1964
Reviews
"Max Neuhaus is a rare musician. His performance is at one with his intention; in his every gesture there is dance. There is no gap or unsureness to blur the clarity of the sound-idea. And his intention always grows out of a sensitive understanding of the music.
His choice of program demonstrated a mind searching out the full potential of his instruments (even beyond conventional procedures). The first piece, 'Reaktionen', by Bo Nilsson, was a pleasant kind of prelude into the realm of percussion sounds. While Mr. Neuhaus played one realization, another previously tape-recorded one was played back simultaneously. It is an elegant composition, no more, no less.
Earle Brown's 'Four Systems', next on the program, is quite a different matter. It is notated in a graphic manner, using lines of different thicknesses and lengths to indicate dynamics and duration, in a field (the four systems) that indicates the range of pitch. (It can be performed by any instruments, though it was originally composed for the pianist David Tudor.) That's all that is given. From there Mr. Neuhaus took it and traveled into fantastic realms. For his realization he suspended several different-sized cymbals and attached contact microphones to each. Touching (rubbing, tapping) each with a variety of metal rods, he created a kind of continuous melodic line that varied from a gentle rasping to an ear-shocking clamor, and all of the nuances in between. Within the relatively small timbre of the cymbals, Mr. Neuhaus created music that was always spacious, going beyond its seeming limitations. It was an exciting experience that cannot be forgotten.
The third composition was Karlheinz Stockhausen's 'Zyklus', a guttural, dramatic composition. Again Mr. Neuhaus changed to meet and realize a different conception. He moved in harmony with the music, transforming the virtuoso demands of the piece into intense expressive energy.
After the intermission, John Cage's '27' 10.554" for a Percussionist' was presented. The numbers in the title indicate the time-length of performance, and the score indicates the sequence in time of four general materials: wood, metal, skin, and a fourth by choice of the performer, not included in the category of the first three. (A radio was used.) Mr. Neuhaus set up his choice of specific instruments, sat down in the midst of them, and played. After a while the range of the instruments explored became a kind of continuum, but then the music began to reveal still more subtle possibilities within this timbre range. The radio was a touch of genius on Mr. Neuhaus's part: always a 'radio' but much more than that."
Malcolm Goldstein, Village Voice, June 1964