Sleeping Giant's greatest strength is its differences: they are six Brooklyn-based composers (Andrew Norman, Robert Honstein, Ted Hearne, Jacob Cooper, Christopher Cerrone, Timo Andres) joined not by a common aesthetic vision, but by friendship and respect for each other's distinct creative voices. These “talented guys” (The New Yorker), who are “rapidly gaining notice for their daring innovations, stylistic range and acute attention to instrumental nuance” (WQXR) have appeared in clubs and concert halls throughout the US and Europe, notably at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Wigmore Hall, and the Concertgebouw. Their music has been performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Foundation, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, New York City Opera, the JACK Quartet, and the Calder Quartet.
The mission of Deviant Septet is to fulfill the vision Igor Stravinsky had for his L’histoire du Soldat ensemble. Stravinsky, so enamored by the unusual combination of instruments, thought that others would follow his lead, and that this combination of musicians would travel the world playing the music of many composers. While Stravinsky’s contemporaries were seemingly not up to the task, it is the goal of Deviant Septet to bring this idea to life. Deviant Septet has been hailed as a “stylish new ensemble” (New York Magazine), “exceedingly fun” and “led by new music veterans” (Time Out New York), “lively and accomplished” (Classical TV: The Drift) and “boisterously entertaining” (Lucid Culture). WNYC called it “a brand new ensemble with a high concept… made up of top classical and avant garde musicians”, and ran a feature on its premiere concert in May 2011.
Histories is a new collaborative evening-length work by Sleeping Giant, a companion piece to L'Histoire du Soldat that examines and contrasts our personal histories with Stravinsky's seminal 1924 work.