dP hosts Merritt, Dinnerstein in collaboration

Night, the collaboration between singer-songwriter Tift Merritt and classical pianist Simone Dinnerstein, is an unusual convergence of classical, Americana and folk. It’s also a unique translation of live performance into record, a direction that is typically reversed in the creative process. Tonight, at both 7 and 9:30 p.m., Merritt and Dinnerstein return through Duke Performances to perform the record live at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Durham.

The project itself began as a live performance two years ago. Said Dinnerstein, “the album really comes from our concerts— we almost think of the album as a song cycle.” Their collaboration evolved as Merritt and Dinnerstein learned each other’s musical tastes, methods and performance styles before Night was recorded and then released this year on Sony Masterworks, the classical branch of the label.

The album is a combination of classical pieces, contemporary covers and a handful of original songs. Merritt described the choice to use only a few original pieces as stemming from her belief in “experienc[ing] music outside of your own story,” a way “to get out of yourself.”

“You tend to treat music or a song the way you would treat a painting or a book,” she said. “When it isn’t your own, you come to it with a great deal of admiration. If it’s your own, you know the blood, sweat, tears, shame. So it was great for me to experience music beyond my own pen.”

Three songs were commissioned specifically for the Night project. One piece was written by jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, another by folk singer-songwriter Patty Griffin and a third by classical composer Philip Lasser. The Mehldau and Lasser pieces were set to existing poems, whereas the Griffin composition is entirely original. Duke Performances helped the artists select these composers and funded the compositions. Musician and producer Jenny Scheinman was brought on board to arrange some of the other tracks that Merritt and Dinnerstein selected for the album.

For myriad reasons, from stylistic to personality differences, it is not always easy for artists of such different genres to collaborate. Merritt described how she and Dinnerstein navigated these challenges while recording Night: “I’m very sensitive to who I play music with. It’s a very specific kind of intimacy, and collaborating has been such a joy with Simone because she sings all the way through and gives all of herself. She is willing to be so open and feel so deeply; she’s an ideal person to collaborate with.”

The title Night itself holds significant meaning for the duo. “We were thinking about night in various ways—searching through the dark, trying new things, [all the while] protected by the dark to be more experimental,” Dinnerstein said. “Night is a theme that runs throughout the entire album.” The pair ran with this vision, stepping out of their individual musical styles and backgrounds. Dinnerstein traditionally learns music from reading a score and remaining true to each and every note on a page. Conversely, Merritt learned how to sing and play guitar by ear, and prefers to learn music this way. Each of the artists expressed that the experience of learning music outside of their comfort zone has changed their subsequent solo work.

Night has Duke roots, as Director of Duke Performances Aaron Greenwald conceptualized the collaboration in 2011. “It just seemed like something that Duke Performances ought to help develop,” said Greenwald. “We have a tradition of presenting classical music, and we are very mindful of the community we live in. Having an artist from here with a national reputation seemed rewarding.” Dinnerstein had, at the beginning of the collaboration two years ago, performed through Duke Performances five times, and Merritt is a nationally renowned North Carolina artist.