Instrument: Electric guitar

A triple bill about Birmingham brings Birmingham Royal Ballet back to live.

NYVOS Next offers works by Alvin Lucier, Kaija Saariaho and evening curator Kate Soper in a program demonstrating both the breadth of and inherent risks in live performance with electronics.

From the ultimate process piece, to a recent video-opera, this central concert of the Barbican's 'Steve Reich at 80' weekend reminded us what the fuss has been all about.

An evening of frivolousness and solemnity.

As I sat in the intriguing darkness of Koerner Hall, Marielle Labèque carefully placed the opening notes of Le fils des étoiles by Erik Satie. They hung in the air like little crystals. This was a simple beginning, yet deceptively so, that would build towards something larger. In turn, these notes would unfold in a continuous stream of build-ups and decays.

Sitting in the majestic Carnegie Hall, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra almost looked dwarfed by the sheer size of the stage. Cristi Andrews Cohen’s voice echoed as she recited the poem by Richard Dehmel. But then soft hums emanated from the strings, incessant but quiet at first, slowing building to a larger, richer sound that enveloped the hall.

“What is a score?” This was the question posed last night in Kings Place, Hall Two, by the effervescent ensemble who style themselves as notes inégales. Under the directorship of Peter Wiegold, six instrumentalists brought together a programme of improvisational works that responded to computer-generated scores on a large screen.