Aural interpretations of day and night comprised Present Music’s Equinox concert on March 20. Robert Honstein’s Night Scenes from the Ospedale provided the eerie, haunting sounds of an otherwise silent night, complete with creaking floors and things that go bump in the night. These three movements were interspersed with the sunny activity of day—via L’Estro Armonico by Antonio Vivaldi. PM conductor Kevin Stalheim added two more movements (pieces by György Ligeti and Sofia Gubaidulina) to this suite that blended seamlessly into the whole.
The shorter second half of the concert continued with the day-night theme: Music in Circles, the vibraphone-infused The Light That Fills The World and the pulsatingly rhythmic Clearing, Dawn, Dance. Throughout the concert, gradually shifting lighting effects added considerably to the desired effect. The concert concluded with an unbilled—and charming—rendition of The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun.”
