Liverpool events producer Samizdat in collaboration with Liverpool Biennial 2012 have invited renowned composer and guitarist Rhys Chatham to the city for the UK premiere of his masterpiece A Crimson Grail for 100 guitars and 8 basses. This performance will take place during Liverpool Biennial launch weekend on Friday, September 14th in the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral.

Rhys Chatham's career started as the piano tuner to the radical avant-garde composer La Monte Young. He quickly became established within the experimental music scene in New York whilst still in his teens, becoming the first Music Director of The Kitchen, the home to the New York art scene in the 1970's. Here he presented works by over 250 composers working with everybody from Philip Glass and Sonic Youth to Robert Fripp of King Crimson whilst all the while creating his own compositions. Heavily influenced by both the early Ramones concerts he attended in his youth, his work expresses the sheer power of punk-rock whilst all the while being intertwined with the beautiful and precise nature of his minimalist contemporaries.

A Crimson Grail, due to its huge scale has only previously been performed twice, once in the Lincoln Center in New York and once in the Sacré-Cœur in Paris. For this, the third ever performance and UK premiere, one hundred volunteer guitarists and eight bassists will join Rhys Chatham and his team in a performance of A Crimson Grail in the glorious setting of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral.

This partnership between Samizdat and Liverpool Biennial is the perfect pairing to bring Rhys back to Liverpool for what will truly be a once in a lifetime experience.

Samizdat and Liverpool Biennial would like to welcome musicians from Liverpool and beyond to take part in this performance of A Crimson grail, we encourage players of all styles and particularly wish to extend an equal hand to both sexes. Guitarists must be proficient players, read music, and be able to commit to three evenings of rehearsal, the 11th, 12th and 13th of September, as well as the performance on September 14th.
If you are interested in being considered for one of the 200 guitar slots for A Crimson Grail please visit our OPPORTUNITIES page to read all terms and conditions and complete the application form.





Photo credit: Paula Court 1