Bang on a Can appearances at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music are known as much for their regularity as their
daring.
Their latest inventive music-theater work, "Lost Objects,"
plays Nov. 30 through Dec. 4 at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House.
For this production, with sets designed by Francois Seguin (left),
the Bang on a Can member-composers (Michael Gordon, David Lang
and Julia Wolfe) are joined by three singers, a choir (the New
York Virtuoso Singers), a baroque orchestra (Concerto Koln) and
remixer extraordinaire DJ Spooky.
Wolfe explained the genesis of "Lost Objects," originally
commissioned by Germany’s Dresden Music Festival.
"They wanted a German orchestra, and we chose Concerto Koln,"
she told GO Brooklyn. "As baroque-era musicians, they’ve
chosen a weird career path, just like us. We’re all eccentrically
passionate about what we do, which is wonderful."
"Lost Objects" is dramatically structured through Deborah
Artman’s libretto.
"Inspired by working with [Concerto Koln’s] ancient instruments,
we remembered a text from the Talmud about lost objects and our
connection to things lost," noted Wolfe. "So it spun
out in different directions about different kinds of losses –
memory loss, lost languages, technologies, people. It’s a meditation
on the theme of loss."
"Lost Objects" had its European premiere in a concert
version, so the BAM performances are its first staging.
"[Director] Francois Girard has taken this piece in another
direction with his vision," said Wolfe. "We won’t know
what it all looks like until he unveils it on opening night."
"Lost Objects" runs at the BAM Howard Gilman Opera
House (30 Lafayette Ave. at Ashland Place in Fort Greene) Nov.
30 at 7 pm (BAM Next Wave Gala) and Dec. 2-4 at 7:30 pm. Tickets
are $20, $40 and $60. For gala tickets ($250 and up), call (718)
636-4182; for all other tickets, visit the Web site at www.bam.org
or call (718) 636-4100.
