Rosenfest Berlin 1984 ‘Fragment XXX’

AKT 1:
01 Giancarlo Schiaffini ‘Finale’ (7:31)
AKT 2:
02 Robert Ashley ‘The City Of Kleist – Ausschnitt I’ (7:33)
03 Robert Ashley ‘The City Of Kleist – Ausschnitt II’ (7:34)
04 Blue Gene Tyranny ‘The City Of Kleist – Finale’ (7:57)
AKT 3:
05 Henning Christiansen ‘Ausschnitt’ (7:36)
06 Henning Christiansen ‘Finale’ (7:30)
(note: ‘ausschnitt’=excerpt)

Total time 45:30
Book+three 7” singles, DAAD galerie, Berlin, 1984

Interestingly, on this triple 7-inches set, we see an Italian, two Americans and a Danish composer venture into Musiktheater, a typically German territory. Not only this, they also reconfigure a legendary Sturm Und Drang theater play by Heinrich Von Kleist, ‘Penthesilea’, decidedly  taking all the risks with German heritage. ‘Rosenfest’ was a contemporary art exhibition taking place in the Berlin DAAD galery, 1984, blending visual artists and avantgarde music composers like Robert Ashley, Henning Christiansen, Per Kirkeby, Jannis Kounelis, Guilio Paolini, Carlo Quartucci, Carla Tatò, Lawrence Weiner. The catalogue also includes Daniel Buren. The companion 3-discs set documents their version of Kleist’s Penthesilea, with each scene created by different composers/interprets: Giancarlo Schiaffini, Robert Ashley, Blue Gene Tyranny and Henning Christiansen. To hear Robert Ashley uttering German indecipherale words is a delight (beginning and end of tr.#2). His 2 scenes are typical Ashley, with collective, declamatory vocals over synth drones and piano courtesy Blue Gene Tyranny. The latter’s contribution includes a beautiful, extended piano+synth duo, both played by Tyranny apparently.The voice of Italian actress Carla Tatò is prominent in several tracks — her slightly excessive Italian voice prefectly suitable for a Dario Fo theater play. The 2 compositions by Danish Fluxus artist Henning Christiansen are based on thundering, low piano pedals, church organ, saxophone and field recordings. In these 2 tracks, the vocals are more discrete, building a perfect end-of-the-world atmosphere.

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