Soundstreams will launch their 2023-24 season with The Bright Divide, an imaginative presentation inspired by the art of Mark Rothko and music of Morton Feldman. Along with Feldman’s Rothko Chapel, Canadian composer Cecilia Livingston’s mark, with original text by Duncan McFarlane, will receive its world premiere. The concerts will take place on November 10 and 11.
Mark Rothko’s art is appreciated for its use of colour. His technique involved applying thin layers of paint to create effects with depth and emotion. It would go on to inspire many other artists, including American composer Morton Feldman, a contemporary of Rothko’s.
The Composers & Works
Soundstreams Artistic Director Lawrence Cherney comments on the programme.
“The Bright Divide is vintage Soundstreams: pairing an acknowledged 20th/21st century masterwork with a newly commissioned work on the same theme using similar forces. Morton Feldman’s mesmerising and haunting masterwork Rothko Chapel was inspired by paintings of the iconic Mark Rothko. We’ve chosen Cecilia Livingston to create a companion work — mark — a visceral response to both Rothko and Feldman, offering us a contemporary lens through which to reimagine how we feel, hear, see and interpret the universal themes these artists struggled for a lifetime to capture. The concert is a breathtaking voyage of discovery for all the senses.”
Rothko Chapel (1971) by Morton Feldman
American composer Morton Feldman was a pioneer of what is called indeterminate music, a genre associated with artists like John Cage and Earle Brown. The native of Queens, New York became a key figure in 20th century classical music.
Written as a tribute to the American painter, Feldman’s composition premiered in 1972 at the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. The chapel is a non-denominational space for spirituality, and it houses 14 paintings by Rothko. Steven Dann will perform the solo viola part, which both begins and ends the piece.
Feldman was a fan of abstract expressionism, and his social circle included the likes of Jackson Pollack and Robert Rauschenberg along with Mark Rothko. Rothko died by suicide shortly after completing the 14 paintings that are now housed in the Rothko Chapel. Morton was asked to compose the piece by the donors for the chapel.
mark by Cecilia Livingston (world premiere)
Composer Cecilia Livingston returns to Soundstreams for her third collaboration, and the world premiere of her piece mark, which responds to Rothko’s art, as well as Feldman’s piece. The original text was written by Canadian author and librettist Duncan McFarlane.
Cecilia comments on the composition in a statement.
“To better understand Feldman’s response to the Rothko Chapel in his own Rothko Chapel — and so where my own response to those two artists and their works might begin — I went to Houston to see those fourteen immense, enigmatic paintings: Rothko’s permanently veiled images,” said Livingston. “Feldman’s piece captures a compelling sense of the strange stillness of that space, hanging uneasily between the canvases. With mark, I want to invite audiences to explore a different perspective: looking out from inside Rothko’s paintings, back into the chapel space and out into the world.”
Her work mark examines the concepts of light and darkness – the Bright Divide that embodies the tensions inherent in Rothko’s work. Livingston has often been inspired by the work of visual artists, and she aims to express the intensity of Rothko’s work in sound.
The Production & Performers
Based in Toronto, Soundstreams has garnered an international reputation as presenters and producers of new works, some of which have toured from the Americas to Europe and Asia.
The featured soloist, Toronto violist Steven Dann, is a faculty member at the Glenn Gould School of Music, and has performed as principal violist of Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony, and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He is also a well-known chamber musician with an international reputation.
Rounding out the performers are Ryan Scott on percussion, Gregory Oh on celesta, and the Soundstreams Choir 21. Tim Albery acts as stage director, with David Fallis as conductor and music director. Lighting design is by Siobhán Sleath, with projections by Cameron Davis.
Performances
Mark Rothko & Music | October 30 — A Free Event
This talk is part of the Soundstreams TD Encounters series, which has as a goal to delve into the music via discussions. Moderated by Koffler Arts General Director Matthew Jocelyn, with Lawrence Cherney, Tim Albery (stage director of The Bright Divide), and composer Cecilia Livingston, the event will examine Rothko and music.
You’ll find more information, and can reserve tickets [HERE].
The Bright Divide | November 10 & 11
Three performances will take place in the TD Music Hall on November 10 and 11. Tickets and more information available [HERE].
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