1964
photo published: Copyright © Moorman, Charlotte, All rights reserved
Bibliography / Press / 1964 - Klein, Howard. “Music: Avant-Garde Festival Closes” New York Times September 4: 18
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September 8-9, 11-13. Second Annual New York Festival of the Avant Garde. Judson Hall. NYC. Ensemble. Work(s): Karlheinz Stockhausen, Originale (1961). Ensemble performers: James Tenney (piano); MN (percussion); David Behrman (sound technician); Nick Cernivich (lighting man); Robert Breer (cameraman); Allan Kaprow (director); Nam June Paik (action musician); Mr. Seaman’s grandchild (unnamed), (child); Olga Kluever (model); Alvin Lucier (conductor); Eva Pietkiewicz (animal handler); Dobert Delford Brown and Ay-o(action painters); Allen Ginsberg and Jackson Mac Low, (poets). American premiere. Source(s): Fondazione Bonotto, “2nd Annual Avant Garde Festival Flyer – Poster” and “2nd Annual... Flyer” (FXC1656).
During the 2nd Annual New York Avant Garde Festival (August 30 – September 13, 1964) at Judson Hall, Max Neuhaus performed a rigorous schedule of solo and ensemble works that defined the 1960s avant-garde.
The festival was organized by Charlotte Moorman and functioned in two distinct phases:
Phase 1: Concert Series (August 30 – September 3)
During the first week, the festival featured a variety of concerts, including an Edgard Varèse retrospective. Neuhaus participated as a key percussion soloist, performing works that bridged European modernism and American experimentalism.
Philip Corner, Intermission: Performed "with Afterward, Beforehand, or Everything Max Has".
Neuhaus utilized his evolving "live electronic" techniques, such as acoustic feedback on percussion instruments, to realize scores by John Cage and Earle Brown.
Phase 2: Originale Residency (September 8 – 13)
The second week was dominated by the nightly American premiere of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s [Originale]
Neuhaus performed the central role of the "percussionist," which included his virtuosic execution of Zyklus.
Morton Feldman, The King of Denmark: Neuhaus also performed this solo work during this residency. Feldman composed this specifically for Neuhaus, requiring him to play instruments using only his fingers and palms to achieve a near-silent dynamic.
The Protest: These dates were famously picketed by the Action Against Cultural Imperialism (AACI), who targeted Stockhausen as a "cultural imperialist".
Clockwise from top center: Moorman, Director Allan Kaprow, Allen Ginsberg, Max Neuhaus, Jackson Mac Low, Robert Breer, David Behrman, Olga Adorno Klüver, Nam June Pak, Gloria Graves, Robert Delford Brow
https://www.nytimes.com/1964/08/31/archives/avantgarde-music-festival-opens.html