Tag Archives: Caroline Shaw

The meditative sound glows like the globe. Flowing melodies in the upper and middle voices cruise atop droning tones in the lower, like satellites passing high above the surface of the Earth.

As the solo violin laments the destruction of homes and neighborhoods, the orchestra contextualizes that lone voice into a chorus of community. Terrible circumstances can indeed inspire work of aesthetic beauty.

Klezmer music inspired a dazzling three-movement work by Noah Bendix-Balgley, who takes the tradition to new ground. The program also included dances famously reimagined by Bartók and Brahms.

With a sound that mixed plangency and purity, and an almost palpable fearlessness, the Fourth Wall Ensemble did this wonderful music justice.