your questions and comments! #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/9414212a9b75a7e854c82e7065151924489bcf54b933f1593a74721d21d66674.mov

Good morning, Nostr ☀️ I hope you’re having a great morning so far. I think I’m on a bit of a Bach kick lately! Today I was thinking about another one of his most famous pieces… the Air in G, which is actually the second movement (an “Air”) from his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major. You’ve probably heard it before… at weddings, in churches… it’s everywhere, and for good reason. It’s one of the most serene, reverent, and heartfelt pieces of music I know. There’s something so deeply human about it, like Bach somehow captured pure love and beauty in sound. Here I’m just playing the first phrase, which then repeats. In the repeat, I add a few little ornaments on the melody, which was a common practice at the time. I hope you enjoy this little bit of Bach’s Air, and that it brings some joy and peace into your morning. 🎻 #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/1c9c9c660a00d5cfbca83530cc67d84dfb6475ba70d46b341613c6e3bfcef188.mov

Good afternoon, Nostr 🎻 I hope you’re all doing well. Today, I’m sharing something that came to mind out of nowhere, one of the most famous concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach: the Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major. This piece holds a really special place in my heart. I first played it when I was in middle school (!), in a little trio with two of my friends… one on cello, one on bass! We’d take our arrangement of this concerto out busking at farmers’ markets and community events. I must’ve been 11 or 12 at the time, and it’s one of those core memories of discovering how joyful making music with friends can be. Here I’m just playing the first minute or so of the first movement, along with a recording. You can see me waiting for that two-second count-in before the music begins haha 😆 Anyway, I love this piece. It’s full of energy, counterpoint, and sunshine. Thought I’d share a little slice of it (and my musical past) with you today. Hope you enjoy, and have a great afternoon. ☀️🎶 #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/a7fb045eb9bc41639ed636d7deede4db4069dff0e6f599891e1f7b046dcb74dc.mov

Good morning, Nostr ☀️ I hope you’re doing well. Today I’m sharing a short phrase from one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I know, the Piano Trio in A minor by Maurice Ravel, written in 1914 (111 years old!) This is from the third movement, the Passacaille (Passacaglia), which is a form built on a repeating bass line that comes back again and again, with the music slowly evolving above it. Here I’m playing the first moment where the violin enters, after the piano and cello have already begun. It’s such a beautiful, solemn, and deeply reverent passage, and one of my favorites in all of chamber music. If you haven’t heard the whole piece before, I highly recommend giving it a listen, just search “Ravel Piano Trio A minor” on YouTube. The Beaux Arts Trio recording is a classic. Hope you enjoy this little phrase from one of my favorite works of chamber music. 🎻 #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/3f7a2dc7d58040c0d5adf918a2e4994e4a87f65e5f3abc871022f2903867dd3b.mov

Good afternoon, Nostr 🌞 Today we just have a straight-up free violin improvisation… nothing too complicated, just playing from the heart. I just want to put something beautiful into the world, a tiny bit of goodness and light. There’s a lot of darkness out there, and I think it’s important we keep putting the light in however we can. So here’s my little slice of goodness and light for the day. I hope it reaches you and that you enjoy it 💜💜💜 #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/9eba8ddc8f1577f6de9d66ca8d7e6988f9c9a1a8a9b9a915cdc3dc87f1fd7046.mov

Good afternoon, Nostr ☀️ Coming at you in the afternoon today, playing a French hymn tune called “Il est né, le divin enfant”. It’s one of these melodies that is deeply personal to me. I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately as I’m working on a new piece reflecting on childhood… on the notion of home, and also on the sense of loss of childhood that comes with growing older. This tune has been in my life for as long as I can remember. My mum used to sing it to me like a lullaby when I was really small, and I have these early memories of her softly humming it as I fell asleep. I’m thinking of weaving it into my new piece as a kind of musical metaphor for home… for love, safety, and belonging. I’ve been thinking about it a lot but haven’t played it until today, exploring that lullaby-like quality. What do you think? Does it have a place in my piece? This is Il est né, le divin enfant. Hope you enjoy. #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/b5bda8f2d1be43496906b10bddd8461fb1e065e89fa6379ce6d4bc9e9bc90361.mov

Good afternoon, Nostr ☀️ Hope you’re having a great weekend! Coming at you a little later than usual today. This morning I did some errands, grabbed groceries, picked up a few things at Home Depot… and then sat down to play a bit of Bach. Somehow I haven’t shared any Bach on here yet, even though he’s been such a big part of my musical life on both violin and viola! Today I picked up the Prélude to the Second Suite in D minor for solo cello (BWV 1008). Violists don’t have any Bach written specifically for their instrument so we’re always stealing both the violin and cello repertoire 👀 You probably know the Prélude from the First Suite in G major (Yo-Yo Ma plays it all the time), but this D minor one is quieter, more introspective. It feels like Bach’s spiritual side. I learned it years ago but had to bring it back for an audition recently, and it was my favorite thing to play on that list. Here I’m just sharing the first dozen or so measures. I hope you enjoy this bit of Bach for your Saturday afternoon 🎻 #musicstr https://blossom.primal.net/115b1d319617f65cdc26fb9e33417e154351b4611e42bc6fcff1e5484e8c85ce.mov