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Concert Review

[Néa] The recent performance of Bach's Second Partita for
[Doctroid] bass clarinet and cembalo, a rarely heard piece which
[Raak] makes great demands of the performer's ability to sustain
[Doctroid] this listener's interest throughout its 138-minute duration; however, the splendid
[joh] sounds caused by the audience fidgeting in their (squeaking) seats. Most notable was the lead
[Raak] bassoonist began the duet in waltz time, their perfect ensemble
[Doctroid] with the glaring exception of the snare drum. In Debussy's
[Néa] piano concerto, cleverly orchestrated by
[Raak] Berio, the soprano part is replaced by the triangle. This poses some interesting problems
[Doctroid] in regard to diatonic microtonal intonation and the use of
[Néa] as many as 58 soloists, all singing in unison
[Doctroid] during the raspberry chorus in the second movement, a brisk allegro con
[Raak] brio tests the ability of the third flute to carry an exposed line, a task which Mlle. Tanaka
[Néa] who, unusually, was playing on a saw
[Doctroid] which was later used to perform John Cage's "Destroying a Piano". This piece features
[Raak] one of the most testing passages in the cor anglais repertoire, with its exposed solo line
[Néa] counterpointed by the dramatic introduction of seventeen live nightingales,
[Doctroid] and an upturned galvanized tub with chicken feed on top, a microphone underneath, and eighteen chickens. This may be the avant garde's least
[Raak] well-known contribution to world peace, eclectically combining
[CdM] silence with lack of silence, the result being
[Doctroid] the immediate departure of two thirds of the audience. Those who stayed
[Raak] were treated to two encores
[joh] of a dubious nature were given. These were conducted by a hirsuite man holding a
[Doctroid] cardboard tube jammed into the bell in order to reach the C two octaves below
[Néa] the basso continuo; a truly magnificent
[Raak] climax. As the lights came up, they revealed that not only had the audience all left, but so also had the performers, creating the ultimate silence that is surely the ultimate music.

Version 1.8 - (C) Kevan 2001

Half-resurrected for 2003 - this will be back with logins and passwords eventually, although I've not really had time to work on it much. Getting a few people playing it again should boost my enthusiasm, though. Don't pass the URL around too much; as games 42-46 show, this died in the first place when it got a prominent mention on some random weblog and was attacked by overwhelming hordes of idiots with crayons. You're welcome to tell trusted friends, just don't publish the URL anywhere. (If it does go public and explode, I'll just shut it down.)