Martin Arnold - Micah Lexier
Martin Arnold - Toronto, Canada
Micah Lexier - Toronto, Canada
Written in 1893, Erik Satie's Vexations was never published nor publicly heard during his lifetime. He left 39 beats of hand scrawled, insidiously vexing music-hard to read and hard to remember-and the following cryptic instruction: "to repeat 840 times this motif, it is advisable to prepare oneself in the most absolute silence, by some serious immobilities." A number of performers (most notably John Cage) have ventured to take him at his word and successively play the piece 840 times, taking between 15 and 27 hours to do so. We only have 12 hours so we're dividing it: two pianos playing simultaneously, 420 passes per piano. Our Vexations is staged in the majestic arched expanse of a cathedral of commerce, perhaps therefore taking part in a highly irregular sort of exchange. We'll be counting; tonight, by playing 840 scores-each a vexation-once. After each score is played it is transformed into a folded paper sculpture-840 scores creating 840 objects-giving shape to the sound and echoing the team of pianists weaving the composition's unmonumental but resolutely vexing notes. Satie said: "Before I compose a piece, I walk around it several times, accompanied by myself." We invite you to walk around Vexations, hopefully several times as it accumulates through the night.
Martin Arnold and Micah Lexier are both based in Toronto. Arnold's compositions are performed nationally and internationally. Lexier is a visual artist, a collector, and (sometimes) a curator. Arnold is active in Toronto's improvisation and experimental jazz/roots/rock communities performing on live electronics, banjo, melodica, and hurdy-gurdy. Lexier has a deep interest in measurement, numbers and the kinds of marks we make in our day-to-day lives. Arnold teaches at Trent University. Together their ages equal 99 years.
Martin Arnold bio
Martin Arnold cv
Micah Lexier bio
Micah Lexier cv
Martin Arnold & Micah Lexier, Erik Satie's Vexations (1893), 2010,
Two Pianos, Table, 840 sheets of paper (folded)
Erik Satie's Vexations (1893), 2010
Two Pianos, Table, 840 sheets of paper (folded)
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