This breathtaking double-bill, part of 92Y’s Inflection series, comprises works from two of contemporary music’s leading figures performed by some of its brightest stars.
First, George Benjamin’s “brilliantly original” (The Daily Telegraph) chamber opera Into the Little Hill, a contemporary retelling of the myth of the Pied Piper. Martin Crimp’s libretto gives chilling and immediate relevance to the nature of groupthink, supposition, and the power of suggestion. Toshio Hosokawa’s Futari Shizuka is inspired by the delicate movements of Noh theatre, telling the story of a young girl possessed by the spirit of the Lady Shizuka, one of Japanese literature’s most famous characters. This ravishing work, despairing of wars and the disputes of humankind, will be performed by the singers for which it was written: noted soprano Kerstin Avemo, and Noh actress and singer Ryoko Aoki.
James Baker, conductor
Kerstin Avemo, soprano
Ryoko Aoki, Noh actress
Charlotte Mundy, soprano
Lucy Dhegrae, mezzo-soprano