MENDELSSOHN

This piece was written during the tempestuous throws of grief composer Felix Mendelssohn endured after the sudden death of his close sister Fanny Mendelssohn. The group was interested in foregrounding the theme of grief in their presentation of the piece. Through multiple rounds of brainstorming and prototyping, motifs of thunderstorms and shades of blue emerged as salient representations of the theme for the group.

Beyond simply visually eliciting grief, however, the group was curious about how they might create an experience for audiences. What if we showed images that elicited collective memories of grief? Hmm, maybe, but how might we channel the complexity of both grief and love that comes from losing a sister? What if we invite audience members to remember someone they love and are grieving? Ooh yes, and what if the audience creates a physical artifact in tribute to these loved ones?

That was it! Before they began playing, one of the musicians spoke a bit about Mendelssohn and his grief over his beloved sister. She then invited everyone to use a slip of paper found in their program to write the name of a loved one they wanted to remember and honor and come post the name on a board that sat behind the musicians while they played.

The music and the visuals were beautiful, but those few quiet moments before the playing created a memorable experience for the musicians and audience alike.