Totally brilliant this weekend — Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre, via the New York Phil. Maybe I’m just more attracted to theatrical gestures these days, but that was one of the greatest “concerts” I’ve been to. Presented semi-staged in Avery Fischer, the whole production translated Ligeti’s grand scheme better (I think) than what full staging could have offered — really going for the irony and meta-ness of it all (as “anti-anti-opera” — Richard Steinitz), from the personally engaged orchestra players (Dicterow cracked a smile) to the delicately hilarious live animation happening in the corner. Omg, puppets. More puppetry in opera, pretty please.

And that’s all I have to say about that.  (Er…)

In kind of a similar, macabrillious, neo-Baroque, makeup-caked, Gaga-esque vein — though in Brooklyn rather than Lincoln Center — Company XIV‘s Le Cirque Féerique. It’s commedia dell’arte with some contemporary snap — exaggerated period gesture to guide the narrative (they take you through six or seven fairy tales — Grimm, Andersen…) and charged modern dance moves to keep things interesting. And WIGS. Some very serious 18th century wigs.  Love it.

Coming up soon — round two of the Roomful of Teeth mega-session up in Massachusetts.  This is one of the most interesting ensembles starting up now, and it’s like nothing you’ve/I’ve ever heard.  The premise for the group is essentially > take 8 classically trained singers with killer pitch, rhythm and sight-reading skills; introduce a wide range of vocal techniques both foreign and domestic (Tuvan throat singing, belting, yodeling…); commission composers to write new music for this expanded sound set; stir, drink & repeat.  While there is a dangerous risk of kitschy pastiche or disrespectful appropriation of the traditions of other cultures, I think the yield from last year’s project managed to avoid that pitfall and to really reimagine vocal ensemble writing as orchestration, treating voices as nimble players capable of being a contrabassoon, then clarinet, then piccolo.

Read more & listen to samples here.  Support the group here.

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