From a musical tennis match to a sonic re-creation of the video game Pong, games were the theme of the evening at Town Hall last Thursday. Behind the playful blend of modern and contemporary music were the members of the New York-based Talea Ensemble, joined by cellist Joshua Roman.
Through his TownMusic concert series, Roman has given Seattle a taste of the latest trends in classical music. TownMusic performances have brought a host of up-and-coming musicians to Seattle to perform new works by today’s hottest composers. With two premieres on the program, Thursday’s concert was no exception. The ensemble also gave a nod to the 20th century with pieces by Milton Babbitt and John Zorn that were composed in the 1970s and ’80s.
The word “talea” means “cutting” in Latin, a reference to the constantly looping and evolving patterns that have been a feature of many musical traditions throughout history. Known for their devotion to contemporary sounds, the Talea Ensemble has a long history of collaboration with composers seeking to push the boundaries of classical music. So far, 2013 has been a busy year for these energetic musicians. In addition to performances in New York, Canada, Austria, and their appearance at Town Hall, the ensemble has planned a month-long collaboration in May with composer Beat Furrer. The project includes a performance of Furrer’s Fama, an intriguing work that combines opera and art installation.
The Talea Ensemble’s penchant for blending genres was certainly on display at Thursday’s concert. Several pieces mixed musical and theatrical elements to tell a story or depict a scene. Composed in 1964, Mauricio Kagel’s Match required a great deal of acting from the musicians. The piece portrays a tennis-like game between two cellists. Seated on opposite ends of the stage, cellists Christopher Gross and Joshua Roman exchanged volleys of sound back and forth, plucking, tapping, strumming, and bowing their instruments. Meanwhile, percussionist Alex Lipowski played the role of vigilant referee, moderating the cellists with an enormous collection of instruments and noisemakers. Lipowski’s exaggerated gesticulations and facial expressions added a lot of character to the performance, which felt more like a comedic vignette than a musical work.
The theme of theatrical performance continued with the world premiere of Moritz Eggert’s Pong, a clever homage to the classic video game. Like Match, Pong relies on a specific stage setup. Six musicians sit in a row on the stage, with a woodwind player on either end of the row. A sonic “volley” initiated by flutist Barry Crawford made its way down the line, passing through violin, cello, percussion, and piano before being intercepted and returned by clarinetist Rane Moore, seated at the other end of the row. The “play” proceeded back and forth for a few minutes before evolving into a series of dynamic musical themes that capture the motion and momentum of the video game. Eggert’s short work covers a lot of ground, exploring a wide range of sounds, colors, and expression. Though playful and fun, there’s some serious meat on this musical bone.
John Zorn’s Rugby involved the entire ensemble in a musical game. Instead of reading from a score, the musicians followed directions from clarinetist Moore, who directed them with gestures and placards that provided instructions to the group. Musicians could veto the directions or propose suggestions of their own by signaling to Moore. The ensuing flurry of frantic gestures generated improvisations that ran the gamut from lyricism to cacophony.
After the theatrics and gameplay of the other pieces, Milton Babbitt’s Fourplay and Vito Zuraj’s Deuce felt almost serious. Deuce, which received its U.S. premiere on Thursday, blends splatters of sound from bass clarinet and percussion — an unusual instrumental pairing. Written for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, Fourplay alternates between short lyrical phrases and bursts of staccato notes. It’s a tricky piece full of difficult technical passages and rhythmic complexity. The Talea musicians created an ideal balance between ensemble and solo playing, weaving an intricate sonic carpet that emphasized both interlocking parts and individual voices.
Seattle audiences will get another peek into the New York contemporary music scene with the next installment of the TownMusic series, coming up in June. Roman is bringing back the JACK Quartet, who wowed Seattle audiences in 2011 with their performance of Ligeti’s String Quartet No. 2. The quartet returns to the Town Hall stage with a fresh program of 21st century music, including a newly-commissioned piece by Jefferson Friedman, a composer whose work draws upon classical, rock, and electronica.