Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21
A Performance with Video Accompaniment, hosted by David Smyth
Sunday, March 30, at 3 p.m. | School of Music Recital Hall

Join the LSU School of Art and the School of Music on Sunday, March 30, 2014, at 3 p.m. for a multimedia experience and live performance of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21. The School of Art and School of Music collaborated on this interdisciplinary project to develop creative works based on the melodrama Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21—a setting of 21 selected poems from Otto Erich Hartleben’s German translation of Albert Giraud’s cycle of French poems of the same name. School of Art students developed graphic representations of the melodrama in the form of multimedia, which will be projected during the live chamber ensemble performed by School of Music students.

Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire: Thrice Seven Melodramas was composed and premiered in 1912. Igor Stravinsky—no fan of fellow composer Schoenberg in general—nonetheless praised it as “the solar plexus” of modern music. The fantastical poems, which are declaimed in a heightened style of speech-song, are supported by a chamber ensemble that continually recombines its rich instrumental resources. Every part is virtuosic.

The performance will be accompanied by a series of videos and introductory remarks by David Smyth, professor of music theory, about the creation, the reception, and the interpretation of this monument of modernism. Come share this multi-media collaboration.

Contributors from the LSU School of Music include Raul Gomez, conductor and an LSU School of Music alumnus; David Smyth, host and lecturer and professor of music theory; Patricia O’Neill, reciter and retired LSU voice professor; Rachel Ciraldo, flute, piccolo, guest artist; Deborah Chodacki, clarinet, bass clarinet, assistant professor of clarinet; Espen Lilleslatten, violin, viola, associate professor of violin; and professors Dennis Parker, cello, and Michael Gurt, piano.

LSU School of Art faculty involved in the project include Derick Ostrenko, assistant professor of digital art; Kristine Thompson, assistant professor of photography; and Richard Doubleday, assistant professor of graphic design.

LSU School of Art graduate students Ghazal Naghshbandi, Ki Ho Park, Kimberly Jones, and Jeremy Grassman and undergraduate students Kelly Kral, Matty Williams, and Hunter Esmon, also contributed to the project.

Come share in this multi-media collaboration on March 30 at 3 p.m. in the School of Music Recital Hall, located at the corner of Dalrymple Drive and Infirmary Road. Tickets are $10 general admission, $5 for LSU faculty, staff, students, and seniors.

About LSU School of Art
The LSU School of Art combines the best of both worlds: the resources and faculty of a large liberal arts institution and the personal attention that comes in a close-knit community. Students in the School of Art develop specialized skills while experimenting with various mediums, exploring their own creative intuition, and studying art history and contemporary art theory. Education comes from intensive critiques, working studio classes, dedicated professors, and engagement with the larger arts community through a curriculum that combines academic teaching and hands-on experiences, both on and off campus. For more information, visit art.lsu.edu.

About the School of Music
Among the most comprehensive programs in the country, the LSU School of Music offers students boundless opportunities for creative expression and performance. Students can explore a range of music genres from classical jazz, choral ensembles, and opera to Tiger Marching Band, innovative experimental music, and digital media. The school offers degrees at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels. Visit music.lsu.edu to learn more.