The Elliott Carter effect


Thankfully not everyone is purring in their self-reverential reality tunnel. Later this year the premiere of John Cage's Scottish Circus is being replicated in the hall where it was first performed in September 1990. The replicated first performance is in the Concert Hall at the University of Glasgow on June 1st. Scottish Circus was commissioned by composer and activist Eddie McGuire for his group The Whistlebinkies who will perform it in this year's concert alongside student musicians. The Whistlebinkies have also recorded Scottish Circus together with 4'33'' for new music advocates Mode Records of New York for future release.

Scottish Circus was premiered during the 1990 Musica Nova Festival in Glasgow with John Cage in attendance. The Festival was a celebration of contemporary music presented by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) under the direction of the visionary and underrated Sir Alexander Gibson. At the time the legendary recording producer turned orchestra manager Christopher Bishop was chief executive of the RSNO, and some years ago he contributed a fascinating vignette of John Cage to On An Overgrown Path. Below is a short BBC documentary about the 1990 Musica Nova Festival.



A less catty appreciation of Elliott Carter can be read via this link. Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" for critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Also on Facebook and Twitter.

Comments

Eddie said…
Thanks for posting this news. We'll keep you informed about progress with this event ~ Best wishes from Eddie McGuire & The Whistlebinkies
9:16 pm
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