The newest video, first one for 2017. It’s Felix Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words, Opus 19, No 1.
this sublimely evocative melody has fascinated me for many years. Now, finally, I’ve been able
to record it and create a short music video inspired by it.
The final installment of the Satie Series.
It is thought that the word, “Gnosienne” is a vague allusion to Gnossos (or Knossos), an ancient city
on the island of Crete where once stood the palace of King Minos and the Minotaur’s labyrinth. But
that is neither here nor there (nor under the table). To quote the composer completely out of context
“And then the door opens, opens, opens like an eye: a formless silent being comes closer and closer
and closer. Not a drop of sweat remains in my terrified body; and besides, I am very, very thirsty.
A voice comes out of the shadows, “Sir, I think I am clairvoyant.” That, as they say, just about says
it all, doesn’t it?.
From the CD, Euphonic Verses (available on Amazon), and from one of the most eccentric composers
that has ever lived, here is Erik Satie’s Gnossienne No. 1. Visuals loosely inspired by Picasso’s
costume designs for Satie’s ballet, Parade, as well as Dada, surrealism and yesterday’s vegan
tuna sandwich. This piece is offered (to quote the composer out of context) to “show all those
affected by incommensurable tedium, profound disgust with existence, or unending bitterness, an
infallible way to be promptly cheered up.” Several of the composer’s notations are included.
Lesson 9 of “Lessons from Vinegar Mother.” This version features new original video as intended for the
performance piece. The spoken material is also clearer than the Asheville footage. The Cornelia Street
Café is a much more intimate setting (with a much smaller stage) and it certainly captures the immediacy
of the experience. Thanks to friend and owner, Robin, as well as curator Angelo for a fantastic evening.
Thanks to Greg and Hong Waltzer, who captured a brief segment from the premier of this new
performance piece. Kivoldny Prossar, Russian Thereminist and Ardeth Bey fanatic (that’s why he’s
dressed the way he is) ia playing “Il Vecchio Castello” from Pictures At An Exhibition.