The best reads
— handpicked
by some of the
best Bklyn
bookstores
COURIER LIFE, JAN. 31-FEB. 6, 2020 51
WOO-ING THE CROWD
Theremin fans celebrate instrument’s 100th birthday
By Kevin Duggan They’re making waves!
A concert celebrating
the 100th anniversary of the
eerie electronic hand-wave-powered
instrument known as the theremin
will take over a Bushwick church
next week. “100 Years of Theremin”
will showcase the past, present, and
future of the instrument at Bushwick
Methodist Church on Feb. 8. One
performer hopes the concert will
show that the instrument is more than
a quirky sound effect in mid-century
sci-fi movies.
“There are so many people
in all corners of the world trying
to see what you can do with the
theremin,” said Dorit Chrysler, who
organized the event with the New
York Theremin Society.
The concert is also an album
release party for “Theremin 100,” a
compilation of work by 50 theremin
artists from 18 countries, using the
100-year-old instrument to play jazz,
pop, classical, and ambient music.
The theremin, created by Russian
inventor Léon Theremin in the 1920s,
consists of a box with two antennas
creating an electromagnetic field that
players can manipulate for pitch and
volume by waving their hands near
the device, without actually touching
it. It is a visceral experience to play,
according to Chrysler.
“The interface is completely
mesmerizing because you don’t
touch anything,” she said. “In a way,
you are the instrument. It’s your
hand motions, and the theremin just
provides the electromagnetic field.”
Those hand motions are hard to
Instrument of the century: Thereminist Dorit Chrysler will perform as part of a celebration
of the electromagnetic instrument’s 100th anniversary in Bushwick on Feb. 8.
Photo by Kayssa Mavrides
learn, and theremins are expensive,
so it never became a widespread
instrument. During the mid-20th
century, some filmmakers adopted
it as an uncanny sound effect tool,
most famously the British television
series “Dr Who.” The theremin also
laid the groundwork for electronic
music to come, such as the more
popular synthesizer, which soon
became the dominant electronic
instrument.
The concert will feature a tribute
to electronic music pioneer Clara
Rockmore, who played classical
songs on the theremin, original
compositions from the New York
Theremin Society’s orchestra, and
covers of ambient music trailblazer
Brian Eno and German techno group
Kraftwerk, along with a discussion of
the theremin’s role in the development
of the Moog synthesizer, from that
instrument’s co-creator, Herb
Deutsch.
The music will be accompanied by
light projections on the walls of the
church, like all shows in the Ambient
Church events series, which hosts
immersive New Agey concerts in
houses of worship across the borough.
Chrysler hopes that the event
and the album will inspire a new
generation of thereminists.
“We’re laying the groundwork of
what might be possible for exploring
new applications of the instrument,”
she said.
“100 Years of Theremin” at
Brooklyn Methodist Church (1139
Bushwick Ave. at Madison Street in
Bushwick, www.ambient.church).
Feb. 8 at 7 pm. $40.
“Theremin 100,” on vinyl, CD, or
digital. nythereminsociety.bandcamp.
com. $25.
Brooklyn likes to watch
The real world is confusing and
unpredictable ! Therefore, I will
be taking all my entertainment
in two-dimensional format, in the
form of televised sports, movies, and
cartoons.
First up — are you ready for some
football? The New York Giants are
out of the game, so Brooklynites do
not really have a stake in Super Bowl
LIV, a contest between the Kansas
City Chiefs and the San Francisco
49ers. But if you are a fan of the
noble pigskin game, enjoy watching
the commercials, or just want to chow
down on some wings, you should do so
at the Bushwick Cider House (1100
Flushing Ave. between Irving and
Knickerbocker avenues in Bushwick,
www.brooklynciderhouse.com). The
upscale spot will show the game
on Sunday evening starting at 6:30
pm, and from 5 pm to midnight will
offer $1 wings ( in delicious
Korean, spicy, or regular
varieties), along with
specials on chili,
nachos, and pitchers
of cider and beer.
Next, we’re
going to think
ahead to the Oscars.
The key to winning
the office Oscar pool
is getting things right in
the minor categories — like
Animated Short film and Live
Action Short films. Get a jump
on your competition by watching
all of the nominees in those two
categories on Monday night at the
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (445
Albee Square West between Fulton
and Willoughby streets Downtown,
fourth floor, www.drafthouse.com/
nyc), where you can see the cartoon
shorts at 6:20 pm; and the
live-action ones at 9:40.
Each screening will
cost you $17.50.
Finally, a nice
simple topic:
romance. You can
enjoy the pangs of
love in safe cartoon
form at the Spoons,
Toons, and Booze
After Dark Valentine’s
Special, at Nitehawk
Prospect Park (188 Prospect Park
West at 14th Street in Park Slope,
nitehawkcinema.com/prospectpark)
on Thursday night at 9:30 pm. The
audience can vote on love-focused
episodes from cartoons including
DuckTales, King of the Hill, Rugrats,
Futurama, Powerpuff Girls, and
many more. Tickets are $18, and
include access to a sugary cereal bar.
Community
Bookstore’s pick: “Fra
Keeler,” by Azareen
Van Der Vliet Oloomi
A man buys the home of the
recently deceased Fra Keeler,
and upon moving in becomes
consumed with the question of
what caused her mysterious
death. His inquest soon
turns inward, and what follows is the
magisterial narration of a mind unspun. Oloomi’s debut
novel, set in the Netherlands, ranks among the works of
Robert Musil and Thomas Bernhard as a master class in
interiority.
— Samuel Partal, Community Bookstore 43 Seventh
Ave. between Carroll Street and Garfield Place in Park
Slope, (718) 783–3075, www.commu nityb ookst ore.net.
Greenlight Bookstore’s
pick: “Interior
Chinatown,” by
Charles Yu
This is one of the most unique
novels I’ve read in a while, and
quite a lot to unpack. It tackles
Asian American stereotypes
head-on (and I really do
mean head-on) as they relate to
media, and does it in an outlandish (and at times
very funny) way: the main character is a perpetual day
player for all the Asian roles on a procedural cop show set
in Chinatown. The narrative constantly breaks the fourth
wall, is written in a second-person perspective, and is
also written in the style of a screenplay. Yu is doing a lot,
and while I’m still undecided about what works and what
doesn’t, the whole book is a bold move, and for me that
seems more important.
— Geo Ong, Greenlight Bookstore 686 Fulton St.
between S. Elliott Place and S. Portland Avenue in Fort
Greene, (718) 246–0200, www.greenlightbookstore.com.
Word’s picks: “The
Crying Book,” by
Heather Christle
A poetic examination of one
of the most basic of human
reactions: crying. Written
with grace and an inquisitive
mind, “The Crying
Book” recalls the poetic
investigations of Maggie
Nelson or Eula Biss in
scope. Through the lens of crying,
Christle explores motherhood, anxiety, depression,
and the connective tissue that holds us together. Why do
we cry? Why did Romans catch and save their tears in
small vials? How did Didion stop herself from crying?
All answered and brought close to the realm of the
personal in this deeply moving book.
— Ryan Evans, Word 126 Franklin St. at Milton Street
in Greenpoint, (718) 383–0096, www.wordbookstores.
com.
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