A Man Said to the Universe by Marjorie Halloran — world premiere

Описание: Turn on CC subtitles to see the text.
A Man Said to the Universe by Marjorie Halloran — world premiere

Text by Stephen Crane

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist!"
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

Program note — When considering the concepts of being human and existentialism, it is tempting to think of ourselves as the main character in our own movie or video game, with everyone else being a non-playable character. We are the one whose perspective matters the most to ourselves, after all! This setting of A Man Said to the Universe overuses repetition and minimalist harmonic structure in order to call attention to the swirling, echoing thoughts in our heads: Who am I? Do I choose my own path? What would the world be like if I did not exist? Do I even really matter, or am I just a blip on the infinite radar of time and space? The idea that we can declare our own importance and still matter very little in the grand scheme of the universe is humbling, humorous, and hurtful all at once, and the musicians (as well as the audience) will hopefully feel similarly drained after a performance of the piece.

As part of its OffBeat Series, KMFA Classical 89.5 presents Inversion in Fire, Water, and the Air We Breathe, a concert that asks questions of human existentialism. Are we a truly important species or simply a temporary environmental disruption? We are the "creators" of fire and technology, but also the inventors of the atomic bomb. And finally, is it our destiny to reach beyond this planet? Centered around a brand new work from composer Juhi Bansal, concerts took place Saturday, October 26 at 7 PM and Sunday, October 27 at 4 PM at the KMFA Draylen Mason Music Studio.

Inversion Ensemble is a professional choir that exists to make the music of living composers accessible to all audiences. Inversion’s focus is to commission and perform new works by local musicians, as well as U.S. composers and beyond. We incorporate modern visual art, dance, and poetry, creating comprehensive performance experiences. Every concert includes a partnership with a nonprofit that reflects our core values – ecology, LGBTQIA+ rights, social justice, and mental health awareness.

Trevor F. Shaw, Artistic Director & Principal Conductor
Katrina Saporsantos, Administrative Director and Associate Conductor
Benjamin Dia, piano
Adrienne Inglis, Artist and Community Relations

Filmed live from The Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA in Austin, TX on 10/27/2024 as part of KMFA's Offbeat Concert Series
Produced by
Stacey Hoyt - Director of Events
Kenken Gorder - Event Production Coordinator
Andy Stoltz - Audio Engineer
Sadie Langenkamp - Lighting Design
Jack Kloecker - Videographer
Anthony McSpadden - Director of Broadcast and Content

Link to program:
https://www.inversionatx.org/firewate...

Link to full Inversion Fire, Water, and the Air We Breathe concert playlist
   • KMFA Offbeat presents Inversion's Fire, Wa...  

Donate to Inversion
https://www.inversionatx.org/donate

Inversion Cares partner TreeFolks
https://www.treefolks.org

Link to Inversion
https://www.inversionatx.org

Link to KMFA Classical 89.5
https://www.kmfa.org

Link KMFA’s concert video
   • Offbeat Online - Inversion Ensemble