This week’s spectacular music calendar features Stravinsky, silent films, and a meditation on the art of sound.
Town Music Presents Deviant Septet
Igor Stravinsky was a bit of a musical deviant. In fact, the 1913 Paris premiere of his avant-garde ballet “Rite of Spring” was so shocking and experimental that it invoked a riot among the audience. And now, over 100 years later, musicians are still paying tribute to this influential composer—in fact, Deviant Septet is committed to doing just that.
Deviant Septet is a contemporary classical music ensemble modelled after Stravinsky’s “L’histoire du Soldat” ensemble, an unusual combination of instruments featuring the soprano and bass voice of nearly every instrument family: violin, bass, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, and percussion. Specializing in commissioning new work and multimedia performances, Deviant Septet strives to create a repertoire for this distinctive ensemble.
This weekend, Deviant Septet is coming to Seattle to perform Stravinsky’s 1918 “L’Histoire du Soldat” (The Soldier’s Tale), Esa-Pekka Salonen’s 2006 response piece “Catch and Release,” and “The Soldier Dances with Tom Sawyer,” by Stefan Freund.
The performance is this Wednesday, March 25 at Town Hall. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
Jakob Pek, Michaud Savage, and Greg Campbell
Sound, silence, and spirituality are intertwining this Thursday at a unique musical performance exploring expressionism, experimentalism, and improvisation through the works of three innovative musicians.
Jakob Pek is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, and composer who seeks to redefine our understanding of music while also liberating our traditional musical instruments by presenting them in a new context with pure sound, free-form expressionism, and deliberate silence.
Pek will be joined by Michaud Savage, a guitarist and composer who will present original compositions, arrangements, and improvisations for classical guitar which draw upon various trance practices and Western musical idioms. Percussionist Greg Campbell will also perform a set of solo improvisations.
The performance is this Thursday, March 26 at 8 p.m. at the Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford.
Music of Remembrance Presents “The Golem”
Some stories cannot be adequately told with just words alone—and in the case of silent movies, the musical score becomes more important than ever.
Next week, Music of Remembrance is presenting a complete screening of the classic 1920 silent film “The Golem” accompanied by a live performance of Israeli composer Betty Olivero’s beautiful klezmer-infused score. The film tells the story of a rabbi who creates a large clay creature called the Golem and, using sorcery, brings the creature to life to help protect the Jews of Prague from persecution. The program also includes music from “The Dybbuk,” adding to the musical celebration of Jewish identity at a crucial point in early 20th century Germany.
The performance will feature guest conductor Guenter Buchwald from Freiburg, Germany, who specializes in silent film repertoire.
The concert is next Monday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Benaroya Hall.
