The Squid's Ear Magazine


Wong, Theresa: The Unlearning (Tzadik)

The duo of cellist and vocalist Theresa Wong with Carla Kihlstedt on violin and voice in fascinating experimental art songs inspired by the "Disasters of War" etchings by Francisco Goya.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Theresa Wong-cello, voice

Carla Kihlstedt-violin, voice


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UPC: 702397772521

Label: Tzadik
Catalog ID: TZA-CD-7725
Squidco Product Code: 15212

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2011
Country: USA
Packaging: Jewel Tray
Recorded Dennis Union Church, in Dennis, MA, in December 2010, by David Shuman.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Theresa Wong is a cellist, composer, vocalist and improviser based in San Francisco. Her first CD release The Unlearning is a collection of miniature songs for violin, cello and two voices inspired by the "Disasters of War" etchings by Francisco Goya. Composed in 2009 and recorded in duo with herself and violinist/vocalist extraordinaire Carla Kihlstedt, this is an intimate and unique work that brings all her remarkable skills as a vocalist, performer, composer and conceptualist together into this new and exciting project. Modern art songs in an experimental pop vein."-Tzadik


Artist Biographies

"Theresa Wong is a composer, cellist and vocalist active at the intersection of music, experimentation, improvisation and the synergy of multiple disciplines. Bridging sound, movement, theater and visual art, her primary interest lies in finding the potential for transformation for both the artist and receiver alike.

Her works include The Unlearning (Tzadik), 21 songs for violin, cello and 2 voices inspired by Goya's Disasters of War etchings, O Sleep, an improvised opera for an 8 piece ensemble exploring the conundrum of sleep and dream life and Venice Is A Fish, a collection of solo songs. Her commissioned works include pieces for Splinter Reeds, Vajra Voices, pianist Sarah Cahill and Del Sol string quartet. At the heart of her work is a desire to expand the sonic possibilities of materials and to explore their potential in many modes of performance.

She collaborates with many singular artists, including Fred Frith, Ellen Fullman, Luciano Chessa, Annie Lewandowski, Chris Brown, Frantz Loriot, John McCowen, Søren Kjærgaard, Carla Kihlstedt, conceptual artist Jonathon Keats and filmmaker Daria Martin. In 2018, Wong founded fo'c'sle, a record label dedicated to adventurous music from the Bay Area and beyond, featuring inaugural releases by Ellen Fullman with David Gamper and Stuart Dempster, Chris Brown, Powerdove and the Lijiang Quintet.

Wong has shared her work internationally at venues including Fondation Cartier in Paris, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Cafe Oto in London, Festival de Arte y Ópera Contemporánea in Morelia, Mexico and The Stone and Roulette in New York City. She is the recipient of grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, American Composers Forum, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and Meet The Composer. Wong is a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow and has also been an artist-in-residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts and Yaddo. She currently works and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area."

-Theresa Wong Website (https://www.theresawong.org/about)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Carla Kihlstedt (born 1971) is an American composer, violinist, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania and currently working from a home studio on Cape Cod.

She is a founding member of Tin Hat Trio (1997, renamed Tin Hat), Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, The Book of Knots, Causing a Tiger and Rabbit Rabbit. Other musical projects include 2 Foot Yard, Charming Hostess and Minamo (Carla Kihlstedt & Satoko Fujii). She is a recognized classical composer who has performed with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), has worked occasionally on projects with Tom Waits and Fred Frith, and recorded numerous albums as a guest or session musician. Kihlstedt has studied at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

In February 2012 she founded Rabbit Rabbit with her husband (and former Sleepytime Gorilla Museum drummer) Matthias Bossi. Rabbit Rabbit released their debut album, Rabbit Rabbit Radio - Vol. 1 in 2013. The band revolves around a song-a-month subscription website called Rabbit Rabbit Radio."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carla_Kihlstedt)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. With or Without Reason 1:48

2. Against the Common Good 0:57

3. Bury Them and Keep Quiet 4:43

4. Everything is Topsy-Turvy 0:20

5. Feline Pantomime 0:47

6. Farandula de Charlatanes 1:33

7. Strange Devotion! 2:14

8. Sad Presentiments of What Must Come to Pass 1:14

9. And This Too 1:49

10. It Serves You Right 0:54

11. Proud Monster! 3:53

12. This Always Happens 2:02

13. I Saw It 1:06

14. Las Camas de la Muerte 2:45

15. This Is Worse 1:03

16. Fantomima 0:56

17. When Truth 1:22

18. Folksong for the Landless 2:43

19. What Courage! 1:44

20. Candlehat 6:28

21. Nothing. We Shall See 2:41

Related Categories of Interest:

Tzadik

Rock and Related
Song Based Music
Stringed Instruments
NY Downtown & Metropolitan Jazz/Improv
Staff Picks & Recommended Items

Search for other titles on the label:
Tzadik.


Recommended & Related Releases:
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