Renowned New York folk singer Suzanne Vega was invited in 2018 by Ensemble Ictus to provide all the recitatives on their version of Philip Glass'sEinstein on the Beach. We talk to her about this happy artistic encounter.

How did you come to meet L'Ensemble Ictus? How did the Einstein on the Beach project come about?

They contacted me, knowing that I'd worked with Philip Glass on many occasions. I had sent him some lyrics. In return, he provided me with an arrangement for strings. Later, he wrote a song for me to perform at the end of a film he'd been working on. We've played together many times over the last 35 years. 

Are you familiar with contemporary music in general? Does it appeal to you? Do you listen to it? If so, can you give us a few examples?

As a dancer in the 70s, I was very familiar with classical music. Steve Reich was very popular then. My favorite choreographers used Poulenc and Bela Bartok. 

I saw you in concert in Strasbourg last September. Your interpretation ofEinstein on the Beach touched me deeply. Your voice seemed naturally fluid and perfectly at home in this work. So you're familiar with the work of Philip Glass... What do you think of minimalist music in general?

I really like it. I started working with Philip Glass in the 80s, at the beginning of my career with Songs From Liquid Days. I really like his music. My favorite of his works is Mishima. I also really like the music of Steve Reich and Nico Muhly. 

You are clearly recognized in the world of folk and pop music, where you have recorded some essential albums. Do you think that today, bridges like the ones you've created with Ensemble Ictus could become more widespread, or do they remain marginal?

I think it's still exceptional. For example, the roles of the different narrators would be very difficult for many pop artists. In reality, the scenes played are not narrative at all! They're rather circular and repetitive, a bit like mantras or chants, and as a Buddhist, I'm very comfortable with this approach. 

What have you been listening to and enjoying specifically over the last few months, during this period of confinement: contemporary music and/or other styles?

Lately, I've mostly been listening to the radio and classical music or jazz. But my best friend works at the Metropolitan Opera, where he's in charge of subtitles. So I was able to see : Marni by Nico Muhly, which I loved!

Alban Berg's Wozzeck , a production that is both magnificent and disturbing...

Ahknaten by Philip Glass, last autumn.

When David Heard by Eric Whitacre. 

The last thing I heard on the radio that caught my attention was Hydrogen Jukebox with Allen Ginsberg, Part One Song #4 To P.O. by Philip Glass.

Interview by Guillaume Kosmicki