The Edge Effect: Composers and their Environmental Influences
Join the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble on Saturday, February 24 at 8 p.m. as they present an iconic 20th-century work.
Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire depicts the macabre world of Pierrot the clown, exploring the character’s dark fantasies and hallucinatory visions. At once a revolutionary and a traditionalist, Schoenberg drew from his own cultural history to create new expressive modes of extreme emotion. The first performance in 1912, featuring a noted cabaret singer, caused a scandal, and Schoenberg would feel the effects for the rest of his life. Mezzo-soprano Kendra Broom, a Curtis opera student, headlines the performance.
In an evening of conversation and performance, David Ludwig, Chair of Composition Studies and artistic director of the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble, leads a discussion about the piece’s connection to Curtis’s all-school project, “The Edge Effect,” and Arnold Schoenberg’s response to turbulent times through words, music, and theater.
| SCHOENBERG |
Pierrot lunaire |
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT.
Livestream
Join us online—the performance will be streamed live on the Curtis YouTube channel beginning at 8 p.m. ET on February 24.
Watch and Listen
In December, the Curtis 20/21 Ensemble performed works by Chen Yi, the Chinese-American composer known for blending genres in her work. Each Curtis 20/21 performance this season explores a different facet of the “edge effect,” from composers’ historical influences to their reaction to the events of their time.
