In 1985, David Byrne, the Talking Heads' David Byrne, wrote music for an opera. In a way.
Avant-garde theatrical director Robert Wilson asked Byrne to compose incidental music for an epic work called The CIVIL WarS. The idea was to premiere the work at the L.A. Olympic Games, but the length of the piece (eight hours) dampened enthusiasm for funding.
The Knee Plays, as this music was known, was released on vinyl and has become a collector's item. Tomorrow, it's finally released on CD, and you'll get to hear this unusual, New Orleans-influenced music from the always-surprising Mr. Byrne.
written on Monday Oct 29, 2007
no fear of music.
