I thought MMD readers would be interested in a quick review of a
rather unusual event: a Pianola being used to provide the music
for a modern dance company.

Rex Lawson has been playing Conlon Nancarrow's 'Studies for Player
Piano' for a while now, and has achieved a certain fame (or should
that be notoriety?).  As a result, he has been signed up to perform
the music for a new dance production by the Siobhan Davies company.
It was premiered in Oxford last Thursday.

The new piece is called eighty-eight, and is choreographed to a number
of Nancarrow studies, about 40 minutes in all.  In full view in the
orchestra pit was a Steinway grand with Rex's 88-note pushup player on
it.  When he started to play, all sorts of extraordinary noises came
out, and everyone in the audience craned forward to see what was going
on!  Some of the pieces actually came from tape [played] over loud-
speakers during re-rolling.

Afterwards, Siobhan Davies talked with the audience about the piece and
said how it had been inspired by a long-term interest in Nancarrow's
music.  Rex said he hadn't the heart to tell her that the Nancarrow,
being written for Ampico machines, only uses 83 notes!

The dancing itself I really can't comment on; it was really disjointed
stuff, with people running and leaping round the stage in all sorts of
odd patterns.  Just like the Nancarrow, really.  The newspapers that
reviewed it seemed very positive.  It was certainly well done.

The music came over pretty well.  Nancarrow is an acquired taste --
personally I find some of the pieces quite enjoyable but I know others
loathe them.  Rex performed as impeccably as usual, and I thought the
overall effect was completely professional.

It is good to see that the Pianola can hold its own in such a highly
artistic setting.  The effect was quite different from going to a
Pianola recital, which have a slightly 'alternative' feel to them.
Shows like this put the Pianola into quite a different context than the
domestic ragtime box it is commonly assumed to be, and really do prove
its enthusiasts' contention that it's a proper _musical_ instrument.

The rolls were provided either from Rex's own perforetur productions,
or from Juergen Hocker and Wolfgang Heisig.

The second half, 'Winnsboro' Cotton Mill Blues', used a live pianist,
who probably could have achieved his effects more easily if he had used
mallets rather than fingers on the keys!  It had a superb 'industrial
soundscape' to go with it.

There are further chances to see this show in the UK this month, and in
the Autumn there will be more shows, including ones in mainland Europe.
I'll post the details when I find them again!  Worth seeing while it's
around, as there'll not be many chances to see this sort of thing done,
professionally or not.

Julian Dyer