Frederic Rzewski has written not one, but two works based on letters written by controversial prisoners. Instantly, I thought Coming Together a great work. Based on a letter from prison by Oscar Wilde to Lord Alfred Douglas, De Profundis is also an interesting work but on first listen, the various parts--Wilde's text, the piano interludes, the post-modern vocalisms--did not fuse into any emotional impact. On second listen, I found it moving, especially as I came to realize Lisa Moore's vocal and piano performance was refined and yet theatrical. By the way, not coincidentally, she's on the Bang on a Can CD from Cantaloupe I'm listening to this week as well as the De Profundis Cantaloupe recording.
While the text ends in an upbeat way, Wilde's life after prison was short and poverty-stricken.
Wikipedia describes Wilde's Aestheticism:
The artists and writers of the Aesthetic Movement tended to hold that the Arts should provide refined sensuous pleasure, rather than convey moral or sentimental messages.
Rzewski's work may in fact be beautiful but the text clearly conveys a moral tone about struggling against persecution. Would Wilde approve of the mix?
26 from the Library: Intro & Lucier Lang Antheil
Update: Robert Satterlee recently performed this work in Cincinnati.
I've only heard a small sample of Lisa Moore's recording of this. Compared to Rzewski's own recording the vocal and hence text seems far more prominent in Lisa Moore's mix. In Rzewski's version I felt the text was deeply buried. Reminded me of Keith Jarrett's gutteral moaning.. an understated counterpoint to his piano. Very different almost polar opposite emphasis to the text in Coming Together in which the spoken word attacks the listener in a percussive barrage that throws the instrumental score far into the background.
Posted by: Pete Dako | July 21, 2004 at 03:55 PM