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Photo by David Andrako

John Zorn, the Talea Ensemble & more played the 2015 Ecstatic Music Festival at Merkin Concert Hall (pics)

photos by David Andrako

John Zorn w/ Talea Ensemble @ Ecstatic Music Festival, 2/12/2015
Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

A relatively short but satisfying and energizing immersion in Mr. Zorn’s myriad styles, the evening was organized by the dazzling Talea Ensemble. The chronology ranged from “Hockey” to the premieres of two 2014 works and touched on jazz, electronics, wild and woolly Modernist sounds, Beethoven, Wagner, Debussy, Stravinsky, elegy and horror.

Most stimulating was the sustained sensitivity of Mr. Zorn’s instrumental writing. “The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches and Demons” (2007) for flute (Barry Crawford), amplified percussion (Matthew Gold and Mr. Lipowski) and ominous live electronics (Ikue Mori), joined a sinuous flute line to fanciful percussion effects, like the sound of writing and the slamming of a door. Hands rhythmically plopped in a tub of water; rustling white noise emerged from an old phonograph. -[NY Times]

Following a couple free shows last month at Brookfield Place, the 2015 edition of the Ecstatic Music Festival, which mixes pop with composers and avant garde musicians, kicked off properly last week (2/12) at the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Concert Hall. The fest welcomed welcomed the great John Zorn on February 12 as part of an evening curated by the Talea Ensemble that also featured drummers Tyshawn Sorey and Ikue Mori. The evening included two of Zorn’s “game” pieces, “Rugby” and “Hockey,” the latter having John Zorn on saxophone.

Stay tuned for more coverage of the 2015 Ecstatic Music Festival. More pictures and the program listing from 2/12 performance are below….

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival - Talea Ensemble and Special Guests - all works by John Zor

Ecstatic Music Festival – Talea Ensemble and Special Guests
All works by John Zorn

The Prophetic Mysteries of Angels, Witches and Deomons (2007)
Barry Crawford, Matthew Gold, Alex Lipowski and Ikue Mori

Divagations (2014) World Premiere
Stephen Gosling, Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz and Tyshawn Sorey

Hockey (1978)
John Zorn, Chris Gross and Alex Lipowski

All Hallow’s Eve (2012)
Satanic Counterpoint for the Witches’ Sabbath
for string trio
I. matins
II. lauds
III. vespers
Pauline Kim Harris, Elizabeth Weisser and Chris Gross

Rugby (1983)
Rane Moore, conductor

A Prayer for Nossis (2014) World Premiere
Steven Beck

Bateau Ivre (2011)
James Baker, conductor