NICK REUNITES WITH PALAVER STRINGS FOR SOLD OUT BAY AREA TOUR OF ‘A CHANGE IS GONNA COME’

performing A Change Is Gonna Come with Palaver Strings at Noe Music, photo: Matthew Carr

SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE

Protest Music Takes Center Stage in A Change is Gonna Come

“As a conductor-less thirteen-person ensemble, Palaver Strings has the difficult task of making artistic and administrative decisions with "13 co-artistic directors." Any such difficulty was inaudible onstage; each piece started and ended in unison. The musicians played passionately and took cues from one another seamlessly — a captivating feat visually interesting in its own right.

Between each piece, the musicians rotated positions within their sections, giving them opportunities to both lead and follow throughout the concert. Such well-coordinated egalitarian playing stood out amid the hierarchical norms of classical performance.

The Grammy-nominated string ensemble’s democratic structure seems appropriate for a program of protest music honoring civil rights and labor activists, as well new works commissioned from Black composers…

…Tenor Nicholas Phan was stunning throughout the evening. His silky voice sounded especially smooth in “Lovely, Dark and Lonely One” (1935), which Harry T. Burleigh wrote by setting to music the poetry of Langston Hughes…

…As several co-directors in the ensemble noted, it's rare that classical music engages themes of social injustice. Palaver Strings, based in Maine, has laudably engaged such issues while amplifying the works of composers often overlooked. In an era of extreme inequality, the ensemble’s effort is commendable”