Since (Le) Poisson Rouge, (LPR) opened in 2008; the venue has established itself as a sure ticket to an unconventional concert experience. LPR’s motto, “serving art and alcohol,” gives some idea of its free-spirited approach.
Now, with the launch of its own ensemble, LPR has further expanded the venue’s ventures into unchartered, artistic territory. David Handler, LPR’s co-founder and the ensemble’s artistic director, initiated the establishment of the ensemble as a natural outgrowth of LPR’s curatorial identity. He collaborated with Ronen Givony, co-director of Le Poisson Rouge’s mission and creator of the multi-genre “Wordless Music“line up.
“LPR was always about creating community, cultivating camaraderie among musicians, and encouraging freedom of expression through atypical programs,” says Handler, a composer and violinist/violist, as he describes the core vision for LPR that he and co-founder Justin Kantor, a cellist, had during their student years at the Manhattan School of Music. Handler and Kantor, with Givony’s assistance, were effectively shaping the experimental curating scenery then in demand by a host of diverse audiences. LPR succeeded in providing what audiences were missing by tapping into a broad cultural craving for accessible presentations, a platform on which Ensemble LPR can build with high expectations.
“It’s a very exciting moment for us,” shares Handler. “We feel privileged and take very seriously the trust of our listeners in our ability to create an innovative merger of programming,” he maintains, “And with the ensemble, we continue to manifest and express ourselves artistically by making our own choices as a group. For us that means playing anything from Baroque to today’s music, rigorously, at the highest level, and with peerless guest artists – collaborating with classical and non-classical artists who have something interesting to express.” The ensemble will follow the principal concept of LPR’s expanding artistic alliances without compromising high-performance standards or intriguing repertoire. The secret ingredients of this model have attracted new audiences and high-caliber artists within the classical and non-classical music scene alike, shifting people’s notion of what belongs on the concert stage and how that stage should project onto its audience.
“The ensemble’s structure is very elastic,” says Handler, “ranging from two to 30 players, and it’s always about the musical context of a program.”Earlier productions with Ensemble LPR have included a memorial concert in honor of the American composer Elliot Carter, in January of 2013. It featured some of Carter’s longtime collaborators, like cellist Fred Sherry, pianist Ursula Oppens, and clarinetist Charles Neidlich, among others, with Ensemble LPR members
Given the broad scope of national and international collaborations with these innovative programs, it is Ensemble LPR’s intention to tour beyond its home- based venue in the near future.
In the meantime, the ensemble takes part in LPR’s vast volume of productions, numbering two shows on most evenings, and providing a wide breadth of music choices to appeal to their diverse audiences.
“An audience member may come precisely because of a long-awaited program or artist or simply because he or she had a prior good experience here. Some want to be surprised and are open-minded, even challenged, in the best sense of the word, to discover something new,” adds Handler. “That’s a testament to the diversity of our listeners – they really continue to surprise us by being constantly willing to expand their domain.”
The successful concept of LPR has clearly gained a following, evident in the many co-productions at LPR with the “giants” of music presenters, like the MET or Carnegie Hall, which recognized the appeal of changing up the “packaging” of some of their productions.
Says Handler: ‘We are honored if we are able to co-produce with such stellar forces like the Met or Carnegie Hall, but our loyalty is to our crowd. If the program would not be right for us, we would not choose to do it. Our being here is a part of a bigger movement, and it’s happening all over. We have never set out to be the only ones, and if we were a catalyst in any way, we are very pleased to have helped create a new environment.”