‘Out to Lunch’ concert

Press, 12 July 1985, Page 4

‘Out to Lunch’ concert

“Out to Lunch” with Bill Direen and “Mud Huts,” presented by the Arts Employment Scheme at the Great Hall, Arts Centre, July 11, 1.10 p.m. Reviewed by Philip Norman. Not only the bitter weather left me cold yesterday at lunchtime. The performance by the so-called experimental group, Mud Huts, made for one of the dullest recitals I have attended in a while. Part one of the epic tale of Gilgamesh, a Sumerian legend dating from about 2000 8.C., was the subject of the performance. To a softly spoken and at times barely audible narration, the group sketched a sonic description of the adventures of this ancient figure. The sources of sound for the group comprised homemade instruments (such as membrane drums and a bow harp), found objects (stones, oil drums), ordinary

household equipment (frying pans, telephone bells) and standard-issue classroom instruments (melodica). The sounds produced were unscored, and presumably improvised to a predetermined structure. So far so good, but alas, the sights and sounds of these instruments set an atmosphere reminiscent of open-day at the local primary school. In fact, I have come across home-made instruments with greater visual appeal and aural impact created by nine-year-olds as a class project. This would be of little account if the use of these instruments was dextrous and well considered. Sadly, the improvisatory skills of the group did not seem to stretch beyond the weaving of simple ostinati patterns and the establishment of randomly rhythmed textural .. patterns.

The performances showed no cognisance of the wealth of material already created in this vein by contemporary composers in the last 40 years. Nor did it seem to show any real understanding of primitive music — at least not in an ethnomusicological sense. In the group’s defence, it should be said that the performance was designed to be accompanied by a lighting and photographic display, neither of which were possible in the Great Hall during daylight. I would be interested in viewing the total spectacle; perhaps then, the music might reveal a dimension other than the naively depictive one in evidence yesterday. Today’s “Out to Lunch” concert, the final of the series, will feature excerpts from “The Front Lawn,” presented by Don McGlashan and Harry Sinclair. ■ i