GENERAL
"Garrett Fisher, a star of Seattle's new music scene who has been deeply influenced by Japanese Noh theater and Chinese opera." —The New Yorker
[Read the article about Garrett Fisher in The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's 2008 Fall Arts Preview...]
"Conflict is his [Fisher's] theme, not his method; his music coexists with other arts in a harmonious balance that must be something like what Wagner was groping for when he came up with his theories of the 'total art work.'" —The Seattle Weekly
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PSYCHE (2008)
"'Psyche takes the prize for disarming novelty...[Fisher] freely mixes theatrical and musical traditions – East and West – and genres, breaking down barriers with abandon and considerable deftness." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer |Read the review...]
"Garrett Fisher and his first-rate team of collaborators throw a lot at you in his latest opera, a Greek-myth feast of song, dance spoken word, beats, electric viola, and elaborate puppet/costumes" —The Seattle Weekly
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MOON IN THE BUCKET (2008, 2001, 1997)
"Visits by composer and harmonium player Garrett Fisher and his troupe are rare and eagerly anticipated. Fisher’s work combines elements of Eastern and Western music and drama in an elegant, meditative mix. This week’s concerts are devoted to Moon in the Bucket, a haunting, ineffably lovely choreographed oratorio from 2000, for singers, harmonium, oboe, koto and taiko drums. Lovers of pre-Baroque choral music, Meredith Monk and minimalism are urged to investigate." —TimeOut NY
"The music wonderfully combines and Early music style of vocal harmonies with meditative harmonium drone, elegant Koto (a Japanese zither-like instrument) and Taiko percussion, creating a unique sound reminiscent of English Madrigal and Japanese Court music...Fine storytelling and haunting melodies memorably bring to life a simple tale of two ghost-sisters who inhabit the pining wind on the shore." —New Classics
"Moon in the Bucket may well be the loveliest thing Fisher has written yet." —The Stranger
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THE PASSION OF SAINT THOMAS MORE (2007)
[Classics Today gives The Passion of Saint Thomas More on the BIS label a 10/10 rating...]
"Spare, elegant, and beautiful." —TimeOut New York
"Hypnotic, magical, enchanting and moving...[with] touches of pure dramatic genius." —Gramophone
"This is simply one of the most beautiful CDs I have ever reviewed." —Fanfare
"The focus and beauty of the work stunned me." —The Seattle Weekly
"Fisher has an acute ear for timing and dramatic structure." —American Record Guide
"Spectacularly eerie...infused with beautiful desperation." —The NewMusicBox
"Haunting in its simplicity...Fisher's laudable objective clearly has been to universalize the story through a ritualistic stylization that treats the music in the most traditional way possible: not as 'representation' or some abstract concept or event, but as a means of elevating the expressive impact of the text. The libretto itself, by the composer, is as simple, eloquent and direct as his setting of it...The result...is an extremely touching morality play about the consequences of choice...This beautifully recorded performance features...an amazingly expressive and creamy toned Taina Karr on English horn...They [the performers] present the music with tremendous concentration...Perhaps the most appealing thing...is the way it gently touches on spiritual matters without ever becoming preachy or pretentious, telling a human story with words and music that truly work well together." —Classics Today
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STARGAZER (2006)
"As in his previous operas, Garrett Fisher explores the theme of individuals in conflict with implacable forces (religion, fate, or the state) in Stargazer, a meditation on Galileo's clash with the church...An almost liturgical serenity prevails. Solo singing, choral singing and rhythmic chanting, and spoken word (both live and taped) are underpinned and colored by English horn, cello, taiko drum, and harmonium, while percussionist Dean Moore's huge array of gongs, bells and metal found objects, ranging in size from tea saucer to car tire and hung from a scaffold / cage built to allow 360-degree access, provide visual spectacle as well as sound." —The Seattle Weekly
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DREAM OF ZEUS (2004)
"Fisher and director Ilene Fins have a knack for writing and staging intricate, fuguelike ensemble scenes, and with set and lighting designer Jon Harmon, costume designer Emily McLaughlin, and choreographer Gary Zinter, they've created something remarkably attractive on what must have been a tiny budget." —The Seattle Weekly
"Fisher has a long history of collaboration in the creation of his work: singers and instrumentalists, stage directors and designers, actors and dancers." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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SILK ROAD (2001)
"The music... is dramatic and beautiful...The melancholy lyrics... melodic piano, and powerful voice lift the performance into the air and carry it to its shimmering conclusion." —The Stranger
"Bravos to composer Garrett Fisher" —The Seattle Weekly
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AGAMEMNON (1998)
"A strong, disturbing score...Fisher creates a sense of foreboding and dread that builds as the work progresses." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Provocative...effective and telling" —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"The music was haunting and the integration of movement skillful." —The Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"Fisher's music is as controlled, narrowly focused and dramatic as his libretto." —The Seattle Times
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