Cal Performances presents Stravinsky & Iyer featuring Vijay Iyer with Tyshawn Sorey, Steven Schick, and the International Contemporary Ensemble
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
8:00 PM, Saturday, June 17, 2017

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Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Le Sacre du Printemps (the Rite of Spring) (1913; arr. 2016 by Cliff Colnot, b.1947)

[8:04 PM lights down, announcements, band out]

Part I: Adoration of the Earth

1. [8:06 PM] Introduction
2. [8:09 PM] Augurs of Spring: Dance of the Young Maidens
3. [8:13 PM] the Ritual of the Abduction
4. [8:15 PM] Spring Rounds
5. [8:18 PM] The Ritual of the Two Rival Tribes
6. [8:20 PM] Procession of the Elders
7. [8:21 PM] Dance of the Earth
    
   Part II: the Sacrifice
8. [8:23 PM] Introduction
9. [8:27 PM] Mystic Circle of Young Maidens
10. [8:30 PM] Glorification of the Chosen One
11. [8:33 PM] Evocation of the Ancestors
12. [8:34 PM] Ritual of the Ancestors
13. [8:37 PM] Sacrificial Dance of the Chosen One
    [set ends 8:40 PM; applause & bows for a few minutes; all off by 8:43 PM]

• Kyle Armbrust: viola;
• Kivie Cahn-Lipman: cello;
• Gabriela Diaz: violin;
• Gareth Flowers: trumpet;
• Rebekah Heller: bassoon;
• Ross Karre: drums, percussion;
• Levy Lorenzo: drums, percussion;
• John Minor: timpani;
• Joshua Rubin: clarinet;
• Steven Schick: conductor;
• Cory Smythe: piano;
• Alice Teyssier: flute;
• Randy Zigler: contrabass.

[9:08 PM lights down, introductory comments by Vijay; short film about Bhargava]

Vijay Iyer (b.1971): Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi (2014; soundtrack to accompany the film of the same name directed, edited and designed by Prashant Bhargava)

Part I: Adoration of the Earth

1. [9:19 PM] Dawn
2. [9:23 PM] Promise
3. [9:26 PM] Summoning
4. [9:27 PM] Spring Fever
5. [9:29 PM] Procession
6. [9:31 PM] Colors
    
   Part II: Transcendence
7. [9:35 PM] Thirst
8. [9:38 PM] Intoxication
9. [9:41 PM] Exaltation
10. [9:43 PM] Spirits
11. [9:45 PM] Rituals
12. [9:47 PM] Purging Rites
    [set ends 9:52 PM]

Care to watch the film? Lucky you, the trailer is on Youtube and Vimeo

• Vijay Iyer: piano;
• Steven Schick: conductor;
• Tyshawn Sorey: drums;

International Contemporary Ensemble

• Claire Chase: executive director;
• Joshua Rubin: program director;
• bio info for other performers.
• Kyle Armbrust: viola;
• Kivie Cahn-Lipman: cello;
• Gabriela Diaz: violin;
• Gareth Flowers: trumpet;
• Rebekah Heller: bassoon;
• Ross Karre: drums, percussion;
• Joshua Rubin: clarinet;
• Cory Smythe: piano;
• Alice Teyssier: flute;
• Randy Zigler: contrabass.

Outside at break, about 8:45 PM. The sun has set, but the sky is still quite bright, fading to dusky blue as I look to the East. The temperature is absolutely perfect. Not at all cool, with just the barest wisp of a breeze to aid my enjoyment of the evening. A small crowd is smiling about in the plaza, observed by a smaller group enjoying the balcony. I'd prefer it to be quiet, but instead the rumble of traffic on Bancroft competes with the rumble of heavy duty HVAC units in the surrounding buildings, setting up a busy bass continuo throb and counter-throb between the various noise elements while the laughter and conversation of the crowd dances on top. Music of the spheres? Not!

ICE's version of the Rite of Spring was a revelation: by reducing the instrumentation to a spare baker's dozen, Colnot's arrangement strips the work to it's essential core: the piece came across to me as much more elemental and primal: far less powerful than the typical bombastic symphonic rendition, but thoroughly enjoyable nonetheless. It will be quite interesting to hear how Iyer interprets this ritual against the Hindu Holi celebration in the second half!

So what'd I think? It was good. Interesting! Engrossing to watch. Even more so to hear! In contrast to a few reviewers, I found the music to be quite complementary to the visual material; to describe it as inessential background is to presume that visual stimuli has some sort of preeminence over auditory stimuli. I really liked it when the ensemble evoked the folk music of Indian village drum and brass bands. It would be fun to experience this show again in a few years!

Prashant Bhargava's film was shot over the course of a single Holi festival in Mathura, a town in Uttar Pradesh, India. The accompanying composition was created by Iyer in collaboration with Bhargava, who cut his film in order to match their shared artistic vision of creating a response to Stravinsky through Indian eyes, as commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts. Iyer debuted the work at Beasley-Curtis Auditorium at Memorial Hall, UNC on Mar 26, 2013; as far as I know, the piece has lain dormant in the interim, but Iyer and ICE revived it for a national tour that began last fall and continues this spring.

NPR posted a nice summary article about the film when it first came out.

And ICE has posted additional multimedia for this program. Start here for particulars about their Berkeley visit, then look to the “digitICE” link at the bottom for more.

Mark Satola posted a fine review of a performance of this program in Cleveland last fall. Daniel Hathaway's review of the same show gives an interesting alternative view.

Raul da Gama posted a review of the commercial release of the film by ECM on blu-ray disc.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2017 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2017 event list! ☸ On to the next event!