Rendering 14

   The article named All Around, a Tapestry of Sound was published on the site http://www.nytimes.com on the May 17, 2013. The author of the story is Steve Smith.

   The author begins his article with the utterance of the prominent Swiss-Austrian composer Beat Furrer. He continues to speak about “Fama,” his 2005 music-theater piece presented in its United States premiere by the Talea Ensemble and the vocal group Ekmeles at the Bohemian National Hall on Thursday, invokes Ovid’s depiction of a house built “entirely of sounding ore” by Fama, the Greco-Roman goddess of Rumor. “Resonating ubiquitously it hurls back in imitation what it hears with overwhelming sensuality,” Mr. Furrer was quoted as having described the structure in the program notes.

   The author admits the influence if the audience, so as conceived, performances of “Fama” involved an audience bunkered inside a specially constructed box with varying acoustic properties, around which the musicians would perform. This account lacked that resource, but the ensembles and presenters — theAustrian Cultural Forum and the Czech Center — took pains to convey what Mr. Furrer had in mind. Elevators were shut down and restrooms locked for the work’s 70-minute duration. Some performers wandered to balconies overhead; others mustered behind the audience.

    The author accentuates that Even without sets, props or magic aural box, “Fama” amounted to intensely potent theater, at times taking on positively hallucinatory effect as you strained to discern what instrument might conceivably be producing this unfamiliar sound or that oblique effect. A listener familiar with the watershed vocal and theatrical works of Berio and Ligeti had no trouble understanding where Mr. Furrer’s vocabulary came from; still, the way he deployed his devices felt fresh in its impact and precise in its expressive results. The Talea players, conducted by James Baker, performed with their customary exactness and commitment, handily conveying Mr. Furrer’s whispers, moans and explosive outbursts. Tara Helen O’Connor, well known as a prodigious flutist, showed an enviable prowess on the prominently deployed contrabass flute, an instrument resembling a subway pole with keys and an angled head joint.

   In conclusion the author tells about his thoughts the eight Ekmeles vocalists were an ideal match, singing with flawless pitch and precise ensemble even when dispersed. Bo Chang, a singer and actress, was powerful and poignant in her featured role. Along with Mr. Furrer, who was present for the performance, all were recalled repeatedly for long, loud and insistent ovations.