As the summer solstice rolled in, so too did a number of intriguing activities around the globe. One such series of events was to turn this old pagan festival into a music making day all around NYC (and other global towns). I'd been invited to partake in one musical interlude in Central Park, but missed it as it was during my lunch hour, and I'd been busy at work during the day. But there was another, which I somehow came across, and found completely intriguing: a global performance of Erik Satie's mesmerizing and haunting little (and grand!) piece titled "Vexations," which is marked to be repeated 840 times! Among a dozen or so performances in some of the world's great cities, the NY performance was held just on Broadway and Wall Street, from early Thursday morning till sometime before midnight of the same day--whenever the 840th repeat was to take place. A trio of percussionists took turns majestically divining the piece from their vibraphonic instruments, like earthy priests evoking spirits from a forest--right in the middle of the world's financial center! The music is highly meditative, and done in such a location felt like prehistoric chimes echoing from the bottom of a chasm into the upper spheres! Ayano Kataoka, Amy Garapic, and others performed this work with steadiness and poise, making for a truly unique musical event. We look forward to their upcoming performances.
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