Music talk
Do Dada! Kurt Schwitters’ “Ur Sonata”
Nonsequitur &Subtext present actress Kristen Loree and visual artist Jack Ox performing Kurt Schwitters’ epic Dada sound poem, “Ur Sonata,” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 7 in the historic Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.
“Ur Sonata” is arguably the greatest sound poem to emerge from the various experimental art movements of the early 20th century. Structured in a classic four-movement sonata form (plus introduction, finale and cadenza), the work explodes language and recasts the fragments as a primal verbal music of disjointed syllables and phonemes.
This performance merges two distinct approaches to the material. Actress and vocalist Kristen Loree gives a tour de force performance of the complete text, set against a backdrop of projections by visual artist Jack Ox. The images are derived from Ox’s translation of the poem into a series of paintings that run continuously for 800 feet. Loree also will perform “By Language Embellished,” a work for solo actor-percussionist by composer Stuart Saunders Smith.
Good Shepherd Chapel is at 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N., Seattle. Admission is by a $5 to $15 donation at the door. Details are at www.waywardmusic.blogspot.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
