Violinist, vocalist and composer Carla Kihlstedt dives into the multimedia song cycle, Black Inscription, a collaboration with drummer and composer/vocalist Matthias Bossi, and multi-instrumentalist/composer Jeremy Flower. Written with guidance from experts at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, this large-scale work was inspired by the ocean in general and specifically by the true-life tale of the free diver Natalia Molchanova, who descended into the ocean in 2015 and never resurfaced. Black Inscription is a mix of rock and classical song, brought to life by a seven-piece band fronted by three singers, with sound design and visual imagery.
The work is full of wonder at and outrage for the ocean and the changes it is undergoing due to climate change, overfishing, and pollution. The title comes from pioneering ecologist and writer Rachel Carson’s line where the water meets rock of of microplants, while “Black Inscription” as one of the songs in the cycle, specifically details how the free diver is transformed into the ocean. There are lyrics about coral spawns, dislocated aquatic creatures and the water cycle, as well as an entire song about the second life of a whale’s body after it has descended to the ocean floor, “Whale Fall.”
Kihlstedt and Bossi are also the husband-and-wife song-subscription duo of Rabbit Rabbit Radio, who, with their compatriot Jeremy Flower, have released a song per month since 2013, with a break for large-scale works like Black Inscription. Kihlstedt and Bossi also helped out on Jeremy Flower’s song cycle, “The Real Me.” New Sounds listeners may also recall Kihlstedt from the bands Tin Hat, Rabbit Rabbit, The Book of Knots, 2 Foot Yard, Causing a Tiger, and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. There's also another impressive song cycle, "At Night We Walk In Circles And Are Consumed By Fire," by Kihlstedt, composed for the International Contemporary Ensemble inspired by the language of dreams which was presented at the Ecstatic Music Festival in 2013.
Black Inscription is dedicated to the memory of Arnold Bossi and is part of the Prototype Festival 2018, with performances running through Jan. 20.
PROGRAM #4065 with Carla Kihlstedt (First Aired: 1/9/2017)
ARTIST: Tin Hat
WORK: little i[3:49]
RECORDING: the rain is a handsome animal
SOURCE: New Amsterdam Records
INFO: tinhat.bandcamp.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Blue Abyss [4:25]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Tether [4:06]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Black Inscription [3:37]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Refuge, excerpt [1:00]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Water Is My Blood [3:53]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Whale Fall [4:46]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Echo and Narcissus [4:31]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com
ARTIST: Rabbit Rabbit Radio (Kihlstedt/Bossi/Flowers)
WORK: Saline Dreams [5:08]
RECORDING: Black Inscription
SOURCE: RabbitRabbit Radio 004
INFO: http://www.rabbitrabbitradio.com