Chapter 6 Provoking Acts: The Theatre of Berio’s Sequenzas Janet K. Halfyard Berio's Sequesas are recognized a¢ one of the most innovative and influential achievements of any composer of the late tenth century. Most of the Ssholuship surounding the series concentrates, unseprisngy, om musical ‘ements: issues in composition, performance and esis! analysis. This essay Tooks beyond the purely musical aspects of the Sequonsast investigate the extent to which they may also be considered works ofthese “Theatre was an iportant medium for Bevo, and he wrote many works specially for theta! performance, from Pastgein (1951-62) and Works such 8 Lahorintus 11 (1965) and Opera (1969-70) to the lnge-sale theatrical wouks of the lat 1970s onwards, princially La vera storia (1997-81), Un Re im ascollo (1978-88), Outs (1995-96) and Cronaca de Laogo (1988). However, seas of ‘hesticalty permeate otber works aswell. The tape work, sage (1961, has 8 "trong sense ofthese in terms of mraive, character and implied action, as do works such as 4-Ronne (writen orginally for the radio in 1974 ard revised as 8 once version in 1975) andthe hid movement of Sinfonia (1968). In discussing the teaialy ofthe Seuenzas, the fist part of this essay examines ideas of theatre in the form ofsarative, character and action, ile the fal setion turns tothe idea of vrosity ata specially musical form of theatricality that connects all fourteen pieces. Narrative, character nd action (One ofthe most obvious ways ia which the Sequonzat are thenical a opposed to purely musical Ties im the invoducton of exra-musial elements ino the ‘Sompositions and their performances. This generally occurs by thee diferent ‘meat the vse of some form of dramatie scenri o near narrative; the symbolic presence of specific infvidusis as “characters” wihia the let ofthe compost: Sn th inclusion of bcuviours beyond te sual action of playing an instrument ‘These diffrent modes of theticalty sre on iceinhed rather than dscrete100 Jone Halbard ‘categories: the two mos cbviosl thers pieces inthe series, Sequensas I and ¥, explore al tre ofthese modes, Thre area numberof praise between these to pieces. Bath were writen between 1965 and 1986 and bot, unlike any other Pieces in the series, are unequivocally gender-specific in the way they are Composed. Seguensa If deserbes itself as being "or female voice’, while Sequenca V requires the trombonist o sing ptces that ae wll out of range for ‘most women, aswell 5 containing a specif allusion othe (male) clown, Grock' Sequenca ¥ “Te npnton for the hic lnc af Sauer V appt a inh way that Sua Dempter's emi anes reminded Berio of Grose clown who lived Close by whee Berio was roving up. As Dempster econ, would osasioally ff around in cherie | go arsnd nelly Beri sid that Cam ke Src he id that several ines —and | hin tet wa he pat fo tbe Pet owever, |Sequenza V is problematic as a theatrical piece for several reasons. ‘ne tht evry mach gue of to aves an extrovert A seco and then Tenger, ntovened B section. Te dacomiuty betmeen thee two sections has cased some speculation about th coerce ofthe pee, an how an fr whom is aly writen i Mich of th 8 secon ane Mf tan unpubl sy ite say’ it perirmed in Buffalo in April 1965 by Vinko Globokat” Berio had aleady Iestoned to Globo in 1968 that he irtended to write Sequencer wobone forDempster bt athogh they had dacsed it inthe cary 940s, Derr id te formally commission he pce tate i 96S At this pole Be od im Dente bth rel having read in Ber’ sleeve nt for nef teers ern ‘of Seyweraa and, and Beso meson in intrvew with nk Sttnovn (et cone Beri: Chemis en Mage (Pars, 1985), 77), However, Beran hersell ‘orem ulema os btn nities wih Aha Cavan Anbal ere Voces Ess on Contenporary Vocal and Chora Conpeiton Tent 98) pp. 271- 2) and Berio does at mention x cometon betwen Grock ad Sepers i nybeeee in ttervcw, when be anc bh pcos, he only mentions Groce elation 10 Seger ce Lacan Bei, wo Itersewe wih Ronana Dedmont ant Bn as For, tras and el Davi Ostond Sith New York London, 1985) p93) Te a tat eas ‘ering these two pices a aro the same time tay rea tat be was aware of nein between thom, eves hough rock st lel eset in Segura I i th ‘Soar Dept, gtd ip Buty Baker Why? How about Who, Where, Wha, Wiest The Developmen af Bee's Sonoma 174 Jounal 222 (198), pp. 30-3, 7 Baker p32 All he snformaton om thi sequne of eben stake Hom the r¥9 inves conducted by Baker wl Dept nly 1968 and lobo fe Mach 1930 hat can be found in thi ace Provoking Aes vor that he tad already been working om i, and Dempster then cecived a copy of “say. This igh sugges that Globokat was the person for whom his part ofthe piece was actually writes, but he is clea tat although it was writen bis presence over the couse of two days in 1965, be didnot diet combate 1 “say” but was simpy presented wit it Demyste, onthe other hand, describes how he and Berio dscused techniques and how Berio took suggestions from him bout things such asthe use ofthe vowel sounds an the bead tus indicated inthe Scores instructions. Whatever the Sequence of evens, “Essay appeus always to Ihave bee intended as part of a Sequerca for tombone writen for Dempster, ad certainly the theatrical aspects can be traced to Dempster's own personality. although be comments tha his difficulty withthe second half of the piece is Something tht ray tell ws more about Globokar and me a8 persanalities than does about Beio"* jowever, if Grock is positioned! more centrally thin ither Dempster or (Gobokar as the personality inspiring the piece, then the sense of him ax both a private and public igure provides an explanation for the different characters ofthe fo. sections. Bero's memories of rock are twofold: the virtioxo comic performer who “dating one of his complicated and eminently musical numbers Fixed his udience witha disarming look, and asked aru” (why?) 20d the spparenly ordinary neightour with the rather extanrinary hore and gardens from which Beso infamousy tole oranges asa chil.” These two aspects ar both found inthe pec, the public performer in the A secon, up to the tombenis's ‘question othe audience, “why and the private man inthe B section tat flows this. The performer i asked to stand and move inthe A section, performing i a ‘overly testricl manner, but nthe B section he i seed and playing from music ‘a stand as practising, oblivious the audience's presence. In his reading, the connection between the two halves ofthe piece isthe figure of Grock himself rather tan any difeences between Dempster and Globokar, and So perhaps oes, afr all tellus more shout Berio than them. ‘The seore’s directions regarding movement, the allusion to Grock ard the player's dvecly spoken address at the end of section A are the most conventionally theatical aspects of any of the Sequercas, but some addtional performing vaditons have grown up aud the piece that extend these beyond ansthing Berio describes. The reasons for thi re worth investigating in musical alu where the composer's intentions are oflen regarded as sacrosanct. Why Should itscem aceptabl o contravene the theatrical dnetons ina sore ina Way that masicians would not considered contravening musical ones? “The main aspect in which performers deviate ffom the instructions is in the mater of costume. The scare indicates thatthe performer should wear White tie, ipiyng tail eat rather than a dinner jacks, and this would be the expected ‘uti fr a soloist in formal, clasieal concert, although perhaps less wil in {san Ber, Sogunar(Deshe Grammophon 1588, CD liner ts, 152 owe Hothard ontemporary muse, This possibly part ofthe allusion to Grock, whe ofen wore a clownish version of thi, with askew wing colle and baggy til coat. However, ‘the visual reference to formal concer ative crates an expectation about the petfomer's behaviour that this Sequerca immediately and. intentionally lundermines when the tombonist enters atthe stat ofthe piece a as the score Psi sikes the poses af a variety showman about sing an od favourite ‘AS no other Soquenza specifies what the performer should wea, iis lial sume thit such directions are given here fer a reasoe in terms of how the piece communicates fs mewig Hower ii uncommon fo tonbonss wo ‘he Scores instructions, precluding the specie juxtaposition ofthe conventional and unconventional" This appears stem fom aking Beis comment oo fa ~ although there ae allusion to Grock in the way the pieces writen, nowhere docs he suggest tha the wombonst is an actor playing Grock. Novethless, the tYombonist is cerinly acting: hei given specific directions about wheter sit oF stand aks tothe adience and bat varcsy to ring into the instrument and ‘ocaize vowels, moving his head avay and o the sige wo do this at times. In the Shi etween the energie frst section andthe more introverted, sated second fection, there a sente of acting cut to diferent scenarios, a change in the motions of the trombonist hinsef rather ian only inthe emotional mesning of ‘he music he is playing. Normal a musician would expect expres the meaning ‘of piece primarily inthe way ix played: hee he must also express iin his phystal behaviour and demeanour All ofthese things pint to the id tit the trombonist is no longer simply & trombonist but an actor witha trombone, and this ase the obvious question of who he i supposed to represen, Searching fer the character thatthe piece seem 0 indiete the trombonist is playing. the logical choice is Grock. However, the spparent rationalism of this choice disguises the fc hat erating the character of GGrock may be psychologically more comfarable for musicians than effectively beg themselves whilst engapig in bizarre Behaviout Being Grock and dressing = Grock rather than as hmlf in formal concert clots, th trombonist cess & Aistace berween the behaviour and himself this is not me, the wenbonst ‘suggests, his is Grok "Nonetheless, the content of the score and its history, this satgy is probably 1 sigaifeantntnterpreation of Bero's introns. When ths pece i eroreed ‘he uombonis largely operating Within what Michael Kithy would dese as 3 on-mateited eeformance' The mts i the Set of conventions and fictions that Separates and delineates the spaces occupied by the characters in play on one Cason A. Duke fe example, observes that “clown make-up isnot equited, bat Atequely ined A Performers Gute to Tata! Element Sled Trombone See Michael Kihy, “Happenings: An intoduction. in Millen R. Sandford (ed), aprons and Ober dts (Loosen New York 195). Provoking At 10s hand, andthe actors and audience in a thea on the her In flly mained performance, therefore, the actors in Chekov's The Seal’ may bein London in 5006, and two orth ure may go by, Meanie, the characters are in Russia in te Inte nneteciscenty, and two years go by. A the ater end of the spectra, there are perfortances where the space occupied by the character and the pevformer sential and there eno separation ~ ton ~ allowing tern o be Uierenited, although some form of performance is nonetheless taking pace. Examples Kirby gves of this ae teacher, athletes, public speakers and pies. peopl fnctioning as themselves in sperformer-audience relationship with those She attend fo themy and ssromentalit performing in normal manner als fit Well ino this model of non-matrxedperformaces.Seguonza Vis ot quite at this taiteme end ofthe spectrum and herein le ts difficulty i a partially mated Performance, where the trombonist facing without having been sven a character fo poreay, somthing that a comer singer is accusiomed 10. but_ most instruments have never encountered Inserting, Grock into the performance lows the player fo complete he mais, 10 separate and delinst the space he ‘coupe rom that occupied bythe charac, which may wel appeal toa mesieian fot used to being free ut from behind his instrament and made the centre of Steaton in the may thatthe various physical ad spoken ats require in his pec. SGrock becomes «propor amask behind which the trombonist can conceal himself However i exactly that exposie thatthe piece demands, the extreme, finny and potently exbarassng movements called fr in he fist section, an then she ‘sully exposing demand that the trombonist then plays a if practising ~ as ithere is atdhnce~ inthe second Dressing a5 a clown and ‘playing Grock’ allows the ‘tomnistto remain ata remove fom the anxiety ofthe performance, but the theatre ofthe psc lies in allowing precisely the exposure that the clowa costume fn makeup conceal, The drama played out before us isnot that of a mythic ‘tome playing clown, tat ofthe musician himself caught betwen the derpnds fof the very public vinvorty of performance inthe fis section and the more ‘rvaestrugele with articulation and communication represented ty the second Sequerca It Humour and nity lien equal measure a the heart of Soquenzo Va they do in the later Melodhama (L970) for tenor. This pat of works for male performers is talanced by a parlel pur of works for female performers, Sequence {If and Recital! Gor Cay) (1972), an ere agin, both works are pervaded bya sense of the performer's own anxiety, although there is consdeably Tes humour in the later pair of works, bth f them writen for Cay Berberian. On one level his is Stockhausen’ Liev eee the obvious excpion hi, whee stuns tv mach more comple mais cts ibd them, sch ste chaos Exe, chal and Lasertos ower K Hand staprsog given how foony Besberen could be in formance nd how Fun she liked t Be ~ the gales of laughter on the lve recording of er Edinburgh Festival comeet ate elective wines to er abiiizs as she sends up the conventions oF recital singing and singe? However, with the exception of the tansritions Berio made for er of tee Beas’ songs (1967), bis compositions for ee fem the erly works inthe 1950s tothe nal work he wrote specially fo bet, Recital, ‘make only rare atemptso exploit her coms sents Tn part, he may have ben reacting agin the way other composers did write for her ability to make people laugh: Cage's Arie (1988) as inspired by het domes vocal clowning" an te way in which she woud initate the Sound of ‘et and spliced tape track, shin between voc tinbres and registers, effeively| Spoofing the serious work that Berio and others were doing with hr inthe RAT studio. Moe than any ofthe vocal pieces tht Berio had wrsten for Bereran at that point, Cage's Ara sparked off a sud interest in what @ voice could do in live Terformance, making Berberian the vocalist of choie forthe Darmstadt ‘composers who beard ria atthe sumer school of 1959, te fst performance having been in tly earlier that yea" ‘Saja i was Beso" oy, final response to dria, nits ack of humours probaly quite intentional Cage's pie is a delighifl, apparenly fivoleus {although acually rather dificult) musi joke. Sepuerca 1 has never been shied from its poston a the paradigm ofthe extended vocal epee the piece far sola voice to which Isvan Antal chose to devote & chapter in his book on contemporary veal composition, and probably the ros writenabout of ny piece of contemporary vocal musi Tei almost imposible fr any piece of alo vocal music not to be theatrical a= the performance almost always exists partly or wholly within performance ‘matric that separates the real performer from the chracer they are portraying ven hen tht character has no name or is not specially postoned a character at all, when singers find thenselvs singing fst-person nanaives recounting a hisory ra situation that isnt infact, part of their own biography. then he Fit person ofthe narrative is clesry not the same a the performers on fist person Wenity aod the pice hs entered the realm of hate, The mati is therefore formed by two things: the presence of a text which identifies the character and desribes their marative; ad the presence ofthe human performer ‘who concretely represents that character and, hy ving soe t i present the tarrative as thir own, Cathy Berberine Ednsargh Fetal (RCA, 1974, er reewel on CD a 4 le Recherche deo Mga Perdue Rie Clas, 199) "Davi Osmond Sih, Bei Onr ew Vosk 1991p. "SS Band Ontnd-Smith “The Te Oscar The Work of Cay Berberian = nate pp 25-40. Ant devote he fk te capes to iia works xempliing sitet wes of vocal eerie slo voi smal ensemble an cho The narrative of Sequence I! is embedded in its text and the way ia which Berio uses it Markus Kate's modular poem, which Forms the basis ofthe piece, reads this seme fw words foca woman ‘osing aimsh lowing tobuldabowe without wong before igh comes David Osmend-Smith sys of these words that “Berio tests them simply as a quay for phone materials.” However, unpicking the way in which the words tre deconstrctd and roconsrstd allows a fail specific naratve to be read beneath the surface ofthe apparently random collections of phonemes ths the singer i asked to articulate. The most significant cue to the nature of the text treatment and its narrative function i the phrase which is never used ithe in fll for even by phoneme, amely "without worrying” significant becase this what the performer fis not todo fo the mos part. * With his phase removed, the ext becomes giveme ew words fora orn tosing seu allowing wt totus se In this context, the faa phase, “befor night comes takes on anew meaning fn these tive words, a Limits ston the amount of time the worn bss in which 0 complete her tsk. 0 sing the few words which wil “build the howe, the protection and shelter from the impending night. Now, there 8 no suggestion that this should te done without Worying, and so the singer mast uavavel the jumbled honemes ofthe text to reveal thei message and deliver it in tine Tatil, the text beard as phonemes — 10, co, for, us, be. Gradually, words and then complete phrases emerge. The ist identifiable word is rng, closely followed by 0 me few and werd al in the fis 30 seconds, which between them decrbe the impetus of the naraive: the woman's salary and reenive task of Singing the few. appropiate words. Complete pases Tom the text emerge ‘rincipll inthe sung passages an, inthe course ofthe piece, the let given ‘he largely complete if ioined sung form shown in Tale 8.1 © Osmand Smith Boro, pS There only one motes he ptce where tee is even xsl tt ct snequisccly be red aco a prise, wh iin he nl ptr ofthe Pgs it ‘he prs hl we al Mo! came om witout alphBeberian pono a 1€atdarwes om the word ‘sbowgh which conceals eer) a sc abl ‘we’ (Like aug hs mord dos mt scar Kat's ea, ft rey Implied by" Al te snl ht mat cme Bom ths pe (ha wo, won 8) ‘be tatedphanetcaiy other words om the ete wom, wor gn).106 Jones & Halford Table 6.1 Complete sung phrases inthe score of Sequenca IIL Sears timing Sung phrase 0 ‘woman 1:50 lve me afew word fora woman 350 tosing 420, fina 610 tobuilda 620 1 few words before 635 tosing before aight ss allowing before night comes 835 tong ‘The final phase to emerge isthe limiting factor, the coming of wiht represented bythe phrase “before night comes’ being also the pont at which the piece ms logically end. Even moe precisely, night sppareny falls atthe moment the word ‘comes is itered for the first and only time at approximiely 8:25. Aer this thing remains bu the slow fading out ofthe vice onthe woed sng, Different interpreters have read different meanings ito the narrative of Soquenze Il. Anhalt sees it a8 2 portat of diferent pes of neurotic and photic behaviour, pacing the piece ino his own wider reading of extended ‘Vocal epertie that end view is mattives a oes of dress, oppression std victimization, Osmond Smith, conversely, sees the text as “mawkish sentiment” that Berio ‘subjected. to ferociously sized dismembermen’, although he reads no wide nari inti, seeing it move aa vehicle for Berberian than a 2 piece ofthe, Tn my reading, the phrase "before night comes is the Key t the interpretive ‘meaning of Sequenco II, the source of the panic which dives it Fewaed 0 is ‘onelision: onthe final page of the score, the singer repeatedly sings the Word Before with the diections “ante “eatemely” tense” and inceasiaaly desperate asthe piece reaches its climax, Although the complete phase isthe st to be heard, tbe component phosemes be (Tm bore) and co (Tom comes) are the most feguently used fer (seb signifier and preposion, ith associations, therfore, of action ane direction). The pase “before night comes" is contimully icipated by the isstence on these phonemes, creating Fld of resonance in ‘conjuction with so that ean be compared withthe pitch-elds that chanctrize many ofthe eter Seguonsan. "The phe “allowing wand Yo id a Boa ar both headin ei compte formein kere secon at a2 and 45 ne sere re Far a more comprehensive disaon of ari in Sows se Bnet Haugan, "fae Nigin Comes Neve ad Genre hn Be Saqten (986 National ds Education Archive Osco! Papers th Art and Econ, 8 (200) Provoking Aes 107 In addition, i becomes apparent inthe courte ofthe pace that an important aspect ofthe native les ithe differences an tensions between the singing ‘ice and the other types of articulation. These artculations focus on language and fon te desire to reach out and communicate in concrete linguistic terms, daven forward by the ned to complete the tsk to build the house of words before night ‘comes, The singing voice, therefore, represents music, communication i more Sssract tems, and often seems more iardlooking and recive, often sppurenly ‘fir less concerned about the urgency of the task, Even. more Sspeciflly he nonsnging ariculation appears to correspond mosh more with the iets of panic nspited no doubt by the serainly mporible tak of making senie out ofthe deconstructed phonemes, ple of bocks with no cement: and the singing voice coresponds more to ideas of calm, ironically finding i fa easier to ‘onmnicte the complete words and phrates ofthe lex as sung exresions han the arculntion anager in speech. The expressive directions ofthe poce are famously mimerows and fos-shanging, drawing onthe spiced tape effect of Aria snd pushing to @ greater exter, but they can be teduced to roughly five ‘laacter types, where A and B are dominated by aricultion-based figures ad C Dan E tendo be primarily sing as shown in Table 6.2. Table 62. Character types extrapolated from the expressive directions x ® e Da ee ‘ease bewildered wy ‘stant Cle urgent whimpering giddy dreary joyful enous whining sesatic —impassve Serene ftense——_ansious ey wise render sasping cxcted —_languorous Returning to the original tex, itis significant that dhe instruction is or ‘a fe ‘words for «woman to sng when she sings, she mess with far more sucess than when she atts to speak, perhaps reflecting » composer's point of view that ‘music i mote profound means of communication than word are on their ov In eet, Segue I presents two pall ad ntertined naratives: on the one han the impertv to give vie 10 the txt before night comes and a te eer. a bate forpeominance between the singing voice and he speech-Aased aicuation| Character Sequencas I} apd V bave several thsuial elements in ommon but alo some profound differences. Both are pervade by a sense of amet. Bath requie the Psformer to potay some level of emotion inthe way they perform themselves opposed to how they perfoma the music, wath the shift from an extrovert 10 an Jnwoverted demeanou forthe wombons, and an astonishing array of emtonaltos tne Hapa states demanded ofthe vocalist. Both draw on language, with vowels and single word in Sequeza V ad a specific if mutated text in Sequnca I, and both, as Stated atthe outset, are geaderspeciti: “The specificity of the pieces extends beyond the simple gender ientietin, however. Both of these pieces identity speiic people and 1 would argue that its impossible to perform them without those personalities being invoked at some level. With SezencaF, te personality is clearly identified as Grock, although the acknowledgrca of tis by Beri has to some exert masked the fact tat the piece is perhaps also about Star Dempster and Berio's observation of him ~ Grock, afterall, performed prinarly a violinist rather than a wombonst!” ‘Sequenca I, onthe eter band, has its ow ghost Iuaing the edges of wy perfarmance: Brio acknowledged tat the piece was “not ely write for Cahy buts about Cathy” and the eas that Reo was disappointed wit ther singers? attempt is no doubt Because the piece was, in fact, ot writen for female voice bt {quite expliciy forthe voce of Berberan® Inthe pecae physical contours of her ody, most specifically her head and chest. Berberan’s voice, lke anyother singer's, was unigue in the muaees of it tone: an in her article histor 3528 ‘Armenian American living i Europe, the precise anicuation of wor, laugher, Sighe and exclamations as writen into her in away that cin never be tutheatially reproduced by another becnise they have not lived er lf in her body.” While not my suggestion that performances of Sequenza II should tempt to impersonate Berbera’ defintve 1967 recoding — which i quite different from her own lve performances —to perform Sequenca I with swaeness of the extent to which Berbeian inhabits the piee would be comparable to performing Sequonze Va saight concert piece without any ofthe movements and gestures that eveke and allude to Grock. [a Tact would probably be impossible fer anyone familie withthe extended voes! repertoire to perform The pies are exp gender-specific i they way ey were consined and composed theft that women have prfrmed Soper F (eg, Abbe Conan and Seqiesa If woscasioealypeforsed by wal voclss(e@. Nols shred). cent on mis whit miniate vlna oe of biel PF pei, Te Interop. 98 ® Berio allie nis Shappinent in other Sogo I perfomance Two meres 9 9. okt Dame to whose esa am indeed, presets a move develope runes for the extet to which Soper I “about Betsen See Joe Dae, "Voie wih he ‘oie: enon td Pheo-ent i Be't Suen in Alar Ket fo), Me cy: Resting the Ashes. 1998) pp 23-46 ye 947 stato reording on Licano Ret, Cie, Spt, Segue I Sequeraa ¥ (Wego, 1981) delves very pei Yndon of he tinings insted te ‘a ating ol of 8 Even slowing rhe et tha then 10 seconds sk by dice apse, have en ct tele earn Fm 1969 Cathy Brbran: Ne abr dl ove, 199) tl ch ster 723, Provoking es 109 ‘Sequeca I! without an awareness of Desberan looking over her shoulder (40 to speak) given how much of the repertoire was writen for her or influenced by eo ‘Almost ll the Segsencas wee writen fr specific performers known to Berio ‘nd so one might ate: to make this argument fer the whole series, lliough its far more pronounced in terms ofthe individuality of a singer's voice and specific ‘oe chatstrsics such as how one laughs. However, one ater Seguenze overly draws onthe essence’ of original performer, Sequenza XV (2002), the ast in the sere, i another work which one could relisically sty 38 not only rien for Rohan de Sara bt abou him. Saran was, for 25 yeas, the cellist ofthe Ardith Quart, well own fr their edison to contemporary music. He bas also pursued slo career, and was following performances of Ritorno degli Snovidenia (1976-77). condocted by Berio, tha the composcr fist stare aking to him about Sei Cankan music “Ahough ton ia Shefflld, Saran is of Sti Lankan descent and also plays the ‘Kandyan drum yliniial drum wit shins at ether end, cach of Waich produces ‘ho ones. Berio “was amused to not that ofthe two insrunents I piyed oe has four sings wile the cer has four percussion sound’. “This observation forms the muse ass of Sequence XT. Sara both tped and transcrted the drum rhythms for Berio, who used particular twelve eat ‘hythm thoughout the composition in some form or ober, although itis constantly transformed, being reduce to ceven beats and augmented t thee times. The player is required 1 be both cellist and drummer, eating both the body and the firings of the cello as percussion instrument — in effect, & becomes a ‘metamorphosed version ofa Kandyan drum, uniting Sara's to instruments an their playing techniqes in one tasormed instrument, playing the equally ‘easfrmed dum shyt Intestine seston of he Sopuens, thre 90 wo presentations fs Ath sth detach in he lead pression nthe nse eel. The ow 0t {ed in tee secon the right an plying the rntm othe el of he ello whist the leftand ing it the sings in pocsve way. Although i is harder t identity particular performer from the sound of a cello ‘being played compare to the sound of «voice, nonetheless Saram’s own history hentage and. specifi musical inferetr are writen into the material and performance technique of Segwensa XIV in a way that has no diet pale Inywhere in the sens other than in the Seguoncas inspite by Dempster’ ® For cample, Groge Aperghi’s Réctatow (1977-78) wa sot writes for ‘exer bt aro azine that weld fae Bon Writer al al her epee 2 pond Sarum greene fe epee AT, ane by Katen Kopp My10 Joes Halord “lowing and Rerberian’s parislar vocal, Although not = namative in a theatrical sense, the symbolic presence of « pariclar musician within the mechanics ofthe composition ielf links the lst Sequonza hack to two ofthe carl. Aton ‘The way in which Segwonca XIV rquites he performer to tet the calls a dram for much ofthe piece implicates ii the third aspect of thet unde discussion here, namely theatre of action of unexpected physical gestures and behaviours which serve to draw our attention to the performer in unusual ways, someting tat an be traced across many of the pieces. Ths isthe aspect ofthe Sequercas tat ‘most clearly iltrates the influence on Berio of Brecit's approach to these, Parca hie alienation effect In Beis theatre accu i those moment of ‘isconinuity Between the audience's expetations cf what i narl and norma in performance, and unexpected and “alenating” actions that therefore force the ‘ature a he performance to be r-2valusted. Sequence] has one specific instuction regarding movement. that the ‘perfmar walks on tthe sar ofthe pec already engaged inthe fst muttering gesture The effet of hiss, on one hand, to play rekon the aience, and on the other to reinforce the theatricality of te piece. Conventionally, a recital singer walks onto the platform and the audience applauds; se smiles and bows, and only then bepins her performance. The proces of walking on stage, the applause, and te silence tit then flows crest a trastional ace between the rely of he ‘concert hall and manifest presence ofthe singer, and the paral time-pace— character matix thatthe singer then enters as she performs the piece concered Soquenca Il disrupts this expectation and removes the vanstiona space: the singer emerssready performing and the audience hasty stops applauding s this realization sinks i, although the effect is disconcerting The space between singer ‘nd characte is colased: her lack of acknowledgement of the uence and et {sneraloblivousnese to the conventions of a ei suggest that hi might be ral ‘athe thn perfomance: perhaps the singe as gooe mad ‘Comparabe stations arise with the instrumental Sequerzas, When we lok a ‘the concer platform, we tend not ose a person holding a lin for example, we see 1 violinist. Bul into that preconception of what & olnist i ae various ‘sumptions ad expectations about the gestural Vocabulary of perfermance: bow the player stands, how the instrument is el, how the bow moves an so 08. AS a ‘est of this, nthe ations of performance, the hoof the player atthe body of ‘he insvumet become, in effet, 2 single emtiy: the bady of the performer Ibocomes subsumed ito the acon of perfrmance. Any pysial gesture which Se ao reid cok er inert inh scr, tog hs comes aeons soe at an slon 10 popular mii, where finger chcking~ expecially i he Ke ‘ould nt be sch an weal ges Provoking dts um couradics our expecatons repading this gestural vocabulary is tikely to daw attention back tothe performer a petsa sparc fom te instrument, disrupting the performance trough the intusion of physica actions tat donot tthe mode of our expectations. When intentional. these gestures become theatial. the ‘performer acting outside the conventional range of gestures and creitng new ones ‘hat daw the viewer's attention tothe ation its as meaning repress 0 any specifically musical meaning These actions surprise vs, taking ona life oftheir ‘un within the pecs, and lthgh they may ae a mca rain or result, hey are nonetheless alvays also theatrical at some level Intra, the expected gestural ‘octbulary of an instrument extends to the level ofits epee: the history ofthe Snsrument and the music writen for it ereate «paradigmatic model ofboth wht the insrumeat is and what it music sounds ie before the performer begs 10 phy. “These dual aspects the expectations of how the performer behaves and ofhow the insvumeat sounds ~ ae found i many ofthe Sequercws where they work reciprocally 16 exploit and challenge our assumptions, unusual physical gexires| leading the insrument to sound strangely, unsual musical gestures causing the performer to move in unanticipated ways. Physical theatricality is fst found in Sequence I or harp (1963) where, ak Kinty Whatley describes, remoando-stye pasages are combined with rapid deployment of the harp's pedal levers, resulting In passages where all four ofthe harps’ libs are in motion.” These highly physical, somewhat ungsinly actions directly conrad the romantic and impessionsic image ofthe rp ~ and the harpist ~ as delicately dreamy, and susie the pica of a violent, phsiclly aggressive player, beating a the inswument with bots hands and fet. Ths comparable to the arvesing aural and ‘sual drama of Sequemza 17 (1967), where the viola player is required to chisel vay a the strings of the instrument to produce its blocks of chordal materi for 1D minutes oF more, a fet of physical stamina quite uapeecedented in the viola repent” Both thete pics, ike Soquensas lf and Y. were writen inthe 1960s, «period ‘har saw some exremely physical and provocative theaicalexprimenzation ia the weak of prcitioners such s Peter Brook and Jers Grotowsk. Bevo was familie ‘wth this kind of work, as demonstrated by Passoggio, Laborinus 1D adits Withdrawn predecessor “Esposizone (1962-63), and the Soquenzas ofthe 19605 ten representa translation of the extreme demands and sense of danger of physical theatre ino an equally demanding and exigent instrumental theatre “The Seuencas of the 1970s and 1980s, however, focus more on purely musical sreoceupatons, and the theatres payed down. An example ofthis the alm and ‘See Chapter 2 nts volume ® ‘The Une Editon see este daraton of gue 7 8 inate, ut its ‘Bef Fos Songs. Seyena VI Drv (ars Red Lin, 1997) 1033, Caso Deja’ ce Lino Bevo, Seca (Desc Gamops, 198) 51213,mn ave K Hard studied way in which the performer of Sequenca X for umpet (1984 is resid to ‘urn apd play it the ody of the piano ad, combined with he ngely mons performance from the pianist, this is a far more undesated gesture toward Theatrical ideas tan seen inthe 1960" work. In the eal pices, the pectmer's body i put under sometimes considerable sess and playing technique ie is challenged. The movements of Sequerza X are the most obviously functional of any movements inthe Sequenza scores, creating an emily musical eflct (the trumpet’s notes resonating in the pian’s strings) without the seseof these tht sess fom he nh gr f psig 8 pe eon ht pray required of them. However, atthe end of the seis, the fina two pices agin return to the physial extemes of the early works, ith the drumming (and eter extended fechniques) of Seguenza A1V andthe astonishing physical demands of Sequenza A for bassoon (1995). Sequea XH was, in fc, te thieeah Sequena tobe ompicted, although the twelRh to be startet: it took so Tang to write that inthe Irenntine, Bena wrote Soquensa X10 for accordion (1995) Superficial, ‘Suense AI! appears to be writen mach inthe manner of other ater Sspuenza the polyphony that underee the construction ofall the Sequesas i found in the ‘contest of materials between which the music moves, with iferent types of ‘materal internpting cach othe. This would appear t9 be « work focused on ‘musical rater than theaical concerns” tending a performance, the audience ‘would observe thatthe bessooist does not move or gesture, des ot speak, does ‘ot appear to treat the instrument in any partealy unas way oter tha the se ‘of muliphones~ which, by the 19905, could not realy be considered uusual at fll until one roices thatthe bassoonist bat not paused to take breath. Ths is rot an over thet ithe way ofthe 19608 pieces: thee are no grand heats] festures here, only the one simple fet that he hassoonist must sustain he sound Continuously fer some 20 minutes, an act fequrag such enoemous paysial Stamisa on a double red instument and sich a specific technique ~ double ‘rela breathing ~ tht few players can even stem the work To appreciate the Piece fully one mat fis know tht the technique is being ued; bat thereat Comparable to watching 2 high-wire walker, marveling at de sill bu with 2 feiss of danger arising from the knowledge thatthe slight eustake could lead to ruin. Not unlike Sequensa and VF itis the sense that the physical capabilites ofthe player ate being pushed to such an exteme tht thee 6a danger ofthe performance ening in disaster which tus the musical evet int theta one Tn terms of marative, character and acon, the Seyuensar or bap, voice, wwombone, vols, trumpet, basioon and eal, as dscused above, all display clement hat encourage us to expenence the as thearial on coe of mor levels. “The sense of rarative alo extends ito the way the music ise unfolds, and the reiteration of patcalar device across several Sequensas enhances this bassoon ~ stat fom a siagle not, repeated, nlanced ad sustained in the epening fof each piece, which thn gradually expands to reveal the pitch material ofthe Provoting Ae hs entire work. The Soquencas for vol, trumpet and guitar enact comparable situa. arting ut fom simul static andeesuicted material, a chord in the cases of Sequensae VI and.X7, a dyad for Sequenza X- tis quite striking that the Sequenzas ‘vith the clearest connections to thence ideas of narive and atom end to be ‘hve that soe this musical parative idea, This opening estore, parclarly when ead inthe ontet ofthe series a a whole, becomes the musical equivalent of in the Beginning’ ~ in this bepinnin, however, iste ote rather than the word, and it ie fom the int note that al the others ae then intodued and woven int Beio's musical araives ‘The theatre of vctusity Although so fr Ihave focused on specifi elements of paicular pieces thatean be seen a theatrical, all the Seguencas share a sense of theatre, cerainly when performed lve, which is related to the idea of theare of ction. The sheet Technical challenge and mnisical dangrousnes of the Seguoncas leads 1 2a ‘en of theate which inka fourten pieces, namely vitweity, one ofthe three ‘dens tht Brio himself esribed ab connecting the Seces.” Moreover, not only do they al rely on the Hea of vinvosity ax an essential part of ow they are ‘realized, but they are import inthe reinvention the rhabiation, even — ofthe coneeptofvitwosity tse "The theatrical nature of vitosity ies i the way the audience's tention is fixed pon the performer and largely flies on act of live performance, om the ‘sual epprecition ofa musician's stil, for iis the exibition of sil or ts own ‘sake tht brings the house gown.” For example, Bach's Toccata fom the Toccata, [Adagio and Fugve RVW S64 contains ce ofthe most famous solos fr pedals in the organ repertoire, but x is ite anawual for an organist to be Visible when playing in the normal contest ofa church or cathedral. The lisenr's tention i therefore focused purely or the sound ofthe msi, while the at of perfoomance i hen hom view: Relocate he performance to concer all where dhe ocean as ‘console that canbe placed on sage in fll view of the audience and, speaking from experience, watching en organist perform tis long. iieate passage c pedal ‘work fan exilating even, musical ata theatrical spectacie" AS ving Picket fbseres, “audiences fake delight in febts of dexterity and agty. quite apar fom [rmsial] meaning” The visual sipects of music, absent fom audio recordings, ® These ae vos, idiomatic witing and polyphony. Se Liciano Beto, Two meres. 90-9 oping Piel In Defence of Vinwosi’, The Quarter of Film. Kalo ami lesion (198), p 280 seth even eed theresa ei given bythe erat David Sit t Sypony 1, Bimingham (UK) oo 15 Never 205,mM owe K Holand are an essential par of how virtuoso performers communicate their virtuosity tothe tudiace: the viewosic moment isthe pint whete the solis's actions become the fac ofthe audience's tetin and, a uch three alwnys the posit hatin ‘hese moments the musi itself becomes subjgated toa display ofthe performer's stilts. Consequently, vrwesity has occupied a somtimes problematic position in ‘music. The modem understanding of a Vinwoso as a musician possessed of fextaorinary technical skill arose with the development of concer cule throughout the eighieenh and nineteenth centuries which positioned the misc once primanl asa form of enterainnet alfeit a veined and potently tsducational on.” in this content, vinuos ad high currency as thriling performers trating their own audiences, bi a confit therefore arose between the cetality fof the virwoso inthe act of performance andthe primacy of he composers author ofthe musical text ‘By the early twentieth century. musical culture was divided between audiences ‘eager to see vitwoso plying and, most ofen, musie ces who perceived ‘irtuoity a8» vulgar daplay thal applet an ignorant and easily pleased pubic but di not serve the musi well" The focus on technical kil ot only detract fom the aro msc bu potently hreatened i ure by elevating the standards oftecnigue to pointlessly high levels: Ise ath nftion neha marry leptin it plc nd dere Bain the cuggeation of whi cl long and eating sch of ene pracie nd a thi passing se of mil pleasure represents! Even yu ar wiling 1 kt uses teint pounder the sae of ts You sou suo conser the est sanctioning an sete up an unnecessary high standard of ecnige abov be oma requirements of sane aed eos ut Difaies coetved actly or the mere pupae of conquring them, a0 supers Beyond the meat ef hua ‘Sages hae meresthaal ofthe weld [sian ean master them ‘The result san impoverished a, where the performer is so exhausted by practice — Burk suggests tat he vinuoso must practice nine ot en ours aay = hat they ‘become ‘naow, uninlligent and unhuman musically speaking atleast) Because, whereas the at of music demande ist ofall breadth of mind and beat for is Fealzaton and comimurication, te virtnono fe seeped in tecnaliics and choked by them’ “Thin port ofthe vitwoso i sil present in Beto’ diseussion of vitwosity in ‘he Sequersas ithe 180s, when be ays Told great respect fer virwosty ‘even if thie word may provoke derisive smiles and even cone up the pictreof| See Mae Pincha nd Wiis Wager “Vinwsty The Masel Qa, 82 (0989) 226-45 foram aso of hein fthe em. 1 J ay The Fh of Viton he Mal nares, 72 (1918) 22-92, an elegant and rater diaphanous man with agile fingers and an empty head” Rater than Burk’s murow and wninlligent virtuoso, bowever. Bero's ideal interpreters possessed of 'a virtuosity of knowledge” and Beso is acutely avare ‘ofthe potential conflict between composer and performer, he tension between the ‘use idea andthe instrament, between concep id musical substance” For Baio and his peers, especially those composes associated with the Darmstadt School such a8 Bovler and Madera, vitwsiy must have seemed double-edged sword, On the onesie, there was ah apparent desir ortain net~ ‘complete contol of a compoiton, as seen inthe aplication of serial systems to Ditch, dynam, duration and atack ina piece sich st Bouler's Nouion (1951). for the intense level of detail in rolation to these same areas in nonseral ompostons suc asthe Seyuensas, This could sem tobe an attempt to reate “vioeo-proof msc the ext of which was o closely ki that no ations or changes could be made'” On the otber sie, meanwile, the complexity ofthe fesiling music demanded a musician possssed of extremely figh levels of {echnical kl ~ moter words, a tuo inorder play By acknowledging the virtuosity demanded hy the Sequences, Bei reinsates it as an acepable and respectable concept in serious music, but be consciously Separates his ies of vrtwony fom the historial image ofthe empry-hended performer who is aft to regard the ston work as @ mere vehicle for his ow ft" Bero's new viuoso isan altogether different creature, a performer with the Same technical abilities but without the suggested qo of their histrcal Counterpart who will therefore primarily seek to serve the needs of the composition rather thin merely co til the audience with briliant but, by implication superficial displays of techague, Vitwory now ecomes an integral aspect ofthe composition sell, part of how it eeates mearng rate han separate fiom it Clesey, Beno was not solely responsible fr this move is music ~ Fre Silzman, dscssing worke performed ia New Yor in the car 1960s, was intrigued by anew seneof virtuosity isthe msc he was hearing, where the lo writing was “rated ins highly developed, virtuoso manner with cartlly Cahorited rhythmic and’ melodic detail” And, most significa. all these Characteristics tend 40 function as base aspects ofthe music thought, not 38 ‘merely decorative or coloristeweatmen’ of more essential cas." However, no composer otter thin Berio specifically pursued a programe of vwting forthe virtuoso n'a manner comparable to the Sequenzas. Here, the ‘Performer given centre stage: ony he Sequence fr tumpet admits an adtonal Lace Be, Ineo 98 % hp. 9054 % Waren Dalle, ‘Ant a Vinay’, Bult of the Americar Mico! Sac, 13 988) 78 Ee Salama ‘Repor fen New York: The New Vins”, Pempectes of New aie, 969) 9.178us tne Hapa petsan tothe platform, who mus then endeavour t remain uel sent, creating ‘ho specific sounds and allowing the trumpet player, in elect, to phy the piano, fctvating is srings through trumpet Hast nto the body ofthe estureat 88 the ans’ silent depreses hey, ‘iy placing the soloist so centrally, wrtng such challenging misc and making so miny demands on the fecnigue, musicianship and stamina ofthe player. these Pieces invite the audience 0 marvel atthe performers ality a par of the Spprciation of the composition rather thin as aside effet of it) and notwithstanding the usefulness of recordings, lve performance is essential 19a Complete understanding of what the Seguencas mean Although #0t speaking about the Seguenzar themselves, Salzman's observations on the Kind of virwosiy implicated in such demandingly writen music are pertinent: tbe physical sting ofthe perfoonance~ heat of inelgee desing a msaar orto set pial mera vba en contol way can be fr mee een itn the nore cal and uncorroled sctes of dtr aliorsed mci Thee ta sin eto Ie wl on be oe an nthe ean a ‘our on the er he dtermines ch the py elle five peroemance™ ‘The Sequenzar represent Bero's own reinvention and appeopiation, as composer, of virtuosity. Rather than being a cothanger on which the performers hang thi kills for otbers to marvel at, prt ofthe Seyuensu’ meaning ies in our {all recopriton of thie virwosie demands, vinosity becoming pat of the esseutial nature ofthe composition. The exes to which vituosty can only sly be communicated and appreciated in alive performance connoes i fil to the ‘idea of theaue, the music creating ts meaning through physical acon, ‘comprehended throvgh our Vil sense a¢ much as though sbract mavcal sound “The Sequercos’ reputation is based primarily on their musical significance, ‘both in tems of Berio’ compontions eater and thei contibution to inatrameta repertoires Many ofthese pieces ave become paradigms ofthe musical ieraue, ‘hanging the Way in which other composrs have thought about an iastrumeat and What canbe achieved witht The increase inthe technical and musical demands made on performers in contemporary music dees not owe eventing t0 the Sequenzas but in many cases, wes a reat dal. Pat ofthe ending appl of these pieces to performers, adences al musicologist les in the experience of seeing one performed rater than only listening 10 recording, for only live performances ean rly express the specifically theatrical des of ehaacter, ation and native that permeate many ofthe Seguencas, an brag to life the theatre of ‘imuosty that integral wo them all Top 15,