Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Arts and Entertainment Pick of the Day: Alias Chamber Ensemble Fall Concert at Blair School of Music's Turner Hall
Posted by Alan Sherrod on Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 5:07 AM
- Stephanie Hudson
Alias Chamber Ensemble Fall Concert
Where: Blair School of Music's Turner Hall
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9
The old saying "a watched pot never boils" is good advice, I suppose ... unless you happen to be the Alias Chamber Ensemble. The conclusion of their Fall Concert next Wednesday depends, quite literally, on that very thing happening.
Alias, of course, is that eclectic ensemble of a dozen or so Nashville musicians whose diverse chamber music programs feature a broad repertoire of works spanning the very old to the very new, many of which are not likely to be heard elsewhere. The new on this program includes the two concluding works — Drift and Boiling Point — by contemporary American composer Kenji Bunch, whose musical energy, charm and wit generally defy description.
From 2002, Boiling Point is a work for amplified string quartet, bass, drums, and yes, a watched teakettle. The work has elements of both structure and improvisation, but is open-ended. Bunch has described the piece as "a study in the contained and ultimately violently exploding energy of a tea kettle. ... The duration of the piece is contingent on the amount of time the water takes to boil." The performers will be Alias artistic director Zeneba Bowers and Jeremy Williams on violin, Chris Farrell on viola, Matt Walker on cello, Joel Reist on bass and Todd London on drums.
