Earlier this fall, Guy Livingston presented Dada at the movies in Canada and in the United States. Here are excerpts of a theatre scene article about Livingston and his dada project.
“Livingston’s easy, effective connection with the audience ensured both a deep, clear account of a particularly influential historical moment and a generous invitation into a contemporary, twenty-first century consideration of its pleasures and significance.”
“Interdisciplinary insights and virtuosic mixings of scholarly precision with technically elegant artistic flair make Livingston a genuinely innovative performer. Livingston’s clear, open-hearted affection for the material concerning which he is so formidably knowledgeable makes him eager to share what he knows with the audience, and he treats his audience as friends; Dada at the Movies was equal parts performance, demonstration and witty conversation.”
“The edgy, jumpy music matched the films virtually perfectly in pace and texture; in these, as in all the music of the evening, visual jokes and surprises, reversals and stunts were matched by rhythms and melodies.”
“Livingston played several other pieces by Antheil as well as by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) without films. These displayed Livingston’s easy fluency and control as a pianist.”
“These works – films, contemporary music and Livingston’s playing – were marvelous: they were intellectually rich and aesthetically inventive.”
“Livingston gave his audience direct, fresh contact with the originality of the Dadaists.”
“Equally important, a century after the Dadaists asked their questions and asserted their rebellions, we still need answers and resolutions. In the 1920s as now, artists have led the resistance. In this marvelous concert, Livingston paid homage to this fact and inspired us all to continued energy.”
To learn more about Guy Livingston, click here.
To read the full review, click here.