Classical Music

Mackris v. O’Reilly

Despite critics’ constant calls for composers (or any artists) to engage the social issues of their time in their work, the quest for “relevance” remains a highly problematic pursuit: You could end up with something as transcendent as Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro or as unlistenably dated as Leonard Bernstein’s Mass. Whichever end of the spectrum Igor Keller’s new work falls on, it’ll surely be an entertaining trip. The Seattle saxophonist has taken the legal documents surrounding Andrea Mackris’ 2004 sexual harassment lawsuit against Fox News host Bill O’Reilly—the nauseating propositions, the loofa mitt fantasy, O’Reilly’s on-air apology, and all the rest of it—and set it as a two-hour, 32-movement jazz/baroque-flavored oratorio for orchestra, soloists, and chorus. “I think of it more as a character study of a man who is trusted and revered by literally millions of people,” says Keller on his extensive Web site (which includes the complete libretto and recorded musical excerpts). “He’s a complex person, and that is evident from the complaint . . . [a] master of the kabuki theater that is punditry.” Signe Mortensen and Charles Robert Stephens sing the roles of the plaintiff and defendant, while Ross Hauck narrates. Meany Hall, UW campus, 417-9766, www.mackrisvoreilly.com. $10. 7:30 p.m. (Also Sat., Jan. 13.) GAVIN BORCHERT