Grammy-nominated clarinetist DAVID KRAKAUER and SAMA-nominated pianist KATHLEEN TAGG will give one Cape Town performance of their latest genrebending project, “Breath & Hammer” at Youngblood Arts.
This following two shows at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. The show premiered at the FERUS Festival in New York in January 2016, and upcoming shows include North American residencies and performances at Brown University and the University of Illinois, Vancouver Great Performers series, John Zorn’s renowned New York club, The Stone, and performances for six thousand school children at the Kaufman Concert Hall and sixty thousand online viewers as part of the 92nd St Y’s First Exposure series.
ABOUT “BREATH & HAMMER”
“Breath & Hammer” features clarinetist David Krakauer and pianist Kathleen Tagg, who share a constant quest to redefine the sounds and roles of their instruments.
This project pushes far outside the boundaries of the traditional clarinet and piano recital by including extended techniques, loops and samples in a program ranging from Azmeh to Zorn, and compositions by the duo and a host of performer-composers from around the globe. The show includes video projections by Los Angeles video designer Jesse Gilbert.
David Krakauer & Kathleen Tagg “Breath and Hammer”
Widely considered one of the greatest clarinetists on the planet, Grammy-nominated artist David Krakauer has been praised internationally as a key innovator in modern klezmer as well as a major voice in classical music.
South African-born pianist, composer and producer Kathleen Tagg has performed on four continents in leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, had her original music performed in venues such as New York’s Lincoln Center, appeared on a host of classical, world music and multi-genre recordings and produced numerous CDs and inter-disciplinary programs from South Africa to Los Angeles.
“Breath & Hammer” is made up of Krakauer & Tagg’s arrangements of “simple songs” by composers as diverse as New York-based visionary John Zorn, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, Cuban percussionist Roberto Rodriguez, as well as original compositions by Krakauer and Tagg. These diverse and seemingly disparate musical influences
intermingle, transformed into something entirely new, a hybrid art form that bridges the cultures of the past and new work that looks towards the future.
Don’t miss!
WHAT: BREATH & HAMMER, A MULTI-MEDIA CONCERT
WHEN: Thursday, JULY 14th @ 7:30pm
WHERE: YOUNGBLOOD ARTS & CULTURE DEVELOPMENT Bree St, Cape Town 8001
BOOKING ESSENTIAL: Email | 021- 424 0074
TICKETS: R150
MORE INFO: visit | Email
Photo Credit: Jill Steinberg
BIOS:
Grammy-nominated clarinetist DAVID KRAKAUER redefines the notion of a concert
artist. He occupies the unique position of being one of the world’s leading exponents of
Jewish klezmer music, and at the same time is a major voice in classical music. He has
appeared with the Tokyo, Kronos, and Emerson quartets, plus as soloist with the
Dresden, Seattle, New Jersey and Detroit symphony orchestras, among many others.
Consistently defying categorization, as well as leading his own band, “Ancestral
Groove”, Krakauer has enjoyed major ongoing artistic collaborations with a
tremendously diverse group of performers and composers including Dawn Upshaw,
Itzhak Perlman, John Zorn, Fred Wesley, A Far Cry, Music from Marlboro, Abraham
Inc, Osvaldo Golijov, the Klezmatics, John Cage, Danny Elfman, and Socalled. His
discography includes major recordings with most of the above named artists plus seven
groundbreaking CDs under his own name.
South African-born pianist, composer and producer KATHLEEN TAGG, praised for
her combining of “outstanding technique with deep musicality”, has been based in New
York since 2001. She has performed on four continents in leading venues such as
Carnegie Hall, had her original music performed in venues such as New York’s Lincoln
Center and appeared on a host of classical, world music and multi-genre recordings.
Her work has been released on record labels NAXOS, Table Pounding Records, Ossia
Records and Gallo Africa. A 2014 South African Music Awards nominee for best
classical/instrumental album, she has performed in recital with some of the world’s
leading musicians, and the remarkable breadth of her collaborations defines her multifaceted
career. A 2014-15 fellow of the Dramatist Guild of America and 2016-17 Con
Edison Exploring the Metropolis New York City Composer in Residence, her work has
been heard on film and television.
