The Big Rip

Pitt composer Mat Rosenblum just returned from Leipzig where his new piece, "The Big Rip (A Science Fiction Cantata)" was performed by the Calmus Ensemble (a vocal group) and the Rascher Saxophone Quartet at the Gewandhaus. That's the amazing historical hall that once heard Felix M conduct JS Bach. Rosenblum says the mayor of Leipzig was there with about 900 audience members.

The photo at left is actually of the earlier premiere of the work at Hameln, Germany, on September 10.

Here is his description of the piece. I love the last sentence:

"The Big Rip (A Science Fiction Cantata)"
saxophone quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone), and vocal ensemble (soprano, countertenor, tenor, baritone and bass)

The Big Rip uses the basic theme of “Night,” the theme of the 2009 Niedersächsische Musiktage, as its core idea. Instead of night as we experience it at the end of each day, I decided to use the concept of “Dark Energy,” the theory of the expansion of the universe that will ultimately rip our galaxy completely apart, the “ultimate night,” as the metaphorical starting point.  Texts are excerpted from Paul Celan’s poem “Engführung,” a science book called The Runaway Universe by Don Goldsmith, a science fiction short story entitled “Last Contact” by Stephen Baxter, Isaiah chapter 51 verse 6, and an internet chat room conversation about the 2009 global economic situation [!].