1963
According to the Max Neuhaus estate and accounts of the event, percussionist Max Neuhaus was a participant in the first complete public performance of Erik Satie's
Vexations, which took place at the Pocket Theatre in New York City on September 9, 1963.
Details of the 1963 Vexations performance
- The performance was organized and produced by composer John Cage, with a team of 12 pianists.
- While primarily known as a percussionist, Neuhaus was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist who studied both composition and percussion during his time at the Manhattan School of Music.
- The relay-style concert required a team of musicians to play the short piano piece 840 times over the course of 18 hours and 40 minutes.
- The pianists, dubbed "The Pocket Theatre Piano Relay Team," included figures such as John Cage, John Cale, David Tudor, and Christian Wolff.
- Though Neuhaus was a known collaborator with Cage and his circle of experimental musicians, his participation in the Vexations marathon is noted as an early-career highlight that positioned him within the influential New York avant-garde scene.