To the Kaai Theater in the evening for Liquid Room, described in the programme as ‘new music in a rock festival setting or in a long night of electronic improvisation. The audience comes and goes, remains standing, and has a drink at the bar, while the music plays without interruption: in and out. ‘ Well, I did nip out for a quick drink but otherwise I was mostly ‘in’. It was a rich feast, but if I had to single one piece out it would be Michael Schmid’s extraordinary rendering of Kurt Schwitters’ Ursonate for voice. I knew (vaguely) about Schwitters’ collage work but was ignorant about his sound poems. This was a tour de force, Schmid’s brilliant performance further enhanced by his ‘Kaoss Box’ (a sort of loop machine). The good thing about modern music concerts is that quite frequently you find yourself alongside the composers and musicians at the bar afterwards. A good evening.
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