Check out the trailer for “Invocation,” a piano & projected poetry performance (say that ten times fast) I created in collaboration with Franz Liszt and concert pianist Daniel Finnamore. It premiered on January 17th to an amazed audience at Oakland Technical High School, invoking a new century at a centennial celebration. (Read more about it here.)
[youtube https://youtu.be/MdvLwYRxxPc]
The poem is projected live on the curtain behind the piano, in time with the musical phrasing, and interprets the emotion of the music lyrically. In the music, I hear human voices calling to the Gods, (as humans do when invoking), for a blessing on our children… but the Gods are a little stand-offish, and we wonder why. The arc of the story is a reckoning with our best intentions, which have destroyed nature and broken the weather. Where to go from there? An epiphany: God needs our help! And then an upward climb to hope for the next generation… which will only come from education, cooperation, and the divine spark of inspiration.
Curiously, this is a poem written to a piece of music inspired by a poem. My sincerest gratitude and apologies to Alphonse LaMartine! Learn more in Daniel’s introduction.
Please forward this to anyone you know who might be looking for a powerful artistic presentation for their church, concert series, special event, or conference. Thank you!
