Boulder – Blurring the known and unknown, past and present, real and imagined, the Kronos Quartet and Ars Nova Singers transported 1,250 people to another world Tuesday evening.
It was all part of the Colorado Music Festival’s sold-out regional premiere of “Sun Rings” (2002), an all-encompassing sight and sound experience in Chautauqua Auditorium that was at once haunting, uplifting and awe-inspiring.
The performance, part of the EcoArts festival continuing through Sunday, could stand as the apex of Colorado’s summer classical season, and it was undoubtedly a milestone in Colorado Music Festival history.
At the heart of the 90-minute work is a composition by Terry Riley that emerges from the minimalist idiom he pioneered. It is divided into 10 distinct sections, ranging from the highly rhythmic and emphatic to the placid and ethereal.
Highlights included “The Electron Cyclotron Frequency Parlour,” when the quartet cycled from harmonious union to a whirl of cacophonous slides, and “Prayer Central,” with an intricate choral part that ends with a subtle wash of seemingly random chatter.
Though it was the first time the Boulder-based choral ensemble and internationally touring quartet have performed together, their pairing seemed effortless and natural. Their performance was intense, focused and appropriately transporting.
In this extraordinarily complex work, the musicians on stage must precisely synchronize their playing and singing with a soundtrack designed by Mark Grey.
Although it contains some recorded music, the track is dominated by the sounds of space – an amazing array of chirps and roars, buzzing and whirring – that were collected in past decades during the Voyager missions and other expeditions.
Rounding out the experience is an expertly choreographed visual track designed by Willie Williams, who has worked with U2 and R.E.M. Different for each section, it incorporates imagery ranging from scientific diagrams to eye-popping views of the planets and stars.
Exploding traditional notions of classical music, “Sun Rings” offers an exciting new vision of where this musical genre could be headed in the 21st century.
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
