What do you get when you take one very influential German band, about 60 people, three amps, half a drum set, two Fender guitars, a small accordion, an upright vacuum, a ukulele, trumpets, trombones, a full size synthesizer, tambourines and chairs? It’s not the easiest thing to put your finger on, but the Faust workshop last night at the International House wasn’t your average musical performance.
Around 8:15 the band, led by Jean-Hervé Péron, walks into the auditorium to scattered applause. There are seemingly few “fans” in the audience. Most people there were just interested in participating.
Peron explains the three “movements” in the workshop. The first, “Who are we?” portion, starts off slow. We are told to think of something that begins with the same first letter as our first name. The music at this point is supposed to be “inaudible.” Members of the band are waving their arms, waving a painting, furiously opening and closing their jackets. Audience members rub trombones on the ground, rub seats, barely touch a guitar set up on the floor, and do anything that makes barely any noise. Peron walks around to most of the participants and encourages them to raise the volume a bit. Faust drummer Werner “Zappi” Diermaier finally starts playing the drums in a normal fashion while Peron almost conducts the noise of papers being rustled, vacuums and any other audience participation. It comes to a stunning crescendo before Peron brings it back down.
“We are here to exchange something for a short instant in our lives,” said Peron. “We’re here to exchange feelings, that’s why we’re doing this workshop. Not playing is extremely difficult. Carrying the whole piece of music without playing anything.”
This leads to a group discussion about the nature of humanity and the creation of art. I did not expect this when I walked into the International House about an hour prior.
