The Relache Ensemble in Kaunus Lithuania, 1992
The Story Behind the Story
Relâche is a French word that means “cancellation,” “theater is dark,” or “no performance today”
Relâche is a 1924 ballet by Francis Picabia with music composed by Erik Satie. The title was thought to be a Dadaist practical joke, as relâche is the French word used on posters to indicate that a show is canceled, or the theater is closed. The first performance was indeed canceled, due to the illness of Jean Börlin, the principal dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of the Ballets Suisse. Picabia commissioned filmmaker René Clair to create a cinematic entr’acte to be shown during the ballet’s intermission. The film, simply titled Entr’acte, consists of a scene shown before the ballet and a longer piece between the acts. The nonsensical film features Picabia, Satie, and other well-known artists as actors. —[from Wikipedia]
You can hear the complete ballet music HERE
You can see a recent performance of the ballet HERE
The Podcast Team
Arthur Stidfole was educated at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Illinois where he studied bassoon and composition. New York City was his base for many years where he worked as a performer, composer, producer, administrator and fundrasiser. In the early 1990s he joined the Relache organization in production and development. Changing course, he studied to become a nurse and worked in Intensive Care at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and later University of California San Francisco Hospital. Now retired, he lives in Albuquerque with his wife Kathryn Bauer and helps produce “The Relache Chronicles.”
Arthur Stidfole
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Joseph studied music composition at the Philadelphia Musical Academy and Temple University. He has composed works for mixed instrumental/vocal ensembles, film, video, theater and dance. In 1977 he founded The Relâche Ensemble, which evolved into a presenting and producing organization as well as a performing grouop. He served as executive and artistic director until 1998. An archive of his tenure at Relache named The Relache Records is located in The Special Collections Research Center at Temple University Library. From 2004 to 2010 he was executive director of Chamber Music Albuquerque.
Joseph Kasinskas has had a unique and varied career. Holding a doctorate in composition from the University of Colorado, he has taught music in Connecticut, Colorado, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He has had a full career as a letter carrier for USPS while working as a teacher, composer and performer/collector of Lithuanian folk music. Kasinskas joined Relache in 1979 which has performed much of his music over the years. Now retired in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Kasinskas is able to join The Relache Chronicles for some interesting conversations with composers and performers about the deep archives of music performed by the Relache Ensemble.
A Professor Emeritus in Performance Studies at Arizona State University’s School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, Arthur helped found ASU’s Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance Degree Program and taught at several other colleges including New York University and Ohio University. As a journalist and arts writer, he has published widely on late 20th–21st century interdisciplinary performance, experimental theatre and music, literature, avant-garde studies and aesthetic research. He is currently collecting writing and essays with a focus on Robert Ashley, Lee Breuer, Fred Ho, Armand Schwerner and Annson Kenney.