I heard 'Fire in my mouth' at the New York Philharmonic last night and found it to be an effective and even moving homage to the victims of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, The choral writing for 146 women is skillful and the texts were so well enunciated that they were audible even over some fairly dense and cacophonous orchestral writing. The orchestra, often serving to provide uncannily realistic sound effects, also managed to maintain a forward momentum, sometimes using minimalist techniques where they worked well without getting stuck in a kind of musical rut with those techniques, as I feel often happens with other composers. The discreet choreography and outstanding preparation on the part of all involved made the whole experience that much more compelling.
