Relâche Collection ➔ New Music America: 1987: Concert No. 10 - Polka From the Fringe, 1 of 21

Digital Audio


Event Type
Music
Origin
Relàche
Identifier
NMA.1987.10.07.2.c1.A
Program Series
New Music America
Program Length
72 min
Part
1 of 21
Dates
1987-10-07 | created
Description
The 1987 New Music America Festival was held in Philadelphia during the first two weeks in October. Produced by the local ensemble Relâche, this 10 day extravaganza of adventurous musical programing featured over 20 concerts, lectures, and sound installations. A wide range of sonic delights were offered, ranging from 20th century classical works for instrumental ensemble, to examples of experimental electronic wizardry, to incomparable improvisational jazz extravaganza’s, all performed by a bevy of talented musicians and composers.

The Festival’s tenth concert was devoted entirely to polkas; all performed by the lively composer/accordionist Guy Klucevsek. Klucevsek, also a memeber of Relâche at the time, performs his entire, later-to-be album, Polka From the Fringe. Polka From the Fringe was a series of commissions started in 1986 where Klucevsek “invited the most improbable composers to put all inhibitions aside and have a go at the polka form.”

Polka From the Fringe was originally released on cassette and then on CD but was out of print for nearly twenty years before Starkland Records reissued it as a special edition double CD in 2012.

Notes from the concert program:

“This evening of polkas, pseudo-polkas, and decimated polkas is a tribute to the most notable dance form ever concocted.”

POLKA FROM THE FRINGE

The complete version of Polka From The Fringe is two 45 minute sets of nuclear polkas, featuring over 30 three minute commissions from the following composers:
Thomas Albert, Mary Ellen Childs, Anthony Coleman, Nicolas Collins, Tom Cora, Alvin Curran, Paul Dresher, William Duckworth, Carl Finch, Fred Frith, David Garland, Peter Garland, Daniel Goode, Rolf Groesbeck, William Hellermann, Robin Holcolm, Wayne Horvitz, Jerry Hunt, Scott Johnson, Joseph Kasinskas, Aaron Kernis, Guy Klucevsek, Mary Jean Leach, David Mahler, Christian Marclay, Robert Moran, William Olbrecht, Zeena Parkins, Bobby Previte, Elliott Sharp, Lois V Vierk, David Weinstein.

This concert was held at Revival, on October 7, 1987, and generously provided to Other Minds by Joseph Franklin who directed the 1987 New Music America festival, and Werner Strobel who digitized the original tape recordings.
Genres
New music
Popular music
Musical Selections
Ping Pong Polka (1987) (3:02) / Christian Marclay
Performers
Guy Klucevsek, accordion
Subjects
Polkas
Accordion music
Accordion and electronic music
Popular music--1981-1990
Popular music--1991-2000