Now this was tremendous fun. On Saturday, the English National Opera put on a performance of a chaotic performance piece by the legendary American composer John Cage.
The free performance took place in the London Coliseum, with visitors to take a circular route around the building where all manner of unexpected and interesting performances were going on.
Strange musical sounds, recitals, bands and dancers would stop and start, seemingly spontaneously, creating an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ vibe – at times it felt like I’d ingested some top-notch drugs!
Although things seemed chaotic, all the performers were playing to a strict timetable, with their movements – and long periods of silence – dictated by synchronised stopwatches.
It’s hard to describe how wondrous this event was – it reminded me a bit of some of the early Cooltan Collective performances in Brixton – but if you ever get chance to see it – GO!
See more photos of John Cage’s MUSICIRCUS at the English National Opera here.
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