schick, yadegari & schwitters

PNME Geust Striking. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, A & E Short Takes. 21 July 2008.

This concert by Steven Schick and Shahrokh Yadegari gave the PNME audience a compelling entry into the artistic world of Kurt Schwitters. After the event, I was left anticipating the duo’s release of their recontextualization of Schwitters’ “UrSonate” on DVD. (For more info on Schwitters and to hear him performing the “UrSonate,” visit this ubu.com page.)

Their performance of Schwitters’ “vocal” work utilized MaxMSP patches devised by Yadegari to create rotating counterpoints for Schick’s excellent performance style. The patches spanned the musical gamut from lyricism to cacophony. (BTW, Schick’s oratory skills make him a percussionist who could perform Rzewski’s “To The Earth” quite compellingly.) Their work was most effective in the 2nd and 3rd movements. In the 2nd movement, Schick swung a plastic tube through the air, resulting in an audible pitch. Yadegari captured this tone and fashioned a descending pattern of pitches that Schick in turn mimicked as he narrated Schwitters’ score. In the third movement, Yadegari set up a rhythmic ostinato from Schick’s short vocalizations. The effect was slightly reminiscent to Ravel’s “Bolero,” though a bit more comical. In short, the pair have put together a performance that, if it comes to a theater near you, should not be missed.