The other concerts of John Cale in the Archa Theatre
The songs of John Cale were as new restored pictures
Before the concert of the John Cale Trio, there were some ghostly rumours that during the concert, there may also be recitation of poetry. In the end, only the music remained. Cale accompanied himself on the concert grand, however, sometimes he made use of the prerecorded music from the sound boxes. Also accompanying him, two musicians changed their different string instruments for the mouth-organ and flute. Generally, the sound of the trio worked impressively like a slightly intellectual orchestra - we could hear the influential sounds of country and traditional music, but always in the form of a remarkable musical rendition of the performers. And even within the context of the intimacy of the concert, the Cale Trio played energetically. In contrast to those concerts where Cale presented himself only on the piano, the inner drama found in his songs was a little bit smaller. But for the most of it, the free and joyful performance of Cale was there. During the concert, we could hear many of Cale's "hits" - the popular Dying on the Vine, the slow, traditional version of the Presley classic Heartbreak Hotel, Fear, Paris 1919, the lovely I´ll Keep a Close Watch, as well as others. Even the encores were traditional; Cale played solo the ballad Thoughtless Kind, only accompanying himself on his black guitar. The rest of trio joined him in one of the other versions of his "anthems" - the song Hallellujah from Leonard Cohen.
John Cale has a stabile and grateful audience in Prague. His concerts, in addition to his musical expression, offer proof that even in the disjointed world of the music industry, it is possible to become dignified as one gets older, and still keep the spirit fresh.
Ondřej Štindl, Lidové noviny, 22. 5. 1998