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Home » DVD » CAGE,JOHN/TUDOR, DAVID/ MUMMA, GORDON/ PAIK NAM JUN/ VANDERBEEK STAN/ CUNNINGHAM, MERCE: Variations

CAGE,JOHN/TUDOR, DAVID/ MUMMA, GORDON/ PAIK NAM JUN/ VANDERBEEK STAN/ CUNNINGHAM, MERCE: Variations
CAGE,JOHN/TUDOR, DAVID/ MUMMA, GORDON/ PAIK NAM JUN/ VANDERBEEK STAN/ CUNNINGHAM, MERCE: Variations
A 1966 German Television recording of Variations V, written for Merce Cunningham’s Dance Company in 1965 with a score that consists of 37 enigmatic statements or instructions. The music is performed here - with a lot of electronic clutter, including radios and a lot of tape-recorders and pre-recorded materials - by Cage himself, Gordon Mumma and David Tudor - with much electronic sound also triggered directly by the dancers - or by way of the amplified props on the stage. It’s a multi-media work that encompasses not only sound and movement, but also stage furniture,  lighting events and cinematic projection. Collaborators in its creation included Beverly Emmons, Nam Jun Paik, Max Matthews and Robert Moog – who developed the sound equipment used for the project, based on Leon Theremin’s similar dancer-interactive Terpsitone. At the end of the day, though, Cage collects the royalties. The film then adds another layer to the mix with its interpolations and superimpositions. This release also contains a complete stereo recording of a 1966 Paris performance, much better sounding - and useful interviews with some of the dancers in Cunningham’s company at that time. It’s an important historical document of both Cunningham and Cage’s work. Comes with a 12pp booklet with documents, photographs and information by Rob Haskins, Gordon Mumma and Michelle Fillion. 157 minutes.   L


Code: MODE258
Price: £17.00