In a rare and demanding live event, the GBSR Duo, alongside flautist Taylor MacLennan, presented a monumental performance of Morton Feldman's 'For Philip Guston' at London's Kings Place. The work, a staggering four and a half hours long without an interval, formed part of the venue's 'Memory Unwrapped' series, testing the limits of audience and performer concentration alike.
A Test of Endurance and Attention
The scale of Feldman's late composition is formidable. It runs longer than a typical marathon and even surpasses the final part of Wagner's Ring cycle. Yet, as the performance unfolded, its true nature revealed itself not as grandiosity but as profound economy. The entire piece is built from an opening sequence of just four pitches, which are then transformed, repeated, and echoed across a consistently sparse and quiet soundscape.
The tempo remained slow, the dynamics hushed, with complex rhythms woven so subtly that moments of perfect synchrony between the musicians felt like minor miracles. Feldman, when challenged on the duration, once called it "a short four hours." For some in the Kings Place audience, the reality was a fidgety experience, marked by creaking seats, stifled coughs, and the occasional early departure.
Revelatory Performances from GBSR Duo and Taylor MacLennan
After an initial period of adjustment, the intense focus of the performers began to cast a spell. Taylor MacLennan's flute and alto flute lines seemed to materialise from silence, often with an ethereal, synthetic quality, at other times sinking into the soft, feathery tones of the lower register.
The GBSR Duo – pianist Siwan Rhys and percussionist George Barton – displayed remarkable stamina and sensitivity. Rhys switched between piano and celeste, while Barton moved between vibraphone, glockenspiel, marimba, and tubular bells. These shifts in instrumentation became increasingly revelatory as the hours passed, with the texture occasionally shearing away to a stark, solo line that highlighted the work's fragile beauty.
A Musical Tribute to a Fractured Friendship
The piece is dedicated to Feldman's close friend, the abstract expressionist painter Philip Guston, following his death in 1980. The composer noted their friendship ended "because of style" when Guston returned to figurative painting. This live performance, in its immense and restless duration, seemed to meditate on memory and absence, demonstrating the impossibility of pure abstraction in music.
Ultimately, the concert was defined by the intense concentration of the musicians and the delicately immersive sound world they sustained. For those who persevered, the experience was not just a test of endurance but a deeply moving and utterly unforgettable journey into the heart of minimalist composition.
