Pitchfork

You'll forgive Rhys Chatham for only scheduling four shows between now and the time the summer wraps; doing those things he does is kind of a production.

The noted composer and guitarchitecht's next move is the world premiere of his new Les 100 Guitares: G100 composition, which, if you hadn't figured it out, requires 100 guitars to pull off. This massive undertaking goes down May 23 at Williamsport, Pennsylvania's Community Arts Center, with a hand or 198 lent by members of Akron/Family, Megafaun, and the local, long-running Uptown Music Collective.

Chatham's scaling things back just a bit for a pair of June Guitar Trio performances, but his next move after that doubles up on even the ginormous 100 guitar monster. The world premiere of A Crimson Grail (2008) for 200 electric guitars will take place outdoors at Damrosch Park in New York's Lincoln Center Plaza on August 15. The gig finds Rhys rejiggering his 400-guitar A Crimson Grail piece from 2005 and takes place as part of a Wordless Music Series event titled "800 Years of Minimalism - The Spiritual Transcendent". True to its title, the event will also feature music from 13th century composer Pérotin, plus Manuel Göttsching performing his proto-techno classic (and Pitchfork's 79th favorite album of the 1980s) E2-E4 with light show accompaniment.

Rhys:

05-23 Williamsport, PA - Community Arts Center
06-07 Lausanne, Switzerland - Circuit Association d'Art Contemporain
06-27 Bern, Switzerland - Dampfzentrale
08-15 New York, NY - Damrosch Park (Wordless Music Series) *

* with Manuel Göttsching, performing E2-E4