Extra-Musical Collaborations
The Quartet’s extra-musical collaborations have drawn attention in recent months. Presented at universities in the East and Midwest, Lyric in Time of War combines the music of Bach, Shostakovich, Bartók, Sirota, Beethoven, and Barber with readings by Tom Sleigh and Phil Klay. Sleigh, a distinguished poet, dramatist and essayist whose honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and an Arts and Letters Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, directs Hunter College’s MFA program in creative writing. He reads from his recent collection Station Zed. Klay, a former Marine officer who served a 13-month tour in Iraq, reads from his first published collection, Redeployment, which won the National Book Award and the National Book Critics’ Circle Leonard Award, among others. Another presentation reaching audiences whose appetites comprise both music and literature is Suite on The Enchantress of Florence, based on Salman Rushdie’s novel. This program includes Rushdie reading from that and from earlier works (such as The Ground Beneath Her Feet) interspersed with the suite composed by Paul Cantelon for this event, as well as the author’s favorites from the standard quartet canon. In each of these offerings, the readings and music reflect each other’s depth and power, leaving audiences with senses enhanced by both essential languages.