Famed artist RZA has announced the release of the title track of “A Ballet Through Mud”, an original composition and orchestration via Platoon and 36 Chambers. Originally performed by the Colorado Symphony, A Ballet Through Mud is a poignant coming-of-age story that delves into the complexities of love, the bonds of friendship and personal growth.
Conceived during the pandemic, RZA came across some old lyrical notebooks he’d filled as a teen. Inspired by his early musings, RZA explored what would become his first classical album, then ballet, bringing it to life onstage in 2023.
Featuring characters named for Greek musical scales, the piece echoes RZA’s journey from Staten Island project housing to refined concert halls – weaving in tales of love, loss, exploration, Buddhist monks and a journey “through mud”. The title track transports the listener to an 18th century Victorian England ballroom where through its tempo, lies an oscillation between sonic idealism and orchestration. Yet at the same time, it’s the arrangement of its instrumentation that keeps it grounded, never veering off into self-indulgence that often befalls similar attempts from other artists that try to cross over to the fine art world.
In a press release from Infamous PR, RZA elaborates more on the inspiration behind A Ballet Through Mud:
“I have been composing my whole life, although I didn’t know initially that was what I was doing. The inspiration for ‘A Ballet Through Mud’ comes from my earliest creative output as a teenager, but its themes are universal – love, exploration and adventure. I hope people use it to score their own lives, to transform a drive to the grocery store or sharing a meal with loved ones into something magical, to be inspired and let their imaginations take them into a different chamber, if only for a moment.”
Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat
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