Credit: Pitchfork.com
Pitchfork is reporting that indie legend Sufjan Stevens is the inspiration for a new piece being put together by the NYC ballet. Pitchfork has this to say about the work, titled Year of the Rabbit:
“Year of the Rabbit” is an expansion of Peck’s 2010 collaboration with Stevens, titled “Tales of a Chinese Zodiac”, which was created for the New York Choreographic Institute. For the ballet, Stevens contributes newly orchestrated arrangements of 2009′s Run Rabbit Run, which reimagined his 2001 electronic albumEnjoy Your Rabbit as orchestral works performed by the Brooklyn quartet Osso. The new arrangements were put together collaboratively by Stevens, Peck, and Michael Atkinson, who also contributed to Run Rabbit Run.
I AM TUNED UP thinks this is a significant event, such that it signals the continued intermingling of genres and music across stereotypical boundaries. You’ve heard of “rock operas,” how about “indie ballets?” The preview for the piece alone I find compelling and therapeutic. The same ought to be true for the full performance. I appreciate that this event isn’t being overindulged. The idea of merging indie sensibility with classical roots ought to be seamless, but still appeals to a very specific, narrow audience. The sporadic performances ought to create a “less is more” vibe while doing its part to ease the concept into cultural consciousness. And, what better place for this to occur than New York City? Watch the trailer, originally posted on Pitchfork, below:
