Roaratorio (1983)

Music: John Cage, Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake  (1979)

Design: Mark Lancaster

Roaratorio represents one of the most complex and ambitious collaborations between Merce and his life partner, composer John Cage (1912-1992). The work features a sound recording of Cage’s Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake (1979), originally made for a broadcast on Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln, which consists of three simultaneous elements: sound recordings from places in Ireland mentioned in Joyce’s novel; a poem, constructed from lines of Finnegans Wake, read aloud during the performance; and scored parts based on Irish traditional music – jigs, reels, airs, and songs – that are played at various times at various intensities throughout the work. Merce, who identified with the “feeling of dance” he found in Joyce's novel, created choreography with motifs on jigs and reels, a “hopping” dance, promenades and strolls, and folk dances that suddenly expand into huge communal circles.

The revival of Roaratorio premiered at Walt Disney Concert Hall as part of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the LA Music Center on June 4, 2010.

The revival and preservation of Roaratorio were made possible in part through the generous support of American Express and the National Endowment for the Arts as part of American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius. The recording of Roaratorio, an Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake is provided courtesy of the John Cage Trust.