The music of Bernard Herrmann is a shared piece of aural conciousness. His compositions influence such movies as Psycho, Citizen Kane and Taxi Driver with a sense a sense of grace, mystery, even terror. �First and formost a composer, his sense of drama was learned from master composers of his day, including Percy Grainger, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copeland. �Shelley Hirsch selected pieces of more obscure Herrmann soundtracks for her improvisations, including pieces from Farenheit 451, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. �As she explained, she intently listened to each track in preparation for the performance, developing a series of associations with each piece. �These she unleashed over a succession of these recordings as sequenced via compact disc playback.

To call Hirsch incomparable threatens hyperbole, yet is an accurate description of the unique nature of her work. �With grand, sweeping gestures, Hirsch unfolded a series of stories, fragments, literal or fantastic bits that brought to life the drama of the movies and the affect they had on her. �Her words and free associations, spoken and sung, twisted the image of the various movies, sometimes in strict reference, sometimes in montages. �Ever in control, she included self-aware context as she laughed at her own use of a microphone with reverb that she often uses for effect, or picking up on a listener's dropped bottle, transforming that accident into a dramatic connection within her narrative. �In her presence and gestures she represented the glamour and style of the torch singer, while frequently shifting into the guise of the movie narrator. �Her stories were touching, enveloping, amusing and strange.

The second half of the show was a duo with electronic improviser Aki Onda. �As chance would have it, Onda is Hirsch's downstairs neighbor, which her improvisations brought to light. �Onda has a distinctive and unusual approach, using a portable cassette player hooked into a series of procesing boxes and foot pedals. �He uses the cue button on the cassette in a vocal manner, squelching sounds that are trapped floating in his electronics. �Apparently he can also sample the live action, reworking Hirsch's voice. �The results are an extremely flexible �and responsive method of sound generation with a surprisingly broad pallette. �Hirsch spun tales of their neighbors, cooing and slipping sounds in a duet that is difficult to describe, but fascinating to experience.