Final Concert: Child of Tree

Saturday, March 18, 2023
8:00 PM

George and Joyce Wein Jazz and Heritage Center
1225 N. Rampart Street
Faubourg Tremé

 

Concert Description

Taking inspiration from Child of Tree, John Cage’s radical piece for amplified cactus and other plant materials, Birdfoot’s final concert asks how we can better understand our entwined relationship with the natural world through our ears, and how music might inspire new ways of listening and rekindling our sense of connection with the non-human beings we share the planet with.

John Cage was deeply moved by the beauty of nature and much of his “music”, provokes us to consider all “sounds heard” as music. Beethoven was similarly influenced by time spent outdoors and his “Pastoral” Symphony no. 6—performed here in a rarely heard sextet arrangement—captures an emotional relationship with the outdoors that is filled with rhythmic gratitude for nature as a symbol of hope, rejuvenation, and spiritual renewal.

Sprouting from between the movements of Beethoven’s symphony are works by composers Juri Seo (Lost Songs), Christopher Fox (Reeling), and James May (Anthrophony), that challenge us to consider our human role in this complex relationship—the joy of interconnection, as well as the responsibility.