She is one of America’s most famous and daring pioneers. At Ars Electronica, this exceptional artist was a guest on the campus of the Johannes Kepler University on Friday, where she presented a project developed with Dennis Russell Davies, which also focuses on a pioneer of her time. Amelia Earhart was not only the first woman to fly across the Atlantic in an airplane, she was also one of America’s most influential feminist icons. The story that Laurie Anderson tells in “Songs for Amelia Earhart” is that of her tragic end. On her 40th birthday, she attempted to become the first person to circumnavigate the earth at the equator. After three quarters of the distance, all contacts broke off, she is considered missing.
The half-hour work focuses on Anderson as narrator, instrumentalist on electric violin and sound engineer. Together with the cello acting as a duo partner – played intensively by Rubin Kodheli – it is embedded in the apparatus of a classical string orchestra, which gives the composition variability, tonal variety and, through improvised sections, an exciting randomness. Dennis Russell Davies stood at the podium of the Brno Filharmonie and skilfully steered through the adventurous flight into the unknown. The piece, but perhaps even more Laurie Anderson herself, who celebrated her 75th birthday this year, inspired and made the audience jump off their chairs. The first part of the program included Pavel Haas’ “Studies for String Orchestra” composed in Terezin in 1943 and the third movement from Philip Glass’ 3rd Symphony. (wuss)
Source: Nachrichten
