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Austin360 blogs > Austin Arts: Seeing Things > Archives > 2007 > December
December 2007
The Best of 2007
The best of the arts in 2007? In this critic’s opinion it’s a couple of important new arts facilities and some adventurous productions and exhibitions. And above all, at their best, the arts in Austin are about doing it our way.
1. Mexican-American Cultural Center, Teodoro González de León, architect. Austin gained its first major public work of 21st century international architecture when the $16 million Mexican-American Cultural Center opened in September at 600 River St. Mexican architect Teodoro González de León delivered bold iconic forms in shimmering hand-chiseled white aggregate — a sophisticated new landmark on Austin’s architectural landscape.
2. Ballet Austin’s Butler Dance Education Center and Community School. Nothing ensures the future growth of the arts like infrastructure. A thoughtful approach combined with visionary planning gave Ballet Austin a new home that smartly made use of an otherwise overlooked downtown industrial building, gave the organization plenty of space to create and grow and gave Austin an all-around arts destination to both see dance and dance dance.
3. “Waiting For the Barbarians,” Austin Lyric Opera. When other American opera companies declined to premiere Philip Glass’ politically charged opera based on Nobel Laureate J.M. Coetzee’s tough allegory on prejudice and hate, Austin Lyric Opera stepped up to the plate, delivering a production that was musically polished and theatrically stunning. And it put Austin in the national arts headlights.
4. “Mike’s World: Michael Smith & Joshua White (And Other Collaborators),” Blanton Museum of Art. An utterly refreshing approach to staging a career survey of an utterly undefinable artist. To showcase the work of performance artist and University of Texas professor Michael Smith — who has spent 30 years chronicling the story of his alter ego, “Mike,” a hapless everyman — Smith and his collaborator White staged a huge, episodic tribute to “Mike” that was set up like a showy theme park display. An exhibit that’s pretending to be another kind of exhibit? Absolutely original. (Continues through Sunday, 200 E. Martin Luther King Blvd., blantonmuseum.org.)
5.”The Odyessy,” Graham Reynolds and Austin Children’s Choir. Austin is only too quick to proclaim itself the “Live Music Capital of the World.” And so when a forward thinking arts patron —; Sara Jarvis Jones — commissioned Austin composer Graham Reynolds to write a major piece for Austin Children’s Choir, we ended up with a moving, inventive musical journey that gave a little more depth to that moniker this city loves to throw around. This is how it’s done, folks.
6. Fuse Box 2007, Refraction Arts. Bring it on — bring it all on! That’s exactly what Refraction Arts artistic director Ron Berry did when he corralled performance artists, visual artists, musicians, dancemakers, filmmakers and all manner of multi-media creatives from all around the nation for two weeks of invigorating, mind-bending and always surprising arts offerings.
7. “The Dark and Light Side of America,” Miro Quartet. Because when the times get tough, the creative respond. Looking for a meaningful way to consider their role as American artists in the 21st century, the Miró Quartet crafted a two-night program that deftly juggled a variety of contemporary classical musical responses to the American psyche and its history. And putting their money where their creativity takes them, the Miro Quartet commissioned Austin composer P. Kellach Waddle for a meaningful new piece, “The American Nightmare — The Marriage of Church and State: A Dark Fantasia on Hymn and Patriotic Tunes.”
8. “Funnyhouse of a Negro,” Austin Community College. There’s a reason why Adrienne Kenned’s brilliant but bizarre dramatic nightmare about race and female self-identity isn’t much produced since it shook the theatrical world in the mid-1960s. It’s absurd, surreal, violent, trenchant, highly-charged — and difficult. But the play’s daunting nature didn’t intimidate ACC director Marcus McQuirter, who crafted a brilliant production of Kennedy’s masterpiece.
9. Texas Biennial 2007. Start at home, change the art world. Or at least give it a good rattle. In its second iteration, the artist-created Texas Biennial proved again that a do-it-yourself approach is the often the best way to get things done. And it’s certainly the best way to stage an ambitious multi-venue exhibition of new Lone Star talent that draws in the crowds and gets the buzz buzzing.
10. “The Pillowman,” Hyde Park Theatre. Nobody could have predicted this: A tight, bright production of British playwright’s Martin McDonagh darkest of dark comedies about totalitarianism, child murder, mutilation, sibling murder and other horrors becomes the runaway indie theater hit of the summer with audiences flocking to Hyde Park Theatre for a sell-out extended run. Who knew darkness could be so brilliantly funny and popular?
A few shout-outs: Austin Chamber Music Center’s presentation of Grigori Frid’s chamber opera, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” The King & I” sassy modern dance theater about Elvis Presley by Allison Orr, returned for another gig. Some really solid solo showings by Austin’s new wave of visual artists — Jonathan Marshall and Michael Sieben at Art Palace Gallery; Shawn Smith and Joseph Phillips at D. Berman Gallery. Artist Conrad Bakker’s fake modernist design objects and publications at Lora Reynolds Gallery — a DWR catalog carved out of wood anyone?
Making a list…
Because what’s the end of the year without all the “Best of” lists?
Check back here on Dec. 26 and you’ll find a preview of Austin arts top ten “Best of 2007.”
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Long Center to be one giant stringed instrument on opening weekend
When the Long Center for the Performing Arts opens its doors to the public March 6-8, 2008 for a giant open house celebration, the whole place will sing.
Actually, the 30,000-square-foot north-facing plaza will be converted into “The Earth Harp,” a monumental stringed instrument. The creation of New York-based multimedia performers MASS Ensemble, “The Earth Harp” shape shifts depending on where MASS artistic director Bill Close and his team decide to install it. The instrument’s resonating chamber rests on the ground and strings shoot upward at an angle and attach to nearby architectural elements. Performers wear rosin-covered cotton gloves and run their fingertips along the strings to create deeply resonating low tones.
Sounds trippy. And here’s what “The Earth Harp” looks like in an outside installation.
In other Long Center news, look for an announcement in early January about what shows will be coming to the new facility in spring and summer. Austin Lyric Opera, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Ballet Austin and Conspirare have Long Center debuts planned. But we’re told there’s much more to come!
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‘The Assumption’ adds Wednesday show
Who can resist the fabulous combination of kung fu fighting, Miller High Life, “Hamlet” and a live four-piece band?
“The Assumption” — the wildly popular, wildly offbeat riff on “Hamlet” by Refraction Arts — is so popular it’s sold out. Again. So producers are adding show this Wednesday at 8 p.m. And admission is pay-what-you-wish, folks.
Winner of the 2006-2007 Austin Critics Table Award for Outstanding Comedy, Refraction Arts’ “The Assumption” is in an encore engagement. Let’s hear it for fake moustaches and piles o’ tires.
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Blanton to change hours in 2008
Starting in January 2008, the Blanton Museum of Art will introduce new hours.
Instead of remaining open every Thursday until 8 p.m., the museum will be open late on the third Thursday of each month until 9 p.m. with free admission. Rather than offer one or two programs on each Thursday, the museum will offer a menu of popular programs during the extended hours, including Art Fix, Blanton Book Club, Artistic License and Yoga in the Galleries. Wine and light snacks will be served.
On other Thursdays of the month the museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with free admission as well. On Saturdays the museum will open at 11 a.m.
Museum officials say they decided to make the change after tracking their attendance numbers and determining that consolidating Thursday evening hours into one night would be more efficient and attractive to visitors.
- New hours beginning Jan. 2, 2008
- Closed Monday
- Tuesdays - Fridays: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (third Thursdays open until 9 PM)
- Saturdays: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Sundays: 1 to 5 p.m.
A holiday message from Dame Edna
Apparently, Dame Edna, aka Australian comic Barry Humphries, is thinking of us.
Well, thinking of her upcoming North American tour, which will land the lilac-haired self-described “international housewife, therapist, gigastar, guru and celebrity confidant” at the Paramount Theatre Jan. 18-20 for “Dame Edna: Live and Intimate.”
As the never modest Dame has said, “I don’t do shows; I make history. In a spooky way, I am theater in the making. My shows are really not shows at all; they are not events at all; they are miracles which you can proudly tell your grandchildren you witnessed.”
Here’s her special holiday message:
I’M WRITING YOU A POEM AND I HOPE IT WILL AMUSE FROM THE LAND FAR AWAY WHERE SANTA’ SLEIGH IS PULLED BY KANGAROOS
YOU’VE GUESSED IT, I’M DAME EDNA, THE FAMOUS GIGASTAR AND I’M SENDING LOVE FROM WHERE I AM TO THE LAND WHERE YOU ALL ARE
I’M COMING YOUR WAY PRETTY SOON WITH A SHOW THAT’S RATHER DARING, IT’S MY WAY OF GIVING YOU MY BRAND OF CARING AND OF SHARING
YOU LOVE ME IN AMERICA AND YOU I QUITE ADORE, AND POSSUMS WE ALL NEED TO LAUGH LIKE WE’VE NEVER LAUGHED BEFORE
THE WORLD IS GRIM AND SCARY BUT MY SHOW WILL BANISH GLOOM FOR I’LL TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY TO THE LAND WHERE GLADDIES BLOOM
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU LET OUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS MESH, UNTIL THAT TIME OF ECSTASY WHEN YOU SEE ME IN THE FLESH
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Paramount nets $1 million gift
The Paramount Theatre has received the largest gift in its 92-year history — a $1 million grant from the Neil and Elaine Griffin Foundation.
The grant will be used for ongoing preservation efforts of the historic Paramount Theatre, according to Ken Stein, executive director of the Austin Theatre Alliance, which operates the Paramount and State theaters.
The grant from the Griffin Foundation is earmarked to help the historic 1915 1200-seat Paramount Theatre and also pave the way for future remodeling of the 1930s 300-seat State Theatre which has been closed since 2006 when a flood caused by a city water main break caused about $400,000 in damage to significant portions of the stage, backstage and seating areas. Because of the closure, the Austin Theatre Alliance was forced to lay off several staff members charged with producing original shows at the State.
Stein said that stablizing the maintenance of the Paramount will allow the organization to plan for a more thorough understanding of what a total restoration plan for both theaters would look like and cost.
Because of an agreement made with the City of Austin in the 1990s, which provided $1.8 million in municipal bond money for renovations, the State Theatre must retain its function as a theater or its ownership will revert to the city. The agreement also stipulates that the venue make 30 percent of its calendar available to other arts organizations at reduced or no cost. Among the groups that had to relocate their shows for the 2006-07 season were Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company, Tapestry Dance Company and ProArts Collective.
Half of the grant from the Griffin Foundation must be matched with other private donations within two years, which Stein is planning to make part of a larger endowment effort. The theater also wants to expand its education and outreach efforts.
The Neil and Elaine Griffin Foundation had given previous, smaller gifts to the organization largely due to Neil’s son, Richard Griffin who served on the board in 2005. The younger Griffin was instrumental in securing this latest gift.
“This gift will allow us to assess the big picture for restoring the Paramount,” Stein said. “Instead of fixing the roof one year and the air conditioning the next, we’ll be able to bring in restoration experts and architects to create a plan for ensuring the theater will be here forever.”
The foundation’s gift was inspired by Richard Griffin’s admiration of the Paramoun’s space as well as its staff. He and his wife, Amy, became subscribers to the Paramount shortly after moving to Austin from Kerrville.
“I hope this gift will serve as a catalyst for larger gifts to this worthy organization. An old theater like this cannot be replaced and Austin would be a less desirable city without it,”said Richard. “Amy and I wanted the theater’s staff to know that we believed in their work and wanted to give them an opportunity to take their efforts to the next level.”
“I met Richard and Amy at the theater almost four years ago,” Stein said. “Richard let me know that he loved old buildings and in particular this theater. After Richard left the board, he and Amy stayed involved by joining the Century Club, which is a group of donors helping to prepare the Paramount for its 100th anniversary in 2015.”
This week’ bits n’ pieces …
— First Night Austin needs YOU. Actually, the organizers of the family-friendly alcohol-free downtown New Year’s Eve arts festival needs lots of you. Organizers have enlisted about 100 volunteers to act as artist assistants, procession guides and all-around help. But they need another 200 or so volunteers to make the sprawling event possible. Click here for more information.
— The Theatre at the Frank Erwin Center just announced that Michael Flatley’s Irish dance extravaganza, “Lord of the Dance” will pound into town April 17. Tickets go on sale Monday.
— Speaking of things from the British Isles, **Tarik O’Regan won a British Composer Award for “Threshold of Night,” the moving choral work performed by Austin’s Grammy-nominated group Conspirare this fall. Conspirare’s recording of “Threshold” will be released next spring.
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‘Nutcracker’ sells out, adds show
Must be the snow-globe effect they’ve created in the Paramount Theatre.
Ballet Austin’s 45th annual production of ‘The Nutcracker’ has sold out. A new show has been added at 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21 to accommodate demand. Only obstructed-view seats are available for the remaining shows, which run through Dec. 23. If all shows sell out, close to 20,000 people will have seen ‘The Nutcracker.’
After years of performing in the Bass Concert Hall at the University of Texas, Ballet Austin is in the historic 1915 Paramount Theatre this year, caught between renovations to Bass and the opening of the Long Center for the Performing Arts in March. To add a winter-wonderland effect to this year’s show, snow falls on portions of the audience during the ‘Waltz of the Snowflakes.’
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Review: ‘The Assumption’ (still) rocks on!
It’s baa-ack!
Winner of the 2006-2007 Austin Critics Table Award for Outstanding Comedy, Refraction Arts’ “The Assumption” returns for an encore engagement.
And the show rocks! A live foursome provides the rock and roll soundtrack to this sprawling, frenetic and surprising show.
An extremely offbeat take on “Hamlet” — and just as easily described as a play with music or an absurdist tragedy as it is a comedy — “The Assumption” moves the action from Denmark to a trashy tire yard somewhere’s in the South where a kung fu-worshipping clan of hicks reveal their sorted mess of double-crossing, murder, family secrets and very odd ritualistic tea parties.
Indeed, nothing is right in this holler. And the swamp is rising dangerously, too.
Conceived and directed by Julia M. Smith and Sonnet Blanton, with the script a collaboration between Rebecca Beegle, Ron Berry, Jeffrey Mills, Chase Staggs and Cyndi Williams, “The Assumption” reels and rockets through the basic plot of “Hamlet” yet ends up a wacky pastiche of pop culture references, Shakespearan satire and an abundance of weird physical comedy.
Berry is comic brilliance as the preening uncle with an obsession with fake mustaches. And as the prancing, scary jester/fool, Mills unnerves while drawing big laughs.
If the band drowns out the singers and if the sprawling set spreads the action — and sight lines — a little too thin, that’s OK. In the end, all the absurd campiness entertains. And besides, all the Miller Genuine Draft is cold.
“The Assumption” runs 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday with a late show at 10:30 on Saturday. Next week, there are shows at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday with a Friday late show at 10:30 p.m. Tickets are $12-$30 (Thursdays pay what you can).
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Artists, architects needed to think BIG
Art Alliance Austin wants people who can think BIG.
Art City Austin 2008 (formerly the Austin Fine Arts Festival, which was in turn formally Fiesta held at Laguna Gloria) has been totally re-imagined. Now the mid-April art-filled weekend won’t be just artists booths. Instead it will take over the shores of Lady Bird Lake and the streets of downtown Austin to become an outdoor, urban art experience featuring site-specific and speculative projects and installations.
And to do that, Art Alliance Austin is look for artists who can think BIG:
Here’s the official call for entries:
For the first time, Art Alliance Austin has committed to raising funds for artist projects to be unveiled and showcased at Art City Austin 2008 on April 12-13. Art City Austin is a juried show and ranked the top art fair in Texas and 20th in the nation. This is an entirely new opportunity to create temporary art installations for two days at one of six inspiring spaces along the banks of Lady Bird Lake and including the First Street Bridge. Art Alliance Austin challenges artists to create awe-inspiring projects that can become reality within the 10-hour allotted set-up time. Each space is to achieve a specific goal that will enhance the surroundings and build excitement and curiosity. In keeping with the nature of this project, Art Alliance Austin encourages innovation and experimentation.
PROJECT JURORS: Annette Carlozzi, curator of American and contemporary art, Blanton Museum of Art Eva Buttacavoli, director of exhibitions and education, Austin Museum of Art Ursula Davila Villa, assistant curator of Latin American art, Blanton Museum of Art Laurence Miller, founder of Fluent Collaborative
SITES + First Street Bridge: A project that builds up energy as one approaches the entrance, either visually through installation or physically through community involvement. Must allow easy passage by many people at once. Approximately 0.16 miles (845 feet) long, 53 feet wide. If using objects, all must be fixed or semi-permanent. Power accessible.
Triangle Island (grassy area at intersection of First Street Bridge and Guadalupe Street) Installation that is passively interactive and draws reference to the children’s area. No sound, no electricity. Seating of some kind. Approximately 100 feet on all sides. Seven tree bases within area. No substantial digging because of gas line. Four sewer drains within area. Height must not interfere with trees.
Installation in the Middle of Cesar Chavez Street: Installation to create a visual conversation amongst the booth arrangement and configuration (site plan available). Approximately 35 feet wide and up to 50 feet long, Median runs down middle of the street. Power accessible.
Possible Water/Boat Installation on Lady Bird Lake: Highly visible installation that is meant to be viewed from Cesar Chavez on the north shore of Lady Bird Lake. If interested, please contact Art Alliance Austin to discuss proposals before submission deadline. Must meet all city permit requirements.
Art After Dark Austin: Projections or lighted elements throughout site or using buildings. Power Accessible.
Guadalupe Street Entrance: Installation that spans across street in which visitors can pass through easily. Visibility important. Site Details: Approximately 35 feet long, up to 20 feet wide, and up to 50 feet tall. Power accessible.
Lamar Blvd. Entrance: Installation that spans across street in which visitors can pass through easily. Visibility important. Approximately 35 feet long, up to 20 feet wide, up to 50 feet tall
ELIGIBILITY & BUDGET: Artists or teams of all skill levels and in all media can apply. Performance art will be considered as part of a visual art installation. Artist projects with a budget of $5,000 or more should contact Artist+Member Relations Coordinator, Allison Specter at aspecter@artallianceaustin.org or (512) 610-4211 before submitting a proposal.
APPLICATION AND DEADLINES: The application deadline is Jan. 11, 2008 (proposals must be hand-delivered or postmarked by 5 p.m.), and selected artists will be notified Jan. 16. A complete application can be downloaded from www.artallianceaustin.org. All proposals should be sent to:
Art Alliance Austin P.O. Box 5705 Austin, Texas 78763
Faxed, e-mailed or incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
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Salvage Vanguard Theater founder to leave
Whoa. BIG news from Salvage Vanguard Theater.
Jason Neulander — founder and artistic director of the theater group for 13 years — has announced today that he is stepping down in late spring of 2008.
“It’s been an incredible run,” says Neulander, 38. “I’ve been thinking about stepping down for some time. Now that we’ve built our new space, it seems like the perfect time to move on. I’m thrilled to have developed the company to a point that will allow it to continue and thrive beyond the tenure of its founder.”
Neulander rode his motorcycle into town in 1993 after nabbing two degrees from Brown University in Rhode Island. He set about starting a theater company with a self-described punk aesthetic and a determination to give new voices a stage.
He did that alright. Neulander’s been responsible for some 50 premieres of new work, advocating the work some emerging super-talents such as playwright Dan Dietz and composer Graham Reynolds and racking up plenty of local awards. Neulander also took his popular live radio play “The Intergalactic Nemesis” on the road and it continues to travel nationally.
Last year, the vagabond company put down roots when it opened its first permanent home, concerting a rambling 9,000-square-foot warehouse on Manor Road into a theater with auxiliary exhibit and production space.
As a result of the physical growth, the organization has seen some exponential growth from an annual budget of under $150,00 a few years ago to $400,000 this year. “The organization is incredible fiscal shape,” says Neulander. “We’re going to end this year in the black.”
Neulander said that he’s had inklings that it was time to leave his post for a while now. Call it “founder’s syndrome” — the burn-out that comes with putting your all into it.
“For me personally, I feel like I hit an artistic peak about two years ago and struggled with my vision for the work we’re producing,” says Neulander. “Sure, there’s a lot of sadness in the decision, but I leave with the knowledge that I set out to do what I originally wanted. But now I need to step away.”
Neulander added that not having enough time for his growing family — he and his wife have an 8-year-old and a one-year-old — was a major decision factor.
Salvage Vanguard’s board has already formed a search committee and begun the process of hiring Neulander’s replacement. The committee will formally announce a national search in January.
Reza Shirazi, SVT’s board chair, says: “Just as SVT has grown, the board has matured into a committed group from across the spectrum of Austin community leaders. I am confident that the board will find a excellent successor to Jason to lead SVT through the next decade of creating and presenting great new art.”
Jason Neulander
Dempster named UT fine arts dean
Douglas Dempster, acting interim dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin since fall 2006 and senior associate dean of the college since 2001, has been appointed dean of the college, the university announced today.
UT’s College of Fine Arts oversees not only the arts degree programs — visual art, art history, music, dance and theater — but also the Blanton Museum of Art and the Performing Arts Center.
Dempster was named after a national search. He also holds the Marie and Joseph D. Jamail Senior Regents Professorship and the Effie Marie Cain Regents Chair in Fine Arts as a professor in the college’s Department of Theatre and Dance.
Actually, this was the second national search, after the first collapsed in a chain of indecision. Dempster took over as interim dean in 2006 after previous dean, Robert Freeman, retired.
“The fine and performing arts programs at the University of Texas at Austin are among the leading programs nationally, both in scholarly disciplines and in the original creative work and performances of our faculty and students,” Dempster said in an official statesman. “The University of Texas at Austin is a superb example of the vital role universities now play as the central patrons of the arts for communities across the country.”
Dempster held a faculty position for 18 years at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester before coming to UT in 2001. At Eastman, he held appointments in the departments of humanities, philosophy, music theory and musicology and was humanities department chair and associate director and dean of academic affairs. Well known nationally for curricular reform in professional arts schools, he was founding director of the Eastman School’s Arts Leadership Program.
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Review: Miro Quartet plays a brilliant double-header
What distinguishes a great classical ensemble from a good one?
The virtuosity of its musicians, to be sure. But nowadays, with classical music opinionators all a-twitter about the future of the genre and its aging audience, fresh and relevant programming is an increasingly important distinguishing benchmark.
The Miro Quartet demonstrated its virtuosity and creative eminence with “The Dark and Light Side of America,” a two-evening program presented Thursday and Friday at University of Texas where the group is string quartet-in-residence.
Often asked by international presenters for repertoire that is uniquely America, the quartet hit upon the idea of presenting music that suggested both the dark and light sides of the American psyche and its history.
“I think it’s important that American classical musicians are looking at the climate of our country and being critical of it,” Miro cellist Josh Gindele said recently. “As artists, we need to look at both sides of the coin when we think about today’s global issues”
The Miro did just that — with absolute artistry and sophistication.
On Thursday, it was “The Dark Side.” Putting their money where their musical inclination take them, the Miro commissioned Austin composer P. Kellach Waddle for a new piece, “The American Nightmare: The Marriage of Church and State — Dark Fantasia on Hymn and Patriotic Tunes.” Waddle used a handful of well-known hymns and tunes — “Amazing Grace” and “America the Beautiful” among them — that surfaced in calm melodic snippets amidst 18 minutes of near relentless, harmonically dissonant churning. If “Nightmare” smartly captured the complex intellectual/spiritual tussle that confronts our country today — and how history and emotion percolate in that tussle — it missed a bit on giving us an arch to the journey.
John Zorn’s “Necronomicon” is arguably one of the most challenging modern chamber works to play if only for the extraordinary — and odd — sounds that must come from acoustic string instruments. Furious moments of pizzicato — violinist Daniel Ching popped a string about 20 seconds into the piece — blended with hypnotizing passages of diaphanous harmonies in a piece that seems almost schizophrenic in its mood. Still, “Neconomicon” is a stellar piece, sonically and emotionally engaging.
The Miro Quartet’s 2003 recording of George Crumb’s “Black Angels” — written in 1970 as a kind of musical parable to a troubled America during the Vietnam War — garnered the group plenty of acclaim. But their live interpretation is even more impressive. Water-tuned crystal goblets played with bows, tapping the strings with thimble-capped fingers, banging a gong — these were just some of the techniques the quartet were asked to perform along with more traditionally played passages. Immensely powerful, “Black Angel” projects beauty and ferocity in seemingly one voice. And the Miro’s sensitivity to the shifting nuances of the piece made it sublime.
Friday it was on the lighter side, so to speak, with Charles Ives’ “String Quartet No. 1: From the Salvation Army” a lyrical work based on hymn tunes that Miro polished with style but thankfully no drippy sentimentalism.
Kevin Puts’ “Credo” — which the Miro premiered in October — is a profoundly affecting piece. Puts, who taught for a bit at UT, spins a shimmering sonic poem that mirrors the composer’s fundamental belief in the essential goodness of America, even when so much of our contemporary times are so confusing. (The piece is a commission from Chamber Music Monterey Bay on behalf of the Miro Quartet.)
Elegiac and thoughtful, “Credo” abandoned any expected sentiment and instead lingered in a very subtle yet deep place where beauty and basic balance reign in just small and suggestive musical moments. And the Miro Quartet again proved its brilliance by seemingly inhabiting the music, getting to its very core without over shadowing it.
Sometimes less really is more.
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