BAM Presents Philip Glass' Global Collaboration—Orion
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BAM presents Philip Glass’ Global Collaboration—Orion New York premiere of acclaimed concert work opens 2005 Next Wave Festival BAM 2005 Next Wave Festival is sponsored by Altria Group, Inc. Orion Composed by Philip Glass In collaboration with Mark Atkins, Ashley MacIsaac, Wu Man, Ravi Shankar, Foday Musa Suso, and UAKTI Performed by Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble Conducted by Michael Riesman With featured guests Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Mark Atkins, Kartik Seshadri, Ashley MacIsaac, Wu Man, Foday Musa Suso, and UAKTI Orion was commissioned by the Cultural Olympiad 2001—2004 BAM Howard Gilman Opera House Oct 4, 6–8 at 7:30pm Tickets: $20, 40, 60 Brooklyn, August 24, 2005—BAM’s 2005 Next Wave Festival opens with Orion—a collaborative concert work which unites the Philip Glass Ensemble with renowned composers and performers from diverse musical traditions and cultures. Commissioned for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Orion has provided Philip Glass with an opportunity to reunite with musical partners and colleagues from around the world. Glass regards the work as a culmination of his lifelong exploration of global music. Orion, presented at BAM in its N.Y. premiere, features the Philip Glass Ensemble (Philip Glass, keyboards; Michael Riesman, conductor) joined by Australia’s Mark Atkins (didgeridoo), China’s Wu Man (pipa), Gambia’s Foday Musa Suso (kora and nyanar), Canada’s Ashley MacIsaac (violin), Greek vocalist Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Brazilian multi-instrumental ensemble UAKTI, and India’s Kartik Seshadri—performing music for sitar composed by Glass and his longtime friend and mentor, Ravi Shankar. This evening-length work in seven movements showcases global styles within an overall structure provided by Glass and his ensemble. “Glass’ music, highly influenced by eastern motifs and uncomplicated by the melodic lurches of western modernism, acted as a perfect template for the multinational excursion,” stated the Financial Times (UK). Orion’s performers unite for a finale—a traditional Greek song about immigration, entitled “Tzivaeri”—led by Eleftheria Arvanitaki. Four performances of Orion will take place in the Howard Gilman Opera House on Oct 4 and Oct 6—8 at 7:30pm. Tickets, priced at $20, 40, and 60, may be purchased by calling BAM Ticket Services (718.636.4100) or by visiting www.bam.org. In its June, 2005 U.S. premiere at the Ravinia Festival, The Chicago Sun-Times stated, “The blend of Glass’ mesmerizing melodies and world music’s more exotic harmonies, which often hit Western ears as teetering on the edge of dissonance, was a bracing reminder of the world’s musical vitality.” And according to The Chicago Tribune, “…there was no doubt [Glass] had produced a big, pulsing, crowd-pleasing celebration of cultural pluralism.” Philip Glass, one of America’s most celebrated composers, applied his musical encounters in India, North Africa, and the Himalayas to his own compositions and, by 1974, had created a large body of work in a distinct idiom. His early music inspired pieces by the Mabou Mines theater company, which he co-founded; he later formed his own performing group, the Philip Glass Ensemble. This period reached its apogee with Einstein on the Beach, a landmark in 20th-century music-theater presented at BAM’s 1984 Next Wave Festival (and revived in 1992). Glass’ work since that groundbreaking piece has included opera, film scores, dance music, symphonic work, string quartets, and unclassifiable work such as The Photographer/Far from the Truth (BAM, 1983) and 1000 Airplanes on the Roof. Glass has a rich performing history at BAM, including the world premieres of Low Symphony (1992) and Symphony No. 2 (1994); revivals of Einstein on the Beach in 1984 and 1992; The CIVIL warS, Act V—The Rome Section in 1986; the New York premieres of Orphée (BAM, 1993) and La Belle et La Bête (BAM, 1994), and a presentation of Les Enfants Terrible: Children of the Game (BAM, 1996)—all parts of his operatic trilogy based on the work of Jean Cocteau; 1998’s Monsters of Grace; a live musical performance accompanying a screening of Koyaanisqatsi (BAM, 1999); and 1999’s Dracula: The Music and Film, featuring the Kronos Quartet. Both Koyaanisqatsi and Dracula were reprised for the Philip on Film series at BAM in Spring 2000, alongside Anima Mundi and Powaqqatsi. Philip Glass collaborated with director Mary Zimmerman for the opera Galileo Galilei, presented as part of the 20th anniversary season of the Next Wave Festival (2002). This past June, Orange Mountain Music released a live recording of Orion. Also this season, BAM will present a Glass symphonic program (Nov 2—5) featuring Symphony No. 6 (Plutonian Ode) and the world premiere of Symphony No. 8—performed by Bruckner Orchestra Linz under the direction of Dennis Russell Davies and featuring soprano Lauren Flanigan. Eleftheria Arvanitaki (vocalist) "There is no doubt about it, the hot name internationally on the Greek music scene is Eleftheria Arvanitaki. Her voice has clarity and emotional depth that registers whether or not you understand the words, and the music she sings has a lyricism and instrumental sophistication that sets it apart. Her performances at the WOMAD festival in 1998 marked a transition from performing to Greek communities round the world to a new audience of World Music fans. They weren't disappointed."—Simon Broughton, Editor of World Music Rough Guide, 1999. Eleftheria started her career in the early 80s as a member of a group named Opisthodromiki Kompania. Since 1985 her solo career has centered on modern Greek music but with the influence of eastern and western sounds and rhythms. All of her albums have gone platinum in Greece, while live appearances in her home country (about 100 per year) are sold-out. The historic jazz label Verve has released a compilation entitled Eleftheria Arvanitaki—The Very Best of 1989-1998 (1998) worldwide, as well as her Broadcast (2001), Everything Brought to Light (2004), and the live collection Eleftheria Arvanitaki Live (2003). Moreover, her album Meno Ektos (1991) has been listed among the 100 Best World Music Albums ever by the Rough Guide to World Music. She has taken part in some of the most important music festivals all over the globe (e.g. WOMAD, International Jazz Festival of Montreux, SFINKS, Istanbul Jazz Festival, World Music Institute Festival at Berklee Performance Center/Boston and Town Hall/New York). Mark Atkins (didgeridoo) Acknowledged as one of Australia’s very finest didgeridoo players, Mark Atkins is also recognized internationally for his collaborative projects with some of the world’s leading composers and musicians. A descendant of Western Australia’s Yamijti people, as well as of Irish/Australian heritage, Atkins is known not only for his amazing didge-blowing skills, but also as a storyteller, songwriter, drummer, visual artist, and instrument maker. As both a soloist and an ensemble player, Atkins has incorporated the didgeridoo sound into some unlikely musical environments, adding its primal pulse to orchestral works, theatrical productions, and dance presentations. He has appeared with the London Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and founded the cross-cultural groups Kooriwadjula (black man/white man) and Anakala. He has worked alongside Philip Glass and Peter Sculthorpe, appeared with Ireland’s Donal Lunney, Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and Australian icons James Morrison, Jenny Morris, John Williamson and Gondwana. His iconic didge has also been utilized on a number of symbolic occasions, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic, Paralympic, and Commonwealth Games, and the Queens Jubilee Concert in London. He also welcomed in the new millennium by playing didge from the sails of Sydney’s famous Opera House. Atkins creates and paints his own didgeridoos from bush logs which he collects near his home in Tamworth NSW. Exhibitions of his traditional and contemporary visual artwork have also been shown in Japan, Europe, and the United States. In 2003, Atkins was featured in a film documentary about his work, Yamaji Man: Geralton 6350 via New York. Ashley MacIsaac (violin) Ashley MacIsaac, one of the world’s finest Celtic fiddle players, is known and loved from his native Cape Breton to the dozens of countries in which he has delivered his legendary performances. Since the release of his debut album in 1992, Close to the Floor, Mr. MacIsaac has played with symphonies, appeared off-Broadway in Woyzeck, scored movies, and made numerous television and film appearances. In 1996 he released his highly successful recording Hi!, How Are You Today? followed by his 1997 traditional album, Fine!, Thank You Very Much (both platinum records in Canada). Mr. MacIsaac’s Gaelic single, “Sleepy Maggie,” shot to the Top 10 on the Canadian charts. He has received Juno, Gemini, Canadian Country Music, and East Coast Music awards and nominations. Mr. MacIsaac has worked with many outstanding poets, songwriters, and musicians, including Philip Glass, Allen Ginsberg, Paul Simon, David Byrne, and Melissa Etheridge, and has also played more than 100 shows with the Chieftains. His latest album is the self-titled Decca Records release, Ashley MacIsaac. Wu Man (pipa) Wu Man is an internationally renowned pipa virtuoso, cited by the Los Angeles Times as “the artist most responsible for bringing the pipa to the Western World.” She is an inheritress of the Pudong School of pipa playing, one of the most prestigious classical styles of Imperial China, and is a graduate of the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. She is the first recipient of a master’s degree in pipa and is not only an outstanding exponent of the traditional repertoire but also a leading interpreter of contemporary pipa music. Born in Hangzhou, China, Wu Man studied with Lin Shicheng, Kuang Yuzhong, Chen Zemin, and Liu Dehai at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing.