Monk: On Behalf of Nature Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble

• 1Dark/Light 104:27
• 2High Realm01:26
• 3Fractal Activity02:57
• 4Environs 101:51
• 5Eon02:55
• 6Duet with Shifting Ground05:21
• 7Environs 200:56
• 8Pavement Steps02:04
• 9Evolution04:40
• 10Ritual Zone04:08
• 11Water/Sky Rant05:47
• 12Memory Zone04:22
• 13Environs 300:55
• 14Harvest03:18
• 15Dark/Light 203:06
• 16High Realm Reprise01:00
• 17Fractal Mirror01:55
• 18Ringing03:29
• 19Spider Web Anthem06:07
• Total Runtime01:00:44

Info for Monk: On Behalf of Nature

As I began working on On Behalf of Nature, I asked myself the question: “how would one create an ecological art work that didn’t make more waste in the world?” Live performances leave no traces except, hopefully, in the minds of audience members. This ephemeral aspect is both poignant and exhilarating. Sometimes though, the desire for novelty and surface excitement leads to buying a lot of new things, spending a great deal of money for an experience that lasts only a few hours. I wondered how one could make an alternative to that.

I started thinking about the French anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss and his notion of “bricolage”: the process of assembling or making something from what is already at hand. In pre-industrial societ- ies, one object could function in many different ways by an act of imagination. We now speak of this process as re-purposing. Yoshio Yabara, the costume designer for On Behalf of Nature, implemented this concept by creating new garments with unique shapes for each performer, fashioned from his or her old clothing. Each costume inherently included aspects of that performer’s personal history contained in the original garments. This idea of spiraling around to the past to make something completely new is also a way of appreciating what is here in the present and working with what we have. The same principle extends to other elements in On Behalf of Nature.

One of the early inspirations for On Behalf of Nature was an essay by the poet, Gary Snyder, entitled “Writers and the War Against Nature.” In it he writes about the role of an artist being that of a “spokesperson for non-human entities communicating to the human realm through dance or song.” This act of compassion, of “speaking on behalf of nature,” embodies and gives voice to those forces that often go unrecognized. On Behalf of Nature is a meditation on our intimate connection to nature, its inner structures, the fragility of its ecology and our interdependence. (Meredith Monk)

Sidney Chen, voice
Ellen Fisher, voice
Katie Geissinger, voice
Meredith Monk, voice
Bruce Rameker, voice
Allison Sniffin, voice
Bohdan Hilash, woodwinds
John Hollenbeck, percussion
Allison Sniffin, piano, keyboard, violin, French horn
Laura Sherman, harp

Meredith Monk
is a composer, singer, and creator of new opera and music-theater works. Recognized as one of the most unique and influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer in what is now called “extended vocal technique”. Her groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument, as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words.

Over the last six decades, Ms. Monk has been hailed as one of National Public Radio’s 50 Great Voices and “one of America’s coolest composers.” Her numerous awards and honors include a MacArthur “Genius” award and Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Republic of France. In conjunction with her 50th Season of creating and performing, she was appointed the 2014-15 Richard and Barbara Debs Composer’s Chair at Carnegie Hall. Recently Monk received three of the highest honors bestowed on a living artist in the United States; induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2017 Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, and a 2015 National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama. Celebrated internationally, her work has been presented at major venues around the world.

Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble
consists of some of the finest and most adventurous singer/instrumentalist/performers active in new music. Founded in 1978 to further expand Monk’s groundbreaking exploration of the human voice, the Ensemble has received multiple awards and critical acclaim, including a 2008 GRAMMY nomination for impermanence. Appearing in festivals, theaters and concert halls around the world, Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble can also be heard on numerous recordings on the ECM New Music Series label.

Bang on a Can All-Stars
Formed in 1992, the Bang on a Can All-Stars are recognized worldwide for their ultra-dynamic live performances and recordings of today’s most innovative music. Freely crossing the boundaries between classical, jazz, rock, world and experimental music, this six-member amplified ensemble has consistently forged a distinct category-defying identity, taking music into uncharted territories. Performing each year throughout the U.S. and internationally, the All-Stars have shattered the definition of what concert music is today.

Together, the All-Stars have worked in unprecedented close collaboration with some of the most important and inspiring musicians of our time, including Steve Reich, Ornette Coleman, Burmese circle drum master Kyaw Kyaw Naing, Tan Dun, DJ Spooky, and many more. The group’s celebrated projects include their landmark recordings of Brian Eno’s ambient classic Music for Airports and Terry Riley’s In C, as well as live performances with Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, Don Byron, Iva Bittova, Thurston Moore, Owen Pallett and others. The All-Stars were awarded Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year in 2005 and have been heralded as “the country’s most important vehicle for contemporary music” by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Recent project highlights include Field Recordings, a major new multi media project featuring hot-off-the-press commissioned works by Tyondai Braxton, Mira Calix, Anna Clyne, Dan Deacon, Bryce Dessner, Florent Ghys, Michael Gordon, Jóhann Jóhannsson, David Lang, Christian Marclay, Paula Matthusen, Steve Reich, Todd Reynolds, Julia Wolfe, and Nick Zammuto; the world premiere, performances, and recording of Steve Reich’s 2x5 including a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall; the group’s multiple visits to China for the Beijing Music Festival and Hong Kong Arts Festival; the US tour and Carnegie Hall performance of Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer, an evening-length staged concert with Trio Mediaeval; commissioned works by Louis Andriessen, Bill Frisell, Ryuichi Sakamoto and more. With a massive repertoire of works written specifically for the group's distinctive instrumentation and style of performance, the All-Stars have grown to encompass a genre in their own right. The ensemble records on Cantaloupe Music and has released recordings on Sony, Universal and Nonesuch.

Booklet for Monk: On Behalf of Nature