Trance-figured Night is a project which involves the commissioning and performance of an ambitious new work for ensemble and electronics to be composed by the Boston-based Turkish composer Murat Çolak for the Chicago-based contemporary music collective Ensemble Dal Niente. The piece will receive its world premiere in Chicago on the February 2017 incarnation of its Hard Music, Hard Liquor series.

Why trance?

As passionate advocates for the most challenging music created in the 21^st century, Ensemble Dal Niente presents and performs music in ways that redefine the listening experience and advance the art form. In Murat’s work, the listening experience takes the form of a trance-state reached via exposure to high-energy sounds and intense performance situations. Trance initiates performed listening. Concepts and sound-worlds Murat creates originate in the sacred chants of the İstanbul tilâvet tradition, repetitive drone music of Central Anatolia and underground electronic dance music of İstanbul’s (as well as Chicago’s) club scene. All these distinct musical cultures invite audiences to take part in a collective-trance-state either through performance in the form of singing, dancing or other types of performative listening.

Murat will be bringing these influences to bear in a 30-minute-long ‘trance piece’ for eight live performers involving amplified instruments, synthesizers, and fixed electronics to be realized by the noted performers of hard music, creating a night of sonic ecstasy.

Having worked for many years with American and European composers, Dal Niente now looks forward to extending its reach through collaborations with emerging artists of ever more diverse musical backgrounds and contributing to the evolution of concert music on a larger scale. After collaborating on performances and recording sessions of Murat’s earlier works, the Nientes and the composer now join forces to bring about this unique creation. With the realization of this project, the repertoire will gain an ecstatic piece that aims to widen the scope of the concert music experience. Moreover, American audiences will have the chance to get to know the work of a young, international artist.

The Hard Music, Hard Liquor 2017 program will also include an ensemble piece by Huck Hodge and virtuosic pieces from the 21^st century repertoire.

The live performance will be documented with high quality audio and video recordings.