gtaylor@lasspvax.UUCP (Greg Taylor) (03/18/85)
A note to readers of this column: This is a review of a
recording of Classicist Robert Fitzgerald's translation of
Sophocles' Oedipus at Colonus as performed by several black
gospel groups. It was produced by one-half of Steely Dan,
and was originally performed at the Brooklyn Academy of
Music's Next Wave festival.
Great start, eh? Normally, I tend to agonize long and
hard over how to begin a review of something a little out of
the ordinary. This is in part because I recognize that
unless I try something really snappy, you'll stop reading
long before I can engage your interest just long enough to
suggest that this is something you might find worthy of your
attention. In the case of The Gospel at Colonus, I'll break
my usual rule. I do this for two reasons: First, I think
that ultimately my initial description will suffice to start
you wondering what one Earth such a project would sound
like. Secondly, there's a sort of self-referential bit fun
involved with not starting your regular bit of review the
way you normally do. It breaks your monotony and mine.
The Brooklyn Academy's Next Wave Festival serves some-
what the same purpose as the rainbow bridge in Norse mythol-
ogy. It separates the Asgard of the avant-garde from the
Midgard of lower mortals who crowd the halls to see legiti-
mate Art. There is a sort of status conferred by all this,
of course--how do you think that Laurie Anderson got that
nice contract from Warner/Electra/Asylum? How about Philip
Glass' Einstein on the Beach. I'm not sure that in the end,
any status is actually conferred for anyone except those who
rely on the judgement of the Academy for their own deci-
sions. For my money, the sort of false imprimatur involved
in having made it is harmful only if that is as far afield
as a listener is prepared to go. In the case of The Gospel
at Colonus, we have a very curious production that might not
otherwise get the attention it deserves otherwise. Since
there's a Megacorporation in the proceedings, we get a spec-
tacular digital recording and marvelous production by ex-
Steely Dan Donald Fagen and his engineer sidekick Gary Katz.
A strange and wonderful thing has slipped into the world as
a result.
I suppose a student skilled in conventions of discourse
might re-read the introductory paragraph to this review and
conclude that I had some initial misgivings to the general
concept behind the album. It is a classic exercise in pas-
tiche that potentially draws fire from two traditions. For
the religiously inclined, this might seem an album which
retains the fire and passion of gospel without the sense of
deep committment that so annoys the unbelieving public. For
the diehard Classicist, this is yet another of those shoddy
attempts to give the Sophoclean voice a trendy suit (a drawl
and a choir, in this case).
The Gospel at Colonus ultimately succeeds for several
reasons. It manages to take the formal conventions of the
gospel music that provides the roots for other forms of
great American music (to quote the Art Ensemble of Chicago)
and maps them onto the traditional
chorus/individual/narrative structu found in Classical drama
with considerable success. The performances may mix invoca-
tions to Apollo in the grove of the Furies with good old
revivalism, but it is done in a way that underscores the
commonality of experience behind them. Oedipus' quest for a
happy ending place of rest is illumined and strengthened by
the references to the Evangelical message of confort and
rescue. Moreover, the adaptation of Robert Fitzgerald's
translation is done with a real respect for the translation:
in many place, his original versifications are left entirely
intact and redefined only by the delivery itself (particu-
larly in the stunning a capella rendition A Voice Foretold
(Prayer) and the virtuoso choral arrangement for Numberless
are the World's Wonders). At times, it is easy to forget
that you're listening to the to texts as demanding as Words
and thoughts as rapid as air/He fashions for his use/And his
the skill that deflects/The arrrows of snow/The spears of
winter rain.
Musically, the score draws upon a cross section of gos-
pel music as a form, from the close harmony of Sunlight of
No Light and A Voice Foretold to the full throttle choral
exaltation of Never Drive You Away and Lift Him Up. In
between, there is a smattering of mid-tempo soul ballads
(How Shall I See You Through My Tears) and some R&B inflec-
tions as well (the harp and slide-guitar flavored Lift Me Up
(Like A Dove)). The playing throughout manages equally to
acknowledge the style of black gospel with respect rather
than providing a kind of imitation backup. The listener is
certain to get a good enough listen to the individual groups
represented (Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of
Alabama, J.J.Farley and the Original Soul Stirrers, and the
J.D. Steele Singers) to get a sense of their styles (which
can be pursued at length later, if you so desire) and musi-
cal personality.
This is the kind of recording that made me put aside my
initial suspicions by virtue of it excellent performance,
attention to detail, and respect for what it is about. I
hope that I've managed to convince one or two of you that
it's worth your time. I'll go back to the snappy openers
next week.