Performance [live] (1978)

Handling

Differences between the live and the studio version of America's performance are interesting in and of themselves, although they are technical rather than content differences. The studio version is shot with a still camera in color, with no zooms or shifts in perspective. The live version – which took place in Tilburg on 3 November 1978 – is in black and white and somewhat shaky as a result of a human camera operator. There are also a number of zooms and shifts in perspective in the live version. The scenario, music, and duration of the piece remains the same. Very little action happens in this short piece, but arguably it is full of drama. The drama comes from the musical accompaniment. There is no other sound save for this music. It is overpowering, discordant classical that in a conventional film would often accompany a images of a crime unfolding or a character discovering something dramatic or traumatic.