For Cathy

Sarah Aristidou & Spectra Ensemble

Cathy Berberian was a unique artist who spent her entire life shaking up the conventions of classical music. With her supple, expressive voice, the American mezzo-soprano pushed vocal boundaries and was an inspiration to some of the greatest composers of the twentieth century: John Cage, Igor Stravinsky and, first and foremost, her then husband Luciano Berio. In 2025, these two giants would have turned 100: the perfect occasion for a tribute to this power couple of the avant-garde! 

The starting point is Berio’s eccentric Recital I (for Cathy), in which a singer takes the stage for a lied programme, only to find that her pianist hasn’t arrived! This is the start of a brilliant musical collage in tragicomic style with quotes and paraphrases from, among others, Claudio Monteverdi, Richard Wagner and Arnold Schoenberg. Sarah Aristidou, a rising star in the firmament of contemporary opera, will perform this work with the musicians of the Spectra Ensemble – if they show up, that is – and delve further into the oeuvre of Berio and Berberian, including the Folk Songs and the funny Stripsody, based on the typical onomatopoeia from comics.