Event: “The Evening”
Date: November 17, 2011
Venue: The Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts
Acts: Lawrence English
There are generally two parts to any Lawrence English-curated performance. The first is a short welcome where he provides a introduction to the work about to be performed. The second is, of course, the performance itself.
The above might sound like dull trivia, but it’s one of the things I appreciate the most about English. Listening to him speak, you quickly realise English is not simply there to perform. He truly wants you to grasp the authorial inspiration and purpose behind the music he’s about to perform.
It’s something most artists — largely blessed with all the loquacity of a brick — just don’t attempt. What makes English’s mission trebly difficult is the nature of his works — typically synth-driven instrumental drones that tend to evolve at a glacial pace.
