Orchestra 2001

Sat., Jan. 26, 8 p.m., Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing, 211 S. Columbus Blvd., Sun., Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m., Lang Concert Hall at Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, $27-$32, students free (Swarthmore concert is free), 800-595-4TIX, orchestra2001.org.

by Peter Burwasser

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Published: Jan 23, 2008

classical

There may not be a lot of nostalgia for music composed in the serial technique, but in this age of pretty, crowd-pleasing material, a good dose of complexity can be incredibly stimulating. It doesn't get much more complex than Pierre Boulez, who, with his 1955 masterpiece Le marteau sans maître, sought to advance the work of Schoenberg and his followers to a new level. This was about the time that he infamously announced, "Any musician who has not felt the necessity of the 12-tone language is of no use!" What delightful audacity. Where has it gone today? To get a sense for the freshness and brilliance that the young lion unleashed upon the world, don't miss a rare presentation of Le marteau sans maître by Orchestra 2001 (it seems to be the first local performance by a professional ensemble). The work, which incorporates an Asian textural sensibility, has solo roles for vocal and guitar, to be performed by Freda Herseth and Jason Vieaux, respectively. There will also be new music from Kenji Bunch and Allen Krantz.

Sat., Jan. 26, 8 p.m., Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing, 211 S. Columbus Blvd., Sun., Jan. 27, 7:30 p.m., Lang Concert Hall at Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, $27-$32, students free (Swarthmore concert is free), 800-595-4TIX, orchestra2001.org.

 

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