[NEohioPAL]Team of Pianists to Present Erik Satie's Vexations in a Marathon Performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music

Mon Nov 6 10:49:12 PST 2006

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Media Contact Only:

Marci Janas, Director of Conservatory Media Relations

440.775.8328 (office); 440.667.2724 (cell); marci.janas at oberlin.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

A Team of Pianists to Perform Satie=92s Vexations in a Marathon =20
Presentation at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music

Concert on Friday, Nov. 17, Begins at 6 a.m. and Concludes Some 16 =20
Hours Later

OBERLIN, OHIO (Nov. 6, 2006)=97How many pianists does it take to =20
perform French composer Erik Satie=92s Vexations? Given that Satie=92s =20=

instructions call for the aptly named work to be played 840 times, a =20
lot.

A team of some 20 to 30 faculty and student pianists from the Oberlin =20=

Conservatory of Music will give the piece a go on Friday, Nov. 17, at =20=

Fairchild Chapel on the campus of Oberlin College. The concert begins =20=

in the morning at 6 a.m. and ends at roughly 10 p.m. that evening.

The concert is free and open to the public, and audience members are =20
invited to enter and exit, silently, at any point during the =20
proceedings. Fairchild Chapel is located in Bosworth Hall at 50 W. =20
Lorain St., across from Tappan Square. Free parking is available =20
throughout the campus. Updated concert information is available by =20
calling the Conservatory=92s 24-hour Concert Hotline at 440-775-6933.

Professor of Composition and Music Theory Randolph Coleman has =20
organized the performance as part of his =93Seminar on John Cage and =20
American Experimental Music.=94

=93Satie was a strange, seminal figure, among the first to challenge =20
the traditional notions of music and performance,=94 says Coleman. =93He =
=20
predated such movements as Dada, Les Six, Fluxus, muzak, =20
indeterminacy, minimalism, the musical counterculture of the 1960s, =20
and much music by composers such as Virgil Thomson and Morton Feldman.=94

Satie=92s Vexations, written for piano in 1893, is actually quite =20
short; it consists of four phrases, is about half-a-page long, and, =20
performed once, clocks in at just under a minute. Satie, however, =20
directed it to be played 840 times, which, understandably, increases =20
the running time somewhat. Performers are required to prepare =20
themselves in advance, =93in the greatest silence,=94 with complete =20
immobility.

At Oberlin, Vexations was performed in April 1971, and again in 1993, =20=

also in April. But according to Coleman, Satie himself never heard a =20
public performance of the work. The premiere was given in New York =20
City in 1963, 70 years after it was written, in a performance led by =20
composer John Cage.

It should come as no surprise that the one person who remained in the =20=

audience for the entirety of that New York premiere was Andy Warhol.

###

Marci Janas
Director of Conservatory Media Relations
Oberlin Conservatory of Music
39 West College Street
Oberlin, OH  44074
www.oberlin.edu/con
(P) 440.775.8328
(F) 440.775.5457
marci.janas at oberlin.edu

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class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"4"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
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DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"><FONT =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"4"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
style=3D"font-size: 14.7px;">=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 =
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=A0</SPAN></FONT></P><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Palatino; min-height: 16px; "><BR></DIV><P align=3D"center" =
style=3D"text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"6"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: =
18.7px;"><B>A Team of Pianists to Perform Satie=92s =
</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"6"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 18.7px;"><B><I>Vexations =
</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"6"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: 18.7px;"><B>in a Marathon =
Presentation at the Oberlin Conservatory of =
Music</B></SPAN></FONT></P><P align=3D"center" style=3D"text-align: =
center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; =
margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" size=3D"6"><SPAN =
class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: =
18.7px;"><B>=A0</B></SPAN></FONT></P><P align=3D"center" =
style=3D"text-align: center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class=3D"Apple-style-span" =
size=3D"4"><SPAN class=3D"Apple-style-span" style=3D"font-size: =
13.3px;"><B><I>Concert on Friday, Nov. 17, Begins at 6 a.m. and =
Concludes Some 16 Hours Later</I></B></SPAN></FONT></P><P =
style=3D"text-align: auto;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">OBERLIN, =
OHIO (Nov. 6, 2006)=97How many pianists does it take to perform French =
composer Erik Satie=92s <I>Vexations</I>? Given that Satie=92s =
instructions call for the aptly named work to be played 840 times, a =
lot.</DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px">=A0</P><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">A team of some 20 to 30 faculty and student pianists =
from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music will give the piece a go on =
Friday, Nov. 17, at Fairchild Chapel on the campus of Oberlin College. =
The concert begins in the morning at 6 a.m. and ends at roughly 10 p.m. =
that evening.</DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px =
0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">The concert is free and open to =
the public, and audience members are invited to enter and exit, =
silently, at any point during the proceedings. Fairchild Chapel is =
located in Bosworth Hall at 50 W. Lorain St., across from Tappan Square. =
Free parking is available throughout the campus. Updated concert =
information is available by calling the Conservatory=92s 24-hour Concert =
Hotline at 440-775-6933.</DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px =
0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Professor of Composition and =
Music Theory Randolph Coleman has organized the performance as part of =
his =93Seminar on John Cage and American Experimental Music.=94</DIV><P =
style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top:=
 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">=93Satie =
was a strange, seminal figure, among the first to challenge the =
traditional notions of music and performance,=94 says Coleman. =93He =
predated such movements as Dada, Les Six, Fluxus, muzak, indeterminacy, =
minimalism, the musical counterculture of the 1960s, and much music by =
composers such as Virgil Thomson and Morton Feldman.=94</DIV><P =
style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top:=
 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Satie=92s=
 <I>Vexations, </I>written for piano in 1893, is actually quite short; =
it consists of four phrases, is about half-a-page long, and, performed =
once, clocks in at just under a minute. Satie, however, directed it to =
be played 840 times, which, understandably, increases the running time =
somewhat. Performers are required to prepare themselves in advance, =93in =
the greatest silence,=94 with complete immobility.</DIV><P =
style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top:=
 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">At =
Oberlin, <I>Vexations</I> was performed in April 1971, and again in =
1993, also in April. But according to Coleman, Satie himself never heard =
a public performance of the work. The premiere was given in New York =
City in 1963, 70 years after it was written, in a performance led by =
composer John Cage.</DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px =
0.0px">=A0</P><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">It should come as no surprise =
that the one person who remained in the audience for the entirety of =
that New York premiere was Andy Warhol.</DIV><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px =
0.0px 0.0px 0.0px">=A0</P><P style=3D"margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px =
0.0px">=A0</P><P align=3D"center" style=3D"text-align: =
center;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">###</P><DIV style=3D"text-align: center;margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: =
normal normal normal 12px/normal Palatino; min-height: 16px; =
"><BR></DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Marci Janas</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Director of Conservatory Media Relations</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Oberlin Conservatory of Music</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">39 West College Street</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: =
0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Oberlin, =
OH=A0 44074</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">www.oberlin.edu/con</DIV><DIV =
style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">(P) 440.775.8328</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; =
margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">(F) =
440.775.5457</DIV><DIV style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; =
margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A =
href=3D"mailto:marci.janas at oberlin.edu">marci.janas at oberlin.edu</A></DIV><=
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