On Sunday, Nov. 12, 2006, in Hertz Hall at the University of California, Berkeley, PME once again distinguished itself as a leading-edge vocal ensemble, pariticapting in the world premiere of John Zorn's Mysterium, a suite of six pieces dealing with various pagan rituals and legends. It took Zorn seven years to complete the composition, and each 'movement' has been performed before, but this was the first presentation of the entire work.
After squeezing ourselves into a couple of living rooms to learn the music during the previous month, we found the rehearsal space at St. Mark's Episcopal Church luxurious. We could stand up, spread out, and have our own music stands. The first session with conductor David Rosenboom of California Instute of the Arts was just for us singers, and we hoped our preparation was sufficient to meet the level of everyone's expectations. David was gracious, complementary, and such a clear director that the experience was a pleasure. Most of our concerns vanished at the first downbeat - not that we didn't have plenty of room for improvement, but we had confidence in each other.
When Zorn showed up at our first rehearsal with the orchestra, he was wearing bright orange camouflage pants. I asked him where he might be trying to hide in such attire, and when he mentioned the fall color scheme, I decided he was a guerilla soldier from New England. He would also be invisible from the waist down while sitting and dining in a MacDonald's (TM). He wore those pants every day.
Evocation of a Neophyte had been a challenge to learn without the orchestra. It is somewhat atonal and rhythmically complex, so until we could hear the cues from the instruments we had to imagine (evoke!) the sonic environment. When the percussionists were setting up and testing their gear, several of us inserted ear plugs to protect us from all the decibels. We soon found our way in the texture, and once we were acclimated to the full ensemble, the only unknown was how the amplification of the voices would sound, since we did not have microphones at St. Mark's.
There is a particularly difficult passage in 7/8 time that is subdivided into rapid 16th notes (14 of them) in the pattern 5+5+4. The burden falls mainly on the three mezzo-sopranos, who spent many hours getting it right. We could see in the score that there is percussion playing together with the singers, so there was no margin for error in the timing. At the big moment of the first runthrough of this passage, we waited anxiously for Zorn's comments. All he said to the women was an enthusiastic "You're smokin'!" and proceeded to spend the rest of his time working with the percussionist.
Frammenti del Sappho is a much larger challenge vocally. It is a cappella, so there is no support from instruments and the singers are very exposed while navigating the extremes of their ranges, both high and low. Zorn achieves marvelous effects with piercing chord clusters contrasted with rich deep tones in widely spread sonorities. There are no words and no program notes, so although there is a context within the Mysterium concept and we do have some associations with the poet Sappho, we can only respond to this music on a non-verbal level.
After a single hearing of the Frammenti, Zorn was so pleased that he did not feel the need for any more rehearsal. It was ready for the big time. The women were almost disappointed not to get to spend more time on it, but it must have been gratifying nonetheless.
We had our sound check and final dress the day of the concert. Without monitors, I could not tell anything about the balance of singers and orchestra. Zorn said it was fine, that even the whispered passages of Evocation were audible, and we did not have to use stage whispers to be heard. There was some panic over the fact that there was no harpsichord. Despite the presence of many such instruments in the building, we were not permitted to use them. Finally a PMEr got her father's harpsichord and the show went on.
Hertz Hall was about half full for the performance. This is remarkable, because avant-garde music is generally too unfamiliar and demanding to draw an audience of any size. One reviewer even considered this a packed house. Zorn gave a brief introduction and then proceeded to act as a stage hand, moving chairs and stands between pieces and then jumping back into the audience.
There are six movements in Mysterium. The first and last movements are for small-to-medium chamber orchestras. The others are small ensembles, each consisting of a single family of 'instruments'. There is a bass clarinet duet, a female vocal quintet, a string trio (violin, viola, and cello), and a solo piano. It is like a sandwich with multigrain bread on the outside and uniform layers of ingredients in the middle. Evocation of a Neophyte, the bottom slice of bread, conlcuded the concert, and we got a standing ovation. This was the final evidence of the success of our latest collaboration with outstanding musical figures.
Oh wait - I spoke too soon. The final evidence is the reviews. I will let them speak for themselves.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/entertainment/16007874.htm
http://www.sfcv.org/arts_revs/zorn_11_14_06.php
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/11/17/DDGQKMDPK21.DTL&hw=john+zorn&sn=001&sc=1000
Not enough photos for ya? See more at:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/freemaneric@sbcglobal.net/album/576460762335122232
Sufjan Stevens is currently touring in support of his recent release The Avalanche and the soon to be released Songs for Christmas. Audiences who attended the 2006 PME Jazz and Pops concert will remember the finale, our a cappella rendition of "C'mon, Feel the Illinoise," the title track of Stevens' most well known work.
Composer and saxophonist John Zorn (b. 1953) has worked with a large number of experimental musicians, particularly in improvised works. He has been a central figure in NYC's downtown scene since 1975 and his experimental work with the bands Naked City and Masada earned him a large cult following.
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