Review: Death of Classical's Otherworldly CRYPT LAB SERIES Stuns at Church Of The Intercession

On a semi-regular basis, Death of Classical invites the public to join them down in the crypts at the Church of the Intercession in Washington Heights for stunning and unique concerts. From November 28 to 30th, the production company is hosting a residency by Sybarite5, a string quintet that merges classical and contemporary music. I saw the opening night of the Crypt Lab Series on Tuesday the 28th, which included the world premiere of Ritual by Andres Martin and the NYC premiere of Mangas by Curtis and Elektra Stewart. Each night of the three-show run features a different selection of music, including many premieres.

Sybarite5 chose selections by contemporary, living composers, some of whom were there at the crypt on Tuesday night. They did a wonderful job of presenting the music by explaining the intention behind it before starting the songs, which made it easier to follow the musical narratives across crescendos, highs and lows, frenzied excitement and bitter sorrow. The intimate crypt setting, seating only about 30 people, heightened the music. The ethereal, otherworldly sounds of a string quintet are ideally suited to a crypt. The band was lit by the soft glow of dozens of electric candles, and their shadows danced on the walls around them as they played. The concert followed a lively reception at the church, with wine, beer and an arrangement of charcuterie and snacks, where guests could mingle and partake libations before descending into the crypt.

Sybarite5 is composed of musicians Sami Merdinian (violin), Suliman Tekalli (violin), Caeli Smith (viola), Laura Andrade (cello), and Louis Levitt (double bass). Each took turns introducing the songs and explaining the inspirations, which included a hang gliding trip over Hawaii (“Yann's Flight” by Shawn Conley) and “dancing at the club” vibes (“Slow Burn” by Jessica Meyer). The music selected ranged from brand new experimental compositions, including one by Kenji Bunch that used the instruments in a variety of strange and exciting ways to produce haunting sounds, like scratching fingernails slowly and deliberately over the viola strings, to well-known work the group transposed to strings (like Radiohead’s “2 + 2 = 5”), and a wide range in between. The songs were so skillfully presented, diverse in type and engagingly played that I was gripped from beginning to end, something hard to do with only instrumentals. It helped that Death of Classical decided to banish phones into Yonder pouches for the duration of the concert. Beneath the arches of the medieval-style crypt, without distracting screens, the concert was truly transported into a timeless space, neither past nor future, just here, now, in the present moment.

The rest of this month’s Crypt Lab Series is unfortunately sold out, but there are a few tickets remaining for next month’s “The Little Match Girl Passion” show on December 8, 11 & 12. Snag your tickets before they’re gone.

You can learn more about Death of Classical and sign up for their mailing list at their website. For more on Sybarite5, visit https://www.sybarite5.org/.