French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and Talea Ensemble
present
Nouvelles voix,
nouvelles voies
An Evening of US Premieres by Fabien Lévy and Ramon Lazkano in collaboration with Neue Vocalsolisten
Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30pm
FIAF • Florence Gould Hall; 55 East 59th Street, NYC
New York, NY, December 5, 2016— As a highlight of its 2016–17 season, the Talea Ensemble joins the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) to present a collaboration with world renowned vocal ensemble Neue Vocalsolisten in a rare stateside appearance on Wednesday, December 14 at FIAF’s Florence Gould Hall. The evening will feature US Premieres by Fabien Lévy and Ramon Lazkano, including Lazkano’s Ceux à Qui for six voices and ensemble, and Lévy’s Après tout, also for the same instrumentation.
The concert explores the treatment of the voice in today’s music and the range that exists for it. Additionally, through emotionally powerful themes in the music, the program gives audiences an opportunity to reflect on morality and ethics in the face of humanitarian crisis.
A former New York resident now based in Germany, Fabien Lévy’s dramatic work Après tout was written for the 50th Anniversary of the Elysée Treaty between Germany and France, and centers around conflict and forgiveness following World War II. The title of the work is a double entendre, literally meaning “after all” as well as “despite all.” The German text by Berlin-based librettist Elisa Primavera is taken from a number of sources ranging from letters between the young German professor Wiard Raveling and the French philosopher Vladimir Jankélévitch, to the Bible, Jacques Derrida, concentration camp survivors, and more.
Cast as a raw music theatre piece, the 45-minute work explores the challenging nature of true forgiveness, the importance of it, and the rejection or adoption of it throughout history—taking the listener on a journey of moral contemplation about right and wrong.
Ramon Lazkano’s Ceux à Qui blends voices and instruments into an amalgamous sound fabric. His treatment of the subtle French text by Edmond Jadès is unique due to his coloristic utilization of the human voice. At times the listener is left guessing whether the sounds of Lazkano’s crystalline textures are produced by the vocalists or the instrumentalists.
Wednesday, December 14 at 7:30pm
Ramon Lazkano: Ceux à Qui (2014) *US Premiere for six voices and ensemble
Fabien Lévy: Après tout (2012) *US Premiere for six voices and ensemble
Performers:
Barry Crawford, flute; Stuart Breczinski, oboe; Rane Moore, clarinet; Ryan Muncy, saxophone; Bill Schimmel, accordion; Ken Hamao, violin; Jocelyn Pan, viola
John Popham, cello; Oren Fader, guitar
Matt Gold, percussion; Alex Lipowski, percussion; James Baker, conductor
Neue Vocalsolisten
Johanna Zimmer, soprano
Susanne Leitz-Lorey, soprano
Truike van der Poel, mezzo-soprano; Martin Nagy, tenor
Guillermo Anzorena, baritone; Andreas Fischer, bass
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About Talea Ensemble
The Talea Ensemble has been recognized as “a crucial part of the New York cultural ecosphere” by The New York Times. Recipient of the 2013 CMA/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming, the ensemble has presented many important world and US premieres of new works by composers including Pierre Boulez, Tristan Murail, Olga Neuwirth, John Zorn, Unsuk Chin, Rand Steiger, Beat Furrer, and Fausto Romitelli. Talea has performed at Lincoln Center Festival, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Warsaw Autumn, Wien Modern, Contempuls, Newport Jazz Festival, Royaumont Voix Nouvelles Festival (France), Art Summit Indonesia (Jakarta), and the International Contemporary Music Festival (Peru). As an active collaborator in new music Talea has joined forces with the Austrian Cultural Forum, Consulate General of Denmark, Korean Cultural Service NY, Italian Cultural Institute, and the Ukrainian Institute. Talea has recorded works on the Living Artists Label, Gravina Musica, Tzadik, Innova, Wergo, and New World Records. Talea is the 2016–17 Ensemble in Residence at Columbia University. www.taleaensemble.org.
About Neue Vocalsolisten
The name says it all: the seven concert and opera soloists, ranging from coloratura soprano via countertenor to basso profundo, view themselves primarily as researchers and discoverers. To pave the way for new discoveries, they are involved in constant exchange with both established and young composers to research new sounds, vocal techniques, and forms of vocal expression.
This involves a particular emphasis on current music theatre, which incorporates the resources of electronics and video art more than ever before. Interdisciplinary work with visual art, literature, and elements of early music are also part of this concept. In this context, the Neue Vocalsolisten have established the genre of vocal chamber music theatre with works by Lucia Ronchetti, Luciano Berio, Carola Bauckholt, Luca Francesconi, Claude Vivier, Georges Aperghis, Oscar Strasnoy, and others. They are leading specialist ensembles and radio orchestras, major international opera houses, the independent theatre scene, electronic studios, as well as numerous festival organisers and concert series for New Music all over the world. www.neuevocalsolisten.de
About FIAF
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is New York’s premiere French cultural and language center. FIAF’s mission is to create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. FIAF seeks to generate new ideas and promote cross cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of expression. www.fiaf.org
Merci!
Fall 2016 Season Sponsors: American Society of the French Legion of Honor,Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Edmond de Rothschild Foundations, Engie, FACE (French American Cultural Exchange), Florence Gould Foundation, Hermés Foundation within the framework of the New Settings program, Howard Gilman Foundation, Institut français, JCDecaux, National Endowment for the Arts, New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA), NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA), Office de Tourisme de Boulogne-Billancourt, and Pommery.
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LISTING SUMMARY
| What: | Talea Ensemble: Nouvelles voix, nouvelles voies |
| When: | Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at 7:30pm |
| Where: | FIAF – Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street
(between Park and Madison Avenue) |
| Admission: | FIAF Members $10, Non-Members $15, Students $10 |
| Tickets: | 1 800 982 2787 | fiaf.org |
| Information: | 212 355 6100 | fiaf.org |
| Transportation: | 4, 5, 6, N, R and Q to 59th Street & Lexington Avenue |
| F to 63rd Street & Lexington Avenue; E to 53rd Street & 5th Avenue | |
| Bus – M1, M2, M3, M4, Q31 to 59th Street; M5 to 58th Street
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Twitter: @FIAFNY
Instagram: @FIAFNY
Facebook: Like facebook.com/fiafny
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