cansei de ser sexme
02-06-2009, 08:55 PM
Apparently there was some "Book of Longing" tour in 2007. It is now coming to Claremont. I thought that some of you who may like either one of them would be interested.
A new work by Philip Glass based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing has been conceived as an evening-length concert work composed for ensemble, singers, spoken word and imagery. The culmination of years of mutual admiration between two of the most celebrated musical artists of their generation, the piece will feature new music by Glass inspired by Cohen's most recently published book of the same name. Comprised of Cohen's poetry and sketches created over the course of the past 20 years including the eight years spent at the Mt. Baldy Buddhist monastery, Book of Longing is signature Leonard Cohen - at once meditative, playful, erotic, and provocative. The poems are a diverse collection that can loosely be collected into the categories of long "ballads", love poems, autobiographical works, spiritual meditations written at Mt. Baldy, and short comic pieces that Philip Glass has nicknamed "the limericks".
Philip Glass has conceived the concert as a collection of poetry from each of these loose categories that will run as a continuous evening rather than a traditional song cycle. The music is currently being written for an ensemble of seven musicians including electronic keyboards (one played by Glass himself), flute/bass clarinet, hand percussion, violin, cello, upright bass, and oboe/English horn that will be visible on stage throughout the evening. The music will be directed by Glass's longtime musical director Michael Riesman.
Four singers (Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor and Baritone) will sing lyrics pulled from Cohen's poetry as a quartet and in a variety of combinations throughout the evening and will be staged and likely visible for the majority of the evening. Leonard Cohen's voice will be recorded delivering selections of the poetry which at times may be underscored by the musical ensemble. The visual artwork of Leonard Cohen has never before been seen in conjunction with his music and they will be incorporated into this work. Exact means of their incorporation is still to be determined.
Philip Glass has chosen to work with choreographer/director Susan Marshall, with whom he created the opera Les Enfants Terribles, to stage the musicians and singers. Set by Christine Jones, Lighting by Scott Zielinksi, and costumes by Kasia Walicka Maimone
also
Book of Longing is an evening-length concert work composed for ensemble, singers, spoken word, and imagery and is based on the poetry and artwork of Leonard Cohen’s recently published book of the same name. The performance in Claremont is significant because Cohen wrote many of the poems featured in Book of Longing at the Buddhist monastery on Mt. Baldy. Glass will perform on keyboard in these five performances, and the artwork of Cohen will be prominently incorporated into the set. Book of Longing is signature Cohen—at once meditative, playful, erotic, and provocative. The diverse collection of poems falls loosely into the categories of ballads, love and confessional poems, spiritual meditations, and short and comic pieces that Glass has called “limericks.” Glass’ composition is the culmination of years of mutual admiration between two of the most celebrated artists of our time. Glass conceived the concert as a collection of poetic songs from each of these loose categories to run as a continuous evening rather than a traditional song cycle. The music is performed by an ensemble of eight musicians including electronic keyboards (one played by Glass himself), flute/bass clarinet, hand percussion, violin, cello double bass, and oboe/English horn that are visible on stage throughout the evening. The music is directed by Glass’s longtime musical director Michael Riesman. The set is designed by Christine Jones, with costumes by Kasia Walikca Maimone and lighting by Scott Zielinski
PS Claremont is a cool place. We got Ben Harper born here, Leonard Cohen hangs around here, and David Foster Wallace used to hang out here...
https://iplace.claremont.edu/gould/book_of_longing.php
A new work by Philip Glass based on the poetry of Leonard Cohen, Book of Longing has been conceived as an evening-length concert work composed for ensemble, singers, spoken word and imagery. The culmination of years of mutual admiration between two of the most celebrated musical artists of their generation, the piece will feature new music by Glass inspired by Cohen's most recently published book of the same name. Comprised of Cohen's poetry and sketches created over the course of the past 20 years including the eight years spent at the Mt. Baldy Buddhist monastery, Book of Longing is signature Leonard Cohen - at once meditative, playful, erotic, and provocative. The poems are a diverse collection that can loosely be collected into the categories of long "ballads", love poems, autobiographical works, spiritual meditations written at Mt. Baldy, and short comic pieces that Philip Glass has nicknamed "the limericks".
Philip Glass has conceived the concert as a collection of poetry from each of these loose categories that will run as a continuous evening rather than a traditional song cycle. The music is currently being written for an ensemble of seven musicians including electronic keyboards (one played by Glass himself), flute/bass clarinet, hand percussion, violin, cello, upright bass, and oboe/English horn that will be visible on stage throughout the evening. The music will be directed by Glass's longtime musical director Michael Riesman.
Four singers (Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor and Baritone) will sing lyrics pulled from Cohen's poetry as a quartet and in a variety of combinations throughout the evening and will be staged and likely visible for the majority of the evening. Leonard Cohen's voice will be recorded delivering selections of the poetry which at times may be underscored by the musical ensemble. The visual artwork of Leonard Cohen has never before been seen in conjunction with his music and they will be incorporated into this work. Exact means of their incorporation is still to be determined.
Philip Glass has chosen to work with choreographer/director Susan Marshall, with whom he created the opera Les Enfants Terribles, to stage the musicians and singers. Set by Christine Jones, Lighting by Scott Zielinksi, and costumes by Kasia Walicka Maimone
also
Book of Longing is an evening-length concert work composed for ensemble, singers, spoken word, and imagery and is based on the poetry and artwork of Leonard Cohen’s recently published book of the same name. The performance in Claremont is significant because Cohen wrote many of the poems featured in Book of Longing at the Buddhist monastery on Mt. Baldy. Glass will perform on keyboard in these five performances, and the artwork of Cohen will be prominently incorporated into the set. Book of Longing is signature Cohen—at once meditative, playful, erotic, and provocative. The diverse collection of poems falls loosely into the categories of ballads, love and confessional poems, spiritual meditations, and short and comic pieces that Glass has called “limericks.” Glass’ composition is the culmination of years of mutual admiration between two of the most celebrated artists of our time. Glass conceived the concert as a collection of poetic songs from each of these loose categories to run as a continuous evening rather than a traditional song cycle. The music is performed by an ensemble of eight musicians including electronic keyboards (one played by Glass himself), flute/bass clarinet, hand percussion, violin, cello double bass, and oboe/English horn that are visible on stage throughout the evening. The music is directed by Glass’s longtime musical director Michael Riesman. The set is designed by Christine Jones, with costumes by Kasia Walikca Maimone and lighting by Scott Zielinski
PS Claremont is a cool place. We got Ben Harper born here, Leonard Cohen hangs around here, and David Foster Wallace used to hang out here...
https://iplace.claremont.edu/gould/book_of_longing.php