An elaborate multi-vocal and instrumental piece that combines the story of the famous eighteenth century castrate Carlo Broschi Farinelli, who was commissioned by King Philip V of Spain to sing the same four songs every night, and the ancient cautionary tale of the emperor and the nightengale. In Eckert's story the two come together in the figure of Carlo, a manic-depressive recluse listening through the walls of his room to the lives unfolding on the other sides. Carlo is in possession of an antique mechanical bird that he winds obsessively every night in the belief that the world is put into motion anew every morning by the working of this elaborate music box. With original music by Eckert, performed by Eckert with Jim Kassis, Will Bernard and Clark Suprynowicz. The work was produced by Lee Townsend, Berkeley, CA. Commissioned by NEW AMERICAN RADIO
More Rinde EckertBiographyRINDE ECKERT (Nyack, New York) is a singer, writer, composer, actor, and director known internationally for the remarkable flexibility and inventiveness of his singing voice. His solo pieces and collaborations with other composers, dancers, and musicians have been performed throughout North America and abroad. Long celebrated for his performances in multi-media with the Paul Dresher Ensemble and the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, his more recent work as a solo artist had also attracted considerable attention. John Rockwell, critic for the New York Times has described Eckert as "the most exciting performance artist this writer has encountered since the early days of Laurie Anderson."
Other Radio WorksCold War Diary (1990)A thought-travelogue. Somewhere in Europe a woman stands at her hotel window. She looks out over a public square, contemplates the monuments, writes mental postcards, and more importantly, asks about a person apparently missing. An intriguing blend of new music/audio art and performance. Commissioned by NEW AMERICAN RADIO.
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