A review of Olga Neuwirth, Lost Highway Suite

Lost Highway Suite is a composition that is performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and it was held on the 5^th floor of EMPAC, October 13, 2018, at the 8pm. According to the info page, this composition was created by Olga Neuwirth and was inspired by the film also called Lost Highway directed by the David Lynch. The whole show consists of six soloists that are the saxophone, clarinet, trombone, guitar, accordion, and keyboards, also the performance utilized 64-loudspeakers in the concert hall to give the audience a better chance to connect with the music.

As a person who barely listens or watch the concert in live before, I think the performance shocked me as it began to play. Unlike the other concerts I listened from the Internet, Lost Highway Suite gave me a horrifying feeling rather than the grandiose sense. I have never seen the related opera and movie before, but the composition put me in a nightmare and made me anxious. At that time, the question “Why this performance can give the audience such feelings?” came to my mind. Utilizing 64-loudspeakers surrounding in the hall and with the low-pitch tone with sudden high-pitch sound, Lost Highway Suite really gave the audience a feeling about horrifying. The concert was nothing about the simple music pieces; on the other hand, it was a great horror movie, a nightmare. The music sound rose up and down repeatedly, every episode just as a single small part of the movie, but every single part also assemble an infinite loop that makes me in an anxiety-relief loop. Despite the music created by the Olga Neuwirth intended to construct such an up and down atmosphere, the system embedded in the concert hall also contributed a lot. The surrounding speakers are programmed particularly for the performance; moreover, the electronic part of the composition is reprogrammed for a better environment as well. Because of the EMPAC system, the composition can build such great ambiance that makes every transition as smooth as possible, with the precise control of the system, the audience can not only hear the sound from the speakers but also from the musicians.

Another interesting I found that in the composition is that it is a classical music, artists from the ICE also use the classical instrument such as the violin, cello, clarinet. However, when it comes to the more anxious sound, the cellist, he changed his cello into an electric bass in the middle of the performance. The cello and electric bass are both in charge of the low-pitch musical line of the piece, but then when the electric bass was added to the composition, the performance became more powerful and modern. In other words, the collision between classical music and modern electric music leads the composition to a new level.

Overall, as a brand new experience for me, it is quite fascinating and incredible. Although I mentioned the whole composition build a horrible nightmare for the audience, I thought it was enjoyable for myself at least. The composition brought by ICE is not just about the music, on the other hand, it is a bond between music and technology, a collision between classical and modern. The music itself, with the help of the system, triggered the deep and dark of audience's fear. What's more, the surrounding sound makes the audience a part of the imaginary role for the composition, the artists on the stage drag the audience out of the illusory world. Gathering these small pieces together, we can enjoy the entire story as we watched the opera and the movie.