arts // no. 10 theotherpress.ca

 

Changing tune

» ‘As Slow as Possible’ changes chord
as its 639-year journey continues

Craig Allan
Staff Writer

 

n September 5, music aficionados

travelled to Halberstadt, Germany,
braving the pandemic sweeping the globe,
to hear the change of a chord on an organ.
This was not a normal change though, as it
was the first time this organ had changed
its tune in the last seven years. The reason
for this was that the organ is playing a song
written by famed composer John Cage
called “As Slow as Possible.” The piece was
originally written for the piano, but when
Cage got it repurposed for the organ, he
decided to leave out a critical detail from
his work: to what speed should the piece be
played.

In 1997, five years after Cage’s death, a
symposium was held that concluded that
with a well-maintained organ, the
song could theoretically be played
indefinitely. With this in mind, the St.
Burchardi church—located in the town
where the historic Blockwerk organ was
built, the first organ ever used for liturgies—
decided to mark the occasion by having a
new organ be built that would be specifically
designed to play “As Long as Possible,” for
639 years. The significance of 639 years is to
mark the period between the building of the
first organ in 1361, and the start of the new
organ in St. Burchardi in September 5, 2001,
and John Cage’s birthday (the year 2001 is
not included in the total.)

The sound on the organ is changed
by adding two additional pipes to the
organ. The event usually draws thousands
of people to the church, but due to the
pandemic, the audience had to be limited.
That still did not stop the St. Burchardi
from celebrating the event, with soprano
singer Johanna Vargas and organist Julian
Lembke there to mark the occasion. While
the wait for this change took seven years,
the next chord change will not be as long
of a wait, as the next chord change is timed
for February 5, 2022. The changes in the
chords are timed to always take place on
the fifth of a month.

The website for the project states
that the reason they are pursuing this
odyssey of song is more than just for
the longevity of the self-titled song. The
goal of the performance is to attempt “A
form of attempted deceleration, the
‘discovery of slowness’ and the planting
of a ‘musical apple tree’ understood asa
symbol of confidence in the future.” This
proclamation can be seen in the change of
this chord, which Rainer Neugebauer of
the John Cage Organ Project claims is the
longest uninterrupted sound ever recorded.
The song acts as a time capsule for music.
While none of us will be around for the
conclusion of the song, the song acts as
a connection for multiple generations
to see, as time and the song go on as long
as possible.

Villainous superheroes and vigilante justice

» Season two premiere of ‘The Boys’ offers another gritty superhero story with important social subjects

Jonathan Pabico
Senior Columnist

 

keen

San two of The Boys opens with a
unique three-episode premiere event on
Amazon Prime Video. The show continues
its original story with impressive social
satire, complicated characters, and a bleak
world where superheroes are the bad guys.
The plot follows electronics employee
Hughie Campbell (Jack Quaid) as he teams
up once again with Billy Butcher (Karl
Urban) and his vigilante group The Boys to
fight superhero corruption.

The premiere expands the satire
from the last season through a myriad of
self-aware in-jokes and absurd celebrity
that poke fun at the oversaturated hype
we have for superheroes. However, the
show mainly focuses on the role media
plays in influencing public perception and
continues its corporate theme about being
alienated in a commercialized world.

The show balances its character
ensemble for the most part through good
editing for the main story arc and subplots.
This narrative aspect is paired with gritty
cinematography to elevate the script’s
unpredictable dynamics and world-
building.

Across all three episodes, Antony
Starr as the main villain Homelander-
basically an evil Superman—has the best
performance in the premiere. Sporting
a US flag for a cape and a double-faced
charisma, Starr is unafraid of going
to dark places in playing a heavily
Americanized superhero. He explores
more of Homelander’s ironies through
the character’s disquieting pleasantries
matched only by his menacing superiority
complex.

Like season one, The Boys develop
their camaraderie that grounds them as
a dysfunctional yet loyal family. Quaid
and Urban strengthen their chemistry
in portraying the bond between their
characters with more tension, cynical
banter, and an enthralling brotherhood.

A surprising stand out is Aya Cash
as new superhero Stormfront. Cash
is annoying at first, but she brings
a refreshing tone to the show as an
outspoken extrovert with her own flavour
of despicable darkness. Her scenes with the
more pure-hearted superheroine Starlight
(Erin Moriarty) relays the harsh realities of
their public roles as heroes. Their moments
together further convey the value of having
a voice, speaking your mind, and being
yourself.

One flaw with season two is a subplot

involving The Deep (Chace Crawford)—a
sillier version of Aquaman. Crawford plays
him with some vibrancy, yet the character is
a bland source of comic relief that detracts
from the tone of the main plot. The dark
humour about
his powers
somewhat pays
off by the third
episode, but the
story arc feels
awkward and
unnecessary.
Overall,
the season two
premiere of The
Boys perfectly
sets you up
for another
chapter that
so far doesn’t
disappoint with
its unexpected
twists and
social satire.
One thing to
note, though, is
that the series’
graphic violence
is as excessive
as Deadpool,
so prepare

yourself for that imagery. Unapologetic
yet comically weird, the story exceeds
expectations in delivering themes and
subjects with an original story balanced by
riveting characters.

 

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