Cape Cod Times November 15, 1991

The song cycle that contemporary classical composer Kitty Brazelton and her chamber group, Bog Life; will debut Nov.17 is a classic case of rebellion. The cycle was inspired by Ms. Brazelton's ancestor and kindred spirit, Amy Lowell and is based on the poet's poem cycle, "The Dinner-Party."

"To me it sounds like these society dinner parties that I went to as a child, when I was growing up in Boston, on Beacon Hill," Ms. Brazelton said, speaking from her New York City home. "She feels very alienated but in this very adolescent way; it's wonderful. She basically condemns these people, turns them into ghosts over the course of the six poems. I thought it was fun and full of flash and I just thought 'Boy, I could really re late to that,' " Ms. Brazelton said, "because I definitely am a rebel against the conservative."

The song cycle, which Ms. Brazelton began working on in 1987, represents one facet of Bog Life's attempts to stretch the boundaries of classical convention. The chamber group also will include works by American composers William Bi11ings, Timothy Swan, Ruth Crawford Seeger and Duke Ellington.

Bog Life will perform the works at 3 p.m. at the Cape Cod Synagogue, 145 Winter St. Hyannis, in a concert to benefit the Sturgis Library in Barnstable. The unique chamber music assemblage consists of Ms. Brazelton, mezzo-soprano (and flute during the Ellington segment); John Uehlein, baritone; Libby Van Cleve, oboe; Elizabeth Panzer, harp; Ed Broms, double bass; and Chris Nappi, marimba and percussion.

Their approach is equally unique, with improvisational interludes that allude to rock and jazz influences. Ms. Brazelton, a teaching artist at Lincoln Center Institute completing her doctorate in composition at Columbia University, also performs with an amplified classical/rock hybrid known as Dadadah.

"I've done this (classical pop) hybrid for a long time," she said, "I had a group through the '70s called Musica Orbis, and it means 'music of the spheres.' It was a medieval concept of the essence of music.

"Then I just rebelled against the art music scene and decided I wanted to make car-radio music. Anything less seemed too elitist and nonessential or something," Ms. Brazelton added. "One of the bands I had in New York for several years was called Hide The BabiesÉdefinitely loud and high energy. I sang and rolled around on the floor."

Bog Life will also perform briefly at 7:30 p.m., Friday Nov. 15 at Lillie Auditorium at the Marine Biological Laboratory, MBL Street, Woods Hole. The performance will be followed by a lecture by Ms. BrazeltonÕs father, noted pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton. Admission is free.

Bog Life can also be seen at 7:30 Nov.16 at The Chapel in the Pines, Samoset Road, Eastham, in a fall concert presented by the Friends of the Eastham Public Library. Donations will be accepted

Tickets for the Nov.17 concert at the Cape Cod Synagogue are $10. Tickets may be purchased at the Sturgis Library or at the door before the performance. For further information, call 362-6636.