Michiko Hirayama Sings Scelsi: Canti Del Capricorno April 2, 2010

West Coast premiere

The legendary soprano Michiki Hirayama makes her Los Angeles debut with a spell-binding performance of Giancinto Scelsi’s Canti del Caprcorno – a riveting 20-song cycle written exclusively for her. Now in her 80’s, Hirayama is one of the last remaining collaborators of the Italian poet and composer whose works are rarely heard in the U.S. The songs of Canti del Capricorno obsessively focus on a single note or group of pitches, occasionally interrupted by ruckus percussion, bass or a squealing saxophone. Hirayama’s singing delivers a ghostly stream of strange vocalizations – with microtonal pitch variations, glissandi and captivating breath controls. She is joined by Amy Knoles and Lydia Martin (percussion), Aniela Perry (double bass) and Ulrich Krieger (saxophone).