Music For 200 Guitars

Rhys Chatham's A Crimson Grail   13-Aug-09

Saturday, August 8th, Rhys Chatham conducted a performance, by 200 electric guitarists, of his minimalist piece A Crimson Grail at New York's Lincoln Center.

While you might imagine 200 electric guitar to create a raucous cacophony, Chatham's piece is more evocative of the work of minimalist John Adams or ambient artist Brian Eno.

"Chatham's ensemble," writes Marc Masters in a review of the piece, "creates an atmosphere that rises above individual technique, leaving concerns of who, what, and how far behind."

Here's another video, capturing a view from the guitar orchestra during the Intro:

Links:

• Marc Masters' review
• Rhys Chatham's site

James Lewin
Twitter @podcasting_news