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Frederic Rzewski And Spontaneous Political Music, Christian T. Asplund

Faculty Publications

I am intrigued by Frederic Rzewski's ability, in his pieces from the 1960s and 70s, to model socio-political phenomena and to teach specific lessons about these phenomena on both intuitive and intellectual levels to both performers and listeners. Performers in particular will literally experience these socio-political phenomena in the course of performing these pieces. Rzewski seems to have achieved Brecht's ideal of a gestic music without dryness or lack of credibility.