Two genre-defying artists come together for a phenomenal evening of electrifying sound. Sonic Youth co-founder and revered guitarist Lee Ranaldo presents the Australian premiere of his new work Hurricane Transcriptions (Last Night on Earth), a piece composed in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, which blew through New York in 2012. Sydney’s acclaimed classical innovators Ensemble Offspring grow to 21-strong to join Ranaldo, delivering an atmospheric soundtrack to the storm as it batters the city with howling winds and torrential rain.

Man of many guises and patron of the bizarre, Mike Patton tackles Luciano Berio’s 1965 composition Laborintus II, a montage of spoken word, instrumentation and electronics. Written to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the birth of Italian poet Dante Alighieri, this uncompromising piece incorporates avant garde jazz, eerie arrangements and chaotic noise. Patton, last at Sydney Festival with Mondo Cane, is joined by Ensemble Offspring and The Song Company to present this remarkable work.

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“The Ensemble Offspring orchestra excelled, especially in the quickfire transition to a demented big band uproar…The interplay between the words of Dante, Sanguineti, Eliot, Pound and the Bible—as sound—with the acoustic instrumentation and electronic score was exhilarating and, in the end, gently seductive…this moody, sometimes quite disturbing work made its mark in what was a standout festival concert.” Full review here

RealTime

“The Ensemble Offspring performers are a talented bunch … and clearly enjoyed the piece they played so expertly”. Full review here

The Guardian