Meredith Monk: Panda Chant II

  
B&H is proud to publish the music of ground-breaking American composer Meredith Monk.



Monk has created her own highly individual genre of musical expression, and is celebrated for her pioneering exploration of the voice and composition of wordless songs.

This work for mixed chorus, taken from her award-winning science fiction opera The Games, make her unique music available in print for the first time. Set on an imaginary planet, The Games takes place in a post-nuclear future where survivors and their descendants are involved in the repetition of ritual games re-enacting Earth’s culture in order to preserve the shards of civilization. Coming at the middle of the opera, "Panda Chant" is an energetic ritual performed by the whole community as preparation for the third game, Memory. Performance of this piece involves coordinating the vocal material with rhythmic stamps and claps. For some of the performers, this means working with tow different rhythmic cycles at once. A companion CD is available for purchase (M051520800) with recordings of this piece and another from The Games, Astronaut Anthem. A video of the performance is also in preparation (M051520817) to aid in learning the hand and foot movements.

Duration: 1 ½ minutes


















A companion CD includes full performances of both works and a commentary by the composer.