Behind the Curtain

On March 3, 2023, Spektral Quartet, a multi-GRAMMY-nominated ensemble "obliterating the dividing line between past and present" (The New Yorker), and Julia Holter, a "haunting, " "mesmerizing, " and "mysterious" singer (Pitchfork), release Behind the Wallpaper. Composed by Alex Temple, whose gender transition inspired this stylistically unpredictable and mysterious new work, Behind the Wallpaper is "atmospheric with ambiguous tonality, drawing chuckles along with hushed curiosity." (The New York Times) "Julia Holter's music has a stylistic fluidity and vulnerability that made her the perfect choice for this dreamy, unsettling story, " says Alex Temple. "The piece tells the tale of someone undergoing a mysterious transformation and ultimately finding a home in another world, superimposed on our own but invisible to the uninitiated. Many of the dreamlike images in the songs were inspired by my experience with gender transition. But my hope is that the story will feel familiar to anyone who has ever felt alienated from the broader culture."