i have the coolest friends

I've always wished I could go back in time: attend the Bauhaus, work with Fluxus, know the composers and artists of Paris in the beginning of the 20th century. Vitality, life, creation, development, collaboration, art, beauty, music...I've lamented the fact that there doesn't seem to be such a monumental work going on here and now, cursed pop culture and the internet for separating and homogenizing people, never thought that there would be something new and groundbreaking to know and participate in today.
Didn't expect that the next big thing would be my friends playing a concert in a church.
¡Viva la Revolucion!
Tonight showcased the first of many of the Syzygy New Music Collective (syzygynewmusic.com) concerts, an external event marking the work and collaboration done by new composers and musicians. They create a new type of concert music and experience, fostering and supporting artists with a unique and sidewards vision: seeing the world and their profession a bit off-kilter. They are young and still experimenting with thier craft and discovering their vision, but all show extraordinary talent and potential.
The concert this evening reverberated off the ceiling of St. Anthony of Padua church on Houston and Sullivan. A seemingly unlikely place for a concert, but it was perfect, in fact: what better acoustical setting could you ask for, especially with a set list filled with airy sonorities and ephemeral dissonances. The music was louder, fuller, more present after curving off the rotund roof and engulfing the listener below.
We opened this evening with recorded tracks--a noteworthy piece titled Slippery Music by Conrad Winslow was raw and unfinished, a bit harsh, but with threads of clarity woven through it: scraping in the dirt to find diamonds and more dirt, to paraphrase the composer. Technicolor, written by Angelica Negron, showcased the unique harp stylings of Arielle, an artist working with harp and fashion, who played beautifully and wore a stunning dress of her own creation. It, too, had recorded music and spoken bits, sounding like a playground and a lumberyard, harsh and nostalgic and saturated. Alice is an ambitious, story-telling piece (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) for a large ensemble by Matt Gianotti. Raucous clammorings were broken up by a myriad of beautiful solos of different instruments (characters): the flute (Sarah Carrier), clarinet (Alicia Lee), string quartet (Amanda Lo, Rick Quantz, Isabel Castellvi, and Carlos Barriento), and cello (Castellvi) solos played a few of the real standouts. Piano Sonata, by co-founder Jessica Salzinski, was played beautifully by Baris Buyukyildirim as a scattering of motifs reminiscint of nature and storms, rejecting traditional sonata form in a rather endearing way. Shiver, by co-founder Danielle Schwob, was a beautifully precise and delicate piece with the coldness of calculation yet the movement of dialogue; Carrier, harpist Katherine Redlus, and percussionist Frank Tyl on the vibraphone played in perfect harmony and in a manner of discourse and interchange. (The minor 9th at the end on the vibes was, in fact, intentional; an odd but quaint choice by Schwob to end on a question.) Noam Faingold's duet A Knife in the Water was stellar, a beautiful dance done by standouts Castellvi and Kinga Augustyn. The women play so masterfully it was a treat just to listen to the beautiful sounds, their expertise lending itself to the lovely and complicated movement of Faingold's work. The was rounded out with Honest Music by Nico Muhly, Agustyn playing the hell out of this darling and tripingly light little piece.
The evening as a whole left you with a very peaceful, ethereal feeling; euphoria mixed with stability mixed with inspiration. Though the artists are young and still developing their craft, each piece was composed and performed with the intuition and musicality of artists twice their experience. The passion and heart that fed the piece and the collective are palpable, and the talents of these artists are certainly something to watch out for.
The next big thing is already on the rise. I'm looking forward to the next concert (March 4th) and hope to see you there!