I was snowed in. Art to the rescue. My business trip to Chicago included lots of art (really, lots) and the most moving music I have ever experienced outside of performing.
Other musicians will know that hard to describe feeling that sometimes comes in the midst performing. It happens to me most often when playing in a symphony orchestra, and on occasion when I am playing simpler music with Where’s Aubrey or the Bitter Liberals. When I heard Eighth Blackbird play their work Hand Eye in Chicago I experienced that feeling. But I was (obviously) not performing. Wow. Who knew?
So now I am a big fan. Just go see them perform.
I just saw a second Eighth Blackbord performance at the Kennedy Center which was, not surprisingly, incredibly good. But I am still trying to figure out which piece of theirs was the one that moved me in Chicago. At a small reception after the show I talked it over with Lisa and Nick.
I think it was pulse.
Lisa Kaplan, piano
Michael J. Maccaferri, clarinets
Nicholas Photinos, cello
Nathalie Joachim, flutes
The performance:
David Lang diet coke
Ted Hearne By-By Huey
David Lang grind
David T. Little Ghostlight (Fortas commission) World Premiere
David T. Little
David Lang wed
Bryce Dessner Murder Ballades
Flying Birds.
Excellent Birds.
Watch them fly.
There they go.
Falling snow.
Excellent snow.
Here it comes.
Watch it fall.
Long words.
Excellent words.
I can hear them now.
