Just returned from the Tallis Scholars at St. Francis. I was very intrigued by the program, I knew that they were doing the Gesualdo, but the second half was unknown going into me. I thought the program was well put together as it put the very ahead of his time Gesualdo’s music in direct comparison with other more traditional compositions of the era.

That’s really what surprised me the most. I’m a bit of traditionalist, and before tonight I never really would have refered to anything that I have heard by Glass as “pretty.” Interesting, and repetitive were words that better described it, and while those two were definitely in play last night there were some chorus driven sections that were very chordal. IV-V-I in every inversion possibile while there as a bunch of other visual things going on was really unexpected. It almost sounded like a traditional opera in those moments (other than the sequence lasted 35 min+)

Going into “Einstein,” I really had no idea what to expect. I had heard a little bit about it and done a “reenactment” in MUSICOL 406. I have to say that i was completely blown away. It was way different than anything I have ever seen, and it is really hard to describe. I was incredibly impressed by the precision of everything. The exact filters on the lights and the exact movements that were made together or intentionally slightly off. The music was very cool in the way that it would build and release tension both rhythmically and harmonically and drove the opera even though there wasn’t a linear plot line. The circular structure of everything left me very satisfied.