Harmonic Presents
Arthur Russell’s ‘Instrumentals’
The Button factory
Saturday May 23rd
Tickets on sale Friday Feb 20th priced €25 (incl booking) www.ticketmaster.ie
9-piece ensemble featuring original members from the 1970s performances. Plus DJ set and original photographs of Yuko Nonomura
Peter Gordon (composer and bandleader of Love Of Life Orchestra) – Musical Director / Saxophone and Organ
Rhys Chatham (composer) - Flute
Ernie Brooks (the Modern Lovers) – Bass Guitar
Peter Zummo (composer & formerly of The Lounge Lizards) - Trombone
David Van Tieghem (formerly of The Steve Reich Ensemble & founder member of Love Of Life Orchestra) - Percussion
Larry Saltzman (formerly of Art & Garfunkel) - Guitar
plus:
Nik Colk Void (Factory Floor/Carter Tutti Void) - Guitar
Liam O’Maonlai (The Hothouse Flowers) - Piano
Instrumentals is one of Arthur Russell’s most important concert works, composed in New York City in 1974 and inspired by the nature photography of Yuko Nonomura.
The premiere took place in Berkeley, California in January 1975. As a composition it continued to evolve as Russell and his ensemble performed it in experimental music venues through- out New York City over the next four years. Considered to be part of the minimalist movement of the time, it featured one of the first pairings of pop and concert hall aesthetics and was the first exploration of its kind in the vibrant New York downtown scene.
Philip Glass, present at the first New York performance, was a supporter of the work. Glass provided the ensemble with his own house so that they would have a space to practice. Instrumentals was described by Pitchfork as: ‘‘a masterpiece…up there with World Of Echo as Arthur Russell’s greatest achievement.’’
Peter Gordon and Arthur Russell met each other by chance in New York City in 1975. They quickly bonded over their shared love of instrumental pop music, becoming close friends and regular collaborators. As well as playing keyboards in the original ensemble, Peter Gordon also worked closely with Russell on the arrangement and notation of Instrumentals. Consequently, many parts of the original score are in Gordon’s handwriting.
Peter Gordon has gone on to become an award winning composer for opera, theatre and film. His orchestration of Michael Tilson Thomas’ The Thomashefskys was recently performed by the New York Philharmonic. He has also continued to write music in other styles. His Love Of Life Orchestra project had a retrospective of their work released on the DFA label in 2011, he released a collaboration with Factory Floor in 2013 and continued to serve as music producer on Robert Ashly’s Vidas Perfectas.
In March 2012, almost twenty years after Arthur Russell’s death, Peter Gordon unveiled his new reading of Instrumentals at a sold-out performance in New York City’s renowned arts centre, The Kitchen. The performance featured several members of Arthur Russell’s original ensemble plus more recent additions to the downtown New York scene.
For this tour, the original ensemble members are joined by Nik Colk Void, singer and guitar- ist in Factory Floor (DFA), who’s also 1/3 of Carter Tutti Void (alongside Chris & Cosey of Throbbing Gristle), and Liam O’Maonlai of cult Irish band, The Hothouse Flowers.
Arthur Russell’s ‘Instrumentals’
The Button factory
Saturday May 23rd
Tickets on sale Friday Feb 20th priced €25 (incl booking) www.ticketmaster.ie
9-piece ensemble featuring original members from the 1970s performances. Plus DJ set and original photographs of Yuko Nonomura
Peter Gordon (composer and bandleader of Love Of Life Orchestra) – Musical Director / Saxophone and Organ
Rhys Chatham (composer) - Flute
Ernie Brooks (the Modern Lovers) – Bass Guitar
Peter Zummo (composer & formerly of The Lounge Lizards) - Trombone
David Van Tieghem (formerly of The Steve Reich Ensemble & founder member of Love Of Life Orchestra) - Percussion
Larry Saltzman (formerly of Art & Garfunkel) - Guitar
plus:
Nik Colk Void (Factory Floor/Carter Tutti Void) - Guitar
Liam O’Maonlai (The Hothouse Flowers) - Piano
Instrumentals is one of Arthur Russell’s most important concert works, composed in New York City in 1974 and inspired by the nature photography of Yuko Nonomura.
The premiere took place in Berkeley, California in January 1975. As a composition it continued to evolve as Russell and his ensemble performed it in experimental music venues through- out New York City over the next four years. Considered to be part of the minimalist movement of the time, it featured one of the first pairings of pop and concert hall aesthetics and was the first exploration of its kind in the vibrant New York downtown scene.
Philip Glass, present at the first New York performance, was a supporter of the work. Glass provided the ensemble with his own house so that they would have a space to practice. Instrumentals was described by Pitchfork as: ‘‘a masterpiece…up there with World Of Echo as Arthur Russell’s greatest achievement.’’
Peter Gordon and Arthur Russell met each other by chance in New York City in 1975. They quickly bonded over their shared love of instrumental pop music, becoming close friends and regular collaborators. As well as playing keyboards in the original ensemble, Peter Gordon also worked closely with Russell on the arrangement and notation of Instrumentals. Consequently, many parts of the original score are in Gordon’s handwriting.
Peter Gordon has gone on to become an award winning composer for opera, theatre and film. His orchestration of Michael Tilson Thomas’ The Thomashefskys was recently performed by the New York Philharmonic. He has also continued to write music in other styles. His Love Of Life Orchestra project had a retrospective of their work released on the DFA label in 2011, he released a collaboration with Factory Floor in 2013 and continued to serve as music producer on Robert Ashly’s Vidas Perfectas.
In March 2012, almost twenty years after Arthur Russell’s death, Peter Gordon unveiled his new reading of Instrumentals at a sold-out performance in New York City’s renowned arts centre, The Kitchen. The performance featured several members of Arthur Russell’s original ensemble plus more recent additions to the downtown New York scene.
For this tour, the original ensemble members are joined by Nik Colk Void, singer and guitar- ist in Factory Floor (DFA), who’s also 1/3 of Carter Tutti Void (alongside Chris & Cosey of Throbbing Gristle), and Liam O’Maonlai of cult Irish band, The Hothouse Flowers.
