The Live Music Project, an adventurous conductor-less ensemble in residency at Fairfield University's Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, kicks off the Wien Experimental Theatre's 2006-2007 Concert Series with "Dark Music and Scary Stories" on Friday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. In anticipation of Halloween, the Live Music Project co-founders and directors, Daniel Smith and Netta Hadari, will present a wicked combination of original and classical music paired with scary storytelling by adeptly cast actors that creates a concert set apart from the traditional classical concert.
Known for original and innovative productions, Live Music Project plunges into a web of material in which the text is as important as the music and the dramatic impact is heightened through lighting, presentation style and pacing. In addition to these elements, Smith will play the Theremin, a rarely heard and unique instrument used in experimental music circles and immortalized in science-fiction movies. The instrument, a predecessor to the Moog synthesizer, is played, not by touching , but by waving one's hands near two metal antennas: one for pitch and the other for volume. The sound the Theremin emits is unforgettably eerie and creates an unearthly mood.
There is an eclectic list of works included in the evening. Among them are: the H.P. Lovecraft horror story, "Herbert West, Reanimator," a grizzly tale of bringing cadavers to life with a special serum and the horrors that follow; "The Vampyre," a horror poem, by Lord Byron that will be read over some of Henry Purcell's most sinister music. Smith has composed music for strings and winds for a mysterious ghost story titled, "Pavanne," about a little girl's voice, only heard when a lonely man plays a certain piece of music on the piano.
Other music will include an arrangement for strings of Mozart's rarely performed "Fantasie in F minor for Orgelwalze" (KV 608), one of the last pieces he wrote before he died. Mozart intended the Fantasie in F minor to be played on a mechanical organ at certain times of day in a mausoleum. Franz Schubert is represented with "The Erlkonig," a song for piano and voice, inspired by a ballad written by Goethe about the king of the elves.
There are also several short pieces from "Pierrot Lunaire, op. 21 by Arnold Schoenberg. The music is a collection of 21 songs based on poems by Albert Giraud. The singer is asked to recite and not to sing exact pitches. This technique, known as "Sprechstimme," adds to the frightening aspect of these pieces.
Founded by violinist Hadari and composer Smith in conjunction with the Quick Center, the Live Music Project aims to change the way audiences think about chamber music. Now in its fourth season, the group includes some of the region's top musicians, offering exciting concerts in a friendly environment with an emphasis on interaction with the audience. The ensemble takes pride in expanding its repertoire in both classical and contemporary works of all kinds, sometimes featuring world premieres of compositions by Smith, who also provides music for and directs many of the Quick Center's popular live radio dramas.
Tickets to "Dark Music and Scary Stories" are $25 or $40 for subscribers to 2 performances of Live Music Project. Tickets can be purchased online at www.quickcenter.com or call the Quick Center Box Office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396. For more information, visit the website, www.quickcenter.com.
Posted On: 09-26-2006 10:09 AM
Volume: 39 Number: 42