"CRY," AN OPERA with TASLIMA's words
THE CRY
Steve Lacy | Soul Note
By Allen Huotari
Although THE CRY furthers the fascination soprano saxophonist Steve Lacy has
previously established with setting the work of women writers to music, it also
breaks significant new ground in it's bold, uncompromising feminist political
slant. In that single respect, THE CRY could well prove to be as controversial
as it is compelling.
For this recording, Lacy has selected the work of Taslima Nasrin, a former
anaesthesiologist from Bangladesh. Over the past decade Nasrin has authored a
number of essays, poems, and stories that harshly assail the treatment of women
in traditional Islamic culture. The radically blunt challenge that Nasrin's
texts pronounce against the predominantly Muslim society of Bangladesh has
inevitably resulted in severe consequences for her personally. Nasrin's works
were banned as blasphemous and heretical. Death warrants and large monetary
bounties have been issued for her execution. A two-year prison sentence under
the indictment of 'public expression of outrageous religious sentiments' was
imposed in 1994, which culminated in her fleeing Bangladesh for Sweden, to
subsequent worldwide notoriety and seclusion for purpose of safety.
Lacy discovered Nasrin via translations of her texts published in The New
Yorker. While he found her words absorbing, it wasn't until a face to face
meeting with Nasrin in 1996 (when both artists were invited to Berlin by the
German government's arts foundation for a year's residency) that he was moved to
compose a full scale work, using her texts as a lyrical base.
The result, of course, is THE CRY, which provides a narrative framework to
'comprise an autobiography of transformation' (from the liner notes by Bill
Shoemaker) in the form of a 13 song cycle (documented on 2 cds). Lacy himself
describes THE CRY as -'the story of many women--not just about women in
Bangladesh but women everywhere the subjugation of women in society, and to
their own bodies, and to men in particular and in general.'
To help realize this ambitious theme, Lacy chose an ensemble that included as
many women as possible. His selection of instrumentation is unusual, a septet
comprised of soprano sax, bass clarinet, harpsichord, accordion, acoustic bass,
percussion, and woman's voice. Although the liner notes state that Lacy found a
timbral relationship between the words and harpsichord and accordion, it could
also be suggested that the use of these instruments serve as tonal analogues to
the sitar and harmonium (both of which are used extensively in music from the
Indian subcontinent).
While difficult to categorize, Lacy vaguely describes THE CRY as a 'jam opera'.
In the opinion of this reviewer, the readers who are familiar with the works of
composer/saxophonist/bassoonist Lindsay Cooper will find many similarities (both
musically and philosophically) between her recordings and THE CRY. Lacy's score
flawlessly combines song and improvisation, with a strong reliance on dance
rhythms (waltz, rumba, tango, etc.) to provide momentum as well as textual
emphasis ('It's the dance aspect of the songs that makes the music swing ' Steve
Lacy).
It is to Lacy's credit that the recording successfully manages to capture the
confrontational mood of the texts whilst maintaining a musically challenging and
atmospherically charged environment without resorting to unnecessarily
confrontational or foreboding elements. What could have been ponderous and
overbearing is instead nimble and yet, aggressive.
Special commendation must be made for vocalist Irene Aebi who admirably meets
the daunting challenge of transforming Nasrin's text into true song. The words
insist upon special and careful interpretation as various characters and moods
emerge. Aebi's performance ably adapts to the demands as severe emotional
extremes are traversed, alternating from pure terror to raw passion and
sensuality. In this respect, Aebi authenticates the premise behind THE CRY,
infusing it with her own emotions while singing for all women.
As an addendum, it must be pointed out that THE CRY was realized with specific
visual aspects for live performance, aspects that naturally cannot be translated
by a purely audio medium (although the photos include with the 28 page booklet
do help). One of these are the performers vests, which are adorned with
fragments of the texts. The other is the haunting backdrop scenery featured on
the front and rear covers of the insert booklet. These show simple paintings of
a close-up of a woman's eyes, in one instance gazing into the distance, in the
other, looking directly into your own, but in both, conveying a weariness and
sorrow that cannot be expressed in words or music. Perhaps this artwork serves
as the best summary of what to anticipate from THE CRY.
Steve Lacy (music, soprano sax); Irene Aebi (voice); Tina Wrase (soprano and
sopranino saxes, bass clarinet); Petia Kaufman (harpsichord); Cathrin Pfeifer
(accordion); Jean-Jacques Avenel (acoustic bass); Daniel -Topo- Gioia
(percussion); Wanda Savy (scenery and lighting); Pia Myrvold (dress)
NOTE: For more information, the interested reader is invited to refer to 'My
Conversation with Steve Lacy' by Fred Jung, April 1999)
Steve
Lacy, who was awarded a $340,000 "genius grant" by the MacArthur
Foundation for his musical innovations, was inspired by Taslima
Nasrin's cry on behalf of repressed women and wrote "The Cry." Working with
Taslima and the singer Irene Aebi, he composed the work and plays
saxophone on an opera the title of which also has a connection to the
Edvard Munch painting of the same name.
It was Taslima's poem,
"Happy Marriage," in The New Yorker
(September 1994) that, in his words "put me in a state of shock" for
describing an enslaved Muslim woman married to "a monster of a man. . .
.If he wishes he can spit in my face, slap me on the cheek, and pinch
my rear...."
The opera has been performed in
Germany, Finland, France, Italy, U.S.A and elsewhere.
Mike Zwerin
in the International Herald Tribune,
describes how Taslima needs a police escort and visa when she
travels, is a pariah at home, can no longer practice medicine in her
native country, and is unable to visit her family in Bangladesh lest
religious fundamentalists again threaten to end her life. She
cries out that this is not justice but, in Zwerin's words, "This is not
a Cry about to be answered any time soon."
Lacy,
who has been an expatriate living in Europe for thirty years, has now
returned to the United States.
Latest News: Steve Lacy died in June, 2004
000000
O MEYE SHONO: Rakhi Sen, A Bengali singer sang Taslima's poems
. CD is available in the West Bengal, India.
MONDO MEYE: A Bengali recitation artist Bratati Bandyapadhyay
recited Taslima's poems. CD is available in the West Bengal, India.
------------------------------------
No opera No music No poetry, just silence......
WOMEN ARE OPPRESSED EVERYWHERE. WOMEN DO NOT HAVE ANY COUNTRY. THEY ARE NOT SAFE ANYWHERE IN THIS WORLD. THEY SUFFER FROM RAPE, TRAFFICKING, ACID THROWING, SLAVERY, MURDER AND FROM ALL KINDS OF DISCRIMINATION. WOMEN ARE BEATEN, ARE FLOGGED, ARE STONED TO DEATH. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IS NOT CONSIDERED A CRIME. WOMEN ARE THE VICTIMS OF RELIGION AND PATRIARCHY. THEY ARE OPPRESSED IN THE NAME OF CULTURE, TRADITION AND CUSTOM.
WE
MUST REFUSE
to
be 
SHACKLED, CHAINED,
BEATEN AND
THREATENED. LETS
UNITE
WOMEN.
LETS FIGHT
FOR
OUR RIGHTS 
AND
FREEDOM
LETS FIGHT AGAINST
OPPRESSION.. 
