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What is Extreme Chamber Music? |
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Home > What's New > Caramoor Blog > What is Extreme Chamber Music?
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June 29, 2010
If “extreme sports” is all about adrenaline on overdrive, then what is “extreme chamber music?” When the term appeared on Caramoor’s summer festival lineup, I got a little nervous. I’m comfortable with classical, and I’m open to experimentation, but could I handle strings on steroids?
So I asked Michael Barrett to explain how the style differs from more traditional fare. In extreme chamber music, he told me, most conventional notions of chamber music still apply. There is one musician per part, without a conductor. The musicians rehearse on their own, and they negotiate the final interpretation and performance with one another. What makes the music “extreme” relates to repertoire (often newer music) and presentation (sometimes amplified, or performed in unusual ways or venues).
I listened to a sample of 2 Foot Yard, one of the groups featured in Caramoor’s Extreme Chamber Music series. According to a review in Billboard, this trio (Carla Kihlstedt on violin and vocals; Marika Hughes on cello and vocals; and Shahzad Ismaily on percussion and guitar) “melds classical virtuosity, folk soul, and pop imagination.”
Their music is melodic and haunting, with soaring vocals anchored by staccato bass lines. As far as I can tell, its extreme mostly in it's beauty. I plan to hear more when they perform on July 2.
Christina Horzepa, Caramoor Contributor
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