Trio Kinsella
Saturday, May 14, 2011, 7:30 pm
Kranzberg Arts Center
501 N. Grand
- Jonathan Borja, flute
- Ben Gitter, cello
- Brendan Kinsella, piano
On this concert, Trio Kinsella will perform George Crumb’s famous 20th century masterpiece, Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), in addition to works by Narong Prangcharoen, John Corigliano and Joseph Schwantner, with one of the highlights of the evening being the World Premiere of “Falling Through Infinity” by Nicholas Omiccioli.
The Kinsella-Gitter-Borja Trio is devoted to performing the music of our time. The group was featured in the Heidelberg New Music Festival in 2009, where they performed Vox Balaenae for Pulitzer-Prize winning composer George Crumb. Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) is scored for electronically amplified flute, cello and piano and demands nearly constant extended techniques. The work is highly dramatic – the performers appear in masks amid a wash of deep blue stage lighting.
The group continues to perform Crumb’s work, along with new works by young composers, throughout the Midwest. Trio Kinsella is featured in the upcoming recording of Thailand’s Narong Prangcharoen’s chamber music CD on Albany Records.
An exerpt from an article in the Kansas City Star (2009) reads:
“The highlight of the evening was one of Crumb’s best known works, the 1971 “Vox Balaenae” (“Voice of the Whale”). The composition worked well for a Halloween night concert, since Crumb required the performers to wear masks. More theatricality was added by turning off all lights but those used by the performers.
Pianist Kinsella, flutist Jonathan Borja and cellist Ben Gitter displayed full control of the challenging score. In addition to playing their instruments, they were called upon to sing, whistle, hum and play percussion.”
