Yesterday the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus had an event called SoundSpace and presented John Cage's MusiCircus in honor of honor his centenary year. It was described as a 'happening of concurrent performances determined by chance distribution.' Performers did Cage music or music in his style or by his contemporaries. The Ballet Austin dancers seen here performed a piece choreographed by the company's Michele Thompson. At this moment Michele Schumann was also performing John Cage's Suite for Toy Piano. We were on the mezzanine above the atria. When the toy piano piece was done, a group called Mongoose began playing on the mezzanine. The dancers continued, having never heard the music of Mongoose which used conventional and very unconventional instruments. We wandered the galleries where a jazz group did Sun Ra music, two flutes played Cage selections, saxophones played haunting music by Cage and others and a piece for oboe, flute, trombone, violin, clarinet and trumpet (along with spoken word) was premiered. At the end the audience played along with a number of players on tiny plastic noise makers. And, finally, the Suite for Toy Piano was repeated. Here is the facebook album with a couple more pictures.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
MusiCircus
Yesterday the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus had an event called SoundSpace and presented John Cage's MusiCircus in honor of honor his centenary year. It was described as a 'happening of concurrent performances determined by chance distribution.' Performers did Cage music or music in his style or by his contemporaries. The Ballet Austin dancers seen here performed a piece choreographed by the company's Michele Thompson. At this moment Michele Schumann was also performing John Cage's Suite for Toy Piano. We were on the mezzanine above the atria. When the toy piano piece was done, a group called Mongoose began playing on the mezzanine. The dancers continued, having never heard the music of Mongoose which used conventional and very unconventional instruments. We wandered the galleries where a jazz group did Sun Ra music, two flutes played Cage selections, saxophones played haunting music by Cage and others and a piece for oboe, flute, trombone, violin, clarinet and trumpet (along with spoken word) was premiered. At the end the audience played along with a number of players on tiny plastic noise makers. And, finally, the Suite for Toy Piano was repeated. Here is the facebook album with a couple more pictures.
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Great photo, LB.
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