May 16, 2016 / 7pm
AIHS / 991 Fifth Avenue NYC
Brownstone
Metropolis Ensemble Resident Artist Series
Ian Rosenbaum, Solo Percussion
Ariadne Greif, Solo Soprano
Kristin Lee, Violin, Concertmaster
Vasko Dukovski, Clarinet
NoisoN, Live Electronics
Leo Leite, Engineer
Jonah Reider, Chef
Andrew Cyr, Conductor
On the Program
Prelude: Sound Bites
Pairings of small plates, cocktails, and sound installations by composer Ricardo Romaneiro and chef Jonah Reider. Metropolis Ensemble commission
Jakub Ciupinski: Brownstone (2010)
Musicians will be scattered in solo and chamber music groupings throughout three floors while audience members freely wander and explore. An electronic soundscape will fill halls and stairways, creating a rhythmic and colorful sonic tapestry that blends with the various instruments differently depending on your location. For 10 musicians and electronics. Metropolis Ensemble commission
Chris Cerrone: Memory Palace (2012) / with Ian Rosenbaum, solo percussion
The title refers to an ancient technique of memorization that helped orators remember very long speeches by placing mental signposts in an imaginary location and 'walking' through it. Here, composer Chris Cerrone tasks the solo percussionist to construct each room's 'instrument' based a simple set of instructions. Electronic sounds are triggered and sampled live.
Ricardo Romaneiro: Coarse Air (2015) / with soprano Ariadne Greif*
A dramatic work (commissioned by Metropolis Ensemble) for soprano Ariadne Greif backed by chamber ensemble, solo percussion, and electronics coupled with interactive visuals and projection mapping. The work is based on texts from poet C.Cahill and builds on the instrumentations found in Brownstone and Memory Palace.
Postlude
A roving after-party with a live electronic improvisation set with NoisoN (live electronic) and Vasko Dukovski (clarinets).
*World Premiere Metropolis Ensemble Commission
About the Concert
What would a house sound like if it could sing? Metropolis Ensemble invites an intimate number of guests to enjoy Brownstone, an experiential treasure-hunt of sound, taste, and color inside a five-story Beaux Arts limestone building at 991 Fifth Avenue. Steps from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, visitors will be transported into a jewel-lit, multi-sensory exploration of interlinked “sound bites” co-curated by Brazilian-born composer and electronic artist Ricardo Romaneiro, and food prodigy Jonah Reider of Columbia University dorm pop-up Pith. The event is part of Metropolis’ expansive Resident Artist Series, presented in collaboration with Ricardo Romaneiro.
Throughout the night, rooms will reveal performers in an original, site-responsive set of electro-acoustic compositions. This enticing experiential path will link “soundbites” with dishes staged to evoke the acoustic texture of each room–from foam soup of purple cauli ower, to oyster in champagne gelée. Compositions then unfurl into the night, starting with Brownstone by Jakub Ciupinski. Memory Palace by Chris Cerrone will gather listeners on sprawling pillows under chandeliers for crickets and kick drums. The night will culminate in Romaniero’s The Coarse Air, which asks listeners to embed themselves throughout a chamber orchestra set up in a parlor overlooking Fifth Avenue. Featured musicians include percussionist Ian Rosenbaum and the “luminous,” “searingly painful and revealing” soprano Ariadne Greif (New York Times). A roving after-party with DJ set and additional snacks will follow.
“Brownstone is a culmination of a series of evolving collaborations that play with intimacy, space, and permission,” said conductor Andrew Cyr, Artistic Director Metropolis Ensemble. “Metropolis Ensemble is thrilled to expand the imagination of classical music to include innovative food design and 360-degree composition.”
The Composers
Christopher Cerrone, Composer
Jakub Ciupinski, Composer
Ricardo Romaneiro, Composer
Metropolis Artists Appearing
Karen Kim, Violin
Siwoo Kim, Violin
Sean Lee, Violin
Michael Katz, Cello
Andrea Casarrubios, Cello
Jessica Han, Flute
James Riggs, Oboe
Brad Balliett, Bassoon
Jacqui Kerrod, Harp
Mélanie Genin, Harp
Britton Matthews, Percussion
Sean Statser, Percussion
