Biennial Radar: Rhys Chatham’s ‘A Crimson Grail’ guitar orchestra

One huge guitar orchestra. One performance. One cathedral. The Biennial's set to kick off in fine style this Friday with a free, must-see gig.

We love guitar hero Rhys Chatham. A stalwart of experimental music since the 1970s, coming to prominence as part of the noisy New York proto-punk No Wave scene, he’s comfortably slipped into the world of prestigious art festivals with his acclaimed guitar compositions. Not bad for a dude who turns 60 next week.

Thanks to the combined efforts of local promoter Samizdat and the Biennial, Rhys shows off his critically lauded ‘A Crimson Grail’ piece to the Anglican Cathedral this Friday, as part of Biennial launch night. Involving 100 local and international guitarists (and eight bassists), it’s only been performed in New York and Paris before: New York with 200 guitars, Paris 400. His gorgeous, chiming piece is going to sound utterly captivating, and maybe just a little bit spiritual, in the vast Anglican Cathedral space. It’s set to be an early highlight of this year’s festival. We can’t wait.

Rhys Chatham: A Crimson Grail
Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, St James Road
14th September, 7.30pm
Free