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Events and Lectures in December
CURATORâ??S TALK: Karen Irvine
December 5, 2006
When: Tuesday, noon
Where: MoCP, 600 S. Michigan Ave.
Join MoCP curator Karen Irvine as she discusses the exhibitions An-My Lê: Small Wars and 29 Palms, and War Fare.
CONCERT: Music of Luigi Nono, performed by International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) with Tony Arnold, soprano
December 13, 2006
When: Wednesday, 7:30 pm
Where: MoCP, 600 S. Michigan Ave.
Reservations requested: (312)494-2655
The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is a uniquely structured chamber music ensemble comprised of emerging performers and composers who are dedicated to advancing the music of our time. They will perform work by Luigi Nono who in the 1960s, turned to theater and electronics to allow him to express his political sentiments outside of the constraints and connotations of the concert hall. This performance of Nonoâ??s bold anti-war statement “a floresta é jovem cheja de vida,” (1966) features soprano Tony Arnold, who is internationally recognized for her interpretation of the contemporary repertoire. ICE is an ensemble currently in residence in the Columbia College Music Department.
About Luigi Nono
In the 1960’s Italian composer Luigi Nono (1923-1990) turned to theater and electronics to allow him to express his political sentiments outside of the constraints and connotations of the concert hall. “a floresta é jovem cheja de vida,” (1966) is Nono’s bold anti-war statement which packages his experience with voice, instruments and electronic playback into a self-contained dramatic work. It is scored for a soprano soloist, three reciters, a single clarinet, six percussionists playing bronze metal sheets, and a pre-recorded multi-channel tape playback.
Sometimes traditionally notated and other times improvising, the musicians weave in and out of the material on the tape throughout the work. The piece incorporates vivid political texts of the era, including letters and speeches of anti-war leaders and protesters as well poetry in Italian and Vietnamese. Musically, “a floresta” perfectly captures Nono’s unique balancing of the modernist edge that he refined as a leader of the Darmstadt movement of the 1950’s, and an ever-present lyricism that is never seen more clearly as in his magical writing for soprano and clarinet.
About ICE
Praised for its “vivid, high-energy performances” (_New York Times_), the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) is a uniquely structured chamber music ensemble comprised of dynamic and versatile young performers who are dedicated to advancing the music of our time. Through innovative programming, multimedia collaborations, commissions by young composers, and performances in nontraditional venues, ICE brings together new music and new audiences.
ICE was founded in 2001, and has rapidly established itself as one of the leading new-music ensembles of its generation, winning first prize in the 2005 CMA/ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming, and performing over sixty concerts a year in Chicago, San Francisco, New York City and abroad. ICE will perform this season at the Mostly Mozart Festival of Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall and the Miller Theatre in New York City, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, CAL Performances in Berkeley, CA and on tour internationally. A champion of music by emerging composers, ICE has given over 400 world premieres to date, and has performed the music of young composers from 15 different countries. The ensemble will release two commercial CDs in 2007, on the Bridge Records and Naxos Records labels. Visit www.iceorg.org for more information.
“The group deserves the attention” Allan Kozinn, New York Times
“vivid, high-energy performancesâ?¦” Allan Kozinn, New York Times
“It would be hard to overpraise the prodigiously talented, bracingly idealistic and indefatigable ICE.” â?? Michael Cameron, Chicago Tribune
“crackling virtuosity and palpable commitmentâ?¦their music grabs the listener by the lapels and refuses to let go.” â?? John Von Rhein, Chicago Tribune
“ICE performed wondersâ?¦” â?? Steve Smith, TimeOut New York Magazine