Brian Eno, Karl Hyde, Jon Hopkins, Leo Abrahams & The Necks PURE SCENIUS - LUMINOUS FINALE Concert Hall 14 June Concert: 1: 5pm - 6.30pm (2: 7.30pm - 9pm) (3: 9.45pm - 11.15pm) This is concert no. 1 (of 3) Sydney Opera House - Concert Hall (looking from the land side, located in the left wing) Brian Eno - electronics, treatments, vocals Peter Chilvers - Brian Eno's assistant Jon Hopkins - electronics Karl Hyde - vocals Leo Abrahams - guitars Plus "The Necks": ( http://www.thenecks.com/default.htm ) Chris Abrahams - piano Lloyd Swanton - bass Tony Buck - drums recording equipment: Churchaudio Cardioid Microphone System > Edirol R09-HR this recording is split to fit on 2 cds (there is a small fadeout after track 4 and fadein at the start of track 5). One audience photo from the very show (made by the taper) is also included This wonderful recording was handed over to me by a friendly soul (who wants to be anonymous). I am `only` the uploader. All thanks and thumbs up to *you*. I am happy and grateful for this recording (and all the other ones that are already uploaded or will be) since I couldn`t go there. Whata Eno fest that was!!!!! here some of my (anonymous taper) influences: The first look onto the stage left me in no doubt we would be in for a special night of music: It looked like a huge music studio with a labyrinth of electronic equipment towers, computers, a drum kit, 2 pianos, an acoustic bass and guitars. On the right side, there was a huge group of lounge chairs and sofas grouped around a coffee table, a separate table with drinks and a waterjug, all was illuminated by various small Japanese lamps. Above hung a group of 3 diamond shaped screens of various sizes. 3 separate concerts had been on sale for this final event of the new Sydney Vivid Winter Festival on 14th of June, and it was possible to buy individual tickets for each show, but there was also a bulk offer for all 3 shows combined. The first concert started at 5 in the afternoon, the last one finished around 11.30 PM Because of the complicated ticketing arrangements, the concert hall had to be vacated completely after each concert and the next audience re-admitted after an intermission, despite of the fact that a large part of the audience remained the same for all 3 shows, all of them allocated with different seats. The musicians however stayed on the stage for the whole duration of the event, making use of the lounge facilities both during the concerts and the intermissions. During the concerts, the 3 screens displayed an ingenious mix of abstract patterns, closeups of various parts of the instruments and participants faces. The Necks are an Australian trio, well known world wide as a group performing long and riveting pieces of group improvisations of a kind of music that is impossible to classify and often making very unconventional use of their all acoustic instruments. To a large degree, their concept forms the backbone of these shows, but is also opened up wide by the contributions of the other participants and especially Brian Eno's directorial contributions. I did not realize this at the time, but some of the writings on display on the screens at various times must have been part of the written instructions of Brian Eno for the various pieces. This first concert had the greatest dynamic range, starting out with allmost inaudible noises sounding like coming from water in motion and building to storms of all instruments combining to music of a vey high volume. This first show was like one huge piece with various sections. The cuts of the various tracks are therefore debatable and could have been left out or set at other points. Only the encore was a separate piece of music, announced under the name "Pink Moon". Text from the official side http://luminous.sydneyoperahouse.com/PureScenius.aspx: Experience Brian Eno performing live onstage for the first time ever in Australia! Prepare for PURE SCENIUS when the LUMINOUS mastermind joins forces with Underworld's Karl Hyde, guitarist Leo Abrahams, synthesist Jon Hopkins and Australia's undisputed maestros of improvised minimalism - The Necks. One day. Three improvised concerts. Two intervals. Each concert picks up where the other left off. Choose your own one, two or three part adventure in sound and vision. The first concert is based on a predetermined sequence of events and parts two and three will progress from there - each will have its similarities, each will have its differences. Like a laboratory conducting an undisclosed experiment, PURE SCENIUS will be a combustible, spontaneous, must-see mix of intellect, innovation and instrumentation. And the experiment goes beyond audio; offstage Toby Vogel will be filming, mixing, re-processing and projecting layers of imagery on three massive screens - just like he does for Underworld's live shows. Whether you're fascinated by process or performance, improvisation or collaboration, minimalism or chaos, you need to experience the grand finale to the LUMINOUS festival. PURE SCENIUS PERFORMERS: ALL OF THEM ON STAGE AT THE ONE TIME Karl Hyde is the poet and voice of Underworld... lager, lager, lager - remember the track Born Slippy at the end of Trainspotting? In the early 90s, along with band mates Rick Smith and Darren Emerson, Hyde assimilated techno into the art-rock tradition, lacing pulverising rhythms with frantic cut-up lyrics, eccentric humour, subtle textures and waves of improvisation. Jon Hopkins is a musical shapeshifter: a composer, pianist and a self-taught studio wizard. He makes affecting, bold electronic music using walls of synths, lustrous melodies and amorphous bass rumbles. Co-producing Coldplay's Viva La Vida with Eno, his own ethereal compositions transcend genres, melding digital coldness with subtle, bucolic textures; veering from simple elegance to strange, unsettling sonic depths. The Necks are one of the great cult bands of Australia. Pianist Chris Abrahams, drummer Tony Buck and bass player Lloyd Swanton conjure a chemistry together that defies description in orthodox terms. Working in every field from pop to avant-garde, the deceptive simplicity of their music throws forth new charms on each hearing. Discovered by Eno tinkering on a guitar in a music shop, Britain's Leo Abrahams has since worked with the man himself as well as Paul Simon, Grace Jones and Nick Cave. An uncompromising and innovative musician, he pushes the guitar to new levels. Rejecting traditional techniques such as sampling, sequencing and computer effects, he instead relies on ambient sounds generated exclusively by the guitar to create pure music unaffected by commercial considerations. some links: official festival page: http://luminous.sydneyoperahouse.com/PureScenius.aspx concert reviews: http://forums.allaboutjazz.com/showthread.php?t=40188 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,,25640824-16947,00.html http://kjtheatrereviews.blogspot.com/2009/06/pure-scenius.html message boards about the concerts: http://planetcrimson.net/index.php?PHPSESSID=b49f2ce16348883fe6d61b8c3e50fb1c&topic=2127.30 http://www.darktrain.org/dirty/forums/showthread.php?t=9876&highlight=sydney&page=4 Some beautiful pictures (mostly backstage) here (official Underworld home page): http://www.underworldlive.com/home/090615.html video footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_kptXwMeTw&feature=PlayList&p=D6E2079CEB9F9C8A&index=16 (and there are other snipets available listed at the right scroll bar) photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/waynoo/page2/ (plus more to find at flickr)