Composing The Sound Electric

South Street Seaport's Spiegeltent might be more readily associated with after-hours burlesque, but tonight it welcomes experimentation of a different sort when French composer Philippe Manoury, known for works such as "En Echo," which weaves electronic music with text based on Vladimir Nabokov's character Lolita, presents a commissioned world premiere at the venue.

The performance, which features three works including "En Echo," the commissioned "Cruel Spirals," which sets poems by Jerome Rothenberg to the singing of soprano Tony Arnold, and "Last," will be the first presentation of Mr. Manoury's work in New York since a concert at New York University in 2005.