Superstar-y Night

-Amanda Hick and Walter Aparicio, soprano and piano extraordinaires

Went to BAM for the first time last night to see the US premiere of Philip Glass’s new opera ‘Kepler,’ an hour-and-a-half work about  the scientist’s exploration of the sky and his coming to terms with science and God: he arrives at the conclusion that astronomy and God are connected and it is up to humanity, through science, to find out God’s plan.

The music sounded great with the libretto, which included some of Kepler’s own quotes and the usual libretto filler.  The harmonies and the rhythm were the strongest supporting elements of the ideas contained in the text.  The musicians and conductor Dennis Russell Davies straight up had their shit together.  Sound-wise, Kepler was fantasic.

The production itself, however,  needs a makeover.  At an opera strong visuals are expected, a must even.  Aesthetics aside, visuals also help the audience follow the story better.  For example, the main soloists dressed in plain black concert attire were meant to be the voices of Kepler’s thoughts, but that was not clear.  At the very least, the scenery could have been, I dunno, a starry night perhaps?  (This seems obvious to me.)  I understand the budget was probably low, but creativity does not take thousands of dollars…and we can confirm that here at The Nouveau Classical Project!  My mind was racing with ideas as I sat there.  Anyway, you should still go see it!

Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures of the performers, as a rabid usher nearly clawed my boyfriend’s face off as he tried to take a photo of the closing bows.  (She probably would have Tasered him if she had one handy.  Thank God she is not in any real position of authority.)  But enjoy these after-party photos (and a special video!), where, luckily, Ms. Anger Management Issues was not invited.

Hanging installation thingy.

‘Herr Glass,’ as my friend Amanda calls him.

BAM people, Philip Glass, Dennis Russell Davies

Working it for the camera.

Andreas the Astronomer+Trevor Gureckis, Found Objects (bad-ass production co.)

rotfl

Made by an NCP fan on xtranormal.com.

Had to post it on YouTube!  Thanks in advance for being a good sport Franz K.!

Minimalism, My Miniskirt, and I

Who: T. Gureckis, Assistant to Philip Glass/Co-founder, Found Object Music Productions +1 (me)

What: Philip Glass Violin Concerto No. 1

Bruckner Orchester Linz/Dennis Russell Davies, Conductor/Renaud Capuçon, violin

Where: Avery Fisher Hall

Wore: Bandage mini-skirt, eggplant v-neck tank, ankle boots, leather jacket, and tights (to keep it proper)

Interesting Fact: Got ‘booed’ back in 1987 (I was probably too busy watching ‘Jem and the Holograms’ to notice)

Feelings/Thoughts: Enjoyed immensely.

Why such an aversion (to say the least) to Glass by many classical music aficionados?  Some people really HATE Philip Glass, with a passion.  Whoever thought arpeggios could cause such a stir?  I don’t hate on Missoni or Pucci for having a signature style.

Unless one really knows Glass’s works really well, most would not be able to readily distinguish one piece from another (I wouldn’t, beyond solo vs. chamber vs. concerto, etc.) because there are so many similarities.  Lots of simple arpeggios, major, minor, 7ths, nothing un-analyzable.  This is why his music has oftentimes been disregarded as having any sort of musical value: it is accessible, unpretentious, straightforward.  However, even those who hate his music the most can probably instantly recognize Glass in 5 seconds (or less).  Regardless of how one feels about the fact that, yes, Glass is repetitive (and not just within a piece of music but across his body of work as a whole) it’s undeniable that he’s done something original, created his own musical identity that no one else can claim, and that alone is deserving of respect.

A Premiere, Poetry, and Pointe

Come see the world premiere of our friend Bryan Senti’s ballet, inspired by the poetry of Kat Mandeville and choreographed by Bronwen Macarthur.  Costumes are by Swedish designer Maja Gunn, and you know how much we at NCP love blending things with fashion. It’s going to be a truly unique  and beautiful experience!  Snag your tickets here.

Concert Photos (Part I)

Enormous thanks to Simon Collins, Parsons The New School for Design students, and The New School’s Tishman Auditorium for making this event possible; to James Bae, photagrapher; our volunteer staff.  And to all the incredible musicians–Walter Aparicio, Asuka Fu, Josh Henderson, JY Lee, and SYBARITE5–you all rocked it!

Enjoy these snaps, taken by Lydia Kim, the other half of the design duo that won the Reconstruction competition.  More photos on their way…

Reconstruction: Music&Music Inspired Fashion

Join us tonight for Barber Souvenirs, Ravel Piano Trio in a minor, and the New York Premiere of Thomas Osborne’s Furioso-Vendetta.  And fashion inspired by these pieces of music, made out of Louis Vuitton samples!

Models: sit back and enjoy the show, you won’t be working tonight.  The clothes will be worn instead by the musicians.

Take a break from an average Friday night.  Get tickets here.

Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover (Okay, Maybe Just This Once!)

Just picked up all 3 Penguin Deluxe Editions with cover art by Rubin Toledo, fashion illustrator and husband of Isabel Toledo (if you don’t know who she is, click that link!).

While these are in fact great novels, I adore these editions in particular because: 1) they are beautiful; 2) as someone who appreciates aesthetics and good design, they make my reading experience more enjoyable; 3) the books show how fashion can be used as a force to rouse and renew interest for something else yet remain respectful and unintrusive. The stories are the same on the inside, but their new outfits simply make them pop, make them more noticable.  As we typically see the outside of a book first (in fact, the outside of many things) before the inside, these Penguin editions are a savvy example of drawing new eyes to classic art by simply merging intellectual with sexy.

preCONSTRUCTION pARTy pics

Thanks to all that came out to party with us at preCONSTRUCTION! We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at Reconstruction (meaning musicians dressed in original fashion made out of cut-up Louis Vuitton samples by Parsons students) this coming Friday, October 2! Special thanks to photographer, Frank Wang – enjoy the photos!

with Justin Kantor of (le) Poisson Rouge

Chris Baker – he designed our logo!

Eugene Kaler, violinist

Jason Jean of Citizen Couture and Rahat Ahmed, our graphic designer

with Charles Manning, stylist

Walter Aparicio, pianist

Trevor Gureckis, Found Objects Productions (left)

Laura Metcalf and Angela Pickett of Sybarite5

Asuka Fu, pianist

Rachel Christensen’s profile

Reconstruction- Not Quite Over Yet…

…because on October 2 we have a live concert at The New School’s Tishman Hall, where garments created at the Parsons/Louis Vuitton live competition will be worn by the musicians.  The students designers drew  inspiration from the music that will be performed at this concert.

more info: www.nouveauclassical.org

And the Winner is…

More pics+details tonight…