ELODIE LAUTEN death of don juan K7 1985 avant electronic arthur russel ashley

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Elodie Lauten “The Death Of Don Juan” K7 tape privately issued by Elodie Lauten for Cat Collectors (CC 713) in USA, 1985. First Edition, pre-dating the LP with the same title. ****** Rec:m- / Cov:m- ****** Ultra rare tape first-edition of this 1985 post-minimal landmark by Elodie Lauten, featuring performances by Arthur Russell and Peter Zummo. The private tape offered here pre-dates the originally self-produced LP with the same title released as a limited edition on her own label. “The Death of Don Juan” is one of the great lost experimental records of the 80s. It is an opera, in the avant-garde sense, but I honestly prefer it to any of Robert Ashley's operas or the Philip Glass ones. There's a Fairlight on most of the record, but fear not, as you would never know that it dates from 80s. The first two tracks sound like Joe Jones meets Glass or Steve Reich, with harpsichords, trine (an electric lyre that Lauten invented) and Arthur Russell's cello. "Death As A Shadow" recalls Meredith Monk's "Turtle Dreams" but is even more haunting and doomy. Russell's vocal on "Death As A Woman" even reminds me of “Moondog 2” and sounds unlike any of his other work. Lauten has been active in the downtown New York classical and punk scenes since moving from France in the 1970s. French-born, American-based composer Elodie Lauten was one of the most intriguing post-minimalist composers to emerge in the 1980s. It's easy to hear repetitive structures, additive layers, and harmonic stasis in her 1984 opera “The Death of Don Juan”, but her handling of minimalist materials creates a unique sound that makes her work stand out from that of Glass, Reich and Riley. Critic John Schaefer aptly describes her style as a blend of “Satie-like lyricism, minimalist keyboard patterns, brooding electronics, gentle impressionism, and tapes of everyday noises”. The simultaneity of all these elements in the opera makes for a dense and complex texture that still manages to sound delicate. The opera, which lasts less than an hour, structurally resembles Glass “Satyagraha” somewhat in its establishing a single mood and musical ambience for each section and letting it play itself out in subtly shifting patterns and reconfigurations. An exception is the final scene, which begins with a simple chanting of the “Kyrie” and builds in power through an increasingly dissonant amalgamation of harmonic layers. The work isn't conventionally operatic in the sense of having a clear narrative conveyed by bel canto voices, but its ritualistic scenes are strongly dramatic. The singers and instrumentalists (some of whom both sing and play) perform with conviction and eloquence. The sound is atmospheric and present, and Lauten’s use of electronics gives it a brightness characteristic of electro-acoustic music of the period. “The Death of Don Juan” is a breakthrough for its bold, lyrical minimalism in concert with a dramatic sensibility that is deeply faithful to the modern existential emotional experience. A complete experimental work of opera that doesn't seem much like an experiment, and even less like an opera – instead we get a multi-faceted, thoughtful slice of modern composition and a high point for second-wave minimalism. ****** Please wait to receive my invoice before sending the payment after the auction ends. Attention! Real postage costs are not USD 4 as all the items are located in Doha, Qatar (which has a very safe and professional post system). Postage costs registered for a K7 is USD 14,00 for the whole world. ****** MORE ELECTRONIC, EXPERIMENTAL, ART RECORDS OFFERED SOON! Check in one week for more treasures to come! ****** Thank you for your kind attention and good luck with your bids.