This is the recording of the mythic concert from october 2005 in Brussels by Charlemagne Palestine (piano, drones, chant)
+ Tony Conrad (violin).

"More than 30 years had passed since our last experimental duet. Tony arrived and decided he could stay for several days in Brussels and we casually started to play together one afternoon
Aude, my wife, remarks about that special moment that in 5 minutes if not less she heard a natural musical chemistry of beauty and power that greatly impressed her yet. Tony and i hadn't played discussed or conversed about sound or anything in over 30 years None the less the result were
totally surprising dazzling and deeply satisfyingg so that we do some concerts together in Paris, Nantes, Naples & Brussels, the present recording made in October 2005 at the Mercelis Theatre in Brussels on " Luc Ferrari Day " (the day that Pompidou Center in Paris presented an entire day in honor of the French composer Luc Ferrari who had jsut recently died in Italy) Our duet had no title though we were very conscious of Luc Ferrari's " presence in spirit " during that evening. How is it that Tony and i can play so magically together without ever discussing or planning or or anything ? ? ? i have no idea ! ! !
IT'S AN AURAL SYMBIOTIC MYSTERY ! ! ! ! ! "

Charlemagne Palestine Lago D'Orta 7/2006

Charlemagne Palestine wrote intense, ritualistic music in the 1970s, intended by the composer to rub against audiences' expectations of what is beautiful and meaningful in music. A composer-performer, he always performed his own works as soloist. His earliest works were compositions for carillon and electronic drones, and he is best known for his intensely performed piano works. He also performs as a vocalist. Palestine's performance style is ritualistic; he generally surrounds himself (and his piano) with stuffed animals, smokes large numbers of kretek (Indonesian clove cigarettes) and drinks cognac.

Works/Selected Discography
Four Manifestations on Six Elements (Barooni, 1974), Strumming Music (Shandar, 1977) was revolutionary in that it turned "strumming" into an avant-garde technique, and minimalism into highly dynamic (and noisy) music. Palestine improvised on a piano emphasizing otherworldly overtones. Schlingen-Blaengen (New World, 1998), Karenina (Durtro, 1997),
Jamaica Heinekens In Brooklyn (Barooni, 2000), a symphony of drones and found sounds.


Tony Conrad is an avant-garde video artist, experimental filmmaker, musician/composer, sound artist, teacher and writer. Along with John Cale, Angus MacLise, La Monte Young, and Marian Zazeela, Conrad was an ealy member of the Theater of Eternal Music, which utilized just Intonation sustained sound to produce what they called dream music. This group performed compositions by La Monte Young in which the other performers would sustain certain harmonically related pitches determined by Young for the duration of each piece. Conrad continues to teach at the Department of Media Study at University at Buffalo.

Works/Selected Discography
Four Violins (1964 - Table of the Elements, 1997), and his collaboration with Faust - Outside The Dream Syndicate (Caroline, 1973 - Table of the Elements, 1996), works which, in his own words, explored the border "between pitch and rhythm". After leaving Young's ensemble in 1965, he focused mainly on cinema, starting with "The Flicker" (1966), Fantastic Glissando (1969 - Table of the Elements, 2003) was a performance of electronic music, while Music and the Mind Of the Word (1977), Slapping Pythagoras (Table of the Elements, 1995), recorded with a handful of post-rock musicians, is basically the logical continuation of Outside The Dream Syndicate., Early Minimalism (Table of the Elements, 1997), Thunderboy (Table of the Elements, 2002) is a typical avant-garde swindle: Conrad recorded his son while the child was playing with turntables and other objects,Bryant Park (Table Of The Elements, 2005).