Crash Ensemble performs Rothko Chapel by Morton Feldman on 30 May.

In their first collaboration, Crash Ensemble and the National Chamber Choir of Ireland perform Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel on 30 May 2010 in the Great Hall at the Irish Museum of Modern Art.

Crash Ensemble will also present the rarely performed Words and Music by Samuel Beckett in a collaboration with actors Barry McGovern and Owen Roe. The piece was written for radio by Beckett with music composed by Feldman. Part of Vertical Thoughts: Morton Feldman and the Visual Arts, the current exhibition at IMMA, this concert is the final performance in the Morton Feldman Concert Series.

Feldman is one of the most influential American composers of the second half of the 20th Century and his inspiration was largely drawn from modern abstract visual art. He was a close friend of Mark Rothko and composed the choral masterwork Rothko Chapel as a tribute, taking the name from the chapel decorated with Rothko’s works: a place for contemplation where men and women of all faiths, or of none, may meditate in silence, in solitude or celebration together.

In relation to Words and Music by Samuel Beckett Feldman said that it was a collaboration between the ‘words man and the notes man.’ Like many Beckett works, there is heated debate as to the meaning of the piece and it centres round the themes of Love, The Face, Age and Music. Two characters, Words and Music, work together and against each other producing songs, musical interludes, and lyric poetry. They are joined by Croak, who exists somewhere in between sound and sense.

Further information: Eve Lalor, email evelalor@gmail.com. In association with IMMA and RTE lyric fm.