June 20th marked the first in the summer salon series. Helluva salon, if I may say so. Oldies but goodies in the lineup included:
Thomas & Clara Christensen (piano four-hands)
"Fantasy in F minor for Four Hands," Franz Schubert
Larry Zbikowski (acoustic guitar)
"Rosita (polka)," Francisco Tárrega
"Suite No. 2 in popular style," James McGuire
"Five Pieces from Venezuela," harmonization by Vincente Sojo
David Bashwiner (guitar & voice)
three adorable new songs:
"Meat Hooks," "Sad Little Creature," and "Hey, Cute Girl"
On the second half of the program, we saw a demonstration of a work in progress by Nicholas DeMaison, my fellow collaborator in all things Opera Cabal and currently hailing from New York, and Jason Ponce, all the way from the University of California at San Diego (both are working toward composition Ph.D.s there). Nick and Jason shared a June residency at High Concept Laboratories in Chicago. (A.k.a. the giant, cool-looking warehouse-cum-performance space across from the Hideout -- it's so new it doesn't have a website. Yet!]) The planned work is a trio for piano, percussionist, and live computer processing. I'll do my best to describe their preview performance. Nick, as pianist, sat and played at the piano keyboard in the traditional sense while Jason, as percussionist, played with a variety of mallets on the inside strings of the instrument (manipulating or to some degree interfering with what Nick was playing). At the same time, a video camera mounted vertically over top of the piano tracked Jason's movements in order to then translate those movements into electronic sound (this is the part where I get lost). The total result (an extremely cool-sounding blend of Bach & what I can only call truly "High Concept" technological noise) was pumped through four speakers placed evenly around the room. Those at the center of the room sat in the sweet spot.
We were also graced with a surprise visit and performance from distinguished Korean p'ansori artist, Chan E. Park, who gave a full concert in the ballroom during the second half of the program. This is possibly the coolest, most emotionally transparent music in the world and while it can involve a number of musicians at once, for this salon there were only two performers in the ballroom: Chan's husky, soulful voice (a cross between Johnny Cash and Freddie Mercury in the body of a woman) and her trusty drum.
-majel
skip to main |
skip to sidebar
a Chicago-based ensemble of interdisciplinary artists bent on the creation and production of experimental works for the stage
SUPPORT OPERA CABAL
What the Press is Saying
"...one of the most searingly painful and revealing operatic performances in recent times."
Chicago's "most daring and avant-garde" opera company, Opera Cabal "aspires to bulldoze opera's definition."
Chicago Magazine
"A thrilling contrast to Lyric Opera and Chicago Opera Theater...Opera Cabal exhibits the audacity and daredevilry rarely found in anything calling itself 'opera' these days."
Time Out Chicago
"Whatever you want to call it, this production takes its audience on a wild, compelling, multimedia ride..."
Time Out New York
"Opera Cabal showed what’s possible when tradition is eschewed, but that tradition still has something to say, and it helps to contextualize the experiments."
Time Out Chicago
Chicago Magazine
"A thrilling contrast to Lyric Opera and Chicago Opera Theater...Opera Cabal exhibits the audacity and daredevilry rarely found in anything calling itself 'opera' these days."
Time Out Chicago
"Whatever you want to call it, this production takes its audience on a wild, compelling, multimedia ride..."
Time Out New York
"Opera Cabal showed what’s possible when tradition is eschewed, but that tradition still has something to say, and it helps to contextualize the experiments."
Time Out Chicago
Opera Cabal is Ensemble in Residence at
From the Outside Looking In
- Time Out Chicago (Sept 2010)
- Princeton AW (March 2010)
- You're Beautiful NY (March 2010)
- Chicago Hyper Local (Feb 2010)
- Time Out New York (Feb 2010)
- TimeOut Chicago (Feb 2010)
- Chicago Magazine (Feb 2010)
- The Chicagoist (Feb 2010)
- U of Chicago Magazine (Nov 2009)
- Time Out Chicago (Dec 2007)
- The Chicago Weekly (April 2007)
- Marc Geeohoed (April 2007)
- The Chicago Reader (Oct 2007)
- Telecommuniculturey (Oct 2007)
- Princeton : Major Choices
OUR MISSION
Opera Cabal Performing Arts Association NFP is reshaping how opera is imagined, produced and performed in the United States. Composed of a versatile collective of adroit, accomplished young artists, Opera Cabal propels the opera of today by presenting unpredictable new work and modeling new forms of audience involvement. In an era of rapidly changing audiences and shifting musical genres, Opera Cabal embraces interdisciplinary collaboration, new commissions, and intimate and unusual venues. Opera Cabal reaches into to neighboring visual, theatrical and technological communities to broaden the audience for and the definition of opera in a new century, reviving the integrity of a revered art form with an infusion of new energy and eclectic design.
Since its founding in 2006, Opera Cabal has identified and recruited artistic teams working at the highest level in fields traditionally unrelated to opera in order to bring new blood and fresh ideas to the art form. Opera Cabal’s commitment to building a diverse, engaged audience for opera in the 21st century is exemplified behind the scenes by the Hyde Park Salons, a monthly performance series established in 2006 on Chicago’s South Side. The Salons serve as a forum for local artists and scholars, offering a rigorous workshop atmosphere for uncommon contemporary performance. Opera Cabal is also the commissioning force behind the brand new project series, Opera Shop (begun in 2011). In partnership with our co-producer, High Concept Laboratories, Opera Shop introduces each autumn the work of one new team of exceptional artists with a history of working together outside of opera to explore cutting-edge approaches to recombining music and theater.
No comments:
Post a Comment