The Wordless Music Series

The Wordless Music Series is a concept developed by Ronen Givony, based on the notion that the sonic worlds of classical and contemporary instrumental music share much more than we would commonly attribute. The series aims to blur the distinction between the two genres by pairing modern rock musicians with classical players, showcasing their talents in solo pieces, as well as in small improvised groups. The inaugural concert was held in September at the Good-Faith Shepherd’s Church near Lincoln Center, and drew a large crowd for two reasons: the first is that Givony aims to keep music accessible to all by pinning ticket prices at less than twenty dollars, and the second reason is that the two rock musicians on this particular evening are current members of the hugely popular Chicago rock outfit, Wilco.

In introducing the series, Givony described how he came to the decision to put together such a series:

“I started working at Lincoln Center about a year and a half ago, and [at that point] I knew next to nothing about classical music. I was talking with one of my colleagues and I asked her, “What is this thing we call chamber music that we are working to perpetuate?” And she thought about it for a minute and she said, “Well, basically it is music played by small groups, in a small intimate room.” And so I said, “That’s funny, I went to the Mercury Lounge last night and saw a trio--a cello, violin, and viola--and there were fifty people there… Is that chamber music?” And she thought about it for a minute, and she said, “I’m not too sure about that.” And so I asked her “Why is that not chamber music?” She answered, “Maybe a shorthand definition of it is that when you are at a concert with your friends, it’s considered acceptable to lean over to your friend and say, “This is a pretty cool concert’, whereas at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center, that’s considered less than acceptable”. And the first thing that popped into my head was, “Have you ever been to a Wilco concert in your life?”

So this series is meant to question what it means to have a small group of people in a room playing music…”

View highlights of each performer's solo sets here:

This evening’s show was heavy on sonic distortion, as it featured two eclectic guitar players in the form of Cline and Sharp. While they certainly explored creative sonic landscapes, both their solo pieces and their collaborative efforts were somewhat overwhelming. Their music perhaps should have been pared back to suit the intimate venue, allowing the sound to breathe and resonate more. Jenny Lin’s turn on the piano became a welcome tonic for the ears, and her adept fingers were astounding to witness. Lin plays with a delicate balance of fluidity and force, whether it be on traditional pieces or modern compositions, and she would be well worth catching in any future project.

The highlight of the evening, however, was Glenn Kotche’s percussion adventure tale, “Monkey Chant for Solo Drumkit Projections of (What) Might…” He began this work by retreating to the altar of the church, where sat perhaps 40 small boxes, and he flipped them open one at a time to reveal the delicate chirping of crickets. This created a rich, al fresco undertone for the percussive tale, which involved a princess, a pursuit, and monkeys in the jungle. Kotche is a riveting performer, as he is doing much more up there than simply banging the drums, which you will see in the clip below.

View Glenn Kotche's "Monkey Chant" in its entirety here:

As the first installment in the series, this evening’s music was an adventurous presentation, and while not every piece was sonically pleasing, in the words of Charles Ives, “Beauty in music is too often confused with something that lets the ears lie back in an easy chair”. This is a series with an ambitious goal and future incarnations look promising, with members of Canada's Broken Social Scene lined up for some dates in the spring.

The next installment of the Wordless Music Series will be Wednesday, November 15th, and will feature the Albuquerque multi-instrumental duo “A Hawk and a Hacksaw”; pianist Steven Beck; and, in his first-ever all-instrumental solo violin recital, Andrew Bird. Tickets will be $19.95 and are available here.

More Info at: www.wordlessmusic.org