Lunatics at Large
Encyclopedia
Lunatics at Large is a New Music chamber ensemble based in New York City
. It was formed in 2007 in order to explore the repertoire for mixed chamber combinations beginning with Arnold Schoenberg
's Pierrot lunaire
, op. 21. Lunatics at Large is a Pierrot ensemble
augmented with soprano
and viola
.
, Lunatics at Large was formed to explore the timbral possibilities of chamber music
repertoire from the beginning of the 20th century until now. In thematic concerts, the group’s programs juxtapose standard repertoire and chamber pieces from established composers of the 20th century with more recent works. By doing so, Lunatics at Large encourages listeners to hear connections between different works and appreciate very recent compositions in the perspective of the evolution of classical music
over the last 110 years. Lunatics at Large is committed to working closely with living composers and to commissioning new pieces for its expanded Pierrot instrumentation. The group also embraces collaborative projects with artists from other art forms and will organize several interdisciplinary performances involving poets, living composers and visual artists in upcoming seasons.
’s masterpiece Pierrot lunaire
, op. 21, which the group performed 6 times in concerts.
With a first series of thematic concerts, Pierrot lunaire, et al., Lunatics at Large sought to broaden its look at how the previously unprecedented chamber combination of strings, winds and piano has changed the timbral possibilities open to composers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This program, which included premieres of Eric Gaudibert
and Peter Kelsh, was performed at Mannes College The New School for Music, the Tenri Cultural Institute and Symphony Space
in New York City
. The latter performance was hailed by senior New York Times critic Allan Kozinn
as "an assured, rich-hued account ... the players are young, energetic, and highly polished."
Since 2008, Lunatics at Large has broadened its repertoire to include works from the later 20th and from the 21st centuries. The second series of thematic concerts, The Natural World, currently being performed during the 2009-2010 season, features mostly living composers from the USA and abroad. In preparation for the first concert of this series, the group worked closely with composers Ryan Brown, William Funk and Samuel Vriezen and gave the World Premiere of Samuel Vriezen’s Sept germes cristallins.
In the spring of 2010, the group has been invited to perform at the Ear Heart Music series at the Tank and at the Music of Our Time series at WMP Concert Hall in New York City
. Lunatics at Large has explored the connections between George Perle
’s Sonata a Quattro and young composer André Brégégère’s Vol de nuit inspired by Perle’s work in a thematic concert entitled Light/Dark. In June 2010, Lunatics at Large has performed works of Fred Tillis and Raoul Pleskow
at the American Composers Alliance
Festival at Symphony Space
.
In the spring of 2011, the group performed their Boston
debut featuring the Boston premiere of Mohammed Fairouz
's Unwritten.
on March 21st 2011. Several other performances will take place in actual sanctuaries of churches and synagogues in New York City
.
Participating composers:
Participating poets:
The Sanctuary Project
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was formed in 2007 in order to explore the repertoire for mixed chamber combinations beginning with Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's Pierrot lunaire
Pierrot Lunaire
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
, op. 21. Lunatics at Large is a Pierrot ensemble
Pierrot ensemble
A Pierrot ensemble is a musical ensemble comprising flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, frequently augmented by the addition of a singer or percussionist, and/or by the performers doubling on other woodwind/stringed/keyboard instruments.-History:...
augmented with soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
and viola
Viola
The viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
.
Mission
A large mixed ensemble combining voice, strings, winds and pianoPiano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Lunatics at Large was formed to explore the timbral possibilities of chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
repertoire from the beginning of the 20th century until now. In thematic concerts, the group’s programs juxtapose standard repertoire and chamber pieces from established composers of the 20th century with more recent works. By doing so, Lunatics at Large encourages listeners to hear connections between different works and appreciate very recent compositions in the perspective of the evolution of classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
over the last 110 years. Lunatics at Large is committed to working closely with living composers and to commissioning new pieces for its expanded Pierrot instrumentation. The group also embraces collaborative projects with artists from other art forms and will organize several interdisciplinary performances involving poets, living composers and visual artists in upcoming seasons.
History
Formed in 2007 at Mannes College The New School for Music, Lunatics at Large spent the first year of its existence exploring Arnold SchoenbergArnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
’s masterpiece Pierrot lunaire
Pierrot Lunaire
Dreimal sieben Gedichte aus Albert Girauds 'Pierrot lunaire' , commonly known simply as Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21 , is a melodrama by Arnold Schoenberg...
, op. 21, which the group performed 6 times in concerts.
With a first series of thematic concerts, Pierrot lunaire, et al., Lunatics at Large sought to broaden its look at how the previously unprecedented chamber combination of strings, winds and piano has changed the timbral possibilities open to composers throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This program, which included premieres of Eric Gaudibert
Eric Gaudibert
Eric Gaudibert is a Swiss composer.He studied piano and composition in the conservatory of Lausanne particularely with Denise Bidal and Hans Haug, and later in Paris in the Ecole Normale de Musique with Alfred Cortot, Henri Dutilleux and Nadia Boulanger...
and Peter Kelsh, was performed at Mannes College The New School for Music, the Tenri Cultural Institute and Symphony Space
Symphony Space
Symphony Space is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre or the 160-seat Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater. Programs include music, dance, theater, film, and literary readings...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The latter performance was hailed by senior New York Times critic Allan Kozinn
Allan Kozinn
-Biography:He received bachelor's degrees in music and journalism from Syracuse University in 1976. He began freelancing as a critic and music feature writer for the New York Times in 1977, and joined the paper's staff in 1991...
as "an assured, rich-hued account ... the players are young, energetic, and highly polished."
Since 2008, Lunatics at Large has broadened its repertoire to include works from the later 20th and from the 21st centuries. The second series of thematic concerts, The Natural World, currently being performed during the 2009-2010 season, features mostly living composers from the USA and abroad. In preparation for the first concert of this series, the group worked closely with composers Ryan Brown, William Funk and Samuel Vriezen and gave the World Premiere of Samuel Vriezen’s Sept germes cristallins.
In the spring of 2010, the group has been invited to perform at the Ear Heart Music series at the Tank and at the Music of Our Time series at WMP Concert Hall in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Lunatics at Large has explored the connections between George Perle
George Perle
George Perle was a composer and music theorist. He was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. Perle was an alumnus of DePaul University...
’s Sonata a Quattro and young composer André Brégégère’s Vol de nuit inspired by Perle’s work in a thematic concert entitled Light/Dark. In June 2010, Lunatics at Large has performed works of Fred Tillis and Raoul Pleskow
Raoul Pleskow
Raoul Pleskow is an Austrian-born American composer.Pleskow moved to the United States in 1939 and became an American citizen in 1945. He studied at the Juilliard School in New York City , and at Queens College , where he studied composition with Karol Rathaus...
at the American Composers Alliance
American Composers Alliance
The American Composers Alliance is an American membership organization dedicated to the publishing and promoting of American contemporary classical music. Founded in 1937 by Aaron Copland, Milton Adolphus and others, it is the oldest national organization of its kind, and represents over 200...
Festival at Symphony Space
Symphony Space
Symphony Space is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theatre or the 160-seat Leonard Nimoy Thalia theater. Programs include music, dance, theater, film, and literary readings...
.
In the spring of 2011, the group performed their Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
debut featuring the Boston premiere of Mohammed Fairouz
Mohammed Fairouz
Mohammed Fairouz is an Arab American composer.Having fulfilling many commissions and created a substantial body of frequently performed works, he is considered one of the most sought after composers of the young generation. Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the New England...
's Unwritten.
The Sanctuary Project
Lunatics at Large is presently commissioning an exciting selection of established and emerging poets and composers to write works on the theme "Sanctuary" and collaborate between now and next spring 2011 to explore this theme in words and sounds. The opening performance of the Sanctuary Project - featuring five 10-15 minute chamber works and ten poems - will take place at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
on March 21st 2011. Several other performances will take place in actual sanctuaries of churches and synagogues in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Participating composers:
- Andre Bregegere
- Mohammed FairouzMohammed FairouzMohammed Fairouz is an Arab American composer.Having fulfilling many commissions and created a substantial body of frequently performed works, he is considered one of the most sought after composers of the young generation. Fairouz began composing at an early age and studied at the New England...
- Raphael Fusco
- Laura Koplewitz
- Alex Shapiro.
Participating poets:
- Robert Buchert
- Joanna Fuhrman
- David ShapiroDavid ShapiroDavid Shapiro may refer to:*David I. Shapiro, attorney*David Shapiro *David Shapiro , , American jazz musician*David Shapiro *J. David Shapiro , American filmmaker and stand-up comedian...
- Yerra Sugarman
- Ryan Vine
Group members
- Katharine Dain, soprano
- Jonathan Engle, flute
- Ben Ringer, clarinet
- Arthur Moeller, violin
- Jen Herman, viola
- Andrea Lee, cello
- Evi Jundt, piano
Upcoming concerts
Lunatics at Large series at WMP Concert Hall- Thursday, October 28th 2010 at 7:30pm - George Perle and His Legacy
- Thursday, December 9th 2010 at 7:30pm - Second Viennese School
- Thursday, April 21st 2011 at 7:30pm - The Sanctuary Project
- Thursday, June 2nd 2011 at 7:30pm - Jazz Influence in New Music
The Sanctuary Project
- Monday, March 21st 2011 at 8pm - Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall - Opening Performance
- Friday, April 8th 2011 at 8pm - Christ and Saint Stephen's Church
- Thursday, April 21st 2011 at 7:30pm - WMP Concert Hall