Morton Feldman: Three Voices Charlotte Mundy, voice
Feldman’s “Three Voices” was written for the experimental vocalist and composer Joan LaBarbara in 1982. The original concept involved the live performer singing along with two pre-recorded parts projected through on-stage amplifiers, creating an effect of three individual “voices”, all with the same origin (Ms. LaBarbara). Three Voices is indeed a challenging and ground-breaking work, and has very rarely been performed live with three singers due to its nearly impossible demands on the human voice and psyche – impeccable rhythmic concentration, shrewd attention to tuning, and the ability to sound as one voice in three parts. The text is based on Frank O’Hara’s poem, Wind, and shapes, twists, and morphs short phrases from the poem into an hour-long musical experience.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Canadian soprano Charlotte Mundy has been dubbed a “daredevil with an unbreakable spine” (SF Classical Voice), and “mesmerizing” (New York Times). As a founding member of TAK ensemble, “one of the most prominent ensembles in the United States practicing truly experimental music” (I Care If You Listen), Mundy has performed at Lincoln Center and the Library of Congress, premiering works by Tyshawn Sorey, Erin Gee, Eric Wubbels, Brandon Lopez, and Natacha Diels. Mundy is also a core member of Ekmeles, described as “beyond expert – almost frightening in their precision” by Fanfare magazine and recent recipients of the Ernst von Siemens Ensemble Prize.
Mundy’s recent projects as a soloist include site-specific opera Newtown Odyssey by Kurt Rohde and Marie Lorenz; premieres of concert works by Alyssa Regent and Aida Shirazi, and the debut of a new collaborative multimedia project with Christian Quiñones. Past performances include critically acclaimed renditions of Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, Boulez’s Le Marteau sans Maître, Feldman’s Three Voices, George Benjamin’s Into the Little Hill, Iannis Xenakis’ Akanthos, and a set of music for voice and electronics presented by New York Festival of Song, described as “an oasis of radiant beauty” by the New York Times.