Here are some words from the US guitarist/composer Dan Duval on his composition Omon Ra (based on the Victor Pelevin novel of the same name), that will be played by the Pop-Up Circus Big Band this Sunday: Omon Ra is a savage parody of the Soviet Space Program during the Cold War. It is about the exploitation of wide-eyed childhood dreams of flight, and the deception the regime stages for the public. It is an Orwellian farce where, just as two and two equal five in 1984, automated systems designed for interstellar travel are secretly manned by heroes, unsuspecting fodder for typically dark Soviet brutality. I dont want to give too much away here, so Ill just encourage anyone curious about the particulars to plough through this slim and strange story; it can be done in a weekend. Here is a sample of Omons world: --- All right, said the old man, who hadnt spoken a word before this. Do you remember how you first got the idea of becoming a cosmonaut? I was in despair, because I had no idea how to answer the question. It must have been despair that drove me to tell him about the red plasticine figure and the cardboard rocket that had no exit. The old man livened up straightaway at this, and his eyes began gleaming. When I got to the part about Mitiok and me having to crawl along the corridor in gas masks, he even grabbed hold of my arm and laughed, which made the scar on his forehead turn bright crimson. Then he suddenly became serious. Do you realize how difficult it is to fly into space? he asked. And what if your motherland requires you to lay down your life? What then, eh? If it comes to it ... I said with a frown. He stared me right in the eyes for maybe three minutes. I believe you, he said. You can do it. --- [Dan writes...] Now that I have written the piece, thought about its genesis, connected its themes to a few works that I admire, and let that all simmer for a little while, I think I can see some analogues between my composition and the events of the novel it is named after. There is a passage in the second half of the composition where the focus shifts from a glassy minimalist texture to a heavy Gypsy Brass groove, but not until it has survived a period which feels like the collision of two themes; it almost feels to me like a wrecking ball knocked the outer layers off of an industrial structure and uncovered a shocking deception, which is then once again eclipsed by the unforgiving, grey, roughly crenulated cement of the Soviet facade. I can see some echoes of Omons story in this clash of competing aesthetic impulses. His friend Mitioks childhood dream of flying to the moon is beautiful - but there are obstacles. Omon Ra is performed this Sunday 20th July at Pop-Up Circus space-themed party at Rich Mix. See the link below for details.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 09:50:02 +0000
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