9 Evenings - Variations VII by John Cage

So I got my DVD in the mail and was very excited! John Cage has been a favorite composer of mine so I was thrilled to learn that he was involved in the group. I had first learned about him in my Electronic Music class back at the UO. I instantly took a liking to him after seeing this video:



So I popped in the DVD and turned the speakers up, waiting contently for the composition to start. The transition from silence worked very well, before I knew it, I was already listening to the piece. The speaker on the screen was wailing loudly, like a war siren. It was a very intense yet subtle introduction to Variations VII.

The radio frequencies were filling the air and feedback of all sorts could be heard. I was starting to feel numbness from the collage of noises. Although it must have been noise to some in the audience(you could tell by some disappointing faces), it was music to me. The sound came together and really seemed to reach a climax after 3 or 4 minutes. The sounds just came together so well that it felt like nothing could possibly make this better.

It felt as if the sound had ended as soon as it came. There was only silence followed by applause. I thought it was one of his greatest piece of works, his ingenuity, his innovations, his quirk. It all played a roll in how all this came to be.

I recommend this DVD to anyone. You might want to be familiar with his work first, but you really don't have to, it's just that great.

E.A.T 9 Evenings

I found the event, '9 Evenings,' a very interesting collaboration. Artists, Engineers, scientists, and more work together and took an interesting and technological turn on art. Although it doesn't seem unheard of today, I bet it was quite innovative for it's time(1960's).

Rauschenberg's piece, 'Open Score' was really neat. I love the manipulation the rackets and ball pose on the lights and sounds emitted from the speakers. It gets really eerie as the lights go down and starts to feel less like a tennis game.





Along with Rauschenberg, is John Cage. A composer of mind which I really enjoy, he busts out the crazy gadgets/musical instruments and starts making music most unheard of. I wish to watch the entirety of 'Variations VII'




Overall, I really enjoyed reading about the collaboration but It doesn't do the event much justice without watching it. I think I'd really enjoy watching the performances, the DVDs can be purchased here: http://www.microcinemadvd.com/about/about/storefront.html


There's another blog that reviews the DVD and history of Evenings 9, check it out!: http://arttorrents.blogspot.com/2008/01/robert-rauschenberg-open-score.html