Nouveau Classical Resurrections: An Alternative Listening Experience in New York

June 19th, 2010 by Jeffrey DiLucca

TRIBECA, MANHATTAN:

Classical Music is Dead
Picture a piano placed at the center of an oblong room in the basement of a Tribeca gallery space. From the white walls steps forth a vibrant set of neon paintings, revealing a mixture of contemporary and historic images of New York City. Out walk musicians who model fashion harkening back to the 1930’s and proceed to indulge an eager audience in a total-art experience, breaking boundaries and kindling sparks – igniting a wild fire of classical music resurrected.

This was our impression when we were first introduced to The Nouveau Classical Project through their first event of the 2010 season, February’s ‘form /figure’. Attracting a hip downtown crowd, the NCP offers a new experience with style, and dare we say it – FUN. Taking music outside the traditional concert setting, the Nouveau Classical Project is dedicated to promoting classical music to new audiences and exposing the art form’s relevance to today’s audiences. What kind of “out of the box” experience will their next event ‘Visions’, at WMP Concert Hall on June 24th bring? We’re on the EDGE of our seats.

Founded in 2007 by pianist Sugar Vendil, The Nouveau Classical Project creates events that connect classical music to fashion and visual art. “I think part of what’s killed classical music is that people want to keep it in a ‘certain place,’” Vendil says. Instead, she is succeeding in breathing new creativity and life into the classical scene in New York City, or as some in the city are calling it, the “nouveau classical scene.” NCP’s slogan, “Classical Music is Dead,” is a tongue-in-cheek catch phrase – one that often evokes a feeling of rebellious urgency to the genre’s many aficionados who see it on T-shirts across the city.

form/figure
Each of the organization’s four yearly programs is centered on a unifying concept that serves as a focal point around which the music, fashion, and art are curated. The NCP’s kickoff event for the 2010 season was form/figure, held at ‘Space on White’ in Tribeca on February 19th, was a vibrant success.

Centered on the concept of resurrecting older established artistic forms approached from a contemporary standpoint, form/figure combined a contemporary composition based on a Handel passacaglia written by Johan Halvorsen, based on themes by Handel and works by NY-based artist Christopher Rini, and designers Gigi Burris and Edward Lorenz who are both graduates of Parsons School of Design.

The program included a new work for piano, violin, and cello by New York based composer Danielle Schwob as well as a selection “44 Duos for Two Violins” by Béla Bartók. The Schwob trio, written in 2009, was the newest piece on the program. Entitled “Music for Releasing Ghosts”, it without a doubt lives true to its name. The violin and cello, through shrieks and cries, take the lead role in what seems to be the release of one’s own inner demons, while the piano supports and reinforces this emotional exorcism.

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Bartók’s reinvention of gypsy folk music for two violins shined as a programmatic contrast to the Schwob piano trio. Kiersten Cunningham and Nolan Robertson offered a performance that was absolutely beyond stellar. Totally nailing the gypsy folk tuning of Eastern Europe and not missing a note, the couple resurrected Bartók’s voice with amazing integrity. Soprano Amanda Hick contributed another outstanding performance. Singing “5 Canciones populares Argentinas”, Argentine folk music written 20th century, her stunning voice and amazing use of facial expressions brought this stunning song cycle by composer Alberto Ginastera into a different light.

Nutz and Bolts
The Nouveau Classical Project has seen a challenging, but rewarding three years. It started from scratch as small organization doing open bar fundraising events to get the ball rolling. Branding its mission through events and it merchandise, such as the evocative tee-shirt with their slogan “Classical Music is Dead*” written on the front, it is growing into a revenue-generating organization. NCP has also utilized kickstarter to gain support. Consisting of a full board of directors and a core performance ensemble of seventeen players, NCP receives its fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas, as the registration to its own non-for-profit status is on its way to completion.

Acting as both president and creative director plays, Vendil plays a key role in all aspects of NCP’s events. She personally curates the music, art, and fashion for each program, a task that can be quite painstaking as Sugar will not program a piece unless her scrupulous ears and eyes are certain it is consistent with the program’s concept. Other roles Vendil plays are performing as a core ensemble member; all graphic design for the organization; and taking control of administrative duties, tasks which she says are very challenging but can be quite rewarding in the end.

We asked how she keeps up her energy going during this preparatory process. “It’s not as much about my work as much as it is for the people,” Vendil responded. “I feel like we’re doing something people really appreciate and that helps me stay motivated. I also have the privilege of working with some very dedicated and talented musicians. None of this would happen without their willingness, enthusiasm, and support of the project.” She then added, “I think a lot of us are just sick of it [classical music] being so one-dimensional, and we’re adding new opportunities, not just for us to play, but for people to experience it.”

Sugar Vendil

‘Visions’ for the Future
The unifying concept for the NCP’s upcoming event, ‘Visions,’ is dreamlike states of consciousness. Vendil has always been enamored of surrealism and feels the concept of imaginative, dreamlike spaces has provide her with a source of inspiration for programming the concert, especially since there is such a rich palate of musical selections from which to choose.

Featured on the program will be New York based composer Trevor Gureckis’s piece, “Unsound Grounds” for solo piano. Quite a treat for Vendil to have him on her program, as Gureckis regularly assists Philip Glass on major projects. Glass’s “Changing Opinion” will also be featured along with Lowell Liebermann’s “Piano Trio No. 1”, all performed by Nouveau Classical Project musicians. ‘Visions’ can be experienced at 8pm in WMP Concert Hall on June 24th.

Vendil seeks to steer Nouveau Classical’s toward new and uncharted musical and artistic territory. We asked Sugar if NCP would ever be open to electro-acoustic classical pieces. “Absolutely. We’re open to everything,” she said. “That’s part of keeping classical music alive. You have to keep up with the forward-moving aspect of it.”

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