On August 2-3, New York City audiences can encounter a free, late-night preview of the newest vocal work by Matthew Aucoin. Commissioned by the Little Island and written for Roomful of Teeth, The Lights is performed at 10pm on Saturday and Sunday evening. On August 7, Aucoin's Music for New Bodies is restaged by Peter Sellars at the Tanglewood Music Center, following a recent acclaimed run at Lincoln Center.
Based on luminous poems by Ben Lerner, The Lights is a musical investigation of the mysterious, unspoken connections that exist between people: the way that an inexplicable event—anything from a UFO sighting to a global pandemic—can bind people together through shared experiences that we barely have language for.
Many of Lerner's poems are set in public spaces in a city—a park, a street, a train car. It is therefore especially appropriate that this piece will enter the world at Little Island, a newly-built public park on an island in the Hudson River, a place where the boundless collective that is New York City can be seen and felt through the lights glimmering across the horizon.
At Tanglewood, Music for New Bodies is conducted by the composer on August 7, and features Tenor Paul Appleby, Sopranos Song Hee Lee and Meryl Dominguez, Mezzo-soprano Megan Moore, and Bass-baritone Evan Hughes.
San Francisco Classical Voice had the following to say about the recent Lincoln Center run of Music for New Bodies: "[The piece] explored major forces shaping our world, including the impending climate crisis, illness, technology, and the rise of artificial intelligence. In doing so, the expansive vocal symphony invited audiences to reflect on the impact of humanity’s actions on both our planet and our bodies. Written and conducted by Matthew Aucoin and directed by Peter Sellars — both of whom are MacArthur geniuses — the performance featured fearless performances and was received enthusiastically by a sold-out house."
A video from the 2024 world premiere in Houston can be viewed below.
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