German composer
Beat Furrer's FAMA, "aural theatre for large ensemble, eight voices, actress, and sound constructions," is not easy listening, and it would sound dauntingly abstract if it were not for the clarification that the scenario offers. The concept of the piece is taken from a description in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" of the abode of the goddess Fama, "a place to which all the events and sounds of the world come and find resonance."
Furrer further adds a narrative layer of eight scenes, derived from a novel by Arthur Schnitzler, that describes the mental deterioration of a young woman. This conceptual and narrative framework gives the listener enough points of reference to make FAMA a chilling auditory experience. Although it is described as "aural theatre," it is intended to be staged, and it's easy to imagine the experience of seeing its embodied protagonist progress through the stages of madness having a devastating emotional impact. FAMA is a strong example of European avant-garde music theater and should be of interest to fans of that aesthetic and genre. The ever-astonishing
Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart and
Klangforum Wein conducted by the composer, along with actress Isabelle Menke, give hair-raisingly committed performances. The sound of the SACD is dramatically atmospheric and vivid.