An outrageous interpretation of Alfred Jarry's fictional character Ubu performed with with the International Contemporary Ensemble and core Downtown New York performers Ikue Mori, Ches Smith and Zorn himself, using Zorn's quick cut approach to composition; presented along with a work inspired by French poet Charles Baudelaire and an elegy to painter Paul Gauguin.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2020 Country: USA Packaging: Digipack Track 1 recorded at EastSide Sound, in NYC, January 23rd, 24th and 25th, 2020.
Track 2 at Abrons Art Center, in NYC, January 30th, 2015.
Track 3 at Abrons Art Center, in NYC, January 31th, 2015.
2. Baudelaires (Paris Spleen, Flowers of Evil, Artificial Paradises) 12:04
3. Oviri 9:38
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descriptions, reviews, &c.
"Demolishing all boundaries and pushing the artistic envelope beyond all expectations Ubu is one of Zorn's greatest and most outrageous creations'a bizarre musical portrait of the subversive writer Alfred Jarry and his powerful Pataphyisical figure Ubu. The Ubu plays were a powerful precursor to many of the European avantgarde experiments of the early 20th century (Dada, Surrealism, Theatre of the Absurd, Futurism, postmodernism) and Zorn captures the vulgar, rebellious, gluttonous, childish and revolutionary spirit of Ubu in this major new studio composition. Accompanying this work are two pieces performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble under the direction of David Fulmer. A concerto grosso in three movements inspired by the work of radical French poet Charles Baudelaire, and Oviri ('savage' in Tahitian) a touching elegy to Paul Gauguin, the influential and complex artist who helped redefine painting in the 20th century."-Tzadik