UK Premiere of Louis Zukofsky's "A"-24

On Friday January 23, the 105th anniversary of the birth of Louis Zukofsky, the Centre for Modernist Studies at the University of Sussex held a seminar on, and staged a performance of, "A"-24, the final section of Zukofsky's long poem "A." Composed by Zukofsky's wife Celia as a gift for her husband, this last 'movement' consists of 5 'voices' performing simultaneously. Four of these voices are made up of quotations from Zukofsky's writing and the fifth consists of selections from Handel's "Pieces pour Clavecin" (Harpsichord pieces). At roughly an hour and 10 minutes the performance requires great concentration and stamina from all five performers who need to listen to each other to ensure the correct timing of each of the movement's 'scenes.' The piece was performed magnificently (to my ears) by Ken Edwards, Sean Bonney, Francesca Beasley, Daniel Kane and harpsichordist Kerry Yong. Earlier in the afternoon a number of Zukofsky 'scholars' gave a series of papers on "A"-24 and this was followed by a performance of two solo violin pieces by Sarah Jane Barnes, Janequin's "Chant des oiseaux" and Bach's "Chaconne" from the D-minor Partita.


Flyer

Kerry Yong

The harpsichord

Francesca Beasley, Ken Edwards, Sean Bonney, Daniel Kane, Richard

Parker

Ken Edwards & Francesca Beasley

Sean Bonney & Daniel Kane