Ash Ra Temple

German Composer and Guitarist Manuel Göttsching (Ash Ra Temple, Klaus Schulze) will be part of the  line-up of a free genre-spanning multimedia event organized by New York’s Lincoln Center, 800 Years of Minimalism – The Spiritual Transcendent.

On Friday, August 15, 2008, Damrosch Park Bandshell will be turned into a place of intense listening thanks to a mediaeval piece by Perotin, a special commission from Rhys Chatham and the American live premiere of Göttsching’s E2-E4

Göttsching’s show will be accompanied by a display of psychedelic visual effects courtesy of Joshua Light Show. Led by multimedia artist Joshua White, this audiovisual presentation will mark the first collaboration between Göttsching and White.

Rhys Chatham will unleash an army of instrumentalists in his outdoor version of A Crimson Grail. Originally written for 400 Guitarists and with Paris’ Sacre-Coeur in mind, the fresh edit will still feature a massive 200 guitarists and be revised to suit the dynamics of the Park’s outdoor acoustic.

Visitors should already prepare themselves for a heavy psychological impact. As Chatham remembers from the world premiere of the work: “It was often quite an emotional experience for people, I had full grown men come up to me afterwards with tears in their eyes.”

via Tokafi