Lisa Moore & Sō Percussion: Martin Bresnick’s “Caprichos Enfáticos” on Cantaloupe
Francisco Goya’s famous series of prints Los Desastres de la Guerra (The Disasters of War) were created between 1810 and 1820, though not actually published until 35 years after Goya’s death, in 1863. There are 82 prints in all, each highly critical of both Spanish and French rulers during the conflicts between the two countries in the early 19th century, and they are shockingly graphic: realistic depictions of mutilated corpses in the aftermath of battle and the effects of famine, and gross mockeries of the ruling classes and the clergy. They are less high art and more a sort of proto-photojournalism.
Martin Bresnick’s Caprichos Enfáticos: Los Desastres de la Guerra, an 8-movement concerto for pianist Lisa Moore and Sō Percussion, begins with, of all things, a farandole/farándula––a popular, jaunty 6/8 chain dance. In live performance, Lisa Moore plays the opening line of the farandúla on xylophone, alone on stage. A percussionist enters behind her and seamlessly takes over the line, and Moore continues to the second line. A second percussionist enters, taking over the first line, and the first percussionist moves to the second line, and Moore moves to the next layer, etc. It’s torturous to try and describe the effect in words, especially since it’s been three years since I saw it live at the 2008 Canberra International Music Festival in Australia, but it really does look and feel like a musical chain dance. It’s also just really cool to watch Lisa Moore play toms.
