René Mogensen: Heaven or Cell

"In 'Heaven or Cell' there is an exchange between the solo piano, electroacoustic music and voices, which, in conjunction with the choreography, creates a lively environment for the audience, and conveys substantial humorous substance, hand-in-hand with a sharply critical attitude. These are the essentials for a necessary work of art for our time, and for any other time as well. Life needs humour, art needs substance, and humanity must have both life and art to exist. Musicality of a work of art includes the consideration of all aspects of the performance, including the creation of affect and effect in and on the audience. I think we have succeded in creating a completely musical work in this sense, with this production of "Heaven or Cell." This was the first premiere of what promises to be a productive, continuing artistic collaboration between myself and the choreographer and her production team."



René Mogensen: Heaven or Cell a collaboration with choreographer Renata Celichowska
Premiere performance run: Three shows on November 22 and 23, 2002, in the Distinguished Faculty Dance Concert, Frederick Loewe Theater, New York University, New York City, USA. Renata Celichowska and Dancers with Max Midroit on piano and Tom Beyer on electroacoustic sound.
		"In this felicitous collaboration between choreographer Renata Celichowska and composer René Mogensen the result is a gripping piece of dramatic ballet, most becom(dy)ing to both. The electro-acoustic score (the piano part of which Max Midroit played with crisp precision and the interactive computer part Tom Beyer intertwined with light touch) traversed the remodeling of Heaven (long awaited) from the male choir of old, via the calling card sign up on automated answerers to the static , the microphonized speaker sound, and the proper emphases in dramatc plot. They have seized an obvious theme of a comedy or farce - both genres work on the belief that laughs are well more stirring and memorable than tears and fears." - from review of premiere in Den Danske Pioneer newspaper, USA.


	"In 'Heaven or Cell' there is an exchange between the solo piano, electroacoustic music and voices, which, in conjunction with the choreography, creates a lively environment for the audience, and conveys substantial humorous substance, hand-in-hand with a sharply critical attitude. These are the essentials for a necessary work of art for our time, and for any other time as well. Life needs humour, art needs substance, and humanity must have both life and art to exist. Musicality of a work of art includes the consideration of all aspects of the performance, including the creation of affect and effect in and on the audience. I think we have succeded in creating a completely musical work in this sense, with this production of "Heaven or Cell." This was the first premiere of what promises to be a productive, continuing artistic collaboration between myself and the choreographer and her production team." René Mogensen, November 2002



	Instrumentation of the score: piano, digital reverb, and electroacoustic part. Duration in performance with dance: 20 minutes Development support for this work was given by: STEIM and DIEM

René Mogensen: Heaven or Cell

a collaboration with choreographer Renata Celichowska