September 11, 2014
This Saturday, Sept. 13, a self-conducted chamber orchestra called A Far Cry will be visiting campus. Founded in 2007 by a young collective of Boston-based artists, the group focuses on testing the boundaries of traditional Western classical music. For this performance, A Far Cry will be joined by former child prodigy and current professional violinist Augustin Hadelich.
A Far Cry works to change the ways music is prepared using an innovative rotating leadership structure to ensure that every voice is heard. This way, every sound produced is a result of the collaborative perspectives of every musician in the group. As an ensemble, A Far Cry is dedicated to exposing the community to music, as well as helping to educate fellow musicians in the area. As many of the founding members of the group met during their training at the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, the ensemble has continued to carry strong ties with the school. Members of A Far Cry collaborate especially with NEC Preparatory students, helping to coach orchestra sectionals and invite select students to join the group in concert. In this way, the group continues to confirm its commitment not only to producing and performing music, but to passing the art of music-making on to the next generation.
A Far Cry has performed more than 300 concerts from coast to coast and around the globe. In Boston, the group presides as String Orchestra in Residence for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Its performances are widely commended for exceedingly high degrees of precision and musicianship, as well as for the group’s ability to perform in synergy while continuing to showcase the diversity of the ensemble’s individual personalities. The Boston Globe praised A Far Cry for its “high musical standards and unbridled idealism.”
The group has recorded six CDs, including its most recent title Dreams and Prayers, released this past Tuesday. This recording is due to include A Far Cry’s own arrangements of music by Hildegard von Bingen and Ludwig van Beethoven, as well as current works by artists like Mehmet Ali Sanlikol and Osvaldo Golijov. This juxtaposition of old and new pieces in one album typifies the style of the radical group.
The program on the Hill is set to include contemporary composer Thomas Adès’s “Arcadiana,” a piece in which “the idyllic and the terrifying are closely intertwined,” according to The New York Times. This emotional, modern piece will serve as a forward to Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Violin Sonata,” which will bring the audience on a sonic journey in search of the idyllic. It will also showcase the ensemble’s interest in artistic creativity and exploration in tandem with precision and discipline. Shostakovich composed movements influenced by Bach, and contrasted them with movements reminiscent of “klezmer,” or Jewish folk music. Finally, Leoš Janácek’s “Idyll,” is sure to round out the performance with a sense of forward-looking beauty, perfect for a progressive group such as A Far Cry.
While the artists are working both on and off stage to change the ways music is prepared and performed, they are also changing the way in which music is experienced. Their animated stage presence has captured the hearts of many young musicians across the world, and their visit to Hamilton is much anticipated. A Far Cry will perform in Wellin Hall this Saturday, Sept. 13 at 7:30p.m.
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