Once Upon a Time: Solar Winds Quintet
| Hours: | 3 p.m. |
| Ages: | Kids, Teens, Adults |
| In/Outdoor: | Indoor |
| Cost: | Free |
| Category: | Music & Concerts |
The theme of the program will be 'Once Upon a Time,' and every selection will feature poetry - some of it funny, some of it rude, some it sad, and some simply strange. Bring the family (if they can cope with a few dirty words). This is going to be a lot of fun!
We'll begin with the selection that gives the program its name: John Cage's 'Once Upon a Time.' This is Cage's witty and touching setting of a brief poem by Gertrude Stein. It is entirely spoken and hypnotically rhythmic. Imagine Cage and Stein as rap artists and you'll get some idea of the effect.
Next we pick up our instruments and welcome mezzo-soprano Krista River, who joins us for Ferenc Farkas's Gymolcskosar - which translates into English as 'Fruit Basket.' Farkas was one of Hungary's most prolific, influential, and inventive composers. Here he took twelve children's nursery rhymes and set them - with great charm and originality - for wind quintet and soprano. The music is tuneful, playful, and wistful. Imagine Mahler writing songs for Sesame Street! If you have not heard Krista River perform, this is a wonderful introduction to her artistry.
We end the first half of the program with one of the most bizarre chamber compositions of all time: Luciano Berio's Opus Number Zoo. This sets to music three poems by American writer Rhoda Levine. Each poem is a simple fable and each has a very dark theme. But the effect - oddly - is hilarity, in part because the music so slyly complements the words and in part because the musicians themselves read the verses.
After the interval we will perform the composition that inspired this program in the first place. The Fisherman and His Wife - by a team consisting of Elliot Cole, Doug Balliett, and Brad Balliett - was a winner in our 2011 composition competition. It is here receiving its first performance. This is another very unusual piece of writing. The story may be familiar (A fisherman catches a magic fish that grants him whatever he wants. His wife tragically overworks the fish), but the presentation is novel and intriguing. Krista River joins us again with a rhyming, rhythmic, and rapid-fire fairy-tale rap, the likes of which you have certainly never heard.
In the Timken Room, Graves Hall, Phillips Andover Academy, Andover, MA
| WEBSITE | ↑ top |
solarwindsquintet.com/calendar/index.php
| LOCATION | ↑ top |
180 Main St., Andover, MA, 01810 map
Phone: 978 749 4000
| RELATED LINKS | ↑ top |
- Profiles
Info changes frequently. We cannot warrant it. Verify with Once Upon a Time: Solar Winds Quintet before making the trek. If you find an error, please report it...