The original soundtrack by J • A • Seazer to the Terayama Shūji theatrical play Nuhikun – Directions to Servants is now available to stream in its entirety as part of the InlanDimensions International Arts Festival online programme until 19 October 2021.
The stream consists of almost 80 minutes of music accompanied by the image of the cover artwork of the vinyl version of Nuhikun – Directions to Servants released by Devoted Art Propaganda. The album marks the first official release of music for Tenjō Sajiki's plays outside of Japan.
Recorded in late 1977 and originally available only as cassettes in theaters, Nuhikun – Directions to Servants exposes the audience to a sadomasochistic universe combining elements of surrealism, dream work and Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt. Accompanied by fantastic machines, rock music and operatic echoes, the production has amazed audiences with the avant-garde director's world of wonder and visual bravado. That master-slave farce is defined not merely by the theatrical dialogue, but also by the actors' moves to the rock-opera vibes. One observes various kinds of machinery props with the empty chair in the middle, symbolising the absence of the real master until the very end. As in many of Terayama's plays, the absence of the main pillar stimulates the absence of the periphery.
J • A • Seazer is a critically renowned film and theatre music composer, as well as co-director of Terayama Shūji plays and leader of the theatre troupe Laboratory of Theatre Play Ban'yū Inryoku. Seazer combines experimental rock with avant-garde theatre. His major music compositions include Heretics (1971), Ship of Fools (1976), Shintokumaru (1978). He also composed music for Tearayama's feature films such as Boxer (1977), Death in the Country (1974) and Farewell to the Ark (1984). It's his rock opera score to the anime Revolutionary Girl Utena though that gave J • A • Seazer mainstream recognition leading to numerous references in scenic adaptations of the movie. He also used to perform live concerts up until 2018 with his band J • A • Seazer & Akuma no Ie.
The vinyl release of Nuhikun – Directions to Servants will be available for pre-order exclusively to InlanDimensions International Arts Festival attendees until 19 October 2021. Any remaining copies after that day will be available to the general public via Devoted Art Propaganda. Nuhikun – Directions to Servants will be released in 2×12” gatefold vinyl format and limited to 300 copies. The cover photo was taken by Tobiasz Papuczys, and typography was made by Sars.
Find out more about the play and the world of Terayama Shūji here and to sign up for updates regarding the album's availability via Devoted Art Propaganda.
InlanDimensions International Arts Festival is currently the largest interdisciplinary festival in Central Europe showcasing contemporary Eurasian culture. The VOD program includes a review of contemporary Japanese and Hong Kong cinema, Inoue Umetsugu film retrospective, theatre performances and an international scientific conference with the participation of guests such as Eugenio Barba, Danny Yung, Tang Shu-wing, Hirata Oriza, Andrew Chan, Koike Hiroshi. The event will end with a live concert in Warsaw performed by Japanese indie folk star Ichiko Aoby.
Details available on the website: https://inlandimensions.com/
Tickets for festival events available on the platform: https://vod.inlandimensions.com/
