The
Works Of Percussion 4: Bonnie Whiting
(2017/John Cage/Naxos/Mode Records Blu-ray)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: B Main Program: C
Bonnie
Whiting is no doubt talented, but the job of a 'speaking
percussionist' is definitely not a style of music for everyone.
Mixing odd percussion with fast speaking lyrics, Whiting performs the
vintage works of musician John Cage on stage a unique sound that is
at times impressive and other times a bit tiring. You have to wonder
how many cups of coffee she must have drank to have so much energy
for so long, as she performs with boundless amounts of creativity and
effort using traditional instruments and found objects as well to add
to the unique nature of the music. While not this reviewer's cup of
tea, per say, I'm sure some classical and experimental music lovers
will get something more out of The
Works Of Percussion 4 than
me.
Contents
on the disc are...
A
Flower
(1950).
The
Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs
(1942).
51'15.657''
for a speaking percussionist (2010) - a solo-simultaneous realization
of 45' for a speaker (1954) and 27'10.554'' for a percussionist.
(1956).
Realization by Bonnie Whiting.
Music
for Two (By One)
(2011), a solo-simultaneous realization of Music for _____
(1984-1987) for solo voice and solo percussion. Realization by
Bonnie Whiting.
ALLEN
OTTE (b. 1950) / JOHN CAGE Connecting Egypt to Madison through
Columbus Ohio, Cage, and the History of the American Labor Movement
(2011) incorporating Music for Marcel Duchamp and Variations 2 Allen
Otte, voice, prepared piano & frame drums.
Total
runtime is 152 minutes and is presented in 1080p high definition with
a 48kHz/24-bit PCM Stereo track that looks and sounds fine for the
Blu-ray format. The show isn't too impressively filmed, but natural,
with Whiting's colorful clothes popping out of the dark background of
the stage. I'm surprised a CD wasn't also included in this release
(a separate CD is available), but the idea is to attract audiophiles
here..
Special
Features...
73
minute video interview with Whiting and Otte, discussing Cage and his
processes, the works and how they assembled them.
Collectible
Insert booklet.
-
James Lockhart
https://www.facebook.com/jamesharlandlockhartv/