23 November 2008
By Vicky Anderson
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MUSIC REVIEW Eighth Blackbird: The Only Moving Thing/ St Georges Hall concert room, Liverpool
BUCKETS of sand and pots and pans had their place alongside the piano, viola and flute for an intriguing and awe-inspiring 2008 commission over the weekend, which also served as one of the highlights of the ongoing Cornerstone Festival.
US Grammy award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird performed two pieces, the European premiere of Steve Reichs 2007 work Double Sextet, and the UK premiere Singing in the Dead of Night a new work by Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julia Wolfe.
Of interest, and perhaps credit to the programme itself, was the sheer diversity of the small audience, from young students to classical buffs.
Double Sextet saw Eighth Blackbird playing alongside a recording of themselves, a technique often explored by the composer to create a work striking in its simplicity, yet brimming with a breathtaking beauty and depth.
Singing in the Dead of Night was a more experimental work it was actually choreographed, by acclaimed stage director Susan Marshall.
A more jarring, excitable piece than what came before, the ensemble took on a variety of instruments as they moved around the space, playing with the sound of dropping pans and metal instruments, and pouring and shifting sand onto an amplified table.
Copyright © 2008 Liverpool Daily Post
