From April 22 to April 29, David Lang, holder of Carnegie Hall's 2013-2014 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer's Chair, guides concertgoers through collected stories, a series in which six distinct themes are explored over six Zankel Hall performances, all at 6:00 p.m. and all curated by Mr. Lang. These multi-genre concerts-entitled hero, spirit, love/loss, travel, (post)folk, and memoir-showcase different modes of storytelling across a wide variety of music, from medieval Beowulf to conceptual John Cage, and include world premieres of new music by Lang, Kate Moore, and Kaki King, all commissioned by Carnegie Hall.
In Lang's own words, "The series divides up the narrative world into topics so we can see how the music changes from subject to subject. Music from different cultures, times, environments, and sound worlds, plus some really exciting commissions, are placed next to each other, highlighting their narrative similarities and telling a larger kind of story about how we listen, experience sound and time, and use music to make sense of the world around us."
Works and artists featured as part of collected stories: Harry Partch's The Wayward performed by Harry Partch Institute Ensemble; Arvo Pärt's Passio featuring tenor Nicholas Phan, baritone Dashon Burton, and early music group TENET; music by
Julia Wolfe and others performed by Ensemble Signal;
Nico Muhly's The Only Tune performed by the composer on electronics, vocalist and banjo player Sam Amidon, and violist Nadia Sirota; soprano Kiera Duffy in the US premiere of No. 42 In the Alps by Richard Ayres, plus Donnacha Dennehy's Grá agus Bás by Alarm Will Sound; and
John Cage's Indeterminacy and 27'10.554" performed by actor
Paul Lazar and percussionist Steven Schick. Other highlights include performances by storyteller and medieval harpist Benjamin Bagby, pianist Louis Lortie, alternative hip-hop duo The Uncluded (Aesop Rock and Kimya Dawson), Tuvan throat singers Huun-Huur-Tu, Irish folk singer Iarla Ó Lionáird, and violinist Augustin Hadelich, who concludes the series performing the world premiere of Lang's mystery sonatas.
In addition to a meet-and-greet with
David Lang and artists in the Zankel Hall lobby after each 6:00 p.m. performance, collected stories ticketholders will receive a complimentary drink at the bar in Zankel Hall. Stephen Starr Events will also have snacks available for purchase after each performance. Opened in September 2003, Zankel Hall-
Carnegie Hall's modern, underground performance space-celebrates its tenth anniversary this season with concerts that reflect the wide variety of music for which the venue has become known, including appearances by up-and-coming and established artists in the classical, jazz, world music, and pop genres.
For more information on
David Lang's residency, including videos introducing each concert, please visit
carnegiehall.org/lang.
