The new concert-hall played host to a certain Yellow Bear and members of the University community and friends earlier today, as a scratch ‘orchestra’ of performers wielded their mobile-phones in aid of Children in Need.
Marking sixty years of John Cage’s notorious 4′ 33”, a band of willing volunteers flocked to the new concert-hall to give the premiere of Three Movements in Ring-Tonality by your loyal correspondent, aided in conducting duties by none other than Pudsey Bear himself.
After a brief rehearsal of each movement, the baton was brandished and a delicate tapestry of ring-tones rose to the roof in a texture of which we feel Cage would have been proud.
With thanks to everyone who turned up either to participate or to listen, to Pudsey, and to the staff of the Gulbenkian who were on hand to help with the smooth running of what was a unique occasion. The BBC were on hand to film the proceedings, keep an eye out on the round-up of local events on BBC South East tomorrow night for a glimpse of what went on…
And what will next year bring ?
Combining the sixtieth anniversary of John Cage’s silent, yet controversial, musical masterpiece, 4’ 33’’, the event encourages audience participants to use their mobile phone ringtone as part of the one-of-a-kind performance. Each of the three movements will see participants ‘playing’ a different ring-tone from their mobile phone.
To be held in Darwin’s Missing Link, the shows will include songs from Spam-a-lot, Hairspray, Shrek: The Musical, Chicago and many more.