{"id":10605,"date":"2020-06-08T08:01:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T08:01:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/?p=10605"},"modified":"2020-06-14T11:20:28","modified_gmt":"2020-06-14T11:20:28","slug":"vexations-was-igor-levits-lonely-stroll-too-long","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianostreet.com\/blog\/articles\/vexations-was-igor-levits-lonely-stroll-too-long-10605\/","title":{"rendered":"Vexations – Was Igor Levit\u2019s Lonely Stroll Too Long?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a bid to raise awareness of all musicians who have been silenced by the coronavirus pandemic, finding themselves suddenly out of work, pianist Igor Levit performed Erik Satie\u2019s piano piece Vexations<\/a> in a 15-hour long virtual performance on May 30.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Watch the complete recording of the livestreamed event >><\/a><\/p>\n

The inhuman marathon challenge \u201ddoesn\u2019t feel like a \u2018nuisance\u2019 or \u2018torture\u2019 to me, as the title would suggest, but rather a retreat of silence and humility. It reflects a feeling of resistance\u201d, Levit said prior to the performance. However, after the session he said: \u201cI got so tired that literally my fingers stopped moving\u2026 Maybe a chord came a second late, but nobody died because of it. I\u2019m OK with that; it\u2019s part of the performance.\u201d Levit continues; \u201cThat\u2019s why it feels right to play the Vexations right now. My world and that of my colleagues has been a different one for many weeks now and will probably remain so for a long time. Vexations represent for me a silent scream.\u201d<\/p>\n

The event was massively noted by the international press:
\nThe Gilmore<\/a>
\nNY Times<\/a>
\nThe New Yorker<\/a><\/p>\n

Vexations – a mysterious piece<\/h2>\n

Vexations was written in 1893 and the manuscript score is just four lines of music. No instrument is indicated but it is probably intended for harmonium or piano. The score also includes a mysterious inscription for the performer: \u201dIn order to play this motif 840 times in succession, it would be advisable to prepare oneself beforehand, and in the deepest silence, by serious immobilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The minimalist composition is the first known experiment in organized total chromaticism and continual, unrelieved dissonance with no obvious sense of direction or tonal centre. It is the first piece to explore the effects of boredom, even of hallucination, both on the performer and on the audience.
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\nVexations – PDF piano score to download:<\/em>
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Santiago Rusi\u00f1ol, Portrait of Erik Satie Playing the Harmonium, 1891.<\/p><\/div>The meaning of the work is unclear and has been widely debated, and it has been theorized as a private joke, as a theoretical experiment and even as a response to failed love. Even though Erik Satie composed Vexations circa 1893, the work was virtually unknown until an associate of Satie brought it to light in 1949.<\/p>\n

Historic performances<\/h2>\n

The world premiere <\/a>which took place in 1963 at the Pocket Theater in New York City, was organized by avant-garde composer John Cage and performed by a team of 11 pianists dubbed \u201cThe Pocket Theatre Piano Relay Team\u201d playing in twenty-minute shifts. That first performance lasted nearly 18 hours and 40 minutes and has become the stuff of legend. The New York Times wrote: \u201dWhatever it was, it made musical history.\u201d The Pocket Theater in 1963 offered no Green Room and the event was casual. Some players even left at one point to have dinner in Chinatown.<\/p>\n

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The John Cage team during the 1963 performance of \u201cVexations\u201d at the Pocket Theater in New York.<\/p><\/div>\n

Contradictory to Satie’s instruction “to prepare oneself beforehand…”, the piece is often performed by a team of pianists sharing the task. In an earlier solo attempt in 1970, pianist Peter Evans nearly lost his senses while attempting all of \u201cVexations\u201d on his own. He quit after 595 repetitions and was said to have experienced evil thoughts and visions. Mr. Evans later claimed that pianists who take on the piece \u201cdo so at their own great peril.\u201d Some call the piece dangerous and evil. Many pianists believe from performing the piece, that the material mystically somehow defies memorization.<\/p>\n

840 times of what?<\/h2>\n

Although the inscription suggests how to prepare if one would play the motif 840 times, the score contains no repeat signs or da capo instructions that indicates that the piece should be repeated. But if one insists to take the “840 times” suggestion seriously, what is then the word “motif” referring to? A motif is usually a shorter musical enitity than a “theme” but in this case it seems most reasonable that the “motif” is the 13 beats long “theme”. In the score this motif exists in three differently arranged versions and, if played in tempo 40 BPM, each version of the “motif” takes 19,5 seconds. Consequently, a “complete” performance takes around four and a half hours.<\/p>\n

Cast your vote!<\/h2>\n

Have Cage, Levit and others misinterpretated the instruction regarding the “motif”? What do you think?<\/p>\n

Please vote and post your comment below!<\/p>\n

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The \"motif\" that is suggested to be repeated 840 times most likely refers to:<\/p>