Force of Light is a series of songs (and a new Tzadik release) inspired by the Romanian-Jewish Holocaust poet, Paul Celan, one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Celan, a visionary who remade and reshaped the German language to try and encompass his suffering, was born in 1920 into a Jewish family in Czernowitz. His parents were killed in a concentration camp in Ukraine, and he spent nearly two years in a series of labor camps. In 1970 he committed suicide. These songs, written by Dan Kaufman, interweave Celan’s words with instrumental music performed by Brooklyn’s avant-cabaret pioneers, Barbez. This evening celebrates the release of Force of Light and will feature the following musicians: Pamelia Kurstin on theremin, Danny Tunick on vibes and marimba, Dan Kaufman on guitar and lap steel, Peter Hess on clarinet, Peter Lettre on guitar, Andrew Jones on bass, and John Bollinger on drums. There will also be a few special guests, including noted Scottish theatre director and language poet Fiona Templeton, who will be reading Celan’s words.
“The language remained, not lost, yes in spite of everything. But it had to pass through its own answerlessness, pass through frightful muting, pass through the thousand darknesses of death bringing speech. It passed through and gave back no words for that which happened: yet it passed through this happening. Passed through and could come to light again.”
– Paul Celan
Barbez is a Brooklyn-based ensemble working at the cross-section of experimental rock and Eastern European folk. The band was formed in 1997 and has toured widely across the United States and Europe. The group includes the following members: founder Dan Kaufman (guitar) who also plays with Rebecca Moore and Prevention of Blindness; Pamelia Kurstin (theremin) who has performed and recorded widely, including with John Zorn, David Byrne, and Jim Thirwell. Pamelia also appears in the documentary Moog, giving a theremin lesson to electronics pioneer Bob Moog; Danny Tunick(marimba and vibraphone) a classically trained percussionist who has performed with the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Elliott Sharp, and the SEM ensemble; Peter Hess (clarinet) who plays with a variety of groups including the new classical troupe Anti-Social Music and the Slavic-inspired Balkan Beat Box; Peter Lettre (guitar and bass) a musician and actor; Andrew Jones (bass), and John Bollinger(drums).
The group has also collaborated with several dance and theatre pieces including One, a dance choreographed by Juliette Mapp presented at Danspace at St. Mark’s church and the experimental serial play Change in a Void Moon by MacArthur-winning theatre director John Jesurun.