eighth blackbird at home in Chicago
eighth blackbird’s third consecutive season in residence at Chicago’s downtown Harris Theater is its most ambitious to date. The ensemble gives local premieres of two of its most highly-praised selections, the evening-long Slide by Steve Mackey and Rinde Eckert, which received its world premiere when eighth blackbird curated California’s annual Ojai Music Festival last June; and Arnold Schoenberg’s 1912 numerological masterpiece Pierrot lunaire on December 8, in a production conceived and directed by Mark DeChiazza that was also first shown to audiences at Ojai this summer. DeChiazza is a New York dancer and choreographer with whom the ensemble has forged a strong working relationship. Slide, with music by composer, guitarist, and Princeton professor Steven Mackey and text by actor Rinde Eckert, will be revealed to Chicago audiences on March 24 in its second performance, at which there is much to look forward to, given the critical response to its unveiling at Ojai last June, ranging from the Ventura County Star to the Los Angeles Times.
“Slide has both wit and complexity… . The symbiosis between genres and styles that pervades this year’s densely programmed festival for a multi-tasking generation is the essence of Slide. … A back story explained in detail in the program was almost required reading for anyone attempting to grasp the total concept, but even without that, it was possible for those with open eyes and ears to relish the wit and complexity of the work.”
[Ventura County Star]“They are, as Juilliard Dean Ara Guzelimian said at the festival symposium Friday, ‘stage animals,’ often in motion, enacting their scores as they play them. They are without stylistic allegiances. Minimalism, Post-Minimalism, experimentalism, New Romanticism, old Expressionism, rock, smooth jazz, not-so-smooth jazz – all come easily and naturally. … They brought to Ojai several of their like-minded, and in some astonishing instances, similarly multi-tasking, multi-talented friends.”
[Los Angeles Times]eighth blackbird performs almost all of its extensive repertoire from memory, and the players often move about the stage in an almost choreographed way. The new Pierrot lunaire – presented in a program with works by contemporaries and pupils of Schoenberg – will be no exception. Tim Munro, eighth blackbird’s flutist, says of the ensemble’s newest performance piece:
“Mark DeChiazza uses movement and gesture to connect to the human core of this remarkable work, and the production includes soprano Lucy Shelton, dancer Elyssa Dole, and, in his impressive theatrical debut (!), our percussionist Matthew Duvall as Pierrot. Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire wears its 97 years incredibly lightly and has everything: feverish intensity, gallows humor, and touching pathos.”
Munro continues: “One of the many reasons we love the Harris Series is that the theater’s size, sightlines, and acoustics make it an ideal space for presenting fully-staged works such as Pierrot lunaire and Slide. And the Harris staff has been incredibly supportive, collaborating closely with us on everything from technical planning to marketing to ensure the success of the series.” eighth blackbird’s web site at www.eighthblackbird.com/pierrot has much more information (including videos) about this production.
As for Slide, its co-creator, Pulitzer Prize-nominated Rinde Eckert, says: “Slide is a rich tapestry of love, human frailty, the desire of control, and eventually the tragic consequences once we have attained it.” In Slide, Eckert plays Renard, an enigmatic psychologist struggling to describe an experiment examining subjects’ reactions to in- and out-of-focus slides. The results reveal that our decisions are based on habits or conventions that make it difficult for us to see clearly. Slide uses the experiment as a metaphor for today’s world, where persuasive images are employed to sell a commercial or political product. The work explores the seduction and manipulation of the American psyche, but also the effect of the experiment on Renard himself, who seems irreversibly changed by the experience. eighth blackbird and Steven Mackey create onstage characters in the story, and projected images play an important role. The goal is an unmediated exploration and expression of sound, text, movement, and image.
eighth blackbird has a Chicago-area schedule of several concerts and master classes. The ensemble performs regularly at Ganz Hall in the Contempo series, and at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall. Windy City repertoire for this season includes audience favorites such as “Knight, Death, and Devil”, with works inspired by one of Albrecht Dürer’s most famous engravings, composed by Frederic Rzewski, Karim Al-Zande, and Andres Carrizo (Nov 14, Contempo); and Osvaldo Golijov’s Ayre with Dawn Upshaw (Nov 17, UC Mandel). The group has a Music Institute of Chicago residency (Dec 12, Highland Park); another Harris Theater appearance, titled “Where Jazz & Contemporary Music Intersect” (Jan 16); and it makes its debut in suburban Naperville with its wide-ranging program called “Still Life with Avalanche” (Jan 20). On February 13 eighth blackbird gives a lecture/demonstration in Evanston at Northwestern, and on May 14 and 26 the ensemble closes out its extensive Chicago season with a Contempo concert titled “Tomorrow’s Music Today”. Lucky Chicago!
A list of eighth blackbird’s season engagements is below, with Chicago dates shown in bold. Additional information is available at the group’s web site, www.eighthblackbird.com.
eighth blackbird’s 2009-10 engagements – Chicago & elsewhere:
Nov 2-6
Richmond, VA
University of Richmond, Residency 3
Modlin Center for the Arts
Nov 14
Chicago, IL
“Knight, Death, and Devil”
(works by Frederic Rzewski, Karim Al-Zande, Andres Carrizo)
Contempo / Ganz Hall
Nov 15
Louisville, KY
“Meanwhile”
Chamber Music Society of Louisville
Comstock Concert Hall
Nov 17
Chicago, IL
Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre
with Dawn Upshaw
University of Chicago
Mandel Hall
Nov 21
La Jolla, CA
“Meanwhile”
UC San Diego – The Loft, Price Center East
Nov 22
San Diego, CA
Lecture / demonstration
NASM Conference
Dec 8
Chicago, IL
Schoenberg: Pierrot lunaire
Harris Theater
Dec 12
Highland Park, IL
Music Institute of Chicago Residency
2010
Jan 12
Cincinnati, OH
“Meanwhile”, incl. Steve Reich’s Double Sextet
Chamber Music Cincinnati
Corbett Auditorium
Jan 16
Chicago, IL
“Where Jazz & Contemporary Music Intersect”
Contempo / Harris Theater
Jan 20
Naperville, IL – debut
“Still Life with Avalanche”
Turnage: Grazioso!
Gordon Fitzell: Violence
Mayke Nas: Douze Mains
Missy Mazzoli: Still Life with Avalanche
Thomas Adès: Catch
Philip Glass: Double Sextet
North Central College
Wentz Concert Hall
Jan 25-29
Richmond, VA
University of Richmond, Residency 4
Modlin Center for the Arts
Feb 11
Winnipeg, Manitoba – debut
Gordon Fitzell: evanescence
Steve Reich: Double Sextet
Thomas Adès: Catch
Stephen Hartke: Meanwhile
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
New Music Festival
Feb 13
Evanston, IL
Lecture / demonstration
Northwestern University
Feb 18-19
Erie, PA
Penn State Erie, Residency
Feb 19
Erie, PA
“Meanwhile”
Penn State Erie – Logan Series
Feb 21
Winchester, VA
“Meanwhile”
Shenandoah University
Armstrong Concert Hall
Feb 22- 24
Philadelphia, PA
Curtis Institute of Music, Residency
Feb 24
Philadelphia, PA
Double Sextet and other works
eighth blackbird and 20/21
Curtis Institute of Music
Field Concert Hall
March 1-5
Richmond, VA
University of Richmond, Residency 5
Modlin Center for the Arts
March 3
Richmond, VA
Slide
Modlin Center for the Arts
March 24
Chicago, IL
Slide
Harris Theater
April 5-10
College Park, MD
University of MD, Residency
April 9 & 10
College Park, MD
Slide
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
Gildenhorn Recital Hall
April 17
Columbus, OH
“Meanwhile”
Chamber Music Columbus
Southern Theatre
April 19-23
Richmond, VA
University of Richmond, Residency 6
Modlin Center for the Arts
April 28
Los Angeles, CA
Pierrot lunaire; Double Sextet
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Bing Theater
April 29
Northridge, CA
“Meanwhile”
California State University Northridge
Plaza del Sol
May 1
Minneapolis, MN – debut
“The Only Moving Thing”
Walker Art Center, McGuire Theater
May 7
New York City
New work by Carlos Sánchez-Gutiérez
Look & Listen Festival
May 8
New York, NY
“Meanwhile”
Peoples’ Symphony Concerts
Washington Irving High School
May 14 & 26
Chicago, IL
“Tomorrow’s Music Today”
Contempo
June 3, 5, & 6
Atlanta, GA
World premiere
Jennifer Higdon: Concerto
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – debut
Woodruff Arts Center
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© 21C Media Group, November