Classical music and jazz: Latest news - London Sinfonietta’s EXPERIMENT mini-fest
Published: 29 April 2010
by SEBASTIAN TAYLOR
AFTER the London Marathon, we have Erik Satie’s piano marathon. The French composer’s extraordinary, notorious work Vexations is to be played at the Kings Place arts centre on Saturday as part of the London Sinfonietta’s EXPERIMENT mini-fest exploring the music of experimentalist composers.
The 1893 composition itself is very short, written on a single sheet of paper. But Satie instructed it should be played 840 times in succession without a break. There is no instruction about tempo, so the time of each repetition is decided by individual pianists or relays of performers, some taking as long as 24 hours. The London Sinfonietta’s is expected to last 18 hours, involving two dozen pianists, each playing 28 repetitions, each repetition lasting 90 seconds.
The day will be split into six shifts of three hours each. Up to five pianists will take part in each shift, either preparing, playing or counting. The first shift will start at 6am, the last finishing at midnight.
Why Satie came up with the piano marathon is not known. Some say it was his attack on Wagner operas and French romantic music involving repetitive motifs and melodies; others that it was a joke played on loathed music critics, forcing them to listen to boring music hours on end. But American composer John Cage, who organised a performance of the marathon in the 1950s, said the impact of listening to the work in full was a life-changing experience.
Other concerts in mini-fest include experimental British music tomorrow (Friday) and a unique collaboration with pop experimental band Micachu and the Shapes on Saturday evening. The mini-fest is part of the larger Reveal festival in King’s Cross.
– See listings for details