Andy Teirstein"s background in movement theater (from his early work as a musical clown in a Mexican circus to his long association with music for dance) has given him a unique perspective on the dramatic possibilities of composition. The works heard here translate theatrical physicality into a variety of musical impulses, drawing inspiration from Balkan, Appalachian and Jewish influences, the music of Bartók, and setting the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and Robert Service. The results juxtapose folk and new-music styles in a series of compelling and highly satisfying scenarios.