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November 30, 2007

Downtown Music Productions, Mimi Stern-Wolfe, Artistic Director, will present two special World AIDS Day concerts – Saturday, December 1 at 12 noon at the LGBT Center, 208 W. 13^th St. (near 7^th Avenue) in New York City and Sunday, December 2 at 3 PM at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery, 131 E. 10^th Street at 2^nd Avenue.

Suggested donation for the December 2 concert is $10.

These concerts will feature highlights of the Benson AIDS Series, including Robert Savage’s Sudden Sunsets, Deolus Husband’s Here Are My Black Clothes, Nicholas Schaffner’s Journey’s End and Chris Deblasio’s Villagers.

The program will be performed by Mimi Stern-Wolfe, conductor and pianist, along with Gilles Denizot: heldentenor, Richard Barone: vocalist & guitar, Kristin Norderval: soprano, Andrew Bolotowsky: flute, David Hopkins, clarinet, Michael Nicholas: violin, Daniel Barrett: cello and Alexandra Joan: piano.

For reservations or more concert information, please contact Downtown Music Productions at 212-477-1594 or dmpmimi@msn.com.

Downtown Music Productions Sudden Sunsets CD will to be broadcast on WNYC 93.9 FM’s David Garland Show on December 1 (sometime after 8 PM) in commemoration of World AIDS Day. The CD is available for $10 http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/suddensunsets or directly from
http://www.downtownmusicproductions.org/pages/fset.html.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

10 months from now the Magic Band is scheduled to play Beefheart in London. That’s all we know right now.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

Tactus at the Manhattan School of Music
The New York Times, November 30, 2007

Originally posted by NightAfterNight from Night After Night, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 06:11 PM | Comments (0)

 WHEN:  Saturday, December 8^th @ 2:30pm

WHERE:  Fanueil Hall Square, 4 S. Market Street, Boston. T: Green Line to Gov’t. Cente

HOW:  General Tickets: $20 Adults; $10 students/seniors. Free for children under six; Family discounts available- Family of Four Pack $45.  To order tickets, call 617.480.5112 or visit www.firebirdensemble.com

The free-spirited Firebird Ensemble celebrates the holidays with its dramatic presentation of The Passion of the Scrooge, an entertaining musical setting of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol.  Becoming an annual festive tradition for Bostonians, this vibrant and amusing concert brings Dickens’ characters to life in a suspenseful and exciting journey from past to future. The Passion of the Scrooge captures the spirit of the season while introducing classical music and a classic novel to audiences of all ages.
  

Selected as a holiday “Critic’s Pick” (Boston Globe) for two consecutive years, The Passion of the Scrooge brilliantly executes the essence of Dicken’s wonderful literary tale. Conceived and composed by Jon Deak, each character is depicted by its instrumental counterpart resulting in the musicians singing, acting, humming, and even clanking the chains of Marley’s ghost.  Led by conductor Chris Kim, the 10-member Firebird Ensemble is joined by the exquisite vocal and acting abilities of highly acclaimed baritone Aaron Engebreth as narrator.  Other familiar holiday music on the program includes A Not-So Traditional Christmas Medley by Cameron Wilson for strings.
 

The Firebird Ensemble is a group of adventurous Boston-based musicians described as “flat out terrific” (New Music Connoisseur) and “ambitious and eclectic” (New York Times). Founded in 2001 by New England Conservatory alumnus Kate Vincent (Director) and Aaron Trant (Assistant Director), it promises a huge array of new music from all stylistic corners of the repertoire.  2007-2008 season highlights include a solo appearance with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), another eclectic “MEAT the Composer” sequel at Redbones Barbecue Restaurant, and a sold-out concert at New York City’s Symphony Space.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

From DMG:

New! Other Dimensions: Carter/Campbell/Parker/Drake 2 CD set! Herb Robertson NY Downtown AllStars! Anthony Braxton 2007 Trio! Dennis Gonzalez NY Qt! Brotzmann/Wilkinson Qt!

Harry Beckett/George Haslam Sextet plus 6 More New Discs from Slam! Steve Jansen w/ David Sylvian! 4 Discs from Weasel Walter’s Ug-Explode label! 3 from Australia’s Barney McAll w/ Billy Harper, Joey Baron, Josh Roseman & Badal Roy!

Daunik Lazro & Joe McPhee! Nobu Stowe & Perry Robinson! Ghidra w/ Wally Shoup & Bill Horist! ESP Disk: Billie Holiday box, Lester Young, and Burton Greene!

Plus Historic Discs & Reissues from Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, Wolfgang Dauner Quintet, Taj Mahal Travelers, Fela Kuti 3 CD Set, Erik Satie//Poulenc, 3 by Morricone, 4 from Welsh Rockers: Man and An Eccentric Soul Compilation!

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 04:58 PM | Comments (0)

The LA Phil has a vastly improved website.... Soho the Dog is selling Strauss and Mahler T-shirts (profits go to a worthy cause).... NYC classical station WQXR is collecting votes for its annual Classical Countdown, held at the end of December. Wouldn't it be great to have some post-Tchaikovsky music pop up in the most popular category? I suggest a twentieth-century classic on the order of The Rite of Spring or the Quartet for the End of Time.... On December 5, Bob Shingleton's Future Radio broadcasts all four hours of Alvin Curran's marvelous Inner Cities piano cycle. In college, I put Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum on the air, then spent the afternoon working on my senior thesis, needing only to change the CDs once an hour.... Song of the day: Brooklyn band Barbez plays a wonderfully spooky arrangement of "The Portrait" from Schnittke's ballet Esquisses.

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 03:20 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from HarSMedia (Feed and Podcast), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:13 PM | Comments (0)

By now you've heard all about Deutsche Grammophon's swanky new e-commerce web site DG Web Shop, which was launched on Wednesday. Alex Ross reported promising results from an initial test drive. A.C. Douglas quoted part of a TechCrunch article that was helpful regarding nerd specs (320 kbps encoding, DRM free), if not especially informed about the living status of classical music. Tim Rutherford-Johnson and Caleb Deupree also posted valuable perspectives.

I've been playing around with the site since the media preview on Monday, and I have to say that I'm mightily impressed. Indie labels like Naxos and Chandos developed effective web models far earlier, of course. But when you factor in the richness of the DG catalog, smart design and superior sound, Deutsche Grammophon has basically knocked this one out of the park.

Inspired by Alex (and, of course, a recent concert by the Berlin Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall) I chose György Kurtág's Stele for my initial test drive. I decided to download the entire album, which also includes Kurtág's Grabstein für Stephan and Karlheinz Stockhausen's Gruppen.

I first tried to download the album with DG's Download Manager, a Java application that performs a lot like the eMusic Download Manager: once a track has completely downloaded to your hard drive, you can listen to it immediately while the rest of the album continues to download. On my first attempt, everything except Gruppen (the largest file) arrived without any difficulty; I retrieved the missing file via a direct download link from the web site. (A third alternative allows you to download complete albums as zipped files, an option I haven't tested.)

Like Alex, on playback I was blown away by the rich sound. File size is certainly an issue, but so far you can't have it both ways: purists who have long complained about compressed formats will have to get used to sacrificing storage space in order to hear the music in the manner to which they're accustomed.

I made two more purchases on Wednesday, both to continue testing the shop and to bone up on a few pieces I'd be hearing in a concert later that night: Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire and Berg's Chamber Concerto.

For the Schoenberg, I opted to buy the complete album for $10.99 -- a massive savings over buying just the single work (21 tracks at $1.29 apiece). I used the Download Manager and got the entire package with no fuss at all. The Berg work was part of a classic album, but I didn't have an immediate need for the three Stravinsky pieces that make up the bulk of its program. I purchased the three Berg tracks individually and downloaded them directly from the web site; again, no problem.

One of the most attractive features of the site has not yet been addressed as far as I can tell: Once you've bought something, it remains permanently on account. Want to download your purchased files to multiple machines? Or perhaps you lost some authorized files in a hardware wipeout? No problem. Sign in, go to "My Downloads," and everything you've paid for is waiting for you.

A DG representative with whom I corresponded via e-mail confirmed that this was indeed the case. But I also proved it for myself. I burned a disc of files downloaded to my office computer to take home on Wednesday, but somehow managed to miss Berg's Chamber Concerto. At home, I logged into my account on the DG site and downloaded those files again, directly into my shiny new laptop. Mission accomplished.

That's no minor detail, but rather a matter of trust that goes above and beyond DRM-free files. To illustrate, if I went over to Alex's palacial abode and signed onto the DG site from his computer, nothing at all would prevent me from "gifting" him all the tracks I've purchased, apart from my own sense of propriety.

At this point, DG is apparently willing to take it on faith that I won't do so. And since they control both the substance of properties I crave as well as access to them, it is presumably in my best interest to play by their rules. There are more than a few things to be learned from this model, I'm sure.

Like Caleb, I'm hoping that Deutsche Grammophon will eventually get around to uploading the genuine rarities in its rich catalog. I'm not exactly holding my breath for the "Avant-Garde" series he and his commentators mention, but I'd love to see some of the not-so-deep archives -- pieces that have actually appeared on CD however briefly, like the complete Henze symphonies and the LaSalle Quartet's recordings -- show up before too long.

Still, the site's initial offering provides fodder for serious contemplation and expenditure. Earlier today I responded to Marc Geelhoed's questionnaire regarding canonical recorded accounts as yet unheard by confessing that I'd never heard Mravinsky's DG recordings of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies Nos. 4-6 with the Leningrad Philharmonic. Thanks to the DG Web Store, that is no longer the case. (I can now firmly state that I still prefer Pletnev's miraculous Virgin Classics account of the "Pathetique" over any other, but I understand the fuss about Mravinsky.)

Playlist:

Michael Tippett - Piano Concerto; Fantasia on a Theme of Handel; Piano Sonata No. 1 - Steven Osborne; BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/Martyn Brabbins (Hyperion)

Jonny Greenwood - There Will Be Blood (original soundtrack) (Nonesuch; due Dec. 18)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 40; Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 4* - Elizabeth Schwarzkopf*, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bruno Walter (RN Music)

César Franck - Symphony in D minor; Ernest Chausson - Symphony in B-flat - Liège Philharmonic Orchestra/Louis Langrée (Accord)

Radiohead - In Rainbows (W.A.S.T.E. download)

Fripp & Eno - Beyond Even (1992-2006) (DGM/Opal)

Osvaldo Golijov - Youth without Youth (original soundtrack) (Deutsche Grammophon; due Dec. 11 -- but already available via the DG Web Store)

Dave Douglas and Keystone - Moonshine (Greenleaf download)

Pat Metheny with Christian McBride and Antonio Sanchez - Day Trip (Nonesuch; due Jan. 29)

Originally posted by NightAfterNight from Night After Night, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

This, of course, is good news, as many out of print recordings can now be downloaded. Their prices are a bit high, but it is a step in the right direction. Quite a number of modern classical releases are included.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

This review covers the improvising rock collective covering the sounds of free-jazz pioneer Marion Brown.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:01 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:01 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 01:01 AM | Comments (0)

After a bit of a false alarm several weeks ago, I now have a shareable recording of two (of the five) movements of my Concerto for Soprano Sax and Wind Ensemble. This recording, of the US Navy Band (conducted by Captain George N. Thompson) with Timothy Roberts on soprano sax, is of a performance at the VMEA conference about two weeks ago.

And it’s frickin’ fantastic.

The group is performing the same two movements at Midwest on Wednesday, December 19, at 9pm. If you’re at Midwest and you miss that performance, you are a stupid head. They’re playing the entire piece in January at the International Saxophone Symposium.

Go, get to it! Go check out movements 4 (”Wood”) and 5 (”Finale”) of my new sax concerto!

(My sincere thanks to Captain Thompson for allowing me to share this recording — and to Tim Roberts, who absolutely plays the hell out of the piece. You’ll see…)

Originally posted by John from John Mackey's Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 12:59 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Felsenmusick, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 30, 2007 at 12:58 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2007

I looked for the same CD's on Microsoft Zune.net service, MarketPlace. This is a subscription service for which I pay $45 a quarter to fill my zune with tunes on the go. I can download all I want, if I wanted anything they offered. So far, the non-pop selection is woefully inadequate. Of the 18 disks in Alex Ross's collection, I found 7 on the Zune service. That's pretty poor. Frank found 13 on eMusic.

Here's what I found:

Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians, Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble - Nope. Only the Nonesuch 9/13/05 version. No information available on who performed this or any other CD on the Zune service. Just Album title and small picture, Artist Name, and Track name. Poor.

Strauss, Salome, Teresa Stratas, Karl Böhm, Vienna Philharmonic (DG DVD) Nope. Just a few excerpts by other performers.

Handel Arias, Danielle de Niese and William Christie with Les Arts Florissants (Decca). Nope. Just one by Angelika Kirchschlager.

John Luther Adams, Red Arc/Blue Veil (Cold Blue). Yes.

Mozart, Don Giovanni, René Jacobs conducting (Harmonia Mundi). Nope. Just the Wilhelm Furtwängler version.

Previously:

Beethoven, Symphonies Nos. 3 and 8, Paavo Järvi conducting the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (BMG). Nope.

John Cage, Complete Short Works for Prepared Piano, Philipp Vandré (Mode). Yes.

Common Sense Composers’ Collective, tic, with the New Millenium Ensemble (Troy). Nope.

Beethoven, Piano Sonatas vol. 3, Paul Lewis (Harmonia Mundi). Yes.

Bach, Goldberg Variations, Simone Dinnerstein (Telarc). Available, but not to subscription users. You have to buy it for 79 cents a song.

Brahms, String Sextets, Nash Ensemble (Onyx). Nope.

Osvaldo Golijov, Oceana, with Dawn Upshaw, Luciana Souza, the Kronos Quartet, and Robert Spano conducting the Atlanta Symphony (DG). Yes, but not all tracks, only 9 of 12. Lame.

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Live from Wigmore Hall, 1998; with Roger Vignoles, piano (Wigmore Hall Live). Nope.

Roussel, Symphony No. 3 and Bacchus et Ariane; Stéphane Denève conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Naxos). Yes.

As Steals the Morn...: Handel Arias and Scenes; Mark Padmore, tenor, with Andrew Manze conducting the English Concert (Harmonia Mundi). Yes.

Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture; Jon Nakamatsu, piano, with Jeff Tyzik conducting the Rochester Philhamonic (Harmonia Mundi). Yes.

Alexandra Gardner, Luminoso (Innova). Yes.

Originally from Podcast Bumper Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Percussion music by American composer Charles Griffin will be heard on Sunday, December 2 at the following locations:

December 2 at 3PM, the University of Michigan Percussion Ensemble, directed by Joe Gramley (http://www.josephgramley.com/), will present Charles Griffin’s The Persistence of Past Chemistries as part of their semester-end concert called American Tradition and Innovation. The concert will take place at the McIntosh Theatre of the Moore Building, 1100 Baits on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The Persistence of Past Chemistries is scored for marimba, xylophone, cajon, and various standard mixed percussion (all wood). It was commissioned by the Ethos Percussion Group under the auspices of the Jerome Foundation, premiered at Weill Recital Hall and recorded by them in 1999. Other works on the program include John Cage’s Third Construction, Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra, the Cage/Harrison Double Music and Steve Reich’s Six Marimbas.

Also on December 2 at 2 PM, Percussia, Ingrid Gordon, director, will present Griffin’s Kusanganisa (Mixing), for flute and marimba 4-hands as part of an eclectic flute and percussion program, featuring Asian and African compositions, at the Hart Memorial Library, 1130 Main Street in Shrub Oak, New York. Special guest will be flutist Margaret Lancaster.

The piece was written in 2003 on a commission from the Queens Council on the Arts for Percussia (http://www.percussia.org/) and is based in part on Zimbabwean mbira patterns.

Both of the December 2 concerts are free and open to the public. For more about the University of Michigan performance, please visit http://uuis.umich.edu/events/. For more about the New York performance, visit http://www.yorktownlibrary.org/.

Read Charles Griffin’s latest From the Faraway Nearby newsletter at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/june07/CG_nws_062507.htm and his lively blog of the same name at http://www.sequenza21.com/latvia/. You can also hear a marvelous Noizepunk & Das Krooner interview with him at http://www.kalvos.org/nkshows.html. Much more about him at http://www.charlesgriffin.net/.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from wordsandmusic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

The world grew just a bit dimmer and sadder today with the passing of Tom Terrell, a gifted writer and -- more importantly -- one of the sweetest, most loving human beings it has ever been my privilege to encounter. Tom left us this morning after a long battle with cancer.

A lot of folks were pulling for Tom with good vibes and donations; a benefit concert held in September 2006 here in New York featured performances by Angelique Kidjo, Butch Morris, Coati Mundi, Greg Osby, Kenny Barron, Meshell Ndegeocello, Vernon Reid and others. I wish there was more we could have done, but Tom let everyone know how much it was appreciated.

I hadn't seen or heard from Tom in more than a year when today's news arrived, and I'd give a lot to experience just one more of his warm hugs. You can get some sense of Tom's spirit in a PopMatters column he wrote after attending the funeral of his aunt, jazz icon Shirley Horn, in April 2006, and in a passage from an unfinished memoir on his blog. Tom's college buddy, photographer Jeff the Purple, remembers him here.

Update: Anastasia also remembers those hugs, and -- like Phil Freeman in a comment below -- cites Tom's liner notes for Sony's On the Corner box set.

Originally posted by NightAfterNight from Night After Night, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Glenn Gould: J.S. Bach - Partita for Keyboard No. 5 in G major, BWV 829 - I. Praeambulum (composed 1726-31, recorded 1957), from the Bach: Partitas, Preludes, and Fugues LP (Sony, 1993)

Originally posted by The Avant Gardener from Good Vibrato, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)

Berlin artist Shamani presents this one tracked, 23 minute Presentation using piano, drums, and miscellaneous devices in what can be described as an improvisatory adventure. Shamani leaves no note unexplored and does so with panache. Cecil Taylor influenced keyboard mixes with noise and toys as the artist goes from the melodic to the chaotic with equal ease. It a good improvisatory journey for those into avant garde jazz, experimental, and free form music.

The album is available in a single track of 256kbps MP3 from the eDogm netlabel.

Download

Originally posted by freealbums from Free Albums Galore, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from classicalive, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:16 PM | Comments (0)

Question: What does Baltimore really need (besides better public schools, a lower crime rate, and a subway)? Answer: A new music series! That’s why Erik Spangler and I decided to start one. We call it Mobtown Modern. Our first concert takes place this January 29th, and will have a little something to do with our Commander in Chief’s final State of the Union Address. Needless to say, we’re extremely excited and grateful for the support and energy from Irene Hoffman at the Contemporary Museum. Stay tuned for more and be on the lookout for our spring concert too!

Originally posted by brian from brian sacawa | sounds like now, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)

Tune in to The Signal on WYPR this Friday at 12 p.m. (repeat at 7 p.m.) to catch Hybrid Groove Project in conversation with Signal producer and host, Aaron Henkin. The program will also spotlight the upcoming performance of Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night in Batlimore.

Update: The line-up for Friday’s Signal broadcast is up on their blog.

Originally posted by brian from brian sacawa | sounds like now, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:15 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by Johnny Chang from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by Johnny Chang from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 07:13 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Atlanta Composers Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Atlanta Composers Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:13 PM | Comments (0)

On November 23, the Winston-Salem Symphony, Robert Moody, Conductor, was heard on American Public Media’s Performance Today program performing Dan Locklair’s Phoenix for Orchestra, which had its world premiere in Winston-Salem on September 15 and was recorded for radio broadcast a few days later.

The broadcast can still be accessed through November 30 via the Performance Today website or on local public radio stations; the show is also carried on Sirius Satellite Radio’s Symphony Hall Channel. To listen to Phoenix for Orchestra, visit http://performancetoday.publicradio.org/?month=11&day=23&year=2007 and click on Listen (hour 1). Phoenix begins at about the 28-minute mark.

Dan Locklair originally composed the Phoenix Fanfare, a three-minute piece for organ, brass, and timpani. At the request of Maestro Robert Moody, Locklair the composer has transformed the piece into Phoenix for Orchestra especially for these season-opening concerts. The work will also be performed later this season by Robert Moody with the Arizona MusicFest Orchestra and the Portland (ME) Symphony.

For more information about composer Dan Locklair, including a bio, list of works, discography and much more, please visit the redesigned http://www.locklair.com.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

Brian Ferneyhough

Choral Music

MSV

www.divine-art.com

One might not readily associate “new complexity” composer Brian Ferneyhough with the choral idiom: but as this CD release by MSV demonstrates, even very challenging fare is eminently performable, given the right choir. The BBC Singers are one of the best singing groups on the planet, and prove it time and again by meeting the many thorny difficulties found in Ferneyhough’s scores. What’s more, with the technical concerns surmounted, the pieces contained herein prove to be most attractive indeed.

Both The Doctrine of Similarity and Stelae for Failed Time, excerpts from the composer’s recent (and quite successful) opera Shadowtime, weave instruments, voices, and, on the latter work, electronics into fascinating textures which combine a wide range of textual references with multifaceted, at times surprisingly lush, musical surfaces. The Missa Brevis and Two Marian Motets, liturgical works composed in the sixties (although the motets were recently revised), are perhaps too formidable for liturgical use, but are sensitive and dramatically compelling settings of these venerable texts. While it’s certainly adventurous listening, Ferneyhough’s Choral Music is surprisingly singable.

-Christian Carey

Originally posted by Christian from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

Big news on the time-marches-on front.  Deutsche Grammophon (DG) yesterday became the first major classical record label to make the majority of its huge catalogue available online for download with the launch of its new DG Web Shop.

The DG Web Shop allows consumers in 42 countries to download music, including–the press folks claim–markets where the major e-business retailers, such as iTunes, are not yet available: Southeast Asia including China, India, Latin America, South Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe including Russia.

Almost 2,400 DG albums will be available for download in maximum MP3 quality at a transfer bit-rate of 320 kilobits per second (kbps) –  an audio-level that is indistinguishable to most of us from CD quality audio; and which exceeds the usual industry download-standard of 128-192 kbps (as well as EMI’s 256 kbps on iTunes, the press folks helpfully observe).  Most prices are in the $12 range, which is not too bad I suppose although they’d be making a nice profit at half that.

The best feature, from my perspective, is that 600 out-of-print CDs are now available again as downloads. 

Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

No, Alex Ross (of The Rest is Noise fame, both blog and book) isn’t being mean to eMusic; in fact to my knowledge he’s never mentioned it, at least on his blog. What I mean is that several of the releases on Ross’s list of recommended CDs (CDs? how last century!) can be found on eMusic:

• Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians, Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble (Innova). This is an excellent version in my opinion. It doesn’t quite measure up to the original recording to my ears, but I think it’s superior to the version that the Bang on a Can All-Stars did a while back. And you can’t beat the human interest story: music students from the midwest take on Reich and wow the big city sophisticates.
• John Luther Adams, Red Arc/Blue Veil (Cold Blue). Amusingly enough, eMusic thinks John Luther Adams is a new age composer who writes chamber music (The Mathematics of Resonant Bodies) and avante-garde jazz (this work and The Light That Fills the World).
• Mozart, Don Giovanni, René Jacobs conducting (Harmonia Mundi). Note that this release totals a whopping 61 tracks, so it will wipe out a month or two of downloads; however it’s still a better bargain than paying $39.49 for the CD at Amazon.
• Stockhausen, Stimmung, Theatre of Voices (Harmonia Mundi).
• Common Sense Composers’ Collective, tic, with the New Millenium Ensemble (Troy).
• Beethoven, Piano Sonatas vol. 3, Paul Lewis (Harmonia Mundi). 32 tracks, but still a better deal than paying $39.49 at Amazon.
• Bach, Goldberg Variations, Simone Dinnerstein (Telarc). As DennisinWAState mentions in his review, at 32 tracks for most eMusic subscribers it’s probably more cost-effective to pay $12.97 for the CA at Amazon.
• Brahms, String Sextets, Nash Ensemble (Onyx).
• Lorraine Hunt Lieberson: Live from Wigmore Hall, 1998; with Roger Vignoles, piano (BBC)
• Roussel, Symphony No. 3 and Bacchus et Ariane; Stéphane Denève conducting the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (Naxos).
• As Steals the Morn…: Handel Arias and Scenes; Mark Padmore, tenor, with Andrew Manze conducting the English Concert (Harmonia Mundi).
• Gershwin, Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture; Jon Nakamatsu, piano, with Jeff Tyzik conducting the Rochester Philhamonic (Harmonia Mundi).
• Alexandra Gardner, Luminoso (Innova).

Note that of 18 items on Ross’s list, 13 are on eMusic. This is yet another example of how eMusic is becoming a great site for classical music, especially for people like me who want to explore contemporary classical works at relatively low expense.

Originally posted by Frank Hecker from Swindleeeee!!!!!, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

New Music Connects Concerts [QuickTime]
A video of the final workshops between Galway's Ensemble in Residence, the ConTempo Quartet and composers Ed Bennett, Rob Canning and David Flynn held in the Galway Education Centre on 28 September 2007.
From Podcast: Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland: Monthly Podcast.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Pianist Schweizer is interviewed and profiled.

One of the leading exponents of free piano playing in Europe from the late 1960s onward, Swiss-born Irène Schweizer occupied a somewhat lonely place in the high-energy FMP canon as she worked with Peter Kowald, Evan Parker, Manfred Schoof, the Wuppertal reedman Rüdiger Carl and others in European free improvisation’s heyday. Renowned as a soloist and for her duets with many of today’s most innovative percussionists, she also co-led the Feminist Improvising Group in the 1980s and the trio Les Diaboliques (with bassist Joelle Lèandre and vocalist Maggie Nichols) from the 1990s onward. Her highly percussive and volcanic improvisations, coupled with a penchant for playing inside the piano, preparing the instrument and using other aleatory techniques, has made her a wide-palette partner for free musicians from trombonist Radu Malfatti to tenor man Fred Anderson.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Bowerbird:

november 28th (wed)

Killick’s KINDA QUIET CONTINUO QUARTET
SULLENDER / HERNANDEZ DUO
JOHN HERON SOLO

@ Powel House [ website ]
244 South Third Street
Philadelphia, PA
[ directions ]
8:00pm, $5 - $10

Killick’s KINDA QUIET CONTINUO QUARTET
Killick - H’arpeggione
Mary Halvorson - guitar
Matt Weston - percussion
Matt Bauder - clarinet

Sick, modern, geeky, heavy and deep. Old enough to repay, but young enough to sell. The cat with the mostest, a rockalicious throwdown in the spiraling murk of musical sojourners. This here devil cello weaves African trance, improvisational beauty, er, instability and heavy metal. I’m Killick of Athens, Georgia. I doggedly chase extemporaneity. I play some quasi-guitars and my devil cello: the H’arpeggione, an upright acoustic instrument with sympathetic strings. Acoustic may be a dirty word, yeah, though that’s my preferred (dirty) bag. My style blends primitive folk, beloved metal, and sacred musics from around the world into a doomy/pretty/physically exhausting voice. I’ve had the good fortune to play with countless amazing musicians as I hop, skip, and leap throughout this fair land of ours. I’m comin’-a getcha!

Mary Halvorson is a guitarist, composer and improviser living in Brooklyn. She grew up in Boston and studied jazz at Wesleyan University and the New School. Since 2000 she has been performing regularly in New York with various groups and has toured Europe and the U.S. with the Anthony Braxton Quintet (Live at the Royal Festival Hall, Leo Records) and Trevor Dunn’s Trio-Convulsant (Sister Phantom Owl Fish, Ipecac Recordings). She has also performed alongside Joe Morris, Nels Cline, John Tchicai, Elliott Sharp, Lee Ranaldo, Andrea Parkins, Marc Ribot, Tony Malaby, Oscar Noriega and John Hollenbeck. Current projects which Mary composes for and performs with include a chamber-music duo with violist Jessica Pavone (On and Off, Skirl Records, 2007); The Mary Halvorson Trio with John Hebert and Ches Smith; and the avant-rock band People (Misbegotten Man, I & Ear Records, 2007). She also performs regularly in ensembles led by Taylor Ho Bynum, Ted Reichman, Tatsuya Nakatani, Jason Cady, Matthew Welch, Brian Chase and Curtis Hasselbring.

Matt Weston plays percussion and electronics, and has performed throughout the US and in Europe. He has appeared on CNN, VH1, and CBS TV. He has studied and/or collaborated with Arthur Brooks, Bill Dixon, Kevin Drumm, Milford Graves, William Parker, Jack Wright and others. His work has earned critical praise from such publications as the Wire, the Village Voice, Signal To Noise, Cadence, All About Jazz, Grooves, and Bananafish. His solo album Vacuums has garnered international acclaim, as have his recordings with Barn Owl and with Tizzy. He has recorded for the Tautology, Sachimay, Breaking World Records, Imvated, Crank Satori, BoxMedia, and Drag City labels. A new label, 7272Music, is set to launch with the aim of releasing limited editions of Weston’s live performances. In addition to his solo work, Weston is a member of Barn Owl (with guitarist Chris Cooper and bassist Andy Crespo); and is guitarist/vocalist with Tizzy (with drummer/vocalist Teri Morris and bassist/vocalist Jen Stavely).
WOODY SULLENDER banjo
KATT HERNANDEZ violin
new york city / philadelphia

Under the not-so-clever moniker of “Uncle Woody Sullender”, Woody Sullender performs improvised banjo music, playing with and against the cultural baggage of the instrument. While alluding to the “traditional” musics of his home states of Virginia and North Carolina, he explores a diverse plane of plucked string music from around the world as well as incorporating punk, noise, free jazz, etc.. He has performed with Pauline Oliveros, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Michael Zerang, Kyle Bruckmann, Carol Genetti, Jason Ajemian, Chris Forsyth, members of the Vandermark 5, TV Pow, and Cheer Accident, among others. In 2004, he collaborated with sound artist Maryanne Amacher, incorporating his banjo recordings into “TEO! A sonic sculpture” which won the Golden Nica at the 2005 Ars Electronica festival. Among other activities, he can currently be heard Sunday nights (Monday mornings) 12am-3pm, DJing on WFMU.

Katt Hernandez has been living in the Boston area, playing the violin, for the last six years. She has collaberated with a magnificently variated sea of musicians, dancers, and others including- but certainly not limited to- Joe Maneri, Zack Fuller, David Maxwell, Marc Bisson, Matt Somalis, John Voigt, Allisa Cardone, Gordon Beeferman, Jonathan Vincent, Walter Wright, Joe Burgio, Eric Rosenthal, Jeff Arnal, Jaimie McGlaughlin, Andrew Neumann, Dave Gross, and Hans Rickheit. She has twice been invited to perfrom on the Autumn Uprising , High Zero , Mobius ArtRages , and Improvised and Otherwise festivals, and has also appeared at the Montreaux-Detroit , Brandeis New Music , Boston CyberArts , Michiania , IAJE , IASJ , and Ear Whacks festivals. She has been a guest artist at MIT, Harvard, and the New England Conservatory, performed in a vast slew of local venues and- to date- any number of subway passages, urban grottos, and troglyditical performace slaces, as well as other experimental and life-making places throughout the Bos-Wash metropolii.
JOHN HERON
percussion, electronics

John Heron is in the band Make A Rising.
bowerbird@LANDMARKS

The Concert Series
Bowerbird@LANDMARKS is an ongoing curatorial partnership that expands cultural offerings in Philadelphia by bringing experimental and improvisational music, film, dance and other creative, genre-defying performing arts to historic sites in the region. Showcasing the newest performing arts is nothing new for Landmarks’ four historic, 18th century houses—Grumblethorpe, Physick House, Powel House and Waynesborough. These houses would often have been the locations for recitals of the most “fashionable” music of their time. Even Thomas Jefferson was known to have played the fiddle in the Powel House, which was the one of the most significant cultural and social centers of colonial and revolutionary Philadelphia. Events in the bowerbird@LANDMARKS series revive this long-lost tradition of intimate concerts, and provide an intelligent alternative for contemporary audiences.

The Powel House
Built in 1765 by merchant and businessman Charles Stedman, this elegant Georgian brick mansion was purchased by Samuel Powel in 1769 at the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Willing. Samuel Powel, a wealthy, educated man who had toured the Continent for seven years before settling down, served as the last mayor of Philadelphia under the Crown and was the first mayor of the city after the creation of the United States. Mayor Powel was later dubbed the “Patriot Mayor.” Mayor Powel and his wife were well known for their hospitality and frequently entertained such notable guests as George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

During the early 20th century, the house served as a warehouse and office for a business that imported and exported Russian and Siberian horse hair and bristles. The owners had sold much of the interior architectural detail to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Museum. Little more than a shell, the building was slated for demolition and the site to be used for a parking lot. After learning of the imminent demolition, Miss Frances Wister formed The Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks (Landmarks) and raised sufficient funds to purchase the property in 1931. Over the next decade, Miss Wister and Landmarks restored the house to its appearance during Samuel Powel’s residency, interpreting the daily lives of wealthy Philadelphians at the time of the American Revolution.

Today, the rich history of the Powel House may be seen in its decorative arts collection, its portraits of Powels and Willings, and its formal, walled garden so typical of Colonial Philadelphia. Its beautiful entryway, ballroom with bas-relief plasterwork, and mahogany wainscoting give the house its reputation as perhaps America’s finest existing Georgian Colonial townhouse.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Musique Machine:

The English Heretic - Wyrd Tales(cd & book)
The English Heretic are a mysterious musically, literary & dark historic collective who investigate ocultic matters blurring the lines between fact and fiction, their music is a layered and sinister mix of dark electronics, folk and source recordings & ambience. Their written word a mixture of ocultic history, true crime and horror fiction- all to make a intoxicating and often highly un-nerving whole.

Supersilent - 8
The eighty chapter in the awe inspiring Norwegian collective Supersilent’s career finds them creating a rather horror shrouded atmospheric album that weaves together elements of jazz, complex electroinca, rock & metal, creepy synth expanses, cinematic tones and all manner of genre pick & mix into a magical, epic often edgy, sometimes beautiful whole

Chapter - Two - (the Biographer)
Two is, as the title would indicate, the second album by Chapter, a duo consisting of Swiss artists Alexander J.S. Craker and Thierry van Osselt. The album’s subtitle (the biographer) refers to the unifying concept of the work; an elegantly presented lyric book presents a short biography, for which each track is named. For instance, the first track is named Baron B.M. Craker (1946-2003). Each biography refers to lyrics or poems found or provided by family members or significant others. Chapter sets each of these lyrics or poems to music. It is only upon careful examination of the album credits that you realise you’ve been had, most of the time. It says “All biographies are fictional; any resemblance to persons living or dead, are purely coincidental (except for Baron B.M. Craker, which is based on true facts)”. It’s an intriguing idea, and a pretty clever prank.

Tenhornedbeast - The Sacred Truth
The Sacred Truth is first slice of sonic darkness from this new project from Christopher Walton one half of the now defunct ocultic dark ambient, neo-classical & ritual percussion project Endvra. Thankful this doesn’t try to recapture Endvra’s past glories instead this has it’s own grim identity that summons up a quite an organic mix of dark ambience, drone blackness & doomy/ blackened mettlic guitar tone.

Rapoon - Time Frost
For me Time Frost is the first fully realized release from the Glacial Movements label that fulfils the labels remit of supplying ambience and sound work that conjures up vast frozen deserts, shifting ice continents and the loneliness and beauty of artic climes.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From AAJ:

29-Nov-07 One Shot
Ewaz Vader (Le Triton)
Reviewed by John Kelman

29-Nov-07 Bismillah Khan
The Shenai’s Humble Master (Saregama India)
Reviewed by Chris May

28-Nov-07 Miles Davis
Miles Davis: The Complete On The Corner Sessions (Sony-Legacy Music)
Reviewed by John Kelman

27-Nov-07 3 Cohens
Braid (Anzic Records)
Reviewed by Mark F. Turner

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Sex Mob’s Bernstein is interviewed about playing all over the world.

When the nine-year-old NYC club Tonic closed its doors in April, many saw it as the last gasp of the Downtown Scene. With the Knitting Factory long ago having abandoned its more experimental roots, the distinctive brand of rock-tinged jazz that had flourished in the area for more than 25 years was left effectively homeless. Even CBGB’s is gone. Besides, Brooklyn has been crowned the new Village and John Zorn has been officially designated a Genius. So is the Downtown Scene a museum piece?

Slide trumpeter/bandleader Steven Bernstein had been there since before the beginning, but sees these developments from a more optimistic perspective. “When I joined the Lounge Lizards,” Bernstein recalls, “I realized that what we do is as related to Andy Warhol as it is to Ornette Coleman and Mingus and the Art Ensemble. Downtown had occasioned that sensibility, and that sensibility is now from another era. But we’re infiltrating the world slowly. It’s such a slow creep that some people don’t even realize it, but it’s getting out there in a small, subversive way. We don’t have a center anymore, but I feel like we’ve disseminated into the world.”

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

The first of three explorations of musical cultures takes place next month in Philadelphia:

Live @ International House

Out There: Radical Musical Cultures

Now in our third year, International House Philadelphia proud to collaborate with Ars Nova Workshop to bring new music to Philadelphia.

We present Out There, a new series showcasing radical and exploratory music from around the world. This three-concert series features musicians and composers representing some of the most engaging and unique work from locations such as Scandinavia and backgrounds like Judaism. Each concert highlights a specific ethnicity or country, and attempt to present a representative look into progressive musical legacies. This series strives to raise fundamental issues in regards to our own world views, with the hope that it opens up new ways of thinking about culture and representation in our society.

CLICK HERE for Tickets

Friday, December 14 at 8pm

NORWAY

Huntsville Frode Gjerstad Trio

Sponsored by the Royal Norwegian Consulate in New York and Philadelphia

Huntsville

with Ivar Grydeland, guitars/banjo/pedal steel guitar; Tonny Kluften,

double-bass/electronics; Ingar Zach, percussion/tabla machine/sarangi box/shruti box

The all-Norwegian trio Huntsville has developed a striking and original sound world - a genuinely musical use of unexpected sounds and textures, allied with echoes of traditional genres in a radical new conceptual language. Ivar Grydeland and Ingar Zach are known as the founders of the exceptional Sofa record label - which has produced recordings from Tony Oxley, Paal Nilssen-Love, Axel Dorner and many others. They have worked with Tonny Kluften since 1998 as the core of the acclaimed improvising ensemble No Spaghetti Edition. As a trio their performances reveal a groove-based approach with strong elements of composition, but this is no conventional guitar-bass-drums trio – audiences are bound to hear traces of folk, country, Indian ragas, contemporary music and more. The three musicians in Huntsville have contributed to over 100 recordings, and collectively have collaborated with some of the leading names in European jazz such as Jon Balke and the Magnetic North Orchestra, Derek Bailey, Barry Guy, Evan Parker, Christian Wallumrod, Peter Brotzmann, Mats Gustafsson and Sunny Murray. Join us for their first US appearance.

Frode Gjerstad Trio

with Frode Gjerstad, alto saxophone/clarinets; Oyvind Storesund, double-bass; Paal Nilssen-Love, drums

The Frode Gjerstad Trio draws upon the energy of the free-jazz continuum as defined by Ornette, Mingus, Dolphy and Coltrane. With over 20 recordings as a leader, Gjerstad has established himself as a major saxophonist on the international scene. He came to prominence with the John Stevens group in the 80s, and his subsequent trio work has included collaborations with Johnny Dyani, Kent Carter, William Parker, Rashied Bakr and Hamid Drake. This is his first Norwegian trio, which includes two of the most exceptional talents in all of improvised music. Taking inspiration equally from William Parker and Philadelphia’s Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Oyvind Storesund has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in Norway today. He performs in Cloroform, Ciculatione Total Orchestra and Kaizer’s Orchestra, and has recorded as a member of the Kaada/Mike Patton collaborative project. Paal Nilssen-Love is one of Europe’s most active drummers and has established himself as a powerful and a dynamic musician through ongoing projects with Mats Gustafsson (The Thing), Ken Vandermark (School Days, FME, Powerhouse Sound), Raoul Bjorkenheim (Scorch Trio) and Peter Brotzmann (Chicago Tentet), as well as with Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, Jim O’Rourke, Terrie Ex and Fugazi’s Guy Picciotto. “Nilssen-Love is one of the most innovative, dynamic and versatile drummers in jazz!” (DownBeat Magazine).

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From VisionFestival.org:

VISION CLUB 2007

Friday November 30th
11 pm
Gerald Cleaver
Gerald Cleaver drums with
Tim Flood bass & laptop – Daniel Jodocy laptop & electronics

Saturday December 1st
10:30 pm
VISION CLUB 2007
Bern Nix Trio
Bern Nix guitar – Jackson Krall drums– Francois Grillot bass

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From DOWNTOWNMUSIC.NET:

November 25, 2007
Marty Ehrlich & Erik Friedlander, Jimmy’s Restaurant
Marty Ehrlich, Erik Friedlander
Marty Ehrlich’s Four Alto(s), Jimmy’s Restaurant
Michael Attias, Marty Ehrlich, Andy Laster, Ned Rothenberg

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Ground and Sky:

28 November 2007
New review: Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses - Manfauna
New review: Zs - Arms

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From the Bohemian National Home

UPCOMING AT BOHEMIAN NATIONAL HOME

Thurs. Nov. 29: Capillary Action, Wildcatting
The first time at Bohemian National Home, Capillary Action backed-up Fugazi’s Joe Lally with understated accompaniment. Now they return to do a full set of their own material, full of unexpected changes and genre-hopping. Detroit’s Wildcatting keep their instrumental music more firmly rooted in great guitar-rock, but with plenty of suprising tricks of their own. Doors at 9 pm; $5.

Friday. Nov. 30: Last Friday Funk and Soul Night
Detroit’s dance all-nighter, once again featuring the Modern Room. Doors at 12 pm; $5. 21 and up only.

12/17 (the) giants of gender
12/18 Frode Gjerstad Trio plus Aram Shelton (solo)
12/21 Zoos of Berlin, Child Bite
12/29 Awesome Color, Human Eye

2/19 Halvorson/Shea

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Bagatellen:

Stephen Riley - Once Upon a Dream - 28 Nov 07
Ted Brown - Shades of Brown - 27 Nov 07
Chip Shop Music - s/t - 27 Nov 07
Anthony Braxton - Solo Willisau - 27 Nov 07

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

'Folksingers, jazz artists and classical musicians made LPs, long-playing records with heaps of songs in the grooves - they forged identities and tipped the scales, gave more of the big picture. LPs were like the force of gravity. They had covers front and back, that you could stare at for hours.' - Bob Dylan writes in his Chronicles Volume One.

'Hi, I wanted to let you know some exciting news today from Deutsche Grammophon (DG), a division of Universal Music Group, who will become the first major classical record label to make the majority of its huge catalogue available online for download with the launch of its new DG Web Shop. (http://www.dgwebshop.com/

As the world’s leading classical music recording company, Deutsche Grammophon will launch its DG Web Shop on Wednesday, November 28th, enabling consumers in 42 countries to download music at the highest technical and artistic standards. This global penetration includes markets where the major e-business retailers, such as iTunes, are not yet available: Southeast Asia including China, India, Latin America, South Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe including Russia. Almost 2,400 DG albums will be available for download in maximum MP3 quality.

Best, Kristina Weise at Cohn & Wolfe' http://www.cohnwolfe.com/">who are "a strategic marketing public relations firm dedicated to creating, building and protecting the world's most prolific brands."

Call me old fashioned. I like the tangible. You could certainly stare at the LP sleeve above. or the record label here, for hours. Which is more than can be said for the new DG Web Shop logo. The photographer of the Hanson LP sleeve is Christian Steiner, who has photographed many of the world's great musicians. Steiner is an accomplished performer himself as his biography recounts:

'Steiner, after graduating from the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik, won several national competitions in Germany and it was one of these awards which first brought him to New York to further his piano studies. He comes from a long line of musicians. His father was a member of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and his brothers were members of the Berlin Philharmonic.

Steiner made piano recording with RCA-Reader’s Digest, and was a guest soloist with orchestras in Berlin and New York; more recent engagements at the keyboard include performances with the Berkeley Symphony under Kent Nagano, and with the National Symphony or Mexico. He also performed chamber music with members of the Berlin Philharmonic Octet and recitals with his late brother Peter in Europe and the USA.

Among the singers he has collaborated in recital are Jessye Norman and Carol Vaness. In addition, Steiner is the artistic director of The Tannery Pond Concerts, a summer chamber music festival in the Berkshires.'

Less happy images here, from another celebrated photographer.
Again thanks to our son for the 'joiner' on the record sleeve. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Meaningful dialogues between religions is no doubt one of the most pressing challenges of the modern world. Developments over the past few years clearly confirm what a significant role this aspect of human communication represents. Despite breathtaking technological breakthroughs and the related trend of rational scepticism, man still remains a religous creature. Ignoring this sphere of human personality not only leads to an impoverishment of the spiritual culture of a nation, but also to mutual estrangement of nations. And so what a wonderfully enriching experience it is when two cultures meet in mutual dialogue rather than confrontation.

These words introduce the wonderful new CD Close Voices from Far-away released by Sony in Czechoslovakia. The mutual dialogue is provided by the Buddhist monks of Gyosan-ryu Tendai Shomyo from Japan and the Schola Gregoriana Pragensis from Prague, who are seen together in my footer image. The CD was recorded in a former Augustian monastery in České Lípě in November 2006, and was the brainchild of the Schola's founder David Eben.

Close Voices from Far-away is both a moving musical experience and a remarkable work of scholarship. Sources and editions are listed, and the comprehensive documentation includes short essays on the Shomyo Chants, the Buddhist Liturgy, the Tendai school of chant (Gyosan-ry Tendai Shomyo) as well as Gregorian Chant in Czechoslovakia.

Hearing the two vocal groups individually is a privilege. But hearing the two ensembles singing together and layering Buddhist and Greorian Chant on two of the tracks takes us into a unique sound-world that is more contemporary than medieval. Read a fuller appreciation of this remarkable release here. Close Voices from Far-away is not easily found outside Czechoslovakia. I bought my copy online from cdMusic.cz who provided a very fast and problem free service.

I will be playing music from Close Voices from Far-away on my Future Radio programme this Sunday December 2 at 5.00pm UK time. The Buddhist and Gregorian Chants will be interleaved with music from Philip Glass' score for Kundun. This film by Martin Scorsese depicts the exile of the 14th Dalai Lama from Tibet. Both Close Voices from Far-away and Kundun are vivid reminders of the Buddhist culture that is under continued threat from the Chinese occupation of Tibet.


Now follow the Buddhist way with Lou Harrison. And remember that at 12.01am UK time Wednesday December 5 Future Radio is giving the world broadcast premiere of Alvin Curran's complete Inner Cities, with an introduction from pianist Daan Vandewalle. Full details of this webcast here.
Listen by launching the Radeo internet player from the right side-bar, or via the audio stream. Convert broadcast times to your local time zone using this link. Windows Media Player doesn't like the audio stream very much and takes ages to buffer. WinAmp or iTunes handle it best. Unfortunately the royalty license doesn't permit on-demand replay, so you have to listen in real time. If you are in the Norwich, UK area tune to 96.9FM. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from PostClassic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 29, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2007

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 28, 2007 at 02:10 AM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2007

Originally from Urban Modes: Music and Life in New York, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by ACD from Sounds & Fury, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by ACD from Sounds & Fury, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Soho the Dog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

ROULETTE presents
20 Greene St (between Canal and Grand St)
Admission $15 Students $10 MEMBERS FREE
TICKETS/RSVP: 212.219.8242
contact: press@roulette.org http://www.roulette.org/

Thursday, November 29th
Sawako Kato Work Commissioned by Roulette w/ funds provided by Jerome Foundation
8:30pm
ishi ~ listening stone
is a new work for stone, crystal radio, contact microphone and laptop by sound sculptor and timeline-based artist Sawako Kato. The work is based on Sawako’s ongoing interest in soundscape and the invisible signals of the urban environment.  In Japanese, “ishi” means “stone” as well as “will” and “intention.” With her piece, Sawako tries to listen to the will of stone through both radio transmissions and other invisible vibrations. The captured signal will then be mutated to create an intimate, poetic sound that forms a tiny moment of quiet in the city.

Friday, November 30th
Jaques Bekaert
8:30pm
Born in Belgium in May 1940, Jacques Bekaert is well known as both a composer and a journalist. As a journalist he covered American politics, before moving to Southeast Asia in 1979. He worked for the BBC, le Monde, and wrote a weekly column for The Bangkok Post (1983-1993). Since 1993 he has worked as a diplomat, posted in Cambodia.  As a composer, Bekaert studied with Henri Pousseur and worked or performed with the Sonic Arts Union, John Cage, Merce Cunningham Dance Co, George Lewis, Rae Imamura, Takehisa Kosugi and Tom Buckner.

Sunday, December 1st
Children’s Concert: Flutterbox
2:00-3:00pm Admission $5
Neill C. Furio (electric bass) and Janine Nichols (voice) perform fun and playful songs ranging from current originals, to songs they wrote during his childhood and other charming chestnuts. Neill is an “architecturally cagey” songwriter and musician with a heady, only-he-knows-for-sure way about his instrument.  Janine, who draws the pictures in the air, has been called a lot of things, including “arrestingly plaintive” and a “black Marianne Faithfull.”

Sunday, December 1st
Susie Ibarra Trio
8:30pm
Nominated “Best Drummer” by the Village Voice, Susie Ibarra, percussionist and composer has played with such diverse acts as Derek Bailey, John Zorn, Thurston Moore, Prefuse 73, and Yo La Tengo amongst others.   Tonight the Susie Ibarra Trio (Jennifer Choi, violin & Angelica Sanchez, piano) will be presenting new works from a series titled Dream Etudes, as well as several pieces from their CDs Folkloriko and Songbird Suite.

Monday, December 2nd
Noa Guy
8:30pm
Noa Guy presents the second installation of Drops of Consciousness - an audio-visual personal diary revealing the story of her recovery from a traumatic brain injury. Breathing becomes sound; intricate visions form words and thoughts.  A poem – in four different languages - written at an early stage of her recovery serves as the architectural form of the piece. Drops of Consciousness is a collaboration between sound artist Alon Leventon and Noa Guy, utilizing live improvisation, pre-recorded music and video.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

The critically-acclaimed Palisades Virtuosi will present Shall We Dance?, a concert of chamber music masterworks on Saturday, December 1 - 8:00 p.m. at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Special guests will be the Ridgewood-based dance company Art of Motion (http://www.artofmotion.org/) who will join The Virtuosi in this celebration of movement and music.

This second subscription concert of the 2007-08 Season will feature the World Premiere of another Virtuosi commissioned work – Randall Faust’s Three American Portraits for flute, clarinet & piano. The compositions of Randall Faust have been performed at many international venues—including the Symposia of The International Horn Society, The International Trumpet Guild, The International Trombone, Association, The National Gallery of Art, and the Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall. His music has been recorded on Crystal Records, Summit Records, and ACA Digital Recordings. Much more about him at http://www.faustmusic.com/cgi-bin/faustmusic/.

The Virtuosi will also present the New Jersey premiere of Ondine Visions by Paul M. Somers founder & director of the Classical New Jersey Society, Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Greensleeves, selections from The Nutcracker and other seasonal favorites. For program notes and composer information, please visit http://www.palisadesvirtuosi.org/programnotes.html. Every concert by the Palisades Virtuosi includes a work commissioned by the ensemble.

Tickets for the December 1 concert are $20 and $15 for students and seniors. For reservations or other information, please call 201-488-1149. You can also email reservation requests to the Palisades Virtuosi at virtuosi@att.net.

Read their latest From the Palisades newsletter at http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/june07/PV_nws_062207.htm and their recent article in Chamber Music magazine at   http://www.palisadesvirtuosi.org/pvnews.html. Visit them online at http://www.palisadesvirtuosi.org/.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Intermission Impossible is taking a brief hiatus, but don’t let that keep you from enjoying our archive of over a year’s worth of posts.  Search our archives by month or topic in the column to the right, and we’ll be back before you know it.

Thanks for reading!

Originally posted by Trent from Intermission: Impossible, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:06 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Musicology / Matters, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 11:02 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:58 PM | Comments (0)

I'm a little late to this party, but I've discovered SymphonyCast, with dozens of archived live concerts from all over the world.  Some highlights: Roberto Abbado and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in Vienna's Musikverein, playing Ligeti's Ramifications; Osmo Vänskä leading the Minnesota Orchestra in Martinů's piercing Memorial to Lidice; Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic with soloist Gidon Kremer in Offertorium by Sofia Gubaidulina; and Esa-Pekka Salonen in the rarely heard Fourth Symphony of Lutoslawski, taped in Disney Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

So speaking of the Philharmonic, the concert that hooked me was with Gustavo Dudamel, in Kodály's Dances of Galanta, Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto (with Yefim Bronfman) and Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra.  I will only add that it reconfirms that Los Angeles made the right call.

Originally posted by bhodgesnyc from Monotonous Forest, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)

Time constraints prevented me from dipping in to more of Carnegie Hall's Berlin in Lights festival, which basically blanketed New York City with sensational music for roughly two weeks.  Still, I felt lucky to hear Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic in luminous evenings of Lindberg and Kurtág, not to mention two memorable Mahler symphonies.  And composer Thomas Adès, on hand for his wondrous new Tevót, stuck around to show off his pianism in his New York recital debut.  And I've already posted comments on The Rite of Spring Project, which probably changed the lives of scores of New York City kids.

Although I was not in the audience to hear Tevót live, I did catch the radio broadcast, and thanks to National Public Radio you can now hear it as often as you like, along with excerpts from a very fine Das Lied von der Erde with Ben Heppner and Thomas Quasthoff.

[Photo © 1995 by Adrian Welch / Isabelle Lomholt: interior during construction of the Jewish Museum Berlin, Daniel Libeskind Architects]

Originally posted by bhodgesnyc from Monotonous Forest, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:57 PM | Comments (0)

LaSalle Quartet: John Cage - String Quartet in Four Parts - 1. Quietly Flowing Along (composed 1950, recorded 1972), from the Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Cage, Mayuzumi: String Quartets LP (Deutsche Grammophon, 1988)

Originally posted by The Avant Gardener from Good Vibrato, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:53 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:52 PM | Comments (0)

Tomorrow Deutsche Grammophon will launch an online Web Shop containing high-quality MP3s of 2400 albums in its catalogue, including six hundred out-of-print items. The bit rate is 320 kb/second, much higher than the standard 128 kb/s. I was given a quick preview of the site and was impressed by what I saw. Modern masters such as Ligeti, Nono, and Reich are well represented, as far as DG's catalogue allows, alongside the canonical greats. Test case: Stele. On the occasion of the Berlin Philharmonic's recent performance, a number of us wrote ecstastically of György Kurtág's orchestral masterwork, which has recently been available only on an import-only Claudio Abbado CD costing upwards of forty dollars. [Update: It's also on a Haenssler Classic Mahler set, Christopher Culver notes.] Now you can obtain the piece for $3.87 ($1.29 per movement). The design is smooth and the operation quick; I bought, downloaded, and was listening to a new Stele in under three minutes. These are definitely hefty files; the 12-minute work takes up 27 MB. But the quality is superb. I was actually kind of shocked to hear such rich sounds coming out of my iPod. Times are changing....

AC Douglas highlights the odd final paragraph of a Tech Crunch story about DG's site: "It may be worth noting that classical music receives less legal protection than contemporary music because only its recorded performances, not its compositions, are still under copyright." The writer seems to forget about the existence of twentieth- and twenty-first-century classical music. Hey, there's a hot new book on the subject!

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

The Age

Adelaide Festival director heading to Melbourne The Age, Australia - 10 hours ago "Symphonic music and opera are the most threatened art forms and I would like to include works from the contemporary classical canon if that is possible," ...

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:50 PM | Comments (0)

Dan Locklair’s Gloria will be performed by Jim Dearing conducting the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Chorale as part of a Gala IUP Department of Music concert on Tuesday, November 27 – 8:00 PM at Heinz Hall, 600 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Gloria, based on the traditional Latin text, was written in 1998 for SATB, divisi, brass octet and percussion.

This two-hour Heinz Hall event will also feature performances by the IUP Wind Ensemble, String Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, Opera Theatre and Marching Band.

Tickets for the November 27 concert are $15 and $10 and can be ordered from the Heinz Hall Box Office at 412-392-4900. More about the concert at http://www.arts.iup.edu/livelyarts/heinz.html.

For more information about composer Dan Locklair, including a bio, list of works, discography and much more, please visit the redesigned http://www.locklair.com.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

From the BBC:

Croatia rose to the occasion in their crucial Euro 2008 defeat of England - after an apparent X-rated gaffe by an English opera singer at Wembley.

Tony Henry belted out a version of the Croat anthem before the 80,000 crowd, but made a blunder at the end.

He should have sung ‘Mila kuda si planina’ (which roughly means ‘You know my dear how we love your mountains’).

But he instead sang ‘Mila kura si planina’ which can be interpreted as ‘My dear, my penis is a mountain.’   –more–

Today’s topic–embarassing public performances.  Your own or others.

Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

A review of the new Death Ambient album is available.

Death Ambient is the laptop jazz supergroup composed of notorious experimenters Fred Frith, Ikue Mori and Kato Hideki, however to call this an experiment would be ridiculous as this is an extremely successful manifestation which has been in the making for about 6 years.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Alex Ross turns to the Venezuela problem, and quotes Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer: "Art within the constraints of a system is political action in favor of that system, regardless of content." I can only agree and re-run this post:


The role of the artist in a society where human rights are denied is a recurring theme On An Overgrown Path. As I write Maria Farandouri sings To Yelasto Pedi from Mikis Theodorakis’ sound track for the 1969 film Z (poster above). This legendary film was a barely fictionalised account of the assassination in 1963 of the Greek socialist politician Gregoris Lambrakis MP, and the film and its soundtrack, became an international symbol of opposition to the Greek military junta. This dictatorship savagely suppressed human rights until its overthrow in 1974, and brought tanks onto the streets of Athens, as is shown below.


The junta was established in April 1967 when right wing army colonels led by George Papadopoulos seized power under the pretence of preventing a communist takeover. The dictatorship received the initial support of King Constantine II, although the King went into exile in December 1967 following the failure of a counter-coup. The King had failed to win support from the US who regarded the military junta as an ally against the nearby Eastern European Soviet bloc. With the Colonels firmly in power human rights were denied, political parties were outlawed, and opponents imprisoned, with Amnesty International estimating that more than 2000 prisoners were tortured. Symbols of western youth culture were banned including rock music, long-hair and atheism.

Mikis Theodorakis was no stranger to opposition and the political left. He had worked in the resistance against the occupying Italian and German forces in World War 2, and was exiled in the subsequent Greek Civil War. After these conflicts he studied music at the Athens Conservatoire, and in Paris with Olivier Messiaen. Following the military junta in 1967 Theodorakis (below) went underground, and his music was banned by military decree. He was imprisoned for five months until an international pressure group including Dmitri Shostakovich, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Miller, and Harry Belafonte achieved his release, and he went into exile in April 1970. Theodorakis continued his opposition in exile through concerts and by enlisting the support of international leaders, and his sound-track for Z became a rallying call for opponents of the military regime. The film, which was directed by Constantin Costa-Gravas, was hugely important in drawing attention to the junta’s denial of human rights, and I remember it as one of the cult films of my post-university years.

Following the suppression by tanks of a student uprising at Athens Polytechnic in November 1973 (seen in the photo above) popular opposition to the junta gathered momentum. Papadopoulos was overthrown by General Dimitrios Ioannides, who then unsuccessfully attempted to depose the President of Cyprus. This debacle triggered the collapse of the Greek military junta, and democracy was restored with elections in November 1974.

Greece lies on the edge of the Middle Eastern political fault line, and the cataclysmic upheavals in the region since 1974 mean that the dark days of the Colonel’s rule are now largely forgotten. The CBS LP of Theodorakis’ music played by John Williams and sung by Maria Farandouri, and including the Theme from Z, was part of the soundtrack of my life in the 1970s. Seven of the songs are settings of Greek translations of poems by Federico Garcia Lorca, while the Theme from Z sets words from the verse-drama 'The Hostage' by the Irish writer Brendan Behan. Maria Farandouri left Greece in 1967 when the junta banned Theodorakis' music, and she sung in more than 300 protest concerts around the world.

The recording was made by legendary CBS staff producer Paul Myers, and my vinyl copy still sounds quite wonderful today. But by the time the LP catalogues were being transferred to CD in the late 1980s communism was collapsing and the Greek junta was ancient history, so Songs of Freedom didn’t make it onto CD in the major territories. But Theodorakis remains a folk hero in Greece. He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, and opposed NATO’s involvement in Kosovo and the invasion of Iraq, and has been very critical of George W. Bush. More controversially he was also been critical of Israeli Government policies under Ariel Sharon, and this led to accusations of anti-Semitism.

Mikis Theodorakis’ continuing high profile in Greece thankfully means that Songs of Freedom remains in the Sony catalogue in that country, albeit sadly without the original beautiful sleeve art which is reproduced above. But in a chilling timewarp the original English sleeve notes are retained for the CD version, so they read as though the Colonels are still in power! It is available online from the splendid Studio52 in Thessalonika; my copy arrived speedily and cost €12.50 plus shipping.

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from PostClassic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

pfMentum has released a new CD from the Colter Frazier and Rob Wallace Duo.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Brooklyn is once again a hotbed for new music.

December 7, 2007

Experimental Guitar & Percussion Music for Modern Times

Center for Improvisational Music in collaboration with Generate Records is
delighted to present three guitar & percussion ensembles comprised of
leading innovators from the jazz and experimental music communities. The
inspiration for the program is a rare NYC appearance by the adventurous
San Francisco based composer / guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante.

DIAZ-INFANTE / GAYLE / ARNAL
Ernesto Diaz-Infante (guitar)
Philip Gayle (guitar)
Jeff Arnal (percussion)

EVANS / NILSSON
Michael Evans (percussion)
Anders Nilsson (guitar)

AARON DUGAN’s THEORY of EVERYTHING
Aaron Dugan (guitar)
Jason Fraticelli (bass)
Mark Guiliana (percussion)

Center for Improvisational Music (CIM)
295 Douglass Street (between 3rd & 4th avenues)
Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC
8:30 pm
$6 cover (BYOB)

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Bagatellen:

Robin Hayward/Annette Krebs - sgraffito - 26 Nov 07
Alex Kontorovich - Deep Minor - 26 Nov 07

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

New and upcoming releases from Ambiances Magnétiques:

Bernard Falaise - Clic (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 174 | 2007)
Ganesh Anandan, John Gzowski - Shruti ProjecT (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 173 | 2007)
Jean Derome et les Dangereux Zhoms - To Continue (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 172 | 2007)
Quartetski Does Prokofiev - Visions fugitives op. 22 (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 171 | 2007)
Diane Labrosse - Musique pour objets en voie de disparition (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 170 | 2007)
Fenaison - Plat (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 169 | 2007)
Michel F Côté - (juste) Claudette (Ambiances Magnétiques | AM 168 | 2007)

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

I know it’s only marginally eMusic-related (though it does include a quote from David Pakman, as noted below), but I can’t help commenting on the recent Wired interview with Doug Morris of Universal (not yet online, but excerpted in a blog post on the New York Magazine site). Two points struck me in particular: First, the willful cluelessness of Morris and associates about technology and its effect on the music business; as New York Magazine notes, it’s like if your grandfather were accidentally hired to run Google. Second, Morris’s claim that the major labels are just poor innocent victims in all this, comparing them to Al Capp’s famous Shmoo:

The Shmoo was a nice animal, a nice fella, but if you were hungry, you just cut off a piece of him and put onions on it, …. You could do anything to him. That’s what was happening to the music business. Everybody was treating the music business like it was a Shmoo.

This was in turn followed by some hand-wringing about the the artists. Puh-lease.

Fortunately David Pakman turns up at the end to inject a note of sanity into the discussion, pointing out that Locking things up is actually good for piracy. I don’t think Pakman is a digital music genius (among other things, I don’t think he’s really clued into Web 2.0, social networks, etc.), but in this context he’s a giant among pygmies.

Originally posted by Frank Hecker from Swindleeeee!!!!!, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)

Having spent the past hour-plus composing a post on my unexpected and amazing weekend rendezvous with Lucy in Houston, only to see my efforts trashed by the fabulosity that is Windows (Vista apparently included), I'm wishing that Nico Muhly's warning had arrived a day or so earlier. Feh.

Which is not to mention that the good Dr. L.P. reminded me -- pretty much as soon as I informed her I'd bought a new Windows machine under duress -- that earlier I'd as much as decided to switch to a Mac at my next opportunity.

Apple. I'm begging. Can't you please bring the prices down just a little? A couple hundred dollars would probably have prevented me from having to type this. Please?

Originally posted by NightAfterNight from Night After Night, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

A month or so ago I had borrowed Bob Snyder’s “Music and Memory: An Introduction” from the library’s LINK+ system and realized now that I had not gotten around to writing about it. What a great book! I have long had many thought about time, particularly the experience of time, and reading the information presented by Snyder in the book were as if reading many of my own thoughts but done much more deeply and clearly than I had ever taken them. I felt really quite lucky to have come across this book when I did.

Unfortunately, the only problem was that I did not have enough time to read the entire book so had to skim through the rest and take notes with pen and paper (which was surprisingly effective for me to do, as taking the notes and speeding through I felt I did cover a lot of the ground and retained a great deal more than if I had not taken notes; certainly will be exploring taking notes more often in this way). One of my favorite lines I read was when he was talking about expectation as “memory cued by present experience but not fully conscience,” Snyder writes:

“With expectations we can “feel” the future in the present.” (p. 49)

I also very much enjoyed reading the section near the end of memory strategies, particularly memory sabotage. The observations about high vs. low information strategies as well as memory length strategies were those which I had thought about a great deal, and I was glad to see in the appendix listing of many of my favorite composers as examples of memory sabotage (i.e. Feldman, Cage, etc.).

It was really quite interesting to learn all about how memory works (or at least how it is currently understood to work), all the different stages and elements involved in the different levels of memory. I would whole-heartedly suggest this book to any person composing and/or analyzing music as I think it can give some interesting ways to think about music, especially as a tool to help analyze in some way how things do and do not work when listening to a piece of music. I will be looking forward to when I will have a chance to read through this text once again!

Originally posted by Steven from steven yi :: music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:59 AM | Comments (0)

The moment you’ve all been waiting for: POSSUM DEATH SPREE 3! With music by Roger Bourland and directed by Mike Horowitz and Gareth Smith. I went to a screening this week of all three, and got to meet the cast and crew. The film worked well in large format, and I was happy to see how each film is complete unto itself. Mike and Gareth were happy with the music, and I had a blast doing it.

Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:58 AM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:56 AM | Comments (0)

From www.improvisedcommunications.com:

On Friday, November 30th, father and son bassists Barre and Dave Phillips will perform at New Haven’s Firehouse 12 as part of their first ever tour together. The pair will also record together as a duo for the first time at Firehouse 12 the following day. Their tour, called “Basfidel, Father & Son,” is made possible with support from Chamber Music America and French American Cultural Exchange’s CMA/FACE French-American Jazz Exchange Program, and funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Cultures France and FMEO (Le Bureau Export de la Musique Francaise).

Dave Phillips, who performed at Firehouse 12 in October as part of the Will Holshouser Trio, is a second-generation jazz bassist, following in the footsteps of his renowned father, Barre, though in a more mainstream context. In addition to sideman gigs with jazz heavyweights such as Wynton Marsalis, he has also worked in chamber orchestras, on Broadway and on records by the Dixie Chicks, Richie Havens and Pink. His work as a leader focuses on his 15 year-old quartet, Freedance, featuring Rez Abbasi, John O’Gallagher and Tony Moreno. The band has performed across the United States and Europe and released three CDs.

Barre Phillips, now 73, is a highly regarded pioneer in the worlds of free jazz and the avant-garde. After arriving in New York from his native San Francisco in 1962, he quickly made a name for himself working with boundary pushers such as Marion Brown, Eric Dolphy, Don Ellis, Jimmy Giuffre, Bobby Hutcherson, George Russell, Archie Shepp and Attila Zoller. An expatriate based in France for the past 35 years, he has worked with a long list of Europe’s premier improvisers, including Peter Brtzmann, Barry Guy, Gunter Hampel, Peter Kowald and John Surman. He has also collaborated on various noteworthy projects with Paul Bley, Ornette Coleman, Michel Lambert, Joe Maneri and Evan Parker among many others. His extensive discography also features roughly 50 recordings under his own name, including the influential Journal Violone from 1968, the first jazz record to document solo bass improvisations.

Tickets and more information available at:
http://firehouse12.com/performance_space_calendar.asp

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:10 AM | Comments (0)

Paris-based American pianist Ivan Ilic completes his critically acclaimed worldwide tour of “mesmerizing” piano recitals at MIT’s Killian Hall for a special one-night only, free performance. In an effort to promote young American composers, Ilic showcases the U.S. premieres of Afterglow by Keeril Makan, Assistant Professor of Music at MIT, and Búgi Wúgi by Argentine-American composer Fernando Benadon.  In addition, the program includes eight of Debussy’s Preludes from Book 2; Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantasy, Opus 61; and excerpts from Liszt’s “Years of Pilgrimage”: the Sonnet N. 47, and the Dante Sonata. 

For more information, visit http://www.ivancdg.com

Known for his “unique blend of a Gallic touch, a Slavic soul and a mathematician’s precision,”  Ilic is a young American pianist gaining international recognition. Since early September, he has toured 25 concerts throughout Europe; each featuring commissioned works from a range of young composers.  Both works by Makan and Benadon are their first attempts at composing for solo piano.  As with many of his other works, Makan’s Afterglow (2007) combines an exploration of the rich detail inherent in sound with an unmistakable visceral energy.  Described as “mysterious and hypnotic” (Western Mail), Afterglow received its world premiere in October 2007 at the Welsh Museum of Modern Art in Machynlleth, United Kingdom.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 27, 2007 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)

November 26, 2007

Originally from Urban Modes: Music and Life in New York, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:57 PM | Comments (0)

Three final year horn players rent a car and drive six hours to Montreal to audition for grad school. It is February. In Quebec. Something the girls have failed to take into account when packing their suitcases in balmy Southern Ontario. It’s not a big deal. They were only going for two days anyway. It’s not like they couldn’t deal with a little snow.

We arrive midafternoon in Dorval, where we were meant to stay the night at a friend of a friend of Edith’s family. After a few hours, the snow is approaches blizzard level, so we decide that it would be prudent to stay in the city at a this friend of a friend’s daughter’s place so as to maximize the amount of warm up available pre-audition. We bundle back into the car and head to the city without incident despite the heavy snow.

Until we have to park the car.

There are no driveways in Montreal, just road parking, a sport in which Montrealers take great pride. If a spot is too small it is only because you are not trying hard enough. Normally Miss Mussel takes pride in her parallel parking skills but here, in the land of ice, snow and seriously steep inclines, she was well out of her league.

We arrive in the apartment to discover that there are no spare beds, only a living room with the original parquet floor. Despite her sleeping bag and Thermarest, Miss Mussel’s hip bones pinged her out of fitful sleep with disturbing regularity. A scalding shower was the only salve.

Alas, it was not in the cards.

Our hosts had neglected to mention the previous evening that their shower wasn’t working. Not a problem. Miss Mussel had a snazzy set of performance clothes at the ready. The lack of shower was unfortunate but could be overlooked. Razor sharp pleats can make anyone look smart.

No iron. Hippies. Should have guessed as much.

Host mildly put off by Miss Mussel’s incredulity re: dearth of small appliances normally deemed necessary for civilised living.

The choice between yesterday’s driving clothes and horrifically wrinkled performance togs was fraught with cons. A quick survey of companions revealed that a) they had thought to bring clothes that did not need ironing and b) agreed with Miss Mussel that yesterday’s outfit was the only real choice.

Troops are gathered post Muesli and we march off to the car. It is early and the sidewalk plough has not yet reached this neighbourhood. We take to the road and arrive at our car with relative ease.

The road plough has been by and the car is now encased by a crusty layer of frozen snow. We are stuck and up to our knees in winter wonder trying to dig out our chariot. Time is ticking away and progress is negligable. The neighbour takes pity on us and lends a shovel but not a hand. We manage to free the car and a few minutes spent with the RPMs in the danger zone mean we are able to gain enough purchase to proceed forwards up the hill rather than sliding back down it while still in drive.

Feeling triumphant, Miss Mussel sits down on the piano bench to collect her thoughts. The practice room has a mirror and she notices that day-old gel and snow fall result in hair oily enough to interest the Saudis. Also, her re-wear jeans are sporting a unfortunate ketchup stain thanks to a refueling stop the day before.

Demoralized, Miss Mussel decides to get warmed up. The room is dead. The sound stops before it even leaves the instrument. Everything seems difficult. Fingers are slow. Brain is fuzzy.

Miss Mussel takes a break and looks around the room. The sound tiles are poor substitutes for bathroom stalls but musicians are a resourceful lot. Graffiti abounds.

Anna hearts Kevin.
Etienne and Caroline 4EVAH

Go eat a bag of soggy dicks.

There is a tap on the door. No time to be disgusted.

This way to the audition room, please.

Originally posted by OM from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)

Today’s word: Supererogatory

roduct @ The OM Shop
Dans La Cuisine (Alessi and KitchenAid) and Newspaper/Magazine Subscriptions (Lit and classical music mags and major world rags)

Originally posted by OM from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Soho the Dog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:56 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Soho the Dog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:55 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:54 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Musical Perceptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:52 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Haven't posted for a few days but want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you and yours have a relaxing and rejuvenating holiday weekend. Just now I'm staggering to the keyboard after a massive midday T'giving meal and so will only manage a few sentences now. More soon, perhaps on the road from Wales, where I'll be next week on tour with Philip Glass.

The list of things I'm thankful for could go on forever, but it all starts and ends with Lynn. Lynnie, I'm telling the world today (as ifmy friendsdidn't already know!) how thankful I am that you came into my life.

Every time I hear mind-blowing music like Beethoven's Op. 111 Sonata played transcendently as was the case at Marina Lomazov's USC recital last Friday, or such as Frederic Rzewski's "Les Moutons de Panurge" as it was played last week in Greenville by eighth blackbird, I marvel at what astonishing beauty and clarity of thought exists in the world. Yes, there are so many horrors everywhere you look, especially when you turn on the news. But testimony as to the best mankind can offer is also widespread, if you just know where to look. So I give thanks today for art. More on the eighth blackbird concert next week, it's worth a blog entry of its own. Happy holiday weekend to you all.

Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Those of you in the Midlands who love piano music have another treat in store for you this week: Joseph Rackers, gifted young pianist who joined the USC music faculty last year, will be performing a solo recital this Wednesday the 30th at 7:30 PM at the recital hall of the School of Music. I'm not certain what's on the program, but I know that it will include the fiendishly difficult and kaleidoscopically turbulent solo piano version of "La Valse" by Maurice Ravel, which also exists as a 2-piano piece and an orchestral classic. Rackers was profiled in The State newspaper last September as one of a handful of important artists in our community under 30 years of age (he just turned 30 a couple of weeks ago). His playing fuses a probing intellect with a poetic streak, and Columbia is very lucky to have him. I wish I could be there but I'll be an ocean away...more soon from Wales.  

Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:51 PM | Comments (0)

Steve Hicken asks on his blog (I've modified all questions to not include things that I've already experienced live):

1) What five operas would you most like to see performed?

1. Nørgård’s Gilgamesh
2. Feldman's Neither
3. Haydn's Il Mondo della Luna
4. Rimsky-Korsakov's Mlada
5. Berio's Un re in ascolto

2) What five pieces would you most like to hear performed?

1. Nørgård’s Third Symphony
2. Szymanowski's Harnasie
3. Berlioz's Requiem
4. Ligeti's Hamburg Concerto
5. Colin Matthews' Fourth Sonata

5) What five living performers would you most like to meet?

1. Truls Mørk
2. Natalie Dessay
3. Olli Mustonen
4. Marie-Luise Neunecker
5. Tabea Zimmermann

4) What five living composers would you most like to meet?

1. Henri Dutilleux
2. Per Nørgård
3. Oliver Knussen
4. Pascal Dusapin
5. Bent Sørensen

5) What five living musicians would you most like to play 3-on-3 basketball against?

1. My team: me, Nathan Gunn, Kevin Puts
2. My opponents: Charlotte Church, Andrea Bocelli, Richard Nanes

Originally posted by Marcus Maroney from Marcus Maroney - Sounds Like New, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:50 PM | Comments (0)

Bernard Holland's writing has long been full of odd analogies; one of my recent favorites: "Mr. Reich's Music for 18 Musicians may indeed be the marimba's Beethoven Ninth." 

In his November 4 article in the New York Times, "The Audience as the Arbiter", another one immediately made my stomach sour: "In classical music the onus of responsibility has been shifted from creator to receptor. Do I owe the waiter a good tip, or does he owe me good service?"  Not only is the latter question illogically posed--there is a cause and effect time line being ignored by Mr. Holland--but good service can be fairly objectively evaluated.  Was I greeted soon after arrival?  Were the evening's specials clearly described?  Was my order promptly taken and delivered to order?  Was my water glass kept filled?  Obviously, this doesn't apply to the "creator" - we simply can't ask similar questions to know whether to offer the creator the critic's equivalent of a "good tip".  Perhaps Mr. Holland does have an objective checklist he carries with him to premieres:  Did the composer provide ample V-I bass motion?  Were all the instruments in the ensemble given a chance to shine?  Was there a good balance of fast and slow music?  Was the finale over seasoned with dissonance? 

And the absurdity doesn't stop there.  Holland further writes: "Simply know that if broad acclaim and the universal acknowledgment of genius have been denied you, you have not an uncomprehending public to blame but the choices you yourself have made and, more important, your own gifts or lack of same. Be grateful for your teaching job."  Michael Friedmann beat me to the punch in Nov. 11's Letters to the Editor: "Mr. Holland would like modern composers to anticipate his discomfort at excessive complexity by stroking his ears with more immediately soothing sounds.  Under this seeming populism one senses Darwinian capitalist instincts and anger at academic composers, whom he says should be grateful for teaching jobs.  I would respond by telling Mr. Holland to be grateful for his own job, and not to be resentful if it demands that he listen to a new work in advance." 

Perhaps Holland gives us the answer to his critical slant: "Many intelligent listeners admire the increasing remoteness of his [Sibelius'] later pieces. I personally miss the communicative power of the Second Symphony and the Violin Concerto."  Maybe because he's not an intelligent listener?  Would Holland truly have been happy if Sibelius had just produced more and more works like the Second Symphony instead of showing true artistic growth?  Could he really do without Beethoven's late quartets as well?

Holland seems to not understand why Sibelius progressed stylistically, but then claims to understand the basic motivation behind all composers: "Every composer wants to be loved by as many people as possible."   He then claims that the fact that people aren't singing Moses and Aron in the shower means the work is a failure, is not loved, as if humming a tune while waiting five minutes for the conditioner to work its magic proves adoration and, thus, achievement on the part of the composer.  I personally end up singing tunes in the shower that get stuck in my head for no explainable reason at all.  This morning it was "Blinded by the Light".  I suppose Holland would claim that, since that song is likely sung in more showers world-wide than even Sibelius' Violin Concerto, it is more loved, and its composer has fulfilled more of his life's dream and has been a more responsible social animal. 

Holland states: "...any music intended for public consumption must ask on every page: 'How can I make them respond?'"  It seems that he thinks the only acceptable answer is for the audience to respond with love and the only plausible expectation for the composer is to expect (and perhaps even pander to) that response.  I'm confused--does he not recognize the artistic merit and intellectual and aesthetic worth of a creator challenging its audience and making them think about their response, perhaps even eliciting a negative response at first?

To cap things off, Holland describes his preparation for premieres: "How do I prepare for premieres? I read about the people and the circumstances, where the piece came from and what the composer eats for breakfast. If I have a score, I look at the orchestration. It’s nice to know how many crayons are in the composer’s coloring box. I don’t listen to anything. Surprise me."  Good lord, I hope he's not serious.  Who cares what the composer ate for breakfast?  How can he know "where the piece came from" if he doesn't listen to anything.  Wouldn't it help explain where, say, a new Per Nørgård symphony "came from" if a critic, in advance of the premiere, familiarized himself, at least in brief, with the composer's prior musical rhetoric--by listening?  Music is first and foremost about sound, not food, politics or circumstance.   As for looking at the instrumentation (which is what I presume Holland means, as opposed to "orchestration"), what help does that truly give?  I suppose it's useful to know if something is written for string quartet or children's choir and kazzoo, but surely that doesn't require the "training" of a professional music critic.  Any person can go see a premiere and see what "crayons are in the composer's coloring box." 

What I expect from a professional critic, especially one working at a journal as esteemed as The New York Times, is for them to have some preparation of how the composer has used those "crayons" before.  At the premiere of Beethoven's Op. 95, it wouldn't offer much depth of information for the critic to realize the piece is for string quartet.  What would be useful preparation would be to know how Beethoven (and his predecessors) had used this ensemble before.  Especially in the 21st-century, I want to know how new pieces confront the continuum of "classical" music. 

Over and over, Holland's commentary seems a banal stew of bizarre analogies, unnecessary, wordy descriptions of objective musical matters, and purposely provocative pontifications.  Those of us hungry for true critical nourishment are left starving.

Originally posted by Marcus Maroney from Marcus Maroney - Sounds Like New, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:49 PM | Comments (0)

This is the first season I've subscribed to the Houston Grand Opera since moving here nearly four years ago.  While I've been to many of their single productions, I've decided to bite the bullet and see everything they do, even if it's an opera that usually wouldn't make me open my wallet.  This policy has already paid off in their first three offerings this season.  The production I was least interested in initially ended up being my favorite.

First off, Ewa Podles stole the show in her HGO debut in their first two regular season productions.  As Ulrica in Verdi's Masked Ball her scene was easily the best of the opera.  The rest of the production was, unfortunately, a let-down.  While the voices were good (if not great), the staging was drab, especially in the final scene.  Ramon Vargas has a nice tone, but I don't think anyone believed for a moment that his Riccardo and Tamara Wilson's Amelia were in love (or even liked each other).  Basically after Ulrica's scene, the opera fell flat.  The ballroom for the final scene consisted of walls of what looked like gray granite, and the costumes were almost tacky.  The staging was very much the stand-and-sing variety that drives me nuts.  The only other bit of magic happening on stage was Lyubov Petrova's Oscar, but even she was forced to stand still on a stage-length table, reach in her pockets and throw glitter around during her big aria.  This was the season opener, and with a cast like they had lined up, should have been stunning.

The lackluster Verdi paled even more in comparison with the completely engaging performance of Donizetti's Daughter of the Regiment.  While Podles still was a scene-stealer as the Marquise de Berkenfeld, she was at least given a run for her money by the ravishing voice and acting of Laura Claycomb in the title role.  It was announced that Claycomb was ill the evening I went, but she sang anyway.  While her voice was smaller than expected, the purity, effortlessness and charm were still completely apparent.  A wonderful tribute written by Claycomb to Beverly Sills, who sang Marie back in the day at HGO, was in the playbill, and it was apparent that Sills was an inspiration to Claycomb, who literally bubbled on stage.  She also took notes from Podles, who pushes the edge of caricature in her acting but never crosses that line.  Overall, the pacing was thrilling, the sets wonderful and the stage direction was extremely well worked out and engaging through and through.  The energy was kept high and for once we really craved Claycomb's slow arias.  The HGO orchestra also shone more in this opera, from the opening horn solo of the overture to the very end, balance and unison was much tighter, matched by fearless singing by the HGO Chorus.  Bravo!

Off the regular season was the much-taunted world premiere of Christopher Theofanidis' The Refuge.   With an excellent premise, this should have been amazing, but unfortunately I felt disappointed.  The mixture of native instruments and voices (Sitars, Bayan, Pakistani and African singers, etc.) should have provided a plethora of inspiration the could cross over nicely into the writing for the soloists, chorus and orchestra.  However, the piece fell into a familiar rut, with Theofanidis' undeniably effective music underlying the "Western" singers for a section, ending a long pedal tone, over which the respective refugee sang or played their native music.  The only time there was convincing cross-referencing between the various "worlds" was in the Pakistani section, which I feel was the most engaging in the piece.  The HGO studio artists, who sang words from interviews of various immigrants to Houston, struggled with the vocal writing, which was apparently purposely set with awkward prosody to imitate foreigners' English accents.  I honestly found the end result very stilted and not convincing.  The all-important text was nearly impossible to understand, let alone the melodic lines, which were stumbled over quite a few times.  In all, I was hoping to really love this work, but in the end it felt almost like a shameless propaganda production for the city of Houston...


 

Originally posted by Marcus Maroney from Marcus Maroney - Sounds Like New, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:49 PM | Comments (0)

Thursday I'm off to Boston, where the Juventas! New Music Ensemble will present three performances of my Songs from Rock Hill.  The concert program looks great, with world premieres of works by Johannes Berauer, Tiven Weinstock and Moshe Shulman; Boston premieres by Stephen Yip (a fellow Houston-ite), Aaron Stepp and myself; and works by Anthony Lanman (a fellow UT undergrad from back in the day) and Peter McMurray.  The performance roster looks impressive, and the venues (one traditional concert hall, one nightclub setting and one church) run the gamut.  Juventas!  prides itself on spotlighting the enormous variety of new music out there, and I'm looking forward to meeting the group in person and hearing them play!  Details, including ticket information for those in the Boston area, here.  It would be great to meet any New England readers out there.

Coincidentally, my trip coincides with the U.S. premiere of Henri Dutilleux's Le Temps L'Horloge by Renee Fleming, the Boston Symphony and James Levine.  The work was co-commissioned by the BSO for its 125th anniversary and sets poems of Jean Tardieu and Robert Desnos.   The other commissioning organizations were Seiji Ozawa's Saito Kinen Orchestra (which premiered the work in September) and the Orchestre National de France. 

The BSO's website has a neat feature on Dutilleux and the new song cycle in their "Classical Companion" section, including biographical information, historical and stylistic context (including audio samples and split into two sections, one dealing with literary influence and one with painting/visual stimuli), and an "analysis" of the new work, including the poems with translations.  The analysis is great, with a line-by-line discussion of musical aspects.  There is also a good article by David Weininger about Dutilleux, the work's genesis and the upcoming premiere in the Boston Globe.

The unnamed narrator mentions that the premiere in Japan was of three of the planned four songs (a Baudelaire setting had not yet been completed), and there is no mention whether the BSO performance will include this fourth setting.   A post about the premiere will be written at some random coffee-shop in Cambridge this weekend (suggestions for the best place to get coffee with free wi-fi welcomed).

Originally posted by Marcus Maroney from Marcus Maroney - Sounds Like New, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:48 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from lutoslawski OR xenakis OR boulez OR Dutilleux OR ligeti OR "elliott carter" OR stockhausen OR "steve reich" AND music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:47 PM | Comments (0)

Ullmann, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, Zagrosek / Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra / H.Lippert, W.Berry, C.Oelze, M.Petzold, F.Mazura, M.Kraus, I.Vermillion, J.Alder

Estranged Passengers - In Search of Viktor Ullmann, J.Conlon

1 - The German mocking acronym for “Greatest General of all Times” denoting Hitler and ridiculing the Nazi’s penchant for acronyms – while the title itself, coined by General Fieldmarshall Wilhelm Keitel, was ‘bestowed’ upon Hitler in all seriousness.

Originally from ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:46 PM | Comments (0)

Leila Josefowicz & John Novacek: John Adams - Road Movies, for violin and piano - II. Meditative (composed 1995, recorded 2003), from the Road Movies LP (Nonesuch, 2004)

Originally posted by The Avant Gardener from Good Vibrato, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

Paul Morrissey is a Leonardo DiCaprio fan. Stan Brakhage loved the South Park movie. There are people on the planet who only watch obscure experimental cinema, but they are few and far between, and they are not obscure experimental filmmakers. Filmmakers who would choose to work in direct opposition to the Hollywood/"indiewood" system have yet to effect its toppling. Nor have filmmakers attempting to "subvert" the system from within.

Originally from Form/Content, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

WARNING: This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause [cancer, and] birth defects or other reproductive harm. Wash hands after handling.

Originally from Form/Content, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Form/Content, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Form/Content, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:45 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from All I Know², ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

December 1st, 2007 - 8pm 
Suggested donation: $14 gen /$10 students
Advance sale: http://www.nexmap.org 415-871-9992
a Binary Cities event

This performance is made possible in part through 
the French America Cultural Exchange (FACE) Funds for New Music. 
Our artists are hosted by The Phoenix Hotel - Joie de Vivre Hotels


Louis Dufort's
Sonic surround diffusion of "Grain of Sand"

December 2, 2007 - 4pm 
Suggested donations: $18 gen  / $13 students
Advance sale: http://www.nexmap.org | 415-871-9992
a Double Take Event

Co-produced with "Conversations on Culture"
a committee of the Friends of SF Center for Psychoanalysis

NEXMAP presents two international masters of acousmatic music 
who will fully explore the sonic capabilities of the 
multi channel audio array of Recombinant Media Labs. 

"Acousmatic Art was conceived from its beginnings to be heard without the use of 
visual intervention or performers on stage. It organizes morphologies and sonic spectra, 
images of sound, coming from a multiplicity of sources, but that the absence of 
visual identification makes anonymous, unifies and prompts a more attentive listening ... "   
--Francis Dhomont

Originally from All I Know², ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:44 PM | Comments (0)

Some readers may be relieved to know that I am embarking on the final leg of my book tour. This Tuesday I'll spread the holiday cheer by speaking on music under totalitarianism at the Met Museum; on Friday I will give my audiovisual 20th-century lecture at the Cleveland Museum of Art; on Dec. 3 I will speak at the Hilbert Circle Theater in Indianapolis; on Dec. 4 I will appear at An Die Musik in Baltimore, as part of the Evolution Contemporary Music Series; and, finally, on Dec. 5 I'll read at my favorite local bookstore, 192 Books.

From an early age I've felt more at home in bookstores than I do in most places. I couldn't put the feeling into words without perpetrating maudlin clichés, but it has something to do with the sense of thousands of stories and styles murmuring together in a limited space. The deepest pleasure of this sometimes perplexing book-publishing business has been to see my title taking up in residence at stores where I've regularly lurked: Black Oak, Pegasus, Moe's, and Cody's in Berkeley; Dutton's and Book Soup in LA; Powell's in Portland; the Seminary Co-op in Chicago; and others. On this trip I also got to know Books and Books in Miami, Book People in Austin, and Book Passage in the Bay Area. It was a definite thrill to appear at Harvard Book Store, where, as a pretentious Harvard undergrad, I discovered the poetry of Wallace Stevens, bought the copy of Ulysses from which I extracted my incomprehensible senior thesis, and purchased volumes of Derrida that were more talked about than read. There it was somehow official: I'd become a book.

The crowd included such bløgósphërìc celebrities as Rodney Lister, Soho the Dog, and Bloviating Musically. That same day I visited the new digs of WGBH, with its handsome performance studio, and dropped by WHRB to talk to the station's eminence grise, David Elliott, who got me started writing music criticism. My debut, for the record, was a review of Hyperion's disc of the Sixth and Seventh symphonies of Robert Simpson.

I then took the Quiet Car to DC, where I read at Politics and Prose on Connecticut Avenue. This beloved local store has a superb array of books and also an impeccably curated selection of classical CDs (pre-1900, twentieth century, contemporary). I grew up in DC; in the crowd were my parents, my brother, and several teachers from my high school and elementary school. I'd like to mention that in the mid-1980s I worked for a couple of summers at a small bookstore called Simeon's, off Wisconsin Avenue. The proprietor was Frances Swift, a magnificent person who died in a car crash just as her business was prospering. Simeon's sales were not bolstered by several additions that I insisted on making to the inventory; I felt it absolutely necessary that we order a copy of Hermann Broch's The Death of Virgil. Frances smilingly obliged. It sat on the shelves untouched. The word beyond speech....

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:40 PM | Comments (0)

The American tour of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela occasioned fascinating and occasionally intense debate on the Internet. Some were troubled by the sight of the young musicians donning Venezuelan national colors at a time when other students were protesting against Hugo Chávez's efforts to end presidential term limits and otherwise expand his powers. Bob Shingleton of On an Overgrown Path has been particularly outspoken, accusing musicians and administrators of complicity in authoritarian politics; here's a selection of his posts on the topic. Matthew Guerrieri mounted a vigorous and intelligent defense. What disturbs me, as I say in my New Yorker column, is that when politicians throw money at music, some in the classical business tend not to scrutinize the politics too closely. The twentieth century is richly stocked with cases in point. I have heard it said that the future of classical music is in Venezuela; I have also heard it said that the future of classical music lies in China. I, for one, am pretty content with classical music here in America, not least because it makes do largely without "official" support. (A story to watch: Mike Huckabee's dark-horse candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. As I noted last year, Huckabee is a determined supporter of music and arts education.) I'll throw a quotation from the maverick Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer into the continuing debate: "Art within the constraints of a system is political action in favor of that system, regardless of content."

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:39 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Atlanta Composers Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from HarSMedia (Feed and Podcast), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)

Maybe I'm maturing, or something, but I recently found it not as difficult to resist flying into a blind, blood soaked rage when confronted by the superb lack of understanding and poise in a recent string of nonsense at the local, online, blinders-on, self serving, psudeo-academic ridden world of the "modern composers' forum" that I, unfortunately, still frequent.

To make things short, the brew-ha-ha began with the reading of this article from the Telegraph, and the misunderstanding (and misuse by the Telegraph) of the word, "modern." 

I haven't brought him up in a while (for good reason), but Z. told me there would be days like this.  I've chosen not to jump into the fray of someone else's website.  Making the descision to support of the Pope's principles was easy - the application of such principles (as always) will be the issue, and it will continue to be played out on a parish level and by larger organizations (who as of yet are curiously silent on the issue).

The real dissapointment here is the kneejerk emotionalism sparked on the aforementioned composer site, and the compete lack of comprehension of composing for worship. I've had enough of the babies out there who complain that the decline in America's cultural literacy can be seen in the lack of public interest in their own work, which stems out of the lack of interest in academic composition in general.

Originally posted by Frank Pesci from Blog - Narcissistic Plate, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 08:13 PM | Comments (0)

60 Minutes of Music by Brian Wilbur Grundstrom will be presented on Tuesday, November 27 – 6 PM at The Millennium Stage of The Kennedy Center, 2700 F Street NW in Washington, D.C.

Works to be presented include Music for Piano IV (Crystalline Textures), performed by pianist Ruth Rose, Music II for Wind Quintet performed by Ensemble a la Carte (http://ensemblealc.com/), Music III for 2 Pianos, performed by Shiprah Meditz and Cameron Dennis, The Benefit of Going to Law, performed by soprano Harlie Sponaugle and pianist Warren Zwicky and the World Premiere of Seduction for bassoon, clarinet and piano, performed by bassoonist Robin Gelman, clarinetist Angela Murakami and the composer at the piano. Visit his website at http://www.brianwilbur.com/.

This concert is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the Kennedy Center at 201-467-4600 or visit them online at http://www.kennedy-center.org/.

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

Pull My Daisy

ram Quartet

Bridge Records

The arrangements are very sensitive well crafted. The subdued Summertime is a depressing joy to hear and the skulking and skittering Take the “A” Train has some real charm to it (especially as Vic Juris crams as many music quotes as possible into his solo). In general, this is a very nice disc of jazz standards with solid performances and entertaining arrangements.

Originally posted by Jay Batzner from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)

From Musique Machine:

Yellow swans - At All Ends
At all ends finds this noise/guitar duo weaving in more melodic, cinematic and ambient textures into their sound, though still managing to keeping elements of thier noise credentials with rich sometimes searing walls of sound.

Marek Styczyñski - Cyber Totem
Cyber Totem’s sonic landscape is wonderfully exotic, mystical and often very odd mixing together all manner of instruments from around the world -we have; Fujara from Slovakia, Kaval from Bulgaria, Fadno & Paska from Sweden and this list goes on with fourteen or so weird and wonderful instruments from all over the world.

V/A - The Roots of Chicha: Psychedelic Cumbias From Peru
Back in the sixties and seventies Anglo-American popmusic was booming, the canon of the Shadows to the Beatles and the Stones up to Floyd even, we all know the drill. Lesser known is the how these sounds were combined with local traditions with often exciting results.

Logoplasm - Testa Piena D’orche
Testa Piena D’orche mix of eerier drone matter, bell tones, layered foreign voices/ chants and all manner of source recordings rather brought to mind the more recent Nurse with Wound material.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

CMC Salon with Kate Ellis [QuickTime]
A short video of highlights from the first of CMC's 2007 new music Salon series with cellist Kate Ellis at the Goethe Institut, Dublin on 27 September 2007.
From Podcast: Contemporary Music Centre, Ireland: Monthly Podcast.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Inner Cities are where you go to get debriefed, to watch Trisha Brown levitate on Bach in San Francisco; to help Cage squeeze lemons into his fresh taboule on 18th Street and watch David Tudor mix chili peppers and lasers at the Grand Hotel des Palmes; to play the Sydney Harbour like a bandoneon; to teach advanced-orchestration in the Greek Theater at Mills College with Pauline Oliveros and the ghost of Harry Partch; to shake Stravinsky's hand in the American Sector-Berlin and Varese’s in New Haven; to watch Kosugi dance his electric violin around Marcus Aurelius; to get thrown off stage in London as a warmup act for the Pink Floyd; to meet Stockhausen at a strobe-light show in Düsseldorf; to open windows on Cage’s cue for adding real cold air to his Winter Music; to camp out with Teitelbaum and Rzewski for Antonioni’s Zabriskie Point; to hear Terry and LaMonte’s landmark concerts at the Attico in Rome ...

Inner Cities is a twelve part cycle for solo piano that lasts for four hours twenty-four minutes and twenty-two seconds. Its composer Alvin Curran studied with Elliott Carter, and founded Musica Elettronica Viva with Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum. The notes that I have quoted above and below are by Curran himself.

Inner Cities 10 is dedicated to the Belgian pianist Daan Vandewalle. His repertoire includes Ives, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Cage and Clarence Barlow, and he has had works written for him by Fred Frith, Chris Newman, and Frederic Rzewski as well as Alvin Curran. Daan has played Inner Cities complete in concert, and has recorded it on the Long Distance label.

Inner Cities has never been broadcast complete to our knowledge. But on December 5th Future Radio is letting me go where others fear to tread. The four and a half hour cycle will be broadcast complete on that day without any announcements or advertisements, and Daan Vandervalle will be introducing the performance with me. The programme starts at 12.01am on Wednesday December 5th, which is afternoon or evening the previous day in North and South America. Convert to your local time here.

Listen to Daan Vandewalle's introductions as a podcast from iTunes here. If you do not have iTunes installed click here to download it. With iTunes installed you can subscribe to future On An Overgrown Path podcasts.

Inner Cities photographs are by me, and show the Cité du Livre and the Pavillon Noir in the Avenue Mozart in that most musical of cities, Aix en Provence. Let's leave the last words to Alvin Curran ...

Inner Cities contain no "drive-by" anything; there’s merely back alleys, empty lots full of stubborn weeds and clear sky, trails of memory which may or may not lead anywhere or even have relevance to the music at hand. The bottom line: these pieces are a set of contradictory etudes - studies in liberation and attachment, cryptic itineraries to the old fountain on the town square whence flows all artistic divination and groping for meaning in the dark.

Inner Cities complete continues the proud tradition established by WHRB's classical music 0rgies. Yet more confirmation of the importance of the long tail of radio
Photos (c) On An Overgrown Path 2007 Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:32 PM | Comments (0)

The Out-of-Towners. The New Yorker, Dec. 3, 2007.

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

Scenta.co.uk

The sound of science Scenta.co.uk, UK - 7 hours ago Under mckenzie, the festival has also forged a relationship with Dutch new music organisation Gaudeamus, which promotes an avant-garde club night known as ...

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 03:29 PM | Comments (0)

International Street Cannibals meets modern theater & Boxing

On December 13th and 14th The International Street Cannibals team up with The Brooklyn Improv. Group as part of the Shortened Attention Span Concert series. This event will be held at The Players Theatre and will combine chamber music with modern plays. Composer include; Gene Pritsker, Franz Hackl, Dave Taylor, John Clark, Arthur Kampela, Dan Cooper performed by Dan Barrett, Mychio Suzuki, Michael Gouros, Jenny Lin and others.

Then on December 15th The Cannibals take the over world famous Gleason’s Gym again preset ‘Strike”. Mixing chamber music with live boxing.

Thursday, Dec. 13th & Friday, Dec. 14th
8PM
The Players Theatre loft
115 Macdougal St.
$15

Saturday, Dec 15th
8PM
Gleason’s Gym
77 Front Street, Brooklyn
$15

Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)

From 23five:

Chop Shop : Oxide
23five has been working with the dynamic sound sculptor and noise technician Scott Konzelmann aka Chop Shop to produce and publish his first full length CD of smoldering sonic power.

Brendan Murray : Commonwealth
This young if perenially active composer from Boston has offered 23five a single minded, long form composition of sinewy tonalities, paralleling that of Charlemagne Palestine and Phill Niblock.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Thirsty Ear:

Coming Soon

Free Form Funky Frēqs : Urban Mythology Volume 1

Get ready for the frēq-y power trio from the future, melding the talents of Vernon Reid on guitar, Jamaaladeen Tacuma on bass and G. Calvin Weston on drums. This extraordinary meeting of the minds and souls break new ground in the definition of the timeless trio sound using the best elements of improvisation, modern DSP, and good old-fashioned funk. Groups are often touted as having “natural chemistry”, but few if any would attempt a recording like this putting those often used words to the test. Despite their long personal association, Reid, Tacuma and Weston had never before played together.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

A small but growing group of musicians are the vanguard of new music in China.

Growing out of rock and electronic music, and operating outside the state-supported classical sphere, the experimental scene in China has existed for barely a decade. Its hub is Beijing, with the electronic performers Wang Fan (王凡), Sulumi (蘇大威), Yan Jun (顏峻) and FM3; Sun Wei (孫偉), who creates sound collages under the name 718; and Dou Wei (竇唯), one of China’s biggest rock stars, whose solo career includes numerous spacey, dreamlike albums that incorporate traditional instrumentation.

Shanghai has one of the most extreme noise groups, Torturing Nurse, which sometimes performs with a female member in a nurse’s uniform. Huanqing, from Sichuan Province, makes field recordings from the hinterlands of China and manipulates them with electronics.

Though Western styles have influenced them, the Chinese musicians have for the most part developed in isolation, and their work is flush with the excitement of creating a new kind of music with no previous national model.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

Spellbound radio 11/18/07 hr 1
Spellbound radio 11/18/07 hr 1 - Purple Note Radio Network - Spellbound, music for theremin
From Podcast: Spellbound, a brief program of music for theremin.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

Spellbound radio 11/18/07 hr 2
Spellbound radio 11/18/07 hr 2 - Purple Note Radio Network - Spellbound, music for theremin
From Podcast: Spellbound, a brief program of music for theremin.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from wordsandmusic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

Thus spake my late grandmother, pronouncing the faith in three syllables in her inimitable way, while discussing the latest revelation by her Missouri Synod Lutheran pastor about the doctrines of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. So their apostasy and heresy are scarcely newsworthy. It must have pained her to hear that I was Wiccan, though she must have taken the matter up with God, as she never did with me. So I can well imagine her fretting in heaven over HerChurch.org, a San Francisco ELCA church which cross-dresses God.

Now I of all people should have no problem in seeing God as feminine. And indeed, I have no problem, as long as the God you're discussing is a goddess as opposed to the God of the Bible. The problem is that if you "re-imagine" God, you have to throw out the images in God's Word, and thus the Word itself. Without that as an anchor, you're making it up as you go along. I don't even have a problem with that; everyone has the right to go to Hell in their own fashion. But it isn't Christianity, let alone Lutheran, and I do have a problem with calling a thing what it's not. If there's anything that Lutheranism has historically been about, it's the primacy of the Bible. The primacy of pudenda seems like a comedown to me.

A feminine deity takes you different places than a male deity. Even if gender is a social construct, a society still holds that construct, and is not easily moved from it. And they will apply that construct to a gendered God, no matter which gender. "We also create an idol when we worship only a masculine deity, breaking the commandment against idolatry," the site supposedly says (I couldn't find it, but it's cited here.) As one who spent many years worshiping mated pairs of deities, it's pretty obvious that if a male deity is an idol, then so is a female deity, so the Ebenezer-ites are breaking the First Commandment twice, and demonstrating rank hypocrisy in doing so. Even Judaism, which has such a cootie about graven images that they're even loath to write out in full the class of being that YHVH is ("G-d"), considers "G-d" to be male. And one of the big ideas of Christianity (and probably the one most offensive to Jews) is that God has a face and a name...and both are male. If Jesus is an idol, He's the joint artwork of Mary and the Holy Spirit. And if a Person of the Trinity is breaking the Commandments, well, the game is over.

Pope Paul VI caught a lot of flack for saying that women couldn't be priests because they did not have "a natural resemblance to Jesus." Some early feminist theologian (IIRC it was Naomi Goldenberg in Changing of the Gods) noted that this was actually very astute, because people model their images of God from those who serve God, and that a female priest(ess)hood would lead to a female vision of deity. So it's not a surprise that Pastor Boom's first name is Stacy. And the graven image of a woman is at the center of HerChurch's rosary beads (!). I'm sure that Dr. Luther is doing a happy dance right now --NOT! I remember some End Times novel from the 60s with a church very much like Ebenezer Lutheran. Clearly, the gift of prophecy is not dead.

Originally from The Quick and the dead, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:28 AM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by ACD from Sounds & Fury, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:28 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

Philip and the Inquisitor, Act 3.

I was present at the November 18th premiere performance at the Royal Danish Opera of Kasper Bech Holten´s new production of Don Carlos, in the Italian 4-act version.
And let me conclude straight away: It was a magnificent performance in almost every way - in particular the musical accomplishments were major. Led by conductor Michael Schönwandt, the orchestra simply played brilliant throughout, with subtle shifts in dynamics, brilliant balancing between woodwinds and brass and with almost perfect precision. I have rarely heard better orchestral playing at this house (or anywhere else for that matter) in my more than 20 years as a more or less regular guest here.

Apart from Michael Schönwandt, the evening belonged to Stephen Milling. He is simply one of the two best singers in the world in this part today, at least in my opinion (here is the other): Rock solid singing over the entire register combined with a completely convincing stage presence. Brilliant for once to have a Philip, that doesn´t look and sing like he is in the process of applying for a retirement home vacancy! One of the down-sides of such a strong casting as Philip is that the scene between Philip and the Inquisitor usually doesn´t work dramatically: I remember seeing René Pape vs. Kwangchoul Youn in Berlin earlier this year, which was wholly unconvincing since Pape completely dominated the scene - physically as well as vocally. With the casting of Sten Byriel as the Inquisitor this pitfall is cleverly avoided, since he obviously dominates by cunning (he is an excellent sneaky actor) and not by trying to physically dominate or vocally overpower Stephen Milling (which would have been a completely impossible task, had he tried). Very cleverly seen, the Inquisitor sang the part of the Monk as well, since this is not a production where Karl V´s ghost appears anyway...
Irene Théorin was Elisabeth, and although she convinced in the last act, her voice seems to have moved more in the direction of the Brünnhilde and Isolde´s she is singing everywhere now, and has lost some of the lyric glow which Elisabeth´s part would optimally have. Nikolai Schukoff doesn´t exactly convince with his physical presence (he looks like a wimpy teenage boy) which actually does makes Stephen Milling (who is not much more than 40) look like his father. While he started out well, he seemed to sing himself down in the 3rd act. On the other hand, Tommi Hakala is a brilliant Posa - convincing acting and perfect as Carlos´ and Filip´s opportunistic friend. It is not his fault, that Verdi decided to shoot him 5 minutes (and one aria) before he actually dies, during which time he was hanging around Carlos´neck looking quite stupid.. I wouldn´t be surprised if he is to get a major international career.

Auto-da-fé

Kasper Bech Holten and the production team obviously studied the libretto in depth leading to a very detailed and convincing analysis of the characters and their internal relations:

The production takes place in the near future in a totalitarian state, the main theme being the conflict between state and religion. Philip is the main character: Inherently insecure, he pushes his son and wife away from him, while he ultimately has to bow to the Inquisitor. And he is dominated by his ancestor Karl V, whose pictures dominate the sets. He receives the applause of the people in true Pol Pot fashion in the Auto-da-fé scene, watching bomber planes at work on a screen. Don Carlos is fixed on Elisabeth, more as a protest against his father than caused by sincere love. And he is fittingly recaptured by the Inquisition at the end of the opera (after saying goodbye to Elisabeth in the airport) and forced to continue to live in his fathers totalitarian regime. Posa is obviously an intellectual (complete with wrinkled clothes and glasses) who opportunistically tries his luck with both Philip and Carlos before eventually succumbing to the Inquisition, while Eboli acts as Philips Minister of Information.

'The sets (by Steffen Aarfing) look like a mixture between military camps in Cambodia, Egypt and the Barbican Center (from the outside)...and as such are dominated by concrete moving walls and dusty colors - not pretty, but then it´s probably not pretty to live in a totalitarian state either. Kasper Bech Holten is a very thorough stage director - nobody just hangs around on stage doing nothing, and the dramatic relations between the main characters largely work out well - best in the case of Philip, less well for Eboli, whose characterization I found more difficult to understand (good performance by Randi Stene, though). As a minor irritation, Philip´s cello playing just before "Ella giammai m´amo" seemed like a cliché showing of his sensitive soul, especially since Stephen Milling did not play the cello himself..

Musically, this is a major achievement for the company and it is a pleasure to watch a production with such a detailed analysis of the main characters motivations. And I always enjoy productions emphasizing present-day/political conflict. Especially when Stephen Milling is singing. And Michael Schönwandt is conducting.

The days where Copenhagen´s Royal Opera was a provincial second-rate company are definitely over. The Nibelungen Ring shown here last year was musically clearly superior to the ones I have seen earlier this year in both Berlin and London. My guess is that the Royal Opera in London is going to have difficulty matching this production in terms of sheer musical quality, when their Don Carlos opens later this season...

Posa´s death scene. All pictures from: http://www.kglteater.dk/

Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:26 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:25 AM | Comments (0)

Claude Debussy, Images inédites, Estampes, and various works, Alain Planès (August 7, 2007)

Claude Debussy, Suite Bergamasque, Deux Arabesques, Children's Corner, Images, Alain Planès (May 9, 2006)

French pianist Alain Planès has come to the end of his project to record the complete works of Claude Debussy for solo piano, with the 2-CD set released last spring and last year's disc combining the Suite Bergamasque, Deux Arabesques, Children's Corner, and Images. When Planès comes to the Washington area next month, to play a recital on the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences series, it will be hard to know what to hope for more, that he plays Debussy or Scarlatti sonatas (and we at Ionarts love our Scarlatti sonatas). Just as he made such an impression by playing Scarlatti on a fortepiano, Planès made his 2006 Debussy installment on a historical instrument, a piano built by Julius Blüthner in Leipzig in 1902. (I know their pianos because I grew up not far from the company's U.S. headquarters in Michigan.)

This is yet another facet of the polychromatic style of Planès, who was formerly the pianist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain and remains a noted interpreter of 20th-century music. He is also known for his interdisciplinary work, combining music with his other passionate interests, poetry and painting. That mindset, ears on the music and eyes on poetry and art, may be the best possible background from which to approach Debussy, a singularly visual composer ("I like pictures almost as much as music," he supposedly said) who was obsessed with the best poetry of his day. The listener may occasionally long for a broader color chart than the Blüthner instrument can produce, but there is an almost toy-like quality that is perfect for Children's Corner (although in the 21st century, it is hard to see anything about Golliwog's Cakewalk as child's play). Fast, light passages work extremely well, as in the triplet figures of the second arabesque or the light-hearted passepied of the Suite Bergamasque. There is plenty of colorful characterization, especially in Children's Corner and Images, and the instrument is a fascinating aural perspective on what sound Debussy may have heard in his mind and from his own piano.

Alain Planès, Debussy: Préludes Études, Masques, L'Isle Joyeuse

For his final volume, Planès has returned to the modern piano, a Steinway. The instrument's technological advantages allow for a grander palette of scope and touch, most welcome because this 2-CD set brings together the last two remaining major sets for solo piano. The suite Pour le piano is perhaps not as technically flawless as one might hope, but the textures achieved by voicing and pedaling are widely varied and there is a shimmering quality that is pleasing. The exoticist Estampes is one of my least favorite of the Debussy sets, but Planès makes convincing work of the faux chinoiserie and Spanishisms, aiming for color effects more than anything weightier.

The rest of the set is an assortment of oddities, including some works transcribed for solo piano by the composer or others. Planès has mined these curiosities for as many hues and surprises as possible. Some of these small pieces are forgettable juvenilia, which Debussy himself repudiated as too derivative of his Romantic predecessors. Others are noteworthy because of the odd circumstances of their composition, like Les Soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon (Evenings illuminated by the warmth of coal), offered by Debussy to his coal supplier in payment of outstanding debts.

Harmonia Mundi HMC 901947.48 / HMC 901893

Alain Planès will play a recital on the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences series next month (December 9, 4 pm), at Bethesda's Congregation Beth-El.

UPDATE:
For his recital at An die Musik LIVE! in Baltimore (December 8, 8 pm), Planes will play the following program: Haydn, Sonata No. 31 in A-flat; Schubert, Sonata in A Major; Debussy, Estampes; Janáček, Sur un sentier herbeux.

Originally from ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:22 AM | Comments (0)

• Via Boing Boing, an Italian eccentric who goes by the name of Falco (his real name is Oberto Airaudi) has realized a childhood vision underneath his house in northern Italy. With friends who believed in his mystical artistry the 57-year-old former insurance broker excavated 300,000 cubic feet of rock underground, calling it the Temples of Damanhur. The pictures (like that shown at right) are not to be believed, chamber after chamber of stained glass, mosaic, and painting. Calling the American Visionary Art Museum! [Daily Mail]


• My parents are readers, they made me into a reader, and my kids are readers. Not everyone is so lucky, according to a new and disturbing report from the National Endowment for the Arts. [New York Times]


• Via Nico Muhly, Pope Benedict XVI has already made the first move toward returning the Roman Catholic Church to its liturgical roots by making it easier to celebrate the Mass in Latin. He is now putting the hammer down on the Vatican choral system. The new choir director, Fr. Pierre Paul, has put Gregorian chant first on the list for the Vatican choir to sing. The Sistine Chapel choir may soon have a new director, too. Gone is the recent tradition of rotating, visiting choirs singing whatever they want in St. Peter's. What begins with the Vatican may soon extend to the church universal, as the Pope is reportedly in favor of creating a new position in the curia for "church music watchdog." You may begin burning your copies of Glory and Praise in the streets now! [The Telegraph]


• Thomas Adès gave a recital in New York this week, including some of his pieces (that I heard Louis Lortie play last year). He will be in our area this spring, conducting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in a program that includes his own violin concerto. Mark your calendars. [New York Times]


• Magdalena Kožená has a new CD of Handel arias out (review forthcoming), with Andrea Marcon and his Venice Baroque Orchestra. Martine Mergeay heard the group live with Kožená at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. [La Libre Belgique]


• What will Anne Midgette's tenure as interim classical music critic at the Washington Post be like? Apprentice singers can expect a warm-hearted but direct and critical assessment judging by her recent review of an opera production at Juilliard. So far, so good. [New York Times]


• A favorite writer on music, Philippe Beaussant, has been elected to the Académie Française, taking the seat of Jean-François Deniau. [Le Figaro]

Originally from ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:22 AM | Comments (0)

William Bolcom, Complete Works for Cello, N. Fischer, J. Kierman, A. Moore (8.559348, released October 30, 2007)

When reviewing new music it is always helpful to know the composer's other works as much as possible. Trying to get a handle on William Bolcom's music has included recent reviews of his opera A View from the Bridge and his song cycle Songs of Innocence and of Experience. This new recording of Bolcom's compositions for cello contains several delights and opens several windows on the composer's personality and style. Capriccio has very dissonant sounds alongside a zippy Brazilian Gingando, complete with a 3-3-2 rhythm section in the last movement. The first cello suite, a somber and biting work for the unaccompanied instrument, is drawn from music Bolcom originally composed for Arthur Miller's 1995 play Broken Glass (add the subtitle to the suite now). Recorded by a team now associated with the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University -- two faculty members and one recent alumna -- the performances are strong and have benefited from personal contact with the composer. According to the note by cellist Norman Fischer, the performing editions heard here are based on annotations directly from the composer, changes that will likely be incorporated into revised editions of the scores.

Bartók, Duke Bluebeard's Castle, Bournemouth SO, M. Alsop (8.660928, released November 20, 2007)

We have lavished much praise on Bartók's opera A Kékszakállú Herceg Vára, from the staged version at Washington National Opera last season to a 2005 concert version and many others. It is an essential opera of the 20th century, historically speaking, and even more essential because it is dramatically compelling and, to these ears, musically gorgeous, not at all the kind of dissonance one might expect from the name of Bartók. In terms of my favorite version, Éva Marton and Samuel Ramey (CBS Masterworks) outpaces Jessye Norman (DG), both of which suffer from having one of the singers not working in Hungarian as a native language. (The Kertész recording from Decca Legends, while fine, has neither role sung by a Hungarian.) That is far from the only criterion, of course, but Hungarian singers, as well as Hungarian orchestras and Hungarian conductors, tend to have an edge in this work, having generally been introduced it in the womb.

Add to the host of other versions, many of them no longer widely available, this generally good recording from Marin Alsop's tenure in Bournemouth. The Hungarian Judith and Czech Bluebeard are not the best one could imagine for either role, but they are featured well against Alsop's amply proportioned orchestral fabric. The producer notes that the sound has been engineered to make the singers seem like they are progressing spatially through the seven doors, which strikes me as unnecessary for a concert recording. At Naxos rates ($9.98), this disc edges out the versions mentioned above, but only by a couple dollars since just about all of them can be found at reduced prices.

Brahms, Sy. 4 and Hungarian Dances, London PO, M. Alsop (8.570233, released September 25, 2007)

We have had the chance to hear Marin Alsop live conducting Brahms with the Baltimore Symphony: although I was baffled by her third symphony in 2005, things seem to have improved considerably, judging by Michael's favorable review of her fourth symphony. The time difference may help explain the improvement, since the BSO had, by the time of Michael's review, moved beyond its initial opposition to Alsop's tenure as Music Director. Alsop has claimed, in an interview with our own Jens Laurson, that she is known in Europe more for her Brahms and Dvořák than her work championing contemporary composers. It is obviously better to judge Alsop's Brahms in Baltimore now, when she has buried the hatchet with the players. This recording, which concludes a complete cycle of the Brahms symphonies with the London Philharmonic (all in live concert settings), gives one a chance to appreciate Alsop's work with this most traditional composer in Europe. It is extremely hard to make a new recording of something like the Brahms symphonies that matters, and this fourth symphony does not stand out all that much. It is accompanied by something of greater interest, new arrangements of some of the Brahms Hungarian Dances by Peter Breiner, a Naxos commission. Conductors and concert programmers may want to have a listen to them for possible encore material.

Originally from ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from in the wings, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from Felsenmusick, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:21 AM | Comments (0)

Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 01:19 AM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by brian from brian sacawa | sounds like now, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 12:45 AM | Comments (0)

A curious detail in Julie Kavanagh's biography of Rudolf Nureyev: she relates how Mick Jagger, of the Rolling Stones, attempted to befriend the ballet superstar, whom he is said to have "hugely admired — possibly even desired." One night in Cannes, Jagger invited Nureyev to attend a recital by none other than Sviatoslav Richter. Nureyev had no interest in pop music and did not find Jagger interesting.

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 12:43 AM | Comments (0)

It's past two in the morning at Sidney Sussex College in Cambridge, and the Vexations marathon is going strong. The previous player seemed to be getting a little punchy toward the end of his run, but this one — I believe it's Paul Kilbey, president of the Music Society — exudes an eerie calm.

The scene around 5AM.

Early afternoon: a pale sun has risen over Cambridge, and Satie soldiers on. This appears to be Jamal Sutton. I, admittedly, slept.

2:28PM: Kilbey acknowledges the grateful applause of an invisible but not infinitesimal public. Alas, my connection went down during iteration #840, so I cannot comment on the interpretive choices that Kilbey made at the very end, but he had been tending toward a hard-edged neoclassical aesthetic. Congratulations to all!

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)

Critic/author Jody Rosen drew my attention to a Zogby/Lear Center survey of political beliefs and entertainment preferences among 3939 American adults. Down at the bottom you find this surprising result: "Although moderates are less enamored with it, classical music barely nudged ahead of rock as the most popular music genre overall." Almost 62% of respondents said they listen to it. In fact, the basic value of classical music seems to be one of the few things that people of all political stripes agree on. You wouldn't know this from watching the major TV networks or reading magazines such as Time and Newsweek. The question, of course, is what people mean by "listening." Do they go to concerts? Do they buy CDs? Put your money where your mouth is, America!

Previously: Dead or Alive, Twilight of the Gods, Classical Music as Pop Culture

Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 26, 2007 at 12:39 AM | Comments (0)

November 25, 2007

If

If you’re in the San Diego/Tijuana region, or if you happen to be at your computer at 6 pm PST, tune in to KSDS FM (88.3), our beloved jazz station, to hear yours truly and Ellen Weller interviewed about our forthcoming Unsilent Night performances.

I don’t know if this is a first for Unsilent Night worldwide, but we are entered as a participant in a holiday parade:  The North Park Toyland Parade, Sat. Dec. 8 at 11 am, marching down University Ave from Utah to 32nd St.  I set up a Facebook page called Unsilent Night San Diego with more details, plus photos from one of our performances last year. 

Our traditional (well, five years old anyway) stroll through the Gaslamp Quarter will take place on Sat. Dec. 15 at 7 pm, starting at the Gaslamp Quarter trolley stop.  If you want more information and don’t want to register with Facebook, send me an email at christianDOThertzogATgmailDOTcom.

Your town doesn’t have an Unsilent Night performance?  Go to Phil Kline’s site and learn how you can join the electronic caroling fun.

Originally posted by Christian from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

The Oracle Hysterical -- Satz: Feierlich
Visit http://elliotsfunnel.blogspot.com/ for the rest of the EP

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

The Oracle Hysterical -- The Fogbow
Avant hip hop from Houston, TX. Listen to the whole EP at http://elliotsfunnel.blogspot.com/2007/11/oracle-hysterical.html

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

02Satz_Scherzo.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)
Hip-hop rooted in the 20th century avant garde -- visit http://elliotsfunnel.blogspot.com/ to download the whole EP.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)

The Oracle Hysterical -- The Madness Fragments pt. 1
Avant-hop -- visit http://elliotsfunnel.blogspot.com/ to download the entire ep.

Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From ReR USA:

Angeli, Paolo: Tessuti
Biota: Half a True Day
Faust & Nurse With Wound: Disconnected
Goebbels & Harth: Hommage / Von Spengen Des Gartens
Maclean, Steve: Bridges
The Necks: Townsville
Sun Ra: Disco 3000

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Originally from PostClassic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

From AAJ:

25-Nov-07 Multiple Artists
Paul Rutherford: Two Discs, One Future Classic
Reviewed by John Eyles

25-Nov-07 Matt Rippetoe
BOINK (Self Published)
Reviewed by John Barron

24-Nov-07 Greg Burk
Ivy Trio (482 Music)
Reviewed by Nic Jones

24-Nov-07 Esbjorn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.)
Live in Hamburg (ACT Music)
Reviewed by John Kelman

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

From Free Jazz:

Terje Isungset - Two Moons
Tin/Bag - And Begin Again
Dave Douglas galore

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

The year-ending shows at Roulette:

Thursday, November 29th
Sawako Kato

Friday, November 30th
Jaques Bekaert

Sunday, December 1st
Children’s Concert: Flutterbox 2-3pm

Sunday, December 1st
Susie Ibarra Trio 8:30pm

Monday, December 2nd
Noa Guy 8:30pm

Saturday, December 8th
Kathleen Supové (Roulette TV Shoot) 8pm

Sunday, December 9th
Phoebe Legere (Roulette TV Shoot) 8pm

Thursday, December 13th
Gisburg 8:30pm

Friday, December 14th
Okkyung Lee 8:30pm

Saturday, December 15th
Margaret Leng-Tan (Roulette TV Shoot) 8pm

Sunday, December 16th
David Behrman (Roulette TV Shoot) 8pm

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

The No Idea Festival is featuring a bunch of strange music in Austin and San Antonio. Faun Fables and Daevid Allen will be playing in San Francisco on Wednesday. Roswell Rudd is interviewed about his recent comeback. Mark Feldamn plays Washington DC on Wednesday.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)

Keith has left a new comment on your post "Music and chance":

Another B composer, York Bowen. On Sunday 18th Nov, I got up early and went to the newly re-furbished Birmingham Town Hall complete with lighting gantry with perspex sound diffusers and a restored organ for a Sunday Morning Coffee Concert.

I heard the Trio Chausson, a French trio, performing Haydn, Brahms and a trio by York Bowen (left). The piano player in the trio, Boris De Larochelambert, had seen some of Bowen's music, and had researched and found the manuscript of the Piano Trio in E minor, Op118 in an archive in London. He has produced a performing score, and we heard it played during this morning concert.

I'm not musically trained, and what I heard that morning left a strong feeling of expressive music with a wide dynamic range, with the piano leading and the violin and cello floating above and often playing against each other. There were plenty of rhythmic changes, light and shade, but I can't recall any strong tunes as such - it was music about feeling, dark skies with streaks of sun, and not for whistling. I think it sounded 20th century - certainly not classical - but there was no trace of 12 tone or atonal sound, which chimes with the biography below.

Lyndon Jenkins did express surprise that such music remained unpublished and unrecorded - perhaps one for Naxos?

The concert formed part of the ECHO rising stars series, and I could get used to an hour and a quarter or so of music at 11 am on a Sunday. The main floor of the hall was about 60 to 70% full, so I am not alone. Alas, most of us were on the mature side of 40.

"Following his death in 1961, Bowen's music is now largely out of print, very few works appear in concert programmes and his chamber music is hardly played. However, there is a revival underway and thanks to recent recordings and Monica Watson's book "York Bowen - A Centenary Tribute" (1984), (Thames Publishing), listeners and performers are becoming aware of a wonderful musician and some truly extraordinary music."

Thanks Keith. There is a fine recording of York Bowens' Viola Concerto on Hyperion. The soloist is Lawrence Power, and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Martyn Brabbins, who featured here recently in Snape Skyscape. It is also worth noting that York Bowen makes it into the Gramophone Good Classical CD Guide, whereas Karlheinz Stockhausen doesn't!
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Originally from On An Overgrown Path, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

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sketch by Kushima

"FEEDBACK LOOP" by Stefan Kushima

under administration of Wolfgang Fadi Dorninger
Musicians: Ra]va[ge, Karin Steinbinder, Aka Tell, Mes

In the corridors (approx. 50m x 50m) of the Artuniversity in Linz/Austria, we installed 4 speakers (1 in each corner) as a loop.
Microphones was placed directly before the speakers, plucked in a small mixer with EQ, and directly into the next speaker in the corner on the opposite.
On each mixer stands one person witch plays with the volumes, EQ's, the distance from the microphone to the speaker and with the microphone itself. Every person heard mainly the work of the musician placed on the other speaker and the mix of all outputs. If one musician did a significant sound, or put the feedback into a other frequence it took a few seconds till the sound turned one round so that the person could hear it.
This short-circuit of the room enabled a very interesting interaction with a very simple equipment and a impressive, noisy output. 

Recorded by Wolfgang Dorninger with a Soundman OKM walking twisted through the corridor to get the binaural effect (26.6.2007).  The whole recording is about 23 minutes. This recording is the final 8 minutes. Enoy!

posted by bikemike on Jun 30, 2007 6:17 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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I am living in Freistädterstrasse, Linz, Austria. A transit street from/to the Mühlviertel into Linz and back.The guys from the city council who do city-planings did not make it less worse within the last years. No, the made it worser. Next to the transit street the gave permission for hudge supermakets, junk-food-restaurants, ....  Means heavy traffic, noise all day and bad air quality.

So soundproofing windows (-42db Actual) are the solution, but normally you open  windows to get the lively athmosphere of nature and fresh air into the appartment, not us. We hide behind. 

Get an idea how living is in front and behind a soundproofing windows at Freistädterstrasse in Linz, Austria. 

posted by bikemike on Jun 30, 2007 7:03 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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Dorninger aka BikeMike sailing on the NeusiedlerseeJuly 2007

On my 2007 holiday this July in Weiden am See on the Neusiedlersee in Austria I waked up early in the morning because of a strange sound in our hotel room.

I moved through the room and found some interesting noise in the bathroom. Our air condition did not run, but somewhere in a room up or next to ours an aircondition did his job.

I took my DAT and my soundman microphone to record this beautiful ambience which seams to modulate its pitch (maybe by the wind outside the room - the where great wind for sailing this day) and sometimes I here bells from the church which is not possible five in the morning.

posted by bikemike on Jul 30, 2007 6:26 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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"Delete" by Yukio Fujimoto Arsenale / Biennale in Venice, Italy 2007.

"Delete" is one of my favorite pieces at the Venice Biennale. Fujimotos's installation creates sound and deletes sound. I used one channel of my Soundman microphones to get very close to the ironbrush which creates an audiosignal while brushing/deleting soundinformations from a vinyl-record for example from The Beatles. The 2nd channel of the microphon records the ambience from the Arsenale.

Recorded with Soundman microphones at the 2007 Biennale in Venice by Wolfgang Dorninger.

posted by bikemike on Jul 30, 2007 6:02 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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Pic. by Galbriele Kling-Dorninger

These days I am on the road for a video-documentation "in the fields / Feldaufnahmen" (worktitle) onroute 1 which leads me from Linz, Austria via Pilsen (Czech) to Crottendorf in Saxony, Germany to do an interview with Marcus Obst.

Marcus showed us one of his fav.locations in his neighborhood called Pumpkraftwerk Markersbach. There is one big basin up the mountain and one lake (which was a valley before) with a dam on the foot of the mountain.

During the night they pump up the water into the basin on top and in the morning the let it rush down to the turbins to prudce electricity.

So I did an interview with Marcus at this technical place within a beautiful nature ressort. At the end I walked up with my Soundman OKM from the lake to the pumphouse. 200 meters.

You get the waterflushing into the lake then the wires singing ..... grasshoppers ....

 Enjoy the recording!

Next stop is/was Leipzig to do an interview with Patrick Franke at the  Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig.

posted by bikemike on Aug 4, 2007 11:01 AM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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I did this recording on the 10th of August with the Soundman OKM II in front of the "Herkules" in Kassel, Germany. The "Herkules" was covered in plastic because of construction work, the wheater was bad, little water in the basins and the fountains switched off.

I had three soundsources: a worker who used a drill, a marginal waterfall and some people making noise.

I found a position where I could change the phase moving my head. So I played with the acoustic situation up on the platform on the feet of the "Herkules".

posted by bikemike on Aug 14, 2007 12:52 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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Construction work in Amsterdam

This recording was done on September 6th early in the morning around 9:15 when i walked from my hotel near Vondelpark to Mediamatic near Centraal Station in Amsterdam.

A hudge cran drilled metal plates into the ground to renew the wall of the Gracht.

Recorded with OKM Soundman Mk. II - at the beginning as quite as usual in amsterdam, the same at the end of the recording. Play it loud!

posted by bikemike on Sep 11, 2007 12:09 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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Sitting under the pillows of a building in classicist style (I don't know the name) in front of a "Mohnfeld" (poppy seed field) next to the Friderikanum in Kassel Gabriele (my wife) and I made a rest. Walking through the Documenta is exhausting :)

On the recording done below the pillows you can hear people passing by discussing the art presented on Documenta XII. On the edges of the park you hear cars and busses and then the 6 o'clock evening bells of three different churches. Two of them loud, one silent from far away.

Something on Documenta XII: few sound-installations, no field recordings but lots of text.

posted by bikemike on Aug 14, 2007 1:21 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

1* The name BikeMike?
I love to ride bicycles, I like to record concrete acoustic situationes with microphones. Sometimes i do both at the same time, not that often because than I have to ride slowly.

2* What are the sources?
I am mainly interested on the crossing between technology and human. My main interest is how city plannings change the way of life in a city. So BikeMike has not that much to do with recordings from nature.

3* What is your ambition?
Just to document how people live and how technolgy changes the flow of a community. For example how a highway divides urban space in two seperate living spaces or how people in South America occupy public space.

4* field recordings and soundart?
Some of my music-compositions or sound-installtions base on recordings done with microphones like "Asten" or "fadi@vilnius.lt".

5* what microphones do you use?
AKG 414 Mk.II or Soundman OKM Mk.II

6* Why is your English bumpy?
I am from Austria, my mother-language is German. Sometimes my English is betetr sometimes worser, depends on the day :)

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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Amsterdam: 6th of September 2007 between 9:20 and 9:40

Walking from my Hotel near Vondelpark to Mediamatic near Centraal Station.

This is part two, recorded with a Soundman OKm Mk. II. You can hear me saying where I am. Why did I make this recording? Its easy: Amsterdam is diffrent, less cars, many, many bicycles, in the center just little noise, except they do construction work. You can hear it at the beginning of this walk in Part II.

Enjoy Amsterdam!  

posted by bikemike on Sep 12, 2007 6:48 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

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biggest bike-stand I've senn in my life - Amsterdam next Centraal Station

Amsterdam: 6th of September 2007 between 8:50 and 9:20

Walking from my Hotel near Vondelpark to Mediamatic near Centraal Station.

This is part one, recorded with a Soundman OKm Mk. II. You can hear me saying where I am. Why did I make this recording? Its easy: Amsterdam is different, less cars, many, many bicycles, in the center just little noise, except they do construction work. 

Enjoy Amsterdam! 

posted by bikemike on Sep 12, 2007 7:09 PM

Originally posted by bikemike from bikemike.blogr.com - Blog (RSS 2.0), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 08:25 AM | Comments (0)

Originally posted by PSO Blog Moderators from Inside Perspective, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 25, 2007 at 01:07 AM | Comments (0)

November 24, 2007

The new Pope with the Prada slippers whose name nobody can remember, and who is, by the way, German, is apparently banning modern music in the Vatican.  Seems he thinks that Pope Gregory pretty much nailed it and is backing his chief enforcer–Mgr Valentin Miserachs Grau, director of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, which trains church musicians, says that there had been serious “deviations” in the performance of sacred music.

“How far we are from the true spirit of sacred music. How can we stand it that such a wave of inconsistent, arrogant and ridiculous profanities have so easily gained a stamp of approval in our celebrations?” he said.

He added that a pontifical office could correct the abuses, and would be “opportune”. He said: “Due to general ignorance, especially in sectors of the clergy, there exists music which is devoid of sanctity, true art and universality.” 

The Pope is also considering having the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted to remove any hint of perspective.

Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 24, 2007 at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

Sharp and team play the Iridium in New York.

On Nov. 28 The Iridium Jazz Club is pleased to present Elliot Sharp’s Terraplane (Elliott Sharp - guitar, steel guitar, saxophones; Curtis Fowlkes - trombone; David Hofstra - bass; Tony Lewis - drums) with special guest vocalists:Eric Mingus and Tracie Morris.

There is hardly another artist who is active in so many areas of music than ELLIOTT SHARP. He has written works for orchestras and string quartets, which have been performed by the Kronos Quartet and the Soldier String Quartet; with his Band Carbon he redefined the Jazzcore; together with Ned Rothenberg and Samm Bennett he formed the avant-garde Trio, Semantics; he has improvised with John Zorn, Zeena Parkins, Christian Marclay, Marc Ribot, Joey Baron, DJ Soulslinger and many others; with his Tectonics project he brought the triumphs of Techno and Drum ‘n’ Bass together with experiences in free improvisation; he has celebrated pure rock power with such bands as the Boodlers, Bootstrappers or most recently Raw Meat; formed the guitar trio, Guitar Oblique, with Vernon Reid and David Torn; and his State Of The Union compilations he regularly takes stock of the New York scene - just to name a few of his activities. In addition to all of these innovative bands and projects Sharp also occasionally returns to the traditional. His folk-rock band, Mofungo, is legendary. With his band TERRAPLANE he has been piloting the abyss of the Blues for some years now.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 24, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

Bassist Joëlle Léandre is profiled in anticipation of her upcoming performances in Israel.

Born in Aix-en-Provence, 56-year-old French double bass player, improviser and composer Joëlle Léandre is one of the dominant figures of the new European music.

The term “new music” refers to pieces written, imagined or recorded, or improvised from the beginning of the 20th century ’til the present. Rather than being a popular melody that one can sing, new music is more likely to be fragments of melodies (as in the 12-tone method used by Schoenberg) or less identifiable than that - and therefore meant to involve one’s imagination. Unfortunately, due to its often inaccessible nature there are times when new music could be called “door music”, as in music that makes you run to the door.

Judging by her popularity, Léandre’s music is not door music. Since 1981, she has more than a 100 recordings to her credit. Trained in orchestral as well as contemporary music, she has played with Itinéraire, 2e2m and Pierre Boulez’s Ensemble InterContemporain. Léandre has also worked with Merce Cunningham of modern dance fame and with John Cage, who has composed especially for her.

Originally posted by Mike from Avant Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Nov 24, 2007 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)

A preview of this upcoming show is available.

They have recorded eight albums and acquired a cornucopia of skills, which include making their own musical instruments, tap-dancing and doing aerial choreography. Call them transgressors, anarchists or just plain crazy and they will thank you for the compliment.

“We’re all about growing in unexpected directions,” says Kohl. “What keeps us going is not doing the same thing over and over and having to learn new things with every show.”

Such is the case with “Cuckoo Crow,” the DAE’s latest project. The show, receiving its L.A. premiere at REDCAT, also stays true to the group’s ethos of defying simple categorization.

Created for six performers, the hour-length work features live music with specially designed musical instruments such as the panthrastic harp zither, Butoh-inspired choreography, hyper-physical theater involving aerial maneuvers, elaborate bird costumes, video animation by collaborator Stefan Gruber and a bicycle-powered ice cream truck. These elements coalesce into one surreal spectacle after the next, telling a nonlinear tale about two pugnacious cuckoos that want to be surgeons but have day jobs as ice cream vendors. The piece brims with darkly comic musings on the dog-eat-dog nature of society.