Like Lazarus Did is a new work by Stephen Petronio inspired by the mythology of resurrection. Recurring themes of sacrifice, death, and transformation stretch from pagan culture to the contemporary world and are rich source material for this work. Collaborating artists include composer Ryan Lott (aka Son Lux), visual artist Janine Antoni, and longtime lighting designer Ken Tabachnick. For its premiere at The Joyce Theater in New York from April 30 – May 5, 2013, the music was performed live by yMusic ensemble and The Young People’s Chorus of New York City. This was Petronio Company’s third collaboration with the Young People’s Chorus.

Composer Son Lux employed a range of spiritual music – from the drones of eastern mystical traditions, to the songbooks of early American slavery; a sung tradition of transformation first passed down orally and eventually transcribed in the early 1800’s. Power, struggle, and elevation are themes that have long fueled Petronio’s work. These traditions of music and song are laced with emotional release from worldly pain and oppression. In effect, they are hymns of mystery and empowerment and Petronio and Lott reference them as historical springboards to find similar states of contemporary transformation. The music was built as an atmosphere of sound that gels into more structured “song events.”

Said Lott of the composition process, “Weaving these ‘lost’ slave songs—originally stark, monophonic, and a cappella—in and out of a highly textured and rich score is an exciting challenge.” In particular, Lott utilized the sound of the choir to evoke different images: at one point, a group of slaves, working in a line across a file; at another, a host of “bright angels.”

Critically acclaimed visual artist Janine Antoni created the visual/installation component of this work. Petronio and Antoni’s sensibilities stem from a common fascination with human nature, spiritual exaltation, and transformational states. The visual component was composed of multiple installations that served as platforms for short performance events that build to a final central dance.  In addition to the work’s premiere at The Joyce Theater in April 2013, the work has received residency and touring opportunities as part of the 2013 River to River Festival in St. Paul’s Chapel, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, and other upcoming dates and venues across the United States through 2014.