solstice concert

I finally made it to the Paul Winter Solstice Concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. The show was a bit upstaged by the installation of the giant Phoenix by Xu Bing.

“If they faced toward the church,” referring to the altar, Mr. Xu explained, “it would have seemed too religious.”

Feng

Huang lit up by the light of dawn

Other photos from the concert:

sunrise ceremony with gong

spiral tree of sound

The dance number “Amazing” was amazing and energetic. My heart was pounding. The cello performance of “Song of the Birds” was also incredible. There were brief moments of extreme beauty – solo soprano saxophone, the enactment of a thunderstorm, and the rising of the sun gong. Other than that the concert affected me as being overly spectacular. I found myself wishing for a more intimate, indigenously crafted solstice ceremony. And the giant presence of the Phoenix definitely diverted me from the performance.