Saturday, December 08, 2007

HARRY PARTCH'S DELUSION OF THE FURY

A very special performance will take place Saturday night at Japan Society. The exceedingly rare presentation of Harry Partch's Delusion of the Fury is an occasion to hear his beautiful, unusual music played on beautiful, unusual musical instruments.

Harry Partch stands out in the history of twentieth century music for his time living as a hobo but even moreso for his unconventional music and the gorgeous instruments he fashioned to perform it. They include The Mazda Marimba, The Quadrangularus Reversum, The Boo, The Bloboy, The Eucal Blossom, and The Spoils of War.

Partch's Delusion of the Fury, which involves dance as well as music, offers a wonderful opportunity to see and hear many of Partch's instruments at one time. The catch? It's sold out! But culture vultures may still be able to snag a stray ticket or standing room spot if they arrive at Japan Society by 6:00pm for the 7:30 performance. No guarantees...but there you have it!

Here's an intro to Partch and his music from a BBC documentary. It seems slightly above average as far as the sound quality of Partch-related material on YouTube goes. Don't be fooled by the documentary's emphasis on the cacophonous side of Partch's ouevre; much of his music, including the current production of Delusion of the Fury, can actually sound sweet and even soothing.



Source (9:54)

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