Other Minds Special Programs ➔ Other Minds Presents: Solo for Voice 58: 18 Microtonal Ragas [video]
Digital Moving Image
Event Type
MusicOrigin
Other MindsIdentifier
OMP.2007.11.02.c2Program Series
Other Minds PresentsProgram Length
88 minDates
2007-11-02 | createdDescription
Nearly forty years after John Cage composed “Solo for Voice 58”, an indeterminate work consisting of 18 separate parts, it finds its ideal interpreter in Italian-born dhrupad singer Amelia Cuni. The first performer to prepare the full 18 microtonal ragas for a major performance, Cuni executes microtonal melodies in five different languages with stunning ease. On November 2, 2007, Other Minds presented the American premiere of this iconoclastic interpretation at a concert in Berkeley California. Two basic concepts are embodied in Cuni’s realization of the complete “Solo for Voice 58”: the meaning of raga, which is “to color the mind”, and chance operations, a favorite tool of John Cage. Following Cage’s own instructions, other selections from his “Song Books” (1970) have been integrated and superimposed as part of the “18 Microtonal Ragas”.Genres
New musicMicrotonal music
Musical Selections
Solo for Voice 58: 18 Microtonal Ragas [from “Song Books”] (1970) / John Cagedetailed listing:
Raga 1 [text from “Pfalz” by Amelia Cuni] -- Raga 4 [text is MA-AS-TTHI] -- Raga 14 [text from “Olive Tree” by Amelia Cuni] -- Raga 8 [text from “Raga Dhyanas” by Alain Daniélou] -- Raga 3 [text consists of names of constellations and cities from the first page of “Solo for Voice 72”] -- Raga 5 [text from “Winter Lake” by Amelia Cuni] -- Raga 6 [text randomly selected from Amelia Cuni’s repertoire] -- Raga 9, [text from a selection of words from “Solo for Voice 12 representing Sanskrit names for mythical beings in the Hindi pantheon] -- Raga 2 [text from “Rhein in Basel” by Amelia Cuni] -- Raga 10 [text from “Microtones” by Alain Daniélou] -- Raga 12 [texts are selections by Henry David Thoreau found in “Solo for Voice 3” and random selections from “Chautal” by Dilip Chandra Vedi] -- Ragamala: Ragas 11, 13, 15, & 7 [texts from “Affinita”, “Der Grundton” and “The Drone” by Alain Daniélou] -- Raga 16 [texts include “Brajbhasa” from Surdas “Holi Song”, “Su Fondmente Invernali” and ”La Bottego del Vetraio” by Roberto Sanesi] -- Raga 18 [text by Erik Satie from “Solo for Voice 21”] -- Raga 17 [text from “Royamount” by Amelia Cuni]
Performers
Amelia Cuni, dhrupad vocalsWerner Durand, drones & electronics
Raymond Kaczynski, percussion
Federico Sanesi, percussion
Subjects
New musicMicrotonal music
Vocalises
Songs with electronics
Songs with percussion
Aleatory music
Related Event
Other Minds Presents: Solo for Voice 58: 18 Microtonal RagasRelated place
Berkeley (Calif.) (was recorded at)Related Entities
Other Minds (Organization)Amirkhanian, Charles
Fong, Adam, 1980-
Cage, John
Cuni, Amelia
Daniélou, Alain
Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862
Vedī, Dilīpacandra, b. 1901-
Sūradāsa, 1483?-1563?
Sanesi, Roberto
Satie, Erik, 1866-1925
Durand, Werner
Kaczynski, Raymond
Sanesi, Federico