Mats Norrman <[log in to unmask]>:

>I can report the guinness-record is already lost to John Cage, who has
>composed some minimalistic piece which is supposed to be performed over
>a time of 20 years (or something even more ridiculous).

At this point, 20, 40 or 60 years is almost the same (ridiculous).
However, this is quite a subject to restart the legendary thread "Repeats".

>The piece starts with a pause and the first tone is appearing after 4
>days and lasts 2 weeks in duration.  Some organists of Saxony have
>volounteered for performing the piece, reports DN.  This is NOT a joke!!!

You see?.  Those saxon gentlemen have no sense of humour at all.  (I hope
they are paid per hour and not per work).  Can you imagine the rehearsals?:
"Gentlemen, that was good, but the first week was a bit staccato".  "I
heard that Barenboim (and his inheritor) wants to rehearse the work day
by day".

>After Karl-Heinz Stockhausen, the next avantguardist has come up with
>something even better, just proving the solidity of the idea of the
>Oevre....alas!

Goldsmith said once: "Every absurdity has now a champion".

I wrote, concerning a performance of "Vexations":

>>I felt myself stupid for being there and, of course, I felt them more
>>stupid than me.  I felt that the occasion wasn't humorous at all (just
>>as this indication of Satie was).  It's like when you tell a joke to a
>>person and he takes you seriously.  That's sad.

Mats responded:

>You have no humour. To take a joke seriously can be the finest of humour.

Oh, I suspect that I have my bit of humour, but I'm certainly too lazy to
express it by playing a piece 840 times (or during 20 years, whatever)!!

Pablo Massa
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