Lunapark 0, 10
Label: Sub Rosa
Rated: NONE
WorkNameSort: Lunapark 0, 10
The appeal of a compilation of avant-garde spoken word half of which is in languages you don’t understand, the other half simply incomprehensible would seem to be limited. And, truly, Lunapark 0, 10 (a 1999 album just reissued in the United States) is a different kind of listen. Yet the primal appeal of these poets rests as much in their cadence as it does in the literal imagery. Thus the swirling repetition of Gertrude Stein is as mesmerizing as the cuckoo rhythms of Kurt Schwitters’ “Ursonate.” Other historical recordings of James Joyce, Brion Gysin, e.e. cummings, Antonin Artaud and others represent a time frame covering 1912-1973. The interesting selection of authors, as well as the unexpected musicality of their readings, makes Lunapark as expansive and inclusive as it is fascinating and unique.
This article appears in Aug 24-30, 2005.