A beautiful disruption 3 years in the making…
From composer John Psathas:
It’s always fantastic when your music develops a life of its own. I have been very lucky that this has happened to several of my pieces, but how it happened with CubaSonic (2019) is unlike any other. Often you think a piece is given life through multiple performances – CubaSonic only had (and probably will only ever have) one. What defined this project was that it was totally contextualised by the state of the world at the time.
Premiered at the end of March 2021, much of the world was still in lockdown with live performances feeling like they were a thing from the pre-Covid era. At the time it was just unimaginable that hundreds of musicians could perform a work spanning three blocks in a massive city-wide festival. I think that the result of such a mass performance in the then-current circumstances created a really powerful and unexpected feeling of togetherness.
People came to me afterwards highly emotionalised, talking about how moved they were, and the sense of joy they felt in being a part of such a massed experience. CubaDupa usually provides the city with an injection of positive energy and after being cancelled in 2020, its return in 2021 was extra special, symbolising a return to normality or at least a step in that direction.
John Psathas, In Focus: CubaSonic (2019)
CubaSonic trailer video. Video by CubaDupa and CreateNowNZ.
Here it is! Our one-and-only World Premiere super-exclusive performance of CubaSonic by John Psathas.
CubaSonic highlight clip from the premiere performance. Video by CubaDupa and CreateNowNZ.
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