An unlikely meeting of Morton Feldman and the blues

Tyshawn Sorey and Davóne Tines in Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

Calvin “Cal” Hunt in Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

By Kurt Gottschalk, 28 September 2022

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“stellar, musical high drama”

Reviewed at Park Avenue Armory, New York City on 27 September 2022

Sorey, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife)

Tyshawn Sorey, Conductor

Peter Sellars, Director

James F Ingalls, Lighting Designer

Julie Mehretu, Visual Artist

Marc Urselli, Sound Design

Reggie Gray, Choreography

Kim Kashkashian, Viola

Sarah Rothenberg, Piano, Celesta

Steven Schick, Percussion

Davóne Tines, Bass-baritone

Choir of Trinity Church Wall Street

Bach cantatas, American spirituals, global calamity

Kurt Gottschalk, 21st May

The Gospel according to Peter Sellars: an intermingling of Bach’s cantatas and American spirituals depicts an environmental message that the impending end won’t be personal, but global.

***11

Steve Reich world premiere in New York

Stephen Pritchard, 6th April

London's new Centre for Music has much to learn from the Big Apple's mistakes.

****1

The English Concert at the Barbican: Theodora

Charlotte Valori, 8th February

Profound, fair and thought-provoking, Handel's Theodora argues for faith as a personal journey, not a political decree. The English Concert brought their rendition to the Barbican Centre in London.

****1

The English Concert: Theodora at Carnegie Hall

David Allen, 2nd February

The English Concert and Harry Bicket bring Theodora to Carnegie Hall, with Dorothea Röschmann, David Daniels and Sarah Connolly.

***11

Art song at BAM

Kay Kempin, 22nd November

Part of the Next Wave Festival, 21c Liderabend achieved a delicate balance that, more times than not, New York’s larger performing arts venues fail to accomplish: an intimate experience in an extravagant, larger-scale setting.

***11

A Feldmanesque meditation by Tyshawn Sorey

Kurt Gottschalk, 16th December

It was like a quiet day in a sunny room. The air was still, shadows and colors changed as the sun moved across the sky, but nothing inside the room ever actually moved.

*****

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Kurt Gottschalk

Kurt Gottschalk is a journalist and author based in New York City. His writings on contemporary and classical music, jazz and improvisation have been published in outlets throughout Europe and America and he has two volumes of short fiction to his name. He produced and hosted the Miniature Minotaurs radio programme on WFMU and currently hosts Afternoon New Music on WKCR.

An unlikely meeting of Morton Feldman and the blues, brilliantly conceived by Tyshawn Sorey