Figmentum No. 6: Barely
Constraints. Rules. Paradigms. These are often seen as the enemy of creativity. After all, what is a piece of music, a short story, an oil painting, but an outpouring of unrestrained expression? Too many choices, however, and we freeze, unable to pick one thing, one path, one idea through which we might channel our artistic impulses. Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes, and limitation often begs the more important questions of “What if?” and “How?” San Diego new music collective Figmentum ponders these questions with its opening concert of 2019-2020 in “Barely,” a performance of chamber works seeking answers in a single phrase, stripping away layers to find the beauty that underlies chaos, and the chaos that sits just beneath beauty. Works featured include excerpts from Eliza Brown’s “Barely” cycle for flute, clarinet and piano; Missy Mazzoli’s “Magic With Everyday Objects”; Sarah Kirkland Snyder’s “Pale as Centuries”; and a world-premiere of Kyle Rowan’s “A Brief Illumination.” More information about Figmentum can be found at http://www.figmentummusic.com