Silly Strings

by Peter Burwasser

Classical review

Perhaps the most interesting moment in the concert by the New York new music group Ethel was, strictly speaking, not a musical one. Toward the end of the program, the amplified string quartet finished an exuberant first movement of a work by John King. The audience burst into applause, and violist Ralph Farris spun around in his chair and angrily shushed the crowd. He then immediately broke into a loud guffaw and thanked the audience for their appreciation.

This exchange crystallized the odd state of new music today. Much of the audience seemed not to get the joke. After all, this was the venerable Kimmel Center. You don't clap until all of the movements are over, right? But in music that itself contains twists and parodies of more traditional forms, why not challenge stuffy concert-hall etiquette as well? Bravi to this vibrant, explosively expressive foursome for staking a position in this cultural landscape. They certainly won over this audience, which, despite the sparseness, whooped and hollered with delight at the end.

It would not be accurate to ascribe a formula to Ethel's programming, but there are some common elements. Nonclassical musical impulses often found their way into these pieces, such as the bluegrass that seemed to infuse the opening work by Todd Reynolds, appropriately titled Uh it all happened so fast. Reynolds, one of Ethel's violinists, also contributed Alap, which pulsates with a sort of jazzy raga feel. The Ralph Farris arrangement of the folksy Finnish tune Pelimanni's Revenge also exuded a bluegrass bounciness. And the music by King that got the crowd all hepped up sounded like the blues on acid.

Ethel, too, seems to be collectively instilled with a joyful love for speed and volume, rendering an allure not unlike that of a virtuosic rock band or fusion jazz ensemble. Julia Wolfe's Early That Summer roared and screeched around corners like a barely in-control drag-strip driver. Phil Kline's Tarantella embodied the wild dance spirit the name implies. And Nepomuk #3 of Marcelo Zarvos spewed out brassy, thrashing crescendos. Here, Ethel exalts in the sheer fun factor that new music is capable of, although it is presented as real musical expression, and never mere showmanship. If this auspicious series debut is an accurate indicator, Fresh Ink is an important addition to this city's new music scene.

Ethel

Oct. 9, Kimmel Center

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