By Penelope Kosztolnyik
The Eagle 

Sextet draws interest at OPAS

The string, wind and percussion sextet known as eighth blackbird provoked interest well before their OPAS concert Monday evening. Might their youth, sterling classical music credentials and publicity photo that suggested an “attitude” generate a wider appreciation of the new music they champion?

In informal attire, they commanded the stage, every corner of it. Their walking about was far from random, however. It created a visual account of the music’s small details and structure. For example, players of imitative parts followed each other, competitive instruments confronted each other and sometimes players converged upon the stationary piano and marimba.

This planned choreography was possible because the sextet played the severe and demanding music mostly from memory. Specifying only that each composition make some use of the opening chords of Stravinsky’s violin concerto, eighth blackbird commissioned four composers from the Minimum Security Composers Collective of Yale University to each write a four-movement, 15-minute work.

Rather than showcase each composer’s work, however, the players treated the different movements as modules and assembled them into two larger wholes played with only the subtlest of pauses, if any, between movements.

All of the composers made fine use of the unique ensemble of piano, marimba and other percussion, flute, clarinet, violin and cello. Among interesting sonorities were those created by joining low cello and bass clarinet to elongate and enrich low piano tones. Compositional styles varied, with atonality most evident, but the sextet was able to produce lyrical 12-tone treatments as well as rhythmically percussive cluster chords.

Atonality’s strongest competition came from minimalist key centering, and a little John Cage-like levity was introduced when the shortest movement’s composer actually specified that setting up the music stands should take longer than playing the piece itself. The players poked fun by pretending to do a rough sight-reading job of the simple work.

To answer the first question, yes. With sensational playing and a thoroughly engaging presentation, eighth blackbird kept the audience's attention riveted upon some very new and challenging music.

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