Ted Moore's Gilgamesh & Enkidu for string quartet and SuperCollider will be performed by the Enkidu String Quartet on Thursday, Nov. 6 as part of Zeitgeist's 6th Annual New Music Cabaret. Ted explains how the work came to life and answers the question we've all been asking: what is SuperCollider?
Gilgamesh & Enkidu is about existential angst. It's about loss. It's about wanting to achieve something really, really badly, and failing—but it's also about how to overcome the sense of failure. It's about letting go. It's about finding wisdom in devastation and bouncing back to be a stronger person.
The idea for this project, Gilgamesh & Enkidu, came from a colleague of mine who was teaching a course on ancient history. He told me about the epic story and I was immediately drawn to it's existential themes. It's a literary narrative that mirrors many of the musical narratives I create through my work. My colleague thought it would make for a good opera, however, at the time I wasn't interesting in writing an opera, but instead wanted to add my voice to the string quartet tradition.
In addition to the common string quartet, this piece also uses SuperCollider. SuperCollider is not a physical object, but a programming language specially designed for working with audio (yeah, I wrote the music and a whole bunch of computer code too!). Each of the string players have a microphone, which SuperCollider and I use to record their sound, manipulate it in various ways, and then play it back through the four speakers surrounding the audience. Sounds whoosh by and spin around the audience, creating a truly immersive environment.
I'm really excited to have the Enkidu Quartet playing on the Cabaret. Although they didn't exist formally as a quartet before the project, this will be the fifth time that they have performed this work. It's been awesome to watch them develop the piece, adding their own expertise and taking ownership of the performance, which makes for a more epic experience.
You should come to Gilgamesh & Enkidu at Zeitgeist's Cabaret. Get your heart strings tugged and your ear drums rattled. It's gonna be epic.
--Ted Moore
Gilgamesh & Enkidu is about existential angst. It's about loss. It's about wanting to achieve something really, really badly, and failing—but it's also about how to overcome the sense of failure. It's about letting go. It's about finding wisdom in devastation and bouncing back to be a stronger person.
The idea for this project, Gilgamesh & Enkidu, came from a colleague of mine who was teaching a course on ancient history. He told me about the epic story and I was immediately drawn to it's existential themes. It's a literary narrative that mirrors many of the musical narratives I create through my work. My colleague thought it would make for a good opera, however, at the time I wasn't interesting in writing an opera, but instead wanted to add my voice to the string quartet tradition.
In addition to the common string quartet, this piece also uses SuperCollider. SuperCollider is not a physical object, but a programming language specially designed for working with audio (yeah, I wrote the music and a whole bunch of computer code too!). Each of the string players have a microphone, which SuperCollider and I use to record their sound, manipulate it in various ways, and then play it back through the four speakers surrounding the audience. Sounds whoosh by and spin around the audience, creating a truly immersive environment.
I'm really excited to have the Enkidu Quartet playing on the Cabaret. Although they didn't exist formally as a quartet before the project, this will be the fifth time that they have performed this work. It's been awesome to watch them develop the piece, adding their own expertise and taking ownership of the performance, which makes for a more epic experience.
You should come to Gilgamesh & Enkidu at Zeitgeist's Cabaret. Get your heart strings tugged and your ear drums rattled. It's gonna be epic.
--Ted Moore
Ted Moore's "Gilgamesh & Enkidu"
at Zeitgeist's 6th Annual New Music Cabaret
Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
(preceded by the Young Performer Showcase, followed by Zeitgeist and Nautilus Music Theater)
Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200
St. Paul
$10
Tickets and Festival Schedule
A four-day festival of new music from multiple genres, Zeitgeist’s 6th Annual New Music Cabaret highlights cutting-edge performances from the fringe of the Twin Cities music scene. An eclectic mix of the music of our time, this year’s cabaret includes performances by Zeitgeist, ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, Nautilus Music Theater, Steve Kenny Quartet, Ted Moore’s Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and more. Attend one or all shows for $10 per night.
Ted Moore's other upcoming performances:
if two things don't fit, but you believe both of them, thinking that somewhere, hidden, there must be a third thing that connects them (world premiere)
presented by Kyle Hutchins and Alyssa Anderson
Gamut Gallery, Mpls., Nov. 1, 7:30pm
Persephone (world premiere)
live music and dance
Cowles Center for Dance, Mpls., Dec. 4-6
at Zeitgeist's 6th Annual New Music Cabaret
Thursday, Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m.
(preceded by the Young Performer Showcase, followed by Zeitgeist and Nautilus Music Theater)
Studio Z, 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200
St. Paul
$10
Tickets and Festival Schedule
A four-day festival of new music from multiple genres, Zeitgeist’s 6th Annual New Music Cabaret highlights cutting-edge performances from the fringe of the Twin Cities music scene. An eclectic mix of the music of our time, this year’s cabaret includes performances by Zeitgeist, ANCIA Saxophone Quartet, Nautilus Music Theater, Steve Kenny Quartet, Ted Moore’s Gilgamesh and Enkidu, and more. Attend one or all shows for $10 per night.
Ted Moore's other upcoming performances:
if two things don't fit, but you believe both of them, thinking that somewhere, hidden, there must be a third thing that connects them (world premiere)
presented by Kyle Hutchins and Alyssa Anderson
Gamut Gallery, Mpls., Nov. 1, 7:30pm
Persephone (world premiere)
live music and dance
Cowles Center for Dance, Mpls., Dec. 4-6
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