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March 31, 2008
Elliott Carter World Premiere - Celebrating His Centennial - Juilliard String Quartet and Charles Neidich - 29 April 2008
The famed Juilliard String Quartet – Joel Smirnoff and Ronald Copes, violins; Samuel Rhodes, viola; and Joel Krosnick, cello – will perform the world premiere of Elliott Carter’s new Quintet for Clarinet and Strings with Charles Neidich, clarinetist, Tuesday, April 29, 2008, 8 p.m., at The Juilliard School’s Peter Jay Sharp Theater. The work is dedicated to the Juilliard Quartet and Mr. Neidich. This event, part of Juilliard’s 2007-08 Daniel Saidenberg Faculty Recital Series, celebrates Carter’s centenary. Mr. Carter will be present at the event.
The evening will follow the unusual format of an open rehearsal, panel discussion moderated by Juilliard Dean Ara Guzelimian, and two performances of the complete work, separated by an intermission. The Quartet feels that repeated listening is beneficial in understanding a new work, particularly in the case of a complex piece such as this new quintet. This will, in effect, be a “guided tour” through the new work, and the process of composing and performing it. Members of the Quartet commented that “this is the same process that the Schuppanzigh Quartet would have gone through with Beethoven.”
Tickets are free, available beginning April 15 at the Juilliard Box Office, located at 60 Lincoln Center Plaza. Box Office hours are Monday through Friday from 11 AM - 6 PM. The Juilliard Box Office is accessible by elevator, escalator, or stairs located on W. 65th Street near Amsterdam Avenue. For further information, call the Juilliard Box Office at (212) 769-7406 or visit the Web site at www.juilliard.edu.
The members of the Quartet expressed their joy in performing the music of a living composer, and the necessity of being flexible in one’s interpretation. “We must have just the right sound,” Joel Krosnick explained. “What the composer says changes the way you think, even when the printed notes are clear. One cannot be ‘stuck’ with what is on the page.”
The Juilliard String Quartet has been devoted to the music of Elliott Carter for half a century, beginning with performances of his String Quartet No. 2 in 1958. The Quartet recorded the first four of Carter’s quartets under his direction.
Elliott Carter said of the JSQ’s performances of his quartets, “These quartets received the Pulitzer Prize on two occasions, all due to the efforts of the Juilliard Quartet and their beautiful performances of my music.”
About the new work, Mr. Carter commented, “The Clarinet Quintet was written with the wonderful performers and the warm friendship of the Juilliard Quartet and the outstanding clarinetist Charles Neidich in mind. In it, the clarinet follows its own musical character in contrast to that of the quartet. There are five interlocking movements with no pauses. Having written a Clarinet Concerto and five string quartets, work on this was particularly attractive. The piece was finished October 7, 2007 in New York City.”
The Juilliard Quartet stated “The magnificence of Mr. Carter’s visions, as expressed in his great chamber works, is combined with his modest demeanor and an intense desire to help us in every possible way. He is a towering figure in the music of this time, and a very gentle and sincere man.”
Charles Neidich discussed the origin of the new work. “It was at a dinner last spring when Elliott Carter told me that he would be interested in writing a quintet for string quartet and clarinet for me. For a long time, I was hoping for a work from Carter that clarinetists could add to the great quintets of Mozart and Beethoven. The piece was eventually commissioned by The Juilliard School.
“With the project officially sanctioned, we had only to wait for Carter to compose the work, which he did with his usual passion and fervent speed. Within a few months, I found a copy of the manuscript in my mailbox. As with everything that Carter writes, it is very different from any other quintet in the clarinet repertoire, and, like much of Carter, it is a union of opposites. It begins with the clarinet moving at a furious pace and the strings virtually still, and ends with the strings playing very virtuosic music while the clarinet plays an incredibly long, beautiful slow line. I am looking forward to this premiere as one of the most exciting and meaningful performances of my life.”
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
Anderson House 2008 Spring Piano Concert Series Presents Washington DC Performance of Lullaby of War by Haskell Small on April 5
The Washington International Piano Arts Council will present the second Washington, D.C. performance of composer Haskell Small’s Lullaby of War on Saturday, April 5, 2008 - 1:30 PM at The Anderson House, 2118 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. in Washington, D.C.
The performance, part of The Anderson House 2008 Spring Piano Concert Series, will be given by the composer on piano and narrator/Embassy Series Director Jerome Barry. Mr. Small will also perform Sonata in G Major, D. 894 by Franz Schubert.
The composer has written of the new work, “Lullaby of War is a setting of 6 war poems for piano and narrator. Its tone (the music and texts) is sardonic, with 2 seemingly opposite meanings implied. First, that we are still lulled into war despite the supposed development of “humanity”- this is definitively a piece against war. And second, the piece offers solace- a lullaby- in the form of the prayer sections that open the piece and interconnect the texts.”
This concert is free and open to the public. For more about this concert, please visit Washington International Piano Arts Council at http://www.wipac.org/.
For more information about Haskell Small, visit him at his website – http://www.jamesarts.com/h-small/.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
The HiFi New Music Festival Presents Its Debut Season Featuring New York Based Ensembles, Composers, and Performers, April 5-19, 2008
The HiFi New Music Festival presents two weeks of concerts during April 2008, featuring fourteen of New York’s most adventurous new music ensembles. These musicians are part of a resurgence of interest in contemporary classical music that is taking place across the United States, and, in particular, in New York City.
HiFi aims to bring more visibility to independent ensembles that resist the conservative tendencies of traditional classical music without compromising that which makes classical music a serious art form. The Festival seeks to encourage an organic growth of meaningful cultural identities and networks within this art form.
The line-up of ensembles includes ICE, Amp, Riot, Wet Ink, Grenzenlos, The Kenners, Nex(t)works, JACK Quartet, Pamplemousse, audioVision2, Mantra Percussion, Fireworks Ensemble, Red Light New Music, and Samson Young + Matrix Music Collaborators. Concerts will be hosted in Manhattan and Brooklyn venues such as The Tank, Monkeytown, Death by Audio, Chelsea Art Museum, and the Hungarian Cultural Center.
The HiFi Festival is made possible this year, in part, by a generous donation from the Harry and Alice Eiler Foundation, Inc.
For more details, addresses, ticket information, and links, visit:
http://www.hifimusicfestival.org
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OPENING PERFORMANCE AT THE CHELSEA ART MUSEUM
Saturday, 5 April 2008
2pm - Nex(t)works
“Dialogics II: Introductions and Improvisations”
Works by Joan La Barbara, Alvin Curran, and Miguel Frasconi.
–
MINI-SERIES AT THE TANK
Thursday, 10 April 2008
7pm - Wet Ink
Friday, 11 April 2008
7pm - Ensemble Pamplemouse
“Pure and Adulterated Tones”
Works by Natacha Diels, Rama Gottfried, and Andrew Greenwald.
Saturday, 12 April 2008
7pm - Amp
“Solos and Duos”
Works by Reiko Fueting, Alex Mincek, Adam Mirza, Salvatore Sciarrino, and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
9pm - JACK Quartet
“JACK in the Dark!”
Georg Friedrich Haas - String Quartet No. 3 “In iij Noct.” (2003)
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MINI-SERIES AT MONKEYTOWN
Monday, 14 April 2008
8pm - Samson Young and Matrix Music Collaborators
“Teletubbies, Music and Silent Film: intensely poetic multimedia from Hong Kong”
Music of Samson Young.
Tuesday, 15 April 2008
8pm - Monkey Solo!
Solo Performances by Jennifer Choi, Eliot Gattegno, Adam Mirza, and John Popham.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
8pm - audioVision2
Audio-visual performances by Seth Cluett, Dan Iglesia, Scott Nyerges, Sam Pluta,
Jeff Snyder, Jack Turner, Mike Vernusky.
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TRIPLE FEATURE AT DEATH BY AUDIO
Friday, 18 April 2008
8pm - Grenzenlos, ICE, and Mantra Percussion
Works by Lukas Ligeti, Steve Reich, Giacinto Scelsi, and Isang Yun.
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MINI-SERIES AT THE HUNGARIAN CULTURAL CENTER
Saturday, 19 April 08
3:30pm - Riot
Premieres by Richard Belcastro, Rama Gottfried, William Schimmel, and Samson Young.
4:30pm - Fireworks Ensemble
Works by John Mayrose and Philip Glass.
5pm - Refractions: Contemporary Composition into the 21st Century
Performance and Discussion of Helmut Lachenmann’s Pression
Lecture by Brian Kane and performance by Jason Calloway.
6pm - The Kenners
Works by Daniel Blake, Jason Eckardt, and Charles Wuorinen.
6:45pm - JACK Quartet
Works by Peter Eotvos and John Zorn.
8:30pm - Red Light New Music
Premieres by Chris Cerrone, Evan Johnson, Vincent Raikhel, Liam Robinson, and Scott Wollschleger.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
703 Noise Free Electric Band @ Strangeland Records
Free open electronic improv. Friday the 13th, July, 2007.
Courtesy of Davis White.
Originally from District of Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
Yamada flourishes in Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra's 'Japanese Garden'
Matt Steel, Michigan Live, 3/31/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:15 PM | Comments (0)
Singers, Tucson Symphony Orchestra find magic of 'Rings'
Cathalena E. Burch, Arizona Daily Star, 3/31/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
Metropolitan Opera Honors Zeffirelli
Verena Dobnik, Associated Press, 3/31/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)
Marian McPartland - Twilight World
Concord Pianist Marian McPartland has been an understated but indispensable member of the jazz community for much of her 70+ years career. A nonagenarian at the time of this new albums release (her 21st for Concord!), her abilities at...Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)
Rainy Sunday
Surprise! Rain in LA. Sunny weather was scheduled but the pacific ocean changed its mind.
Today is the last day of getting everything ready for our first complete rehearsal tomorrow night of HOMER IN CYBERSPACE. I have to print out 35 copies of the music and have it put in 3-ring binders. Then I have to burn 35 data CDs that will contain mp3s of the accompaniment to all the music of the show. This will all, of course, be subject to trimming and expanding as we go along.
I still have one new duet to write and another where we have added another singer.
I’m a bit grouchy that I can’t join Daniel to go up and see all the California poppies in bloom today, or hear Movses’ group play the Ligeti Horn Trio, or Antonio and Richard play at the museum. Someone popped into our home yesterday and peaked into seeing what I was doing. He was amazed at the musical technology. And as he left he said something like “Oh, it’s so glamorous being a composer.” I bolted out of my studio: “‘Boring’ might be a better description for days like today where you guys get to hang out and bound around LA doin’ stuff, and I’m stuck here, as I have for nine months having to work even on weekends.” I don’t think they heard me.
Still, I’m thrilled that today is my last day of obsession with getting HOMER finished, because it will be — it has to be!
Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Course in counterpoint
Here is the syllabus for a course in counterpoint at the undergraduate level that I will start on Monday. Students have studied modal and tonal counterpoint in their core music theory courses and is quickly reviewed here. We will explore the counterpoint of people speaking in a group, some percussion studies, and some modal explorations. A fast paced course with daily assignments: keep up or be left behind.
Music 104B––Counterpoint: Review and beyond
Prof Roger Bourland
Spring 2008; MW 9:00 - 10:50
Mancini Studio, Schoenberg Music Building
SYLLABUS
Week 1: Mar.29, 2008 - Monday
In class: Review of 1st and 2nd species counterpoint
Homework: 1st & 2nd species exercises Due: In class, 4/2
Apr.2 - Wednesday
In class: Performance/playback of exercises; 3rd and 4th species exx.
Homework: 3rd & 4th species counterpoint Due: In class 4/7
Week 2: Apr.7 - Monday
In class: playback of 3rd, 4th exx; 5th species counterpoint
Homework: 5th species Due: In class 4/14 (Monday)
Apr.9 - Wednesday
In class: Sketch 5 species counterpoint
Week 3: Apr.14 - Monday
In class: Playback of 5th species exx; Inventions
Homework: Compose an invention Due: Apr.23 (Wed)
Apr.16 - Wednesday
In class: Invention study and sketching
Week 4: Apr.21 - Monday
In class: Study of inventions; critiques of inventions in progress
Apr.23 - Wednesday
In class: Playback and critique of inventions
Week 5: Apr.28 - Monday
In class: Fugal expositions
Homework: Compose a fugal exposition Due: 5/5 (Mon)
Apr.30 - Wednesday
In class: Fugal expositions: study and sketching
Week 6: May 5 - Monday
In class: Playback of fugal expositions
May 7 - Wednesday
In class: Sketching 2 part rhythmic studies
Homework: 36 measure 2-part exercise for 2 claves Due: 5/12
Week 7: May 12 - Monday
In class: Playback of 2-part pieces; sketching 3-part rhythmic studies
Homework: 36 measure 3-part exercise for 3 non-pitched instruments Due: 5/14
May 14 - Wednesday
In class: Playback of 3-part pieces; Modes and rhythm
Homework: compose a freestyle 2-part contrapuntal exercise using modes (36 ms); Due: 5/19
Week 8: May 19 - Monday
In class: Playback of 2-part modal pieces; rhythmicizing text
Homework: Set the assigned text to a rhythm Due: 5/21
May 21 - Wednesday
In class: perform rhythmicized texts. Sketching 3 part text pcs
Homework: Compose a 3-part piece for 3 speaking voices using a supplied text
Due: 5/28
Week 9: May 26 - MEMORIAL DAY - NO CLASS
May 28 - Wednesday
In class: Performance of 3-part text pieces; plan final projects
Homework: FInal project; may be symphonic, electronic, pop, jazz, but it must incorporate most of the techniques we used this quarter
Due: 6/10
Week 10: June 2 - Monday
In class: critiques of final project in progress
June 4 - Wednesday
In class: critiques of final project in progress
Final exam(projects): Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 8:00 - 11:00 am
Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
End and begin
After working from 6 am to 11 pm I got HOMER IN CYBERSPACE copied, bound, finished, recorded, edited and ready to hand out to the cast and crew tonight. We will read through the whole thing from 7 to 11. What a thrill!
And I can’t tell you how good it feels to have it finished. It’s too good to be true. For the first time in 9 months I have time to do nothing if I so choose. However, since today is the first day of the spring term at UCLA I’m sure I’ll have lots of UCLA business to take care of. Then, after a few weeks of shameless sloth, I’ll go back to my Rufus Wainwright book and try to get that finished.
Paul, when are we having lunch?
Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
In Memorium, Conductor and Composer Gerhard Samuel
Joshua Kosman "Conductor, composer Gerhard Samuel dies at 83" San Francisco Chronicle March 29, 2008
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I was fortunate to have heard Gerhard Samuel conduct the Oakland Symphony Orchestra in Lou Harrison's Symphony on G. I was not fortunate enough to have heard Maestro Samuel conduct Charles Ives' Symphony #5 (Universe Symphony).
I hope that Samuel's opera based upon Thomas Mann's "The Blood of the Walsungs" will be able to be completed; and that the MET Opera, the San Francisco Opera, the New York City Opera, or the Seattle Opera will give the work a fully-staged production (and will record it).
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Photo credit: Gerhard Samuel courtesy of www.corbettarts.com. All rights reserved. With thanks.
For Thomas Mann 1937 photograph:
Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Van Vechten Collection, reproduction number LC-USZ62-42522 DLC (b&w film copy neg.).
"As the restrictions on this collection expired in 1986, the Library of Congress believes this image is in the public domain. However, the Carl Van Vechten estate has asked that use of Van Vechten's photographs "preserve the integrity" of his work, i.e, that photographs not be colorized or cropped, and that proper credit is given to the photographer."
*
Classical WETA-FM, so-called public radio in the Nation's Capital.
Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Tristan and Isolde at the Vienna State Opera
Of course it doesn´t make sense to compare a Tristan performance at the MET with one at the Vienna State Opera. But it´s difficult not to make some sort of mental comparison when listening to broadcasts of two live Tristan performances from March 28th less than 12 hours apart.What I thought of the MET performance, I wrote here.
Casting and schedule details of the Vienna State Opera Tristan performances here.
At the Vienna State Opera the main strength of the performance was the absolutely glorious orchestra with conductor Leif Segerstam. He applies that exact sense of drama to the opera, which I feel Levine falls short of. If I had known he would show such mastery with this score, I would probably have attended one of the performances...
The cast in brief: Evelyn Herlitzius was a fine Isolde (once you ignore her sometimes excessive upper level register vibrato and fluttering), completely without the nasal sound that Deborah Voigt exhibits. John Treleaven´s Tristan will never be a favorite of mine, but he kept up the intensity until the end in an honorable performance and seemed in good voice. Stephen Milling was a superb, sonorous King Marke and Boaz Daniel and Janina Baechle fine as Kurwenal and Brangäne.
I´d appreciate comments from anyone present at any of the performances in Vienna.
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Dmitri Hvorostovsky to appear in controversial Munich Eugene Onegin
“I shall see for myself,” Mr. Hvorostovsky said. “These devoted friendships between Russian men at that time could be sexual.”Well said of Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky to the New York Times commenting on his appearance in Munich next season as Eugene Onegin in the production portraying Onegin and Lenski as homosexuals. I saw the production last year just after it opened (my report here), and found it interesting in many ways, but I must admit I´d be most curious to see Dmitri Hvorostovsky in that staging....
Full interview here, where he also talks about preparing Iago..
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Christa Ludwig celebrates 80th birthday
Just before Easter, German mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig celebrated her 80th birthday. The occasion was celebrated by several radio programmes and interviews primarily in Germany and Austria, where she among heaps of praise was called "the artist of the house with the biggest career ever" by the General Manager of the Vienna State Opera.
Several compilation discs were also released to mark the occasion:
From EMI: "The art of Christa Ludwig", that doesn´t at a quick glance seem to contain much (if any) previously unreleased material.
And from Deutsche Gramophone: "Christa Ludwig - my conductors" (referring to Bernstein, Karajan and Böhm) - which also seem to rely on previously released material.
Unfortunately, many today remember her best as Fricka in the Metropolitan Ring (recorded on DVD around 1990), where she (despite an honorable performance) was a shadow of her former self.
In her prime (50´-60´s) there were very few roles in her repertoire in which she didn´t deliver performances against which others still are measured: Octavian (recorded with Karajan), Fidelio (recorded with Klemperer), Ortrud (recorded with Kempe), Fricka (recorded with Solti), Judith (recorded with Kertesz). Just to mention a few.
A personal favorite (apart from her Ortrud and Fricka) is her recording of the Wesendonck-lieder and the Brahms Alto Rhapsody with Klemperer. And her lieder recordings, particularly the Schubert and Mahler, including Das Lied Von Der Erde. Unsurpassed.
I think few will disagree that she was the most distinguished mezzo-soprano in the German repertoire of the entire 20th century.
In 1999 she released an autobiography "In my own voice", an entertaining read, which however seems to have become something of a rarity, since it sells for 73 British pounds at amazon.co.uk (!), at which price I may hesitate to recommend it.
Below as Leonore (Fidelio) with "Abscheulicher...komm hoffnung" from app. start 1960´s:
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
Tribute to William Bolcom
As I was up in the area anyway last weekend for another installment of the Beethoven violin sonata cycle with Aaron Berofsky (a concert in Lansing), it worked out beautifully for both of us to be able to take part in a tribute concert in Ann Arbor for composer William Bolcom, who is retiring from the University of Michigan at the end of this year, ending a remarkable 35-year association with the school. Aaron and I did a couple of movements from Bolcom's second violin sonata. Article from the Ann Arbor News on the special evening here, and photo of some of us onstage together at concert's end with Bill here.Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:31 PM | Comments (0)
That explains the icy chill that went down my spine
As if my dreams hadn't been weird enough already, I had to find Inspiration, Dreams & Ash, a blog by Marian, a classically trained (I think) musician who recently discovered blues and jazz. So far, so normal. She landed on my radar by writing one of those "Woe is me, something didn't go right tonight" posts musicians occasionally lapse into. Also normal. The concert was at Orchestra Hall, apparently, and while the audience was enthusiastic, Marian felt it was average at best, and was extremely put out because she had bought box seats for her friends. Marian is apparently rather wealthy; Marian is also a vampire. And here we break with normalcy.
Piecing this together, it looks like Marian started playing jazz and blues, and later entered into some sort of vampire-centric group. A boy seems to be at the heart of the problem. (I say boy because, despite Marian buying a box of seats, she sounds like she's in college, and much of this takes place on campus.)
"To make a very long and intricate storey [sic] short, a group of people much like us got in too deep with some supernatural phenomena, and literally were trapped onto the campus. Leaving always involved an accident or something mysterious to prevent that person from leaving. They had decided to read from a book (almost like a spell) only it brought to life something seemingly evil and sentient."
We then stumble into her denial phase:
"I am dodging the lynchpin [sic!!!] of this whole insanity. I mysteriously refer to the damned and being damned, but the horror of this situation keeps me in partial denial of my new form. I can't possibly stay in denial due to the requirements of maintaining my new form, but it's easy to try and forget as I record my experiences.
Essentially, Darius not only took my heart, but my life. It could be poetically rendered as the "kiss of the death". It was a damned good kiss though."
A denial phase marked by traces of noirish writing.
She then starts to get comfortable with it, that fairly nasty business of chomping down on a jugular:
"It's been difficult already to balance my feeding to keep my personal promise to not take more than a human should have to endure, and to make it as pleasurable as I can for them, but I'm getting more of the hang of it...especially with Darius' help."
That same month, she begins playing concerts for vampires at the Discarded Image, a club I haven't heard of. (This blog is on record as supporting these sort of guerrilla outreach efforts, but really hadn't considered the essential rightness of reaching out the supernaturally inclined until now. Marketing departments, take note.)
We then find her rebelling against the leaders of her coven (or vampire group? ensemble? An exaltation?) She settles on something called the Carthian group.
"I really liked the head of Carthians, Walt Barowski. He seemed much more in touch with reality and the current world, not the ancient times of Merlin and King Arthur. I liked him enough to realise I could go Carthian except for my overwhelming interest in the secrets of the Dragons that will help me remove this Vampiric nature, or, at least tone the "needs" down to something more controllable."
The leaders of this group are Barowski, and the (mostly) lovable old lady Rowen.
This is followed by a turf war with werewolves over who controls the blues club B.L.U.E.S., who then meet to discuss their differences like the families in The Godfather, or something:
"Despite the tenseness of our meeting, I think we were all pleasantly surprised with how agreeable we actually were, including the Werewolves. Hank and I headed up the talking, since our ability to negotiate and "impress" had vastly increased with our new abilities, and I played to light up the place and put everybody in a good mood."
Of course she did. The vampires and werewolves are now in alliance with each other, which should help everyone sleep at night.
The vampires took a trip to Michigan in the middle of February to Mackinaw Island, the farthest northern point of Michigan not in the Upper Peninsula. (And this is where my friends will accuse me of an April Fool's prank, since my family used to go there for vacations, but that's a coincidence.)
Marian then wraps up with the post about playing in Orchestra Hall, and if anyone knows who she is, please let me know. There are no CSO Chorus members with the name Marian. I already checked.
(I know the timing is suspect, but I couldn't come up with this as an April Fool's joke. This woman knows way too much lingo for me to contrive it, and I've had a fear of this sort of occult stuff since I was a kid. When I was 7 or 8, I was literally too frightened to go upstairs in my Grandma's farmhouse after watching a sitcom about a possibly vampiric uncle. And C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters did a number on me. When I worked at Borders, I did just about everything I could to keep from reshelving books in the section with all those H.P. Lovecraft books.)
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Looking for something to do today? - Journal and Courier
Looking for something to do today? Journal and Courier, IN - ... as well as traditional folk tunes and Ligeti, sponsored by the Jewish Studies Program, 8 pm Monday, Krannert Auditorium, Purdue University, free. ... |
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 Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Review: CSO presents more gold than korn - Charleston City Paper
Review: CSO presents more gold than korn Charleston City Paper, SC - The Hungarian master György Ligeti left his stamp on 20th-century music in many ways, beginning with the use of his other-worldly Atmospheres in Stanley ... |
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 Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Such a famous conductor!
I find the whole idea of writing a blog very interesting sociologically. My first response, when approached about this, was, why would anyone want to read about me, and my second thought was, ooh, I get to write about ME! I could, of course, write about my children, but my teenaged daughter would surely tell me I’m embarrassing her in public. Fortunately she won’t ever read my blog. Her reaction, when I told her I was writing one, was, “You?! That’s funny,” and she went back to IM.
It’s kind of interesting being a semi-public figure in this small (but wonderful) town. I was on line at the post office once when someone behind me said, “O my, can I introduce myself to you? Judy, look who it is! Can I introduce my wife?” (Fans of Pro Musica usually recognize me from behind rather than head on!) This was quite amazing to me, and of course extremely gratifying. And the Red Cross pheresis unit, where I donate plasma monthly (old habit: I worked my wife through grad school selling my blood twice a week), has a Times Union article with my picture posted on their bulletin board, with a note, “one of our donors.” Just watch that ego swell…
And then I’ll meet someone at an arts reception of some kind, and introduce myself, figuring they will have heard of me, it being an arts reception, and they will say, “And what do you do?…Pro Musica, what’s that? Hmm, no, never heard of it, or you.” This kind of response is much more frequent than the post office kind! One day recently, after ten years of meeting another father on my block every morning as we put our kids of the school bus, he noticed my piano scarf and said, “Oh, are you a musician of some kind? What do you do?” Now that’s fame!
My uncle once asked me, when I became a conductor, what it is I actually do. “Isn’t it all written down on paper?” he asked. Yes, I said, but someone has to start and stop them. That seemed to explain my career to him.
My favorite moment of this kind occurred last fall when I was in the audience at a concert, and during intermission a gentleman I recognized from somewhere said to me, “Are you who I think you are?”
How do you answer that?
Originally posted by David from David Griggs-Janower, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Build Your Own Phonograph
After that story about resurrecting the oldest ever recording, lo and behold, up popped on my radar several kits for constructing ones own phonographic recording/playback device. In the red corner we have this bad boy, which uses plastic cups as the recording medium:
Sound of the 19th century is indeed coming back to life now! You can buy this guy over at the Make store, for the low low price of 35ish bucks. Competitor number two ironically uses a CD as a recording medium:
This can be picked up from Very Cool Things for thirty smackaroonies. If you’d like to see how someone got along putting one of them together check out this blog for one guys experience along with a bit more info.
Originally posted by Ben from classicalconvert.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Philip Glass on Sesame Street
Originally posted by Ben from classicalconvert.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Hear Neeme Jarvi on BBC Radio 3
Neeme Järvi will appear on BBC Radio 3's In Tune programme on Thursday 21 February 2008, for a live interview with Sean Rafferty from the BBC studios at 40 Pacific Quay, Glasgow, in connection with his brand new Wagner CD on Chandos.
Originally from Chandos Records, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:30 PM | Comments (0)
Rebecca Evans - Winner 2008 Grammy Best Opera Recording
Originally from Chandos Records, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
Recent praise!
The recent recording of Edgar Bainton receives an excellent review in the May issue of Gramophone. Performed by the BBC Philharmonic under Paul Daniel this rare repertoire is undoubtedly worth exploring.Andrew Achenbach explains: ...'this enterprising anthology is alertly played... All four works were composed prior to Bainton's permanent move to Australia in 1934, by far the most ambitious being the Concerto fantasia for piano and orchestra whihc won Bainton his second Carnegie Award. It is cast in four movements, launched by a solo cadenza destined to reappear at salient points throughout the work's half-hour course. Margaret Fingerhut's limpid pianism proves tailor-made for such a gorgeously lyrical, tenderly poetic and subtly integrated offering, which bids farewell in the sunset glow of a somewhat Baxian epilogue. Unheard for the best part of a century, the four-movement suite The Golden River derives its inspiration from a short story by John Ruskin and packs plenty of touching and colourful invention into its 16-minute span. The BBC Philharmonic under the sympathetic baton of Paul Daniel seem to enjoy the experience, and the engineering is as ripe and accomodating as we have come to expect from Chandos. "
Andrew Achenbach also praises the new re-issue of Bax's The Truth about the Russian Dancers and From Dusk till Dawn. ..."the LPO under Bryden Thomson relish both scores' undeniable period charm and they have been sumptuously served by the Chandos production crew. A really enjoyable disc, this - good to have it back."
Finally as we all know there has been somewhat of a glut of Schubert Mass in E flat Mass recordings of late but the Gramophone was quick to praise the Chandos version. "Turn to Hickox and you'll hear how this heavenly music should sound, with the three soloists (Mark Padmore, James Gilchrist - an ideally matched tenor pairing - and soprano Susan Gritton) singing with pure tone and wondering tenderness. Hickox scores, too, with his extra choral firepower at climaxes, and the wonderfully pungent sonorities of Collegium Musicum 90, whether in the dry, fearful rattle of period timpani in the Credo, the lovely "woody' oboe and clarinet in the £Et incarnatus est" or the steely, scything trumpets in the Agnus Dei.... the Chandos disc is worth the extra outlay, a version of this still under-appreciated masterpiece to rival the rather darker, more disturbing 1997 performance from Nikolaus Harnoncourt."
Originally from Chandos Records, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
AWS - Call for Scores reminder - Deadline Tomorrow
Hey everyone, just a reminder that the deadline for the AWS Call for Scores is tomorrow, so keep ’em coming in!Here is the press release, in case I missed you last time:Alarm Will Sound invites ...Originally from Alarm Will Sound - MySpace Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
Guillemots go for avant-garde sounds - Liverpool Echo
Guillemots go for avant-garde sounds Liverpool Echo, UK - Oh, and he’sa former boarding school boy and music teacher who writes choral ensembles in his spare time. But then again, this is a band which revels in the ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 09:29 PM | Comments (0)
Rigoletto @ WNO
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
Bruce Almighty
I must confess that I had never heard of pianist Bruce Levingston until he called me a couple of weeks ago. That is clearly an oversight on my part since a couple of minutes of googling reveals him to be a man of considerable resources, owner of a celebrity-stuffed Rolodex and impeccable taste–a kind of latter day combination of Paul Sacher and Peter Duchin. Which would explain, of course, why he’s been under my radar for so long.
Levingston is the force behind the Premiere Commission, Inc., a non-profit organization that, as the name implies, supports the commissioning and first performances of new works. The organization was founded in 2001 with the support of composers William Bolcom and George Perle, Morey Ritt, and arts patrons Richard Goldman, Michael Kempner, George Plimpton and David Rockefeller.
So far, the group has commissioned works by more than 30 composers, including Milton Babbitt, Angelo Badalamenti, Gordon Beeferman, Lisa Bielawa, William Bolcom, Regina Carter, Justine Chen, John Corigliano, Sebastian Currier, Curtis Curtis-Smith, David Del Tredici, Paul Festa, Philip Glass, Daron Hagen, Wendell Harrington, Zhou Long, Paul Moravec, John Patitucci, Lenny Pickett, Peter Quanz, Wolfgang Rihm, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Paul Schoenfield, Jonathan Sheffer, Hollis Taylor, Gregg Wramage, Charles Wuorinen and Chen Yi. Glass’ A Musical Portrait of Chuck Close (see photo) is among the best-known of those commissions.
On Monday April 14, Levingston will emerge from his digs at the Chelsea Hotel (where he has lived long enough to have shared an elevator with Virgil Thompson) to perform a program called Points of Departure, a special solo concert at Zankel Hall that explores the unique artistic relationships between four of the most prominent composers of today and four of the most influential composers of the past. The concert includes world premieres of Pulitzer Prize-winner Charles Wuorinen’s Heart Shadow (inspired by Salman Rushdie and Claude Debussy) and 2007 Grawemeyer Award-winner Sebastian Currier’s Departures and Arrivals (inspired by Scarlatti and Liszt), as well as the New York premiere of Wolfgang Rihm’s Brahmsliebewaltzer (inspired by Brahms). The program also includes works of Brahms, Scarlatti, Debussy, Liszt and Pärt. Program and ticket sales are here.
Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
Back from the Brink
At the start of 2007, I told you about my composer/sound-artist pal Chris DeLaurenti’s great new CD release, Favorite Intermissions. A collection of recordings made during symphony concerts around the country, of everything but the concert itself; the warm-ups, noodles and doodles from both pre- and mid-concert, framed to draw our attention to the fun, beauty and serendipity these moments hold. Released on GD Records, it included a wonderfully cheeky cover, a parody/homage to the classic Deutsche Grammophon covers (shown here for illustration only!):
Response was good, with positive notices in places like the Wire, Signal to Noise and even the New York Times. But an 800-pound fly showed up in the ointment: Universal Music Group, now-parent to Deutsche Grammophon, took a dim view of Chris’ cover-art tribute, demanding that all copies be immediately recalled and destroyed.
After lengthy negotiation, Chris’ CD has been given the green light again, and is once more available, though now with this slightly revised cover. To learn more about the pieces and concept, you can listen to an interview with Chris about this work, and his musical/phonographic work in general.
Originally posted by Steve Layton from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:12 PM | Comments (0)
Sing along with the common people
Originally from Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)
Jeff Harrington - Surge for Disklavier - Live at the ARTSaha Festival in Omaha
Jeff Harrington - Surge for Disklavier - Live at the ARTSaha Festival in Omaha
http://jeffharrington.org
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)
Charles at Night - Drums and Different Cannons #5 (by John ffitch)
Charles at Night - Drums and Different Cannons #5 (by John ffitch)
Staying at a hotel near Charles de Gaulle airport in the summer of 2002, I was struck by the sound of the traffic on the A1 motorway; it was loud and persistant, and enhanced by the recent rain storm. About 4am I recorded a series of samples.
Charles at Night uses one of these samples, and is modified with some resonant filters whose frequency and bandwidth are controlled by the Henon equation.
The piece is somewhat loud and liable to give the listener a headache. It however what I wanted.
Licenced under Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd).
From Podcast: cSounds.com - .
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)
The world's largest prison for journalists
Nice picture of the new head office for Chinese Central Television (CCTV) elsewhere. Read more about television and the media in China, not from me but from the BBC:
'With more than one billion viewers, television is a popular source for news and the sector is competitive, especially in urban areas. China is also becoming a major market for pay-TV; it is forecast to have 128 million subscribers by 2010. State-run Chinese Central TV, provincial and municipal stations offer a total of around 2,100 channels.
The availability of non-domestic TV is limited. Agreements are in place which allow selected channels - including stations run by AOL Time Warner, News Corp and the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV - to transmit via cable in Guangdong province. In exchange, Chinese Central TV's English-language network is made available to satellite TV viewers in the US and UK.
Beijing says it will only allow relays of foreign broadcasts which do not threaten "national security" or "political stability". Of late, it has been reining in the activities and investments of foreign media groups. The media regulator - the State Administration for Radio, Film and Television - has warned local stations that foreign-made TV programmes must be approved before broadcast.
The internet scene in China is thriving, though controlled. Beijing routinely blocks access to sites run by the banned spiritual movement Falun Gong, rights groups and some foreign news organisations. It has moved to curb postings by a small but growing number of bloggers.
An international group of academics concluded in 2005 that China has "the most extensive and effective legal and technological systems for internet censorship and surveillance in the world".
The media rights group Reporters Without Borders describes the country as the world's "largest prison for journalists".'
And yes, it even affects music blogs.
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 Mar 31, 2008 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
Quiz #10
It’s that time again Quiz Fans!
This week’s prize: confirmation that you are, as you have up until this point only suspected, awesome at life.
Have a listen and send name of piece, composer and date of composition to the OM Mailbox.
Further samples will be posted each day this week until the winner is announced.
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
Classical Music Spring Fashion Show - Part 1 (all black)
What is it with all black? Really. I thought contemporary classical music was all about being progressive. I thought new music meant something new, not more of the same. New music group "counter)induction" appears above. Let's see a few more:
Get the point?
Granted, few go to new music concerts to see a preview of next year's fashion trends. Black clothing can guide listeners away from the surface and towards the sound, away from the ostentatious hair phenomenon - from Karajan (above left) to Kissen (above right) - or the soloist in the bright dress (Anne-Sophie Mutter, below). But whenever I think about donning black pants, black shirt, black socks, black shoes...I just can't do it. Everybody does it. And like it or not, we live in a visual culture. All black sticks out just as much as a yellow dress. It's the idea of newness, which I hope the music I write and perform embodies, that makes me turn away from the widespread normalcy of playing in black.
So, who do all these uber-hip performers want to look like? Trinity, Morpheus, or Neo from The Matrix? I can understand that. I do, too.
But maybe they just wish they were in a Metal band (see photo of Kamelot, top). I do as well. Real bad. But I play the clarinet.Perhaps they're all closet bikers. I guess I could get into that, too.
The monk thing, though, I don't know if I'm into. But they go well with this blog's black background.
Originally from Sound and Space, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
Classical Music Spring Fashion Show - Part 2 (BIG Hair)
In Part 1 of this potentially never-ending 'classical music fashion' exposé, I referenced Herbert von Karajan's white, shiny beacon of hair, and Evgeny Kissin's embarrassing disco 'fro. Apparently, Karajan had an assistant hold a brush offstage at every concert so he could tend to his prized sculpture between pieces. Let us continue to admire the revolting 'dos within classical music, this time exclusively conductors.
Perhaps conductors today are inspired by one of the first great baton-wielders caught on film, Arthur Nikisch. He had a cute part and dashing mustache, to be sure. While contemporary conductors can't match Nikisch's facial hair, they certainly outdo him. (I'll go with that pun, though originally unintended.) Let's take a look at just a few examples, spanning the continents:
Japanese Seiji Ozawa (Wow.)
American James Levine (I think Kissin's got him, but just barely)
Italian Riccardo Muti (with bangs that rival Nikisch's)
27-year-old Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel: the younger generation carries the torch. See the link for a gushing NYT article.
Pop parallel: Kenny G?
icon Pat Metheny (seen in a common, intimate moment with his guitar)? Though obviously approving of his hair, Metheny purportedly spoke out against G for his version of "What a Wonderful World" in which he superimposes his own sounds over Louis Armstrong recordings (see/hear video above).
Originally from Sound and Space, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
Art nouveau
Reviewing the Boston Modern Orchestra Project.Boston Globe, March 31, 2008.
Originally from Soho the Dog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
Helter Skelter
By Justin Davidson
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
Alarm Will Sound, Lennon, and the Shaggs. New York, April 7, 2008
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
Death Star
By Justin Davidson
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
A friend in Beijing sent this remarkable photograph of construction on the robotic-pretzel tower that Rem Koolhaas designed for Chinese Central Television (CCTV). I like the juxtaposition of fantasy and dilapidation, the way it’s hard to tell whether this crazy building is being born or rusting away.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)
It's good news week for contemporary music
To start the week two excellent reasons why this new release of Peter Maxwell Davies' chamber music is good news. First, it's great music passionately played by the chamber ensemble Gemini and vividly recorded in the slightly dry acoustics of Studio 1 at the Department of Sound & Recording at the University of Surrey. (The department is very highly rated and has offered a tonmeister course for many years). The main work on the CD is Ave Maris Stella from 1975 which lasts for almost 30 minutes. This is classic early Max, writing before he was seduced by the plush sounds of the symphony orchestra and string quartet. Strange isn't it how composers like Maxwell Davies and Ralph Vaughan Williams produce some of their best works on religous themes yet are non-believers? Worth the purchase price alone is Dove, Star Folded from 2001 which, unusually for Max, is based on a Greek Byzantine hymn; John Tavener had better look out.
The second reason why this CD is good news is that it comes from the Metier label which has been aquired by the enterprising small Divine Art Record Company (who have nothing at all to do with Falun Gong ). Metier have a back catalogue well worth exploring, Michael Finnisy Music for String Quartet, Roberto Gerhard String Quartets and Morton Feldman and Christopher Fox's Clarinet and String Quartet are just some of the riches while Divine Art has a future release of piano sonatas from Elliott Carter, Miklos Rosza, Charles Ives and Edward MacDowell.
And talking of Peter Maxwell Davies I'm playing his Missa Parvula on Future Radio on April 20 in a coupling with Edmund Rubbra's Symphony No. 6, which let's me give a heads-up to Dutton's excellent new recordings of Rubbra's chamber music. And it also means I can share some more good news. Future Radio's station manager told me today that the Overgrown Path programme page gets more hits than any other page on their website except for the schedule and webcam pages. That's more hits than the rock, hip-hop, electro and other programme pages. It must be all that Vaughan Williams I'm playing ... And more good news for the small guys/girls, leading independent record store Prelude Records in Norwich was packed on Saturday , the busiest I've ever seen. Is the tide turning away from the internet?
It's good news week, which is why music is good for you..
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 Mar 31, 2008 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
Over at Counter-Critic
To call post-war atonality "the Dark Ages" is so entirely retarded, I'm beside myself. If anything, post-war serialism... exposed more light on what music was, is and can be, and was nothing short of a cultural revelation. Post-war atonality made today's taste for oblique tonality possible. It's like women today who disparage the hard-core feminists of the 60s and 70s, even though today's women are reaping the benefits that those unsightly, nail-spitting bull-dykes risked social derision to gain.
Originally from PostClassic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
Jason Adasiewicz - Rolldown
482 Music Chicago continues to constitute a hothouse for creative improvised music. Musicians a generation younger than Ken Vandermark, an erstwhile figurehead of the scene, are currently making their marks and the activity doesnt appear to be diminishing in...Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
[no title]
A fitting tributeAt his death in 2005, composer Dennis Eberhard was perhaps Cleveland's most-successful and best-known composer. Sunday's thrilling Cleveland Chamber Symphony concert at Baldwin-Wallace College's music conservatory turned out to be a tribute to Eberhard, with three of the four pieces linked in some way to him.
The opening number, a premiere of Monica Houghton's "Osa Sinfonia," especially written for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, was dedicated to Eberhard. (Houghton also wrote the biography of Eberhard printed in the program notes.) The piece, which I liked, sounded very ominous to me, like a soundtrack for a thriller. Houghton wrote in the notes that "Osa" was linked to her trip "to the remote Osa Peninsula on the southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica" and says the music "was written in celebration of the beauty and mystery of the natural world."
The next piece before the intermission was a three-movement "Concerto for Cello" by Loris Chobanian. The piece didn't interest me very much, although there was nothing wrong with it and the soloist, Regina Mushabac, played very well. Chobanian is the composer in residence at B-W College.
After the intermission, the symphony played Eberhard's atmospheric, elegiac "Prometheus Wept," a fine piece for strings. The last piece was another premiere, "Lumen" by Marta Ptaszynka, and for me it was the best number of the evening, a composition that produced a variety of thrilling sounds from the orchestra by a composer who until now had been unknown to me.
"Lumen" was written for the Cleveland Chamber Symphony's Public Commissioning Initiative; members of the public were invited to pay $25 a measure to pay for the piece. I'd say the people who underwrote it got their money's worth. (Fromm Music Foundation also chipped in, the program says.) Eberhard originally had been the composer picked for the commission; when he died, the commission went instead to his friend, Ptaszynka, who wrote in the notes that it's in memoriam of Eberhard.
Originally from Modernclassical, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 05:10 AM | Comments (0)
Filler By Proxy LXI: New directions in music appreciation
Originally from Boring Like A Drill, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)
Esther Venrooy - Shift Coordinate Points/The Spiral Staircase
Shift Coordinate Points entracte 30 Esther Venrooy is a Dutch-born composer working out of Belgium who, at least judging by these two releases, tends to operate in an area midway between electronic drones with minimalist overtones and found sounds,...Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)
Right Hemisphere - Right Hemisphere
RogueArt Familiar to most fans of free jazz, these four musicians have been friends and colleagues for over two decades. That depth of association makes this session something of a reunion though the creative synergy between them has hardly...Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)
Bill OConnell Triple Play
Savant 2089 Significantly younger than the genre umbrella it falls under, Latin jazz has still been a relatively static art form for decades. Pianist Bill OConnell recognizes the inherent circumscription and opts to work creatively within it. The approach and...Originally from Bagatellen, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:11 AM | Comments (0)
Concert House, by Alex Kotch
Concert House, by Alex Kotch
http://www.alexkotch.com (eighth blackbird performs on this recording, February 2008)
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 31, 2008 at 02:10 AM | Comments (0)
March 30, 2008
Jupiter Twilight at the Corcoran
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
Bring on the Fairs!
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
Boezem (suite)
[march 30, 2008] Thanks to Diktat'secret action in Breda on sunday september 30th, 2007 (that is, today precisely half a year ago), and the 'noise' we made, the city of Breda has assured Marinus Boezem that his 'Visual Sound Project' will be restaured and that soon his voice will sound again on the corner of the Academiesingel and the Willemstraat ...Originally from HarSMedia (Feed and Podcast), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:04 PM | Comments (0)
Tetra-Mnemosyne V Score and Parts Available and Violin Futura Performances
I've finally got a chance to get the score of my monumental string trio (if there can be such a thing) Tetra-Mnemosyne V. It's my favorite of the 7 pieces and is as dark and soulful as I can get. Can't believe I wrote it 9 years ago! Yikes! I'd better get off my ass with the other ones... still have to do I, II, III and VI. I wrote them at a time when I was really stressed at work (the launch of the dot bomb enhanced video system, HyperTV, barely sleeping for 3 weeks at a time), and decided to focus on one genre over a period of 2 years. It was a very productive time, but a very tiring time too. Most of my piano preludes come from the same period. Tetra-Mnemosyne V Score Tetra-Mnemosyne V Violin Part Tetra-Mnemosyne V Viola Part Tetra-Mnemosyne V Cello Part Tetra-Mnemosyne V for String Trio - Superconductor Realization Piotr Szewczyk has been extremely busy with his Violin Futura project, performing the 16 pieces with a new suite by Lawrence Dillon and at the Santa Fe New Music Festival with computer-generated imagery. Check out the YouTube. My favorite of the pieces is my own Puce, of course... but all of the compositions are electric. I've put up a recording of the ARTSaha performance of my piece for disklavier, Surge. Surge for Disklavier - World Premiere Live Recording. It was a big thrill to be invited to write a piece for the festival which included other disklavier mavericks such as Kyle Gann and Joseph Drew....Originally posted by jeff from The Music of Jeff Harrington, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:02 PM | Comments (0)
Summer Time Blues
British Summer Time started at midnight, so UK clocks went forward an hour. Which means, if you are listening outside the UK, my Future Radio programme featuring organ music by Thomas Tallis and Ralph Vaughan Williams' Pastoral Symphony will start an hour earlier. If you are still confused check the time zone converter here. Image is of course by Salvador Dali, from my music and mathematics post.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 Mar 30, 2008 at 08:01 PM | Comments (0)
Planete Sauvage - two albums
The French duo Planete Sauvage creates lush and surreal soundscapes that are securely in the realm of new age music. Their two albums are freely available on their web site.
The first album is self-titled and is a 31 minute EP of four tracks. The opening track “Cecilia” starts like a tentative dream and blossoms into a beautiful guitar-based melody. “La Saison des Puies” and “Resonances” have a similar dreamlike quality but with a middle Eastern influence. “Extension 9″ breaks from the pack with a rock tempo but has a lot of interesting twists and turns before the ten minute track concludes.
Planete Savauge II is a full length online album, clocking in at almost 42 minutes. I find it the better album if only because there is more of it. With only one of the seven tracks being under six minutes, Planete Savauge takes their time setting the mood and exploring the possibilities in their well-crafted compositions. The opening track, “Melancholia” is somewhat dark, a femme-fatale of a song. Some of the tracks combine a running dialogue such as on “The Dead Rose’s Monoloque” which I find distracting. But when the song is entirely instrumental, it is easy to get lost in the musical fog. Whether Planete Savauge is new age, ambient, down-tempo, or progressive rock is immaterial. They simply make beautiful music.
Planete Savauge is available in 320kbps MP3 while Planete Savauge II is in VBR MP3 at around 230kbps. You can also download either album in FLAC format.
Download
Planete Sauvage
Planete Sauvage II
Originally posted by Marvin from Free Albums Galore, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)
Event Horizon
Self-criticism, on the edge of a manuscript:... have to remember that music is not a collection of objects -- notes -- but rather sequences and ensembles of events. Both notation and certain favored compositional tools tend to push musicians into an object orientation. Notes are markers of similitudes (pitch, duration, etc.) between events but not the reiteration of sound-objects, which on any level other than the most casual is impossible, both physically and psychologically. The common preference for composers to use certain instruments -- keyboards, in particular -- as compositional tools is sometimes a liability, in that a "push-the-button-out-comes-the-sound" mentality often distracts from the extemporal uniquity of sounds within a musical context.
But isn't there also, compositionally speaking, something of an advantage in using an object orientation, whether via notation or a push-button instrumentation, to clarify and focus on the event aspect, if only through the notation's isolation of the least interesting features in a music?
Twentieth century music, in part, was all about the note, and the most vital work now at hand, it seems to me, is, at least in part, all about forgetting whatever it was we had once decided the note was supposed to be.
Originally from Renewable Music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
The Adès Craze
Almost on cue, when I tell other composers I'm into fusing classical with techno, they respond: "Oh, have you heard Adès' Asyla??"Adès is a talented composer. Many Brits have latched on to him because he's good, and probably also because they want another Elgar or Britten. Regardless, his attempt to incorporate techno pulse into Asyla's second movement is not so good. I admit, it's pretty funny watching grey-haired string players or contrabass clarinetists jerking their bodies to the beat. But his use of a giant concert bass drum, played with the regular soft mallet, just doesn't work. In the youtube video below, you can see the percussionist trying to muffle the sound's decay with his left hand, but without much success. A couple improvements could be:
a) amplifying a kick bass drum; or...(gasp!)
b) using electronic percussion
The off-beat cymbal sounds are also lame, for lack of a better adjective. I like Thomas Adès' music more or less. Just not his technoclassica.
So why doesn't he try out an electronic beat? Will he? No way. Here's his answer: "I love the idea of computer music...I’m saying that with a half-raised eyebrow. It makes me think of cute sounds, such as when you turn on your computer, there is an F major chord. Those things are very charming in a way, but I can’t imagine being that interested in sitting and having someone press ‘play.’" Adès also writes everything out by hand, without computer software - a man of the old school. Vivien Schweitzer stretches a bit far in her NYT article from today, describing conductor Simon Rattle as "a shaggy-haired D.J., exhorting his tuxedo-clad clubbers to frenzied heights of illicit exuberance." He looks like a typical conductor to me: old, melodramatic, and in desparate need of a haircut. I think we've gotta look to a younger generation for genuine hipness.
Dear Thomas, I'm so glad that my pieces which incorporate computer sounds will always be cute!!
half ago, while perusing the internet, I came across Mason Bates. Finding him was bittersweet; I was thrilled that someone was doing what I wanted to do - combine classical chops and electronica - and people were digging it. But he got there first. I think our tastes in electronica are pretty different, though, and maybe his breakthroughs will allow composers like me, with a little luck, to find acclaim as well. On February 1, The San Francisco Symphony, with money from the Craig Capital Foundation, put on a cool show they called Mercury Soul with Bates at club Mezzanine, which featured works by composers such as Webern and Ligeti, DJ sets by Bates (aka DJ Masonic), and the premier of Bates' Seismology (see the program here, and a preview article).
They tried pretty hard (see this promo photo, in which the tuxedo/track jacket juxtaposition reminds me more of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure than the present; also Bates' giant headphones that lead nowhere are a little silly), but hey - I wish I'd been there. As easy as it might be to critique this 'classical meets electronica' evening, it seems like damn good progress to me. They chose a solid composer, who brings beats (electronic, at that) together with 'classical' much better than Adès, and a great club venue, which beats the pants off any concert hall. Check out pics of the event.
So who else is trying to do away with dichotomies and just write good music? Well, I am, for one. I'm young, and unpolished, but have a listen to Concert House (sextet with electronic percussion) and DesubMix1 (improvised sax and electronics).
Originally from Sound and Space, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)
New music ticks outside the box
'Box-ticking' gets short measure in an enterprising concert of new music from Germany and England at The Warehouse, London SE1 on April 10th with the Uroboros Ensemble conducted by Gwyn Pritchard. Here is the programme:
from Germany
Peter Helmut Lang - Dominoeffekt **
Karl-Heinz Wahren - A capricious and romantic meeting **
Johannes K. Hildebrandt - Bruchstück II *
Lothar Voigtländer - Salmo Salmonis *
from Britain
Ross Lorraine - end piece **
James Weeks - The Catford Harmony **
Gwyn Pritchard - Ensemble Music for Six
Joe Cutler - Three Quiet Pieces
** = World première * = UK première
It's an adventurous programme that's refreshingly free of the 'box-ticking' that sanitises so much programming today. And it's not just classical music that suffers from the 'little boxes synodrome'. Here is a thought-provoking extract from a Guardian article about art commissions.
'Today it was announced that Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster will be the ninth artist in the Unilever series of new installations for the Tate Modern's Turbine Hall. Once again you can see the commission ticking boxes.
Free from macho tendencies? Tick. French artist Gonzalez-Foerster makes melancholy films that passively observe city life. Her art is consciously slight and the character she adopts is that of the "flaneur", the artist as sophisticated urban observer, an idea invented by the 19th-century poet and critic Charles Baudelaire. In other words there is no chance of her filling the Turbine Hall with, say, a massive slab of steel. Her contribution will, like those previous classics the crack and the slides, reject grandiosity in favour of the witty and ephemeral. That's a relief - I was scared they might commission a colossal statue of George Bush. But then again Foerster is also ...
Free from north-American tendencies - another box ticked. Apart from Bruce Nauman who's a sort of honorary non-American, the Turbine Hall commissioners strikingly avoid inviting some rather obvious US candidates. It is precisely in the US that artists tend to work naturally, and brilliantly on this scale - but we have to wait a bit longer, it seems, to see a torqued steel creation by Richard Serra in Tate Modern, or a Jeff Koons inflated toy, or a Claes Oldenburg penknife. "Americanness" seems to be one of the vices the series strains to avoid, perhaps in the curators' minds being a synonym for masculine arrogance.
Free from bad taste - tick. The appeal of the slight, Baudelairean gesture, and the minimal aesthetic, is that it is remarkably tasteful. The kind of art that gets selected for Tate Modern is guaranteed not to make you feel daft or silly for liking it - for all its modernity this art has a decorous style. In other words, it will not give critics anything to mock or audiences anything to be embarrassed by.
In the 1960s the French artist Nikki de St Phalle created a giant recumbent woman for an art museum, with a door between her legs. You can guarantee you will never see that in the Turbine Hall. Nor will you see the bad taste genius of Damien Hirst on display here - that would be ... so vulgar.'>Now read about how Benjamin Britten helped a composer closely associated with little boxes.
Header photo image is Jeff Koons' Lips, photo by David Heald from the Guggenheim Museum. 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 Mar 30, 2008 at 05:10 PM | Comments (0)
Francois Bayle, "Erosphere" (Side One)
-- Liner Notes from INA-GRM 9108ba --
Erosphere is my name for that membrane of nerves which surrounds our world with its network of, waves modulating into an infinite number of frequencies; that cloud of infra- and supersensible heat radiating from megabillions of biological sources; that ring where the force of this cosmos of desire circulates. We live within the erosphere and desire is our destiny.
Audible vibrations are part of the continuum of that general vibrational state ranging from the very low frequency pulsation - for example the cycle of a human life - to the extremely hot and excessively dangerous rays of cosmic space.
The geometrical laws which surge together like waves on a wind-tossed sea - in the vibrational field, the laws of the octaves, the genesis of the harmonics, tonalities, phases - all have an intense existence in the narrow traveling band of frequencies our ear discerns.
To express the generality of these laws, to make them felt musically, is the dream - or the delirium - which mobilized me in EROSPHERE-.
Simply to make it felt.
For example, by violently contracting or expanding masses of sound events (playing back acoustic images at speeded-up or slowed-down rates); distorting groups of frequencies on the computer by playing them through comb filters consisting of hundreds of fine teeth; making acoustic imprints of bodies on surfaces (comparable to Max Ernst's frottages or some of Yves Klein's pictures); producing reverberations which synthesize virtual spaces.
. . let us explore the erosphere a little further..
La fin du bruit
ENDNOISE
1978-79
26'
Synopsis ... to map out the "seven territories"1. 0'00 electricity
2. 1'50 traffic
3. 4'45 crowd
4. 9'30 storm
5. 10'23 sky
6. 19'03 styrene song
7. 21'45 sphere
8. 26' blue eros.
29'50 end
Finistere, land's end, is the name ancient travelers gave to this gradual caving-in of the continent, this dislocation engulfed in fog, beyond which, they sensed obscurely, there stretched an endless sea...
My title designates the limit of sound - the end of solid matter and the foamy fringe where it dissolves into silence.
Seven "territories" are traversed in a sweeping arc. They are interspersed with electric "skies". Sounds of the earth and of men: conflicts, traffic (1-4). Clouds of pulsed matter, showers of brittle reflections (5). Textures and song, pathetic friction (6). Giration, ascension (7). This describes the symbolic side of this composition, a side to which I attach a great deal of importance.
The musical side calls for some comments. For the technique deployed here ramifies into a variety of dynamic species, intowork based on contrasts between lines and masses, into temperatures and velocities.
The generative impetus (as against the music's development) is given by something that pertains to categories I have already triedto establish in my cycles like l'EXPERIENCE ACOUSTIQUE and SON VITESSE-LUMIERE. These works are the result of the special treatment of the materials and the psychoacoustic reactions they produce.
Thus the field of metamorphoses of audible energy is based on a vocabulary of transformational operations, which constitutes the theoretical foundation of a general music beyond all sound and noise categories.The end of noise, as suggested by the word end, has a double meaning: (1) as limit, frontier, resting point, death; (2) as intention, project, progress, principle. Endnoise is the fringe of silence, the silhouette of the audible, the extreme limit, the goal. Just as it is the substance (the unconsciousness) of form, the root of procreation, of gradual unfolding - growth! - from the beginning of time.
... from rain to the well spring ...
Through music, opposites are reconciled. I might have called this: "Endless noise".
Eros bleu
BLUE EROS
1980
3'50
Flames pushing up their transparent surfaces.
Plasticity of their curves.
Fluid, gas, sonic plasma.
Harmonic watersprite skin.
Familiar character of their blaze. Where does it come from?
From the fact that the generating body is the voice, speech articulating its colored congeries. All that remains is the dynamic movement of the verbal flux. Nonetheless a trained ear will discern the following drawn out words by computer: ... ciel ... ciel fin ... ciel tres doux ... bruit de terre ... tremblement fin ... terre douce ... fin douce ... toupie ... terre ... fin ... ciel ...
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 03:06 PM | Comments (0)
Ulpiu Vlad composes 'DIN SUNETELE PRIVIRII I' for Basso Moderno Duo
Originally from Basically Modern, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 02:11 PM | Comments (0)
Can Slatkin Stop the Slide?
* Detroit Symphony Orchestra attendance is running at 59% of capacity this year.* RIP, Gerhard Samuel.
* It's cheaper for CBC to do remote broadcasts of orchestras than bankroll one in its studio.
* New Jersey Symphony Orchestra to premiere a piece by one of its fiddlers.
* Vienna State Opera exhibit showcases the purge of Jewish staffers in the 1930's.
* The Tosca Trail.
* Germany makes it harder to track internet usage.
* "A huge organization like RIAA is using an anvil to nail a tack. It's starting to look like they're using the court system to generate revenue."
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)
Tristan on DVD: Py´s teenage suicide from Geneva
Young French director Olivier Py has a surprisingly original take on Tristan and Isolde: From his own statements in the bonus documentary we learn that the opera is about death, more precisely ”two teenagers committing suicide”, a concept clearly transformed to both sets and stage direction. This DVD is filmed at a live performance at the Geneva Opera in 2005 (more information here).
First of all, everything in this production oozes of death. It´s black and austere. In Act 1 we are on a kind of black bridge/terrace. In Act 2, the staging works out particularly well: Tristan and Isolde pass through several rooms, reflecting on their stage of mind until they try and commit suicide together by (once again) drinking together, but are caught in the act by King Marke. In the third act we see how people from Tristan´s previous life (his mother) and even himself as a boy passes before him.
Unfortunately, due to the exceptionally bad videography (shaky camera, odd close-up angles) viewers get no impression of what the staging was like. From the documentary we learn that a ship slowly traverses the backgound of the stage for the duration of Act 1 – something DVD-viewers got no impression of at all.
Musically the performance was lead by veteran-Wagnerian Armin Jordan (conducting the soundtrack to Syberberg´s Parsifal film as well as playing Amfortas in the early 80´s), who clearly has good understanding of the structure of the piece, but with a somewhat passive approach.
Fine performances from Jeanne-Michelle Charbonnet (Isolde) and especially Clifton Forbis (Tristan), who also managed to look the part. Also good performances from Mihoko Fujimura´s beautiful, but small-voiced Brangäne, Albert Döhmen´s Kurwenal and Alfred Reiters lanky and lethargic King Marke.
The main downside to this DVD is clearly the substandard videography. Unacceptably bad for a professional release. If you only plan on owning one (or two) Tristans, this one may not be among them, but it makes for interesting watching, not least due to the original and well-thought out staging.
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:16 PM | Comments (0)
Iran bans Beethoven
Just recently came across this item in the Daily Telegraph of London, about the ban on Western music imposed in December by Iran's Supreme Cultural Revolutionary Council...The writer, Ivan Hewitt, while expressing the natural outrage most of us in the West would feel at hearing about this edict, admits however to "a sneaking respect for a world-view which gives music such massive importance." I had the same feeling when I heard of the ban. For so many people in the US, I fear, classical music has become at best a trotting out of familiar warhorses, at worst a good thing to put on as calming background music on the radio while doing the household chores.With all the Mozart happening in Columbia in these last few days of the SC Mozart Festival, I'm reminded of a moment last October. I was at the Art Museum attending one of Charles Wadsworth's chamber music concerts, listening with rapt attention to a Mozart violin-viola duet, played with a passionate intensity by Soovin Kim and Ida Kavafian. The sinuous harmonic traversals, the strong character of each instrument within the duo, the at-times surprising mass of sound emanating from just the two instruments...I was on the edge of my seat until the very end, when I joined in with the enthusiastic applause around me. The lady next to me, while applauding along with everyone else, leaned over to me and said, "I just LOVED that...it's so soothing, isn't it?" My heart sank, wishing so very much that this woman could have enjoyed the drama and tension of that music as much as I did. But then again, when you put a Mozart duo for two string instruments up against the ear-splitting Coming Attractions at your Local Movie Theater, or the cacophony of people shouting at each other you usually find at most restaurants, I suppose that it IS soothing by comparison. (Stay tuned for a future blog about increasing hearing loss among Americans, something I always suspected and which is now beginning to be documented factually.)
In any case, who am I to demand that my neighbor like Mozart for "only the right reasons"? She heard it on her own terms, as all listeners must, and evaluated the experience likewise. Perhaps this is the real subversive threat of Western classical music that Iran "gets" : its assertion of the legitimacy of individual experience and interpretation.
Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Artisphere fills the atmosphere - Greenville News
Artisphere fills the atmosphere Greenville News, SC - ... while music to underscore the event will be recorded excerpts from the GSO's "Spotlight" series, featuring the music of Rossini, Ligeti and Nielsen. |
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 Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Regional arts and entertainment events - Philadelphia Inquirer
Regional arts and entertainment events Philadelphia Inquirer, PA - The acclaimed Dorian Wind Quintet plays works by Franz Danzi, Claude-Paul Taffanel, Elliott Carter and Carl Nielsen at 3 pm at Haverford College, ... |
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 Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Naughton twin sisters to perform piano program as season finale of ... - The Birmingham News - al.com
Naughton twin sisters to perform piano program as season finale of ... The Birmingham News - al.com, AL - ... and three etudes by Gyorgy Ligeti. To close, they join hands for Mendelssohn's "Andante and Variations" in B flat Major, Op. 83a, for four hands. ... |
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 Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Opéra de Montréal's Atelier Lyrique: Double bill a semi-success
Arthur Kaptainis, Montreal Gazette, 3/30/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
A ‘Tristan und Isolde’ well worth the wait
Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 3/30/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
For star singers, a worthy partner
Matthew Gurewitsch, New York Times, 3/30/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Fairfax couple's award-winning DVDs introduce tots to Mozart and ... - Marin Independent-Journal
Fairfax couple's award-winning DVDs introduce tots to Mozart and ... Marin Independent-Journal, CA - The statue forms a glitzy capstone on an unorthodox career path that brought Belinda Takahashi, an avant-garde composer at the Eastman School of Music, ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Open to students and professional musicians - JazzStage Productions
Open to students and professional musicians JazzStage Productions, MI - The finest musicians to spring from the world of jazz have clearly had an advantage when it comes to branching into other genres of music. ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
Edison Glass: Long Island music graduates become thinking man's ... - Cross Rhythms
Edison Glass: Long Island music graduates become thinking man's ... Cross Rhythms, UK - ... a moniker concocted by an unlikely combination of names, famed inventor Thomas Alva Edison and composer of classical avant-garde music Philip Glass. ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:15 PM | Comments (0)
"I did not need that string anyway ..."
[march 16, 2008] Reverberations Paris-New York : everybody having an awful lot of art/rock/FUN with Rhys Chatham's Guitar Trio at Studio Campus in Paris, and - not lightly to forget - David Watson's bagpipes ...Originally from HarSMedia (Feed and Podcast), ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:13 PM | Comments (0)
In Brief: Octave of Easter Edition
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:27 AM | Comments (0)
World Class Anxiety (part two)
Originally from Boring Like A Drill, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 08:26 AM | Comments (0)
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor's Stroke
On this extraordinary talk, brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor talks about a pure right brain experience she had as the result of a stroke. Her pure right brain experience sounds like what it feels like when I listen to late Beethoven.
Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
A case for counting
If I correctly understand Dr. Taylor's explanation of the brain in her talk that I linked to in the last post, counting beats when you practice might make playing music an activity that encourages optimal use of both sides of the brain. Her discussion about the chatter that goes on in the left side of the brain explains why it is possible to let the mind wander and think about all sorts of "other things" when practicing and performing even complicated music. The right side of the brain takes care of the physical stuff and enjoys the present moment, so it might not notice that what I am playing might happen to be sloppy, rhythmically or otherwise; but the tape recorder does notice.In order to make practicing more productive, I think that I will attempt to turn my chatter track into something useful, like always counting and subdividing beats, something I don't always remember to do when I think I know a piece of music well. Maybe it will help develop the left side of my brain a bit. I know that it will improve my playing.
Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
Ian Storey replaces Peter Seiffert in Barenboim´s Berlin Tristan in May
Damn...I actually quite liked Ian Storey as Tristan at La Scala, but was looking forward to see Peter Seiffert in this performance - a single revival of Kupfer´s old Tristan staging May 12th at the Berlin State Opera, conducted by Barenboim and with Katarina Dalayman as Isolde. At least Ian Storey is an honorable substitute. More information here.Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
Music for virtual and real partners
Electronic Duets That Dazzle and Brahms in His Autumnal Glory. The Juilliard Journal, April 2008.
Originally posted by bhodgesnyc from Monotonous Forest, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
A.T. Curtis
How Euro can you get? While tooling around on the 'net (by which I mean Facebook), I stumbled upon this video of pianist Alexandre Tharaud's performance of Couperin's Tic Toc Choc. He's aided by two dancers, and the result is, I guess, something like Mark Morris with a little more street cred. (As I've said before, I'm not a dance critic.)
Also noteworthy is this performance on Instant Encore of Dvorak's String Quintet by students at the Curtis Institute with the president of the conservatory, violist Roberto Díaz, sitting in. (Via) This may have been the only student ensemble in the country in which every member was present for every rehearsal. It shows, too; they don't sound like students.
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
Record books revised
Audio researchers retrieve 10 seconds of melody from an 1860 phonautogram, a device invented by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville "to create a paper record of human speech that could later be deciphered," The New York Times reports:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/27/arts/27soun.html?_r=1&ref=music&oref=slogin
Other Scott phonautograms, dating from as early as 1853, were found in a Paris archive; but once converted to sound, "we got the early phonautograms to squawk, that's about it," said David Giovannoni, leader of a team from California's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A snippet of the French folk song "Au Clair de la Lune," recorded on April 9, 1860, is the oldest found so far that produces identifiably musical sound.
Thomas A. Edison's recitation of "Mary had a little lamb," long thought to be the oldest audio recording, dates from 1876.
Originally from Letter V, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
Famous cellist makes local debut with heartfelt rendition
David Hawley , Pioneer Press, 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
Tribute concert: Symphony salutes founder, conductor
Anne Wilson , Salt Lake Tribune, 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
Swedish Chamber Orchestra to play Cleveland's Severance Hall
Donald Rosenberg, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland), 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
American Voices is Hurd
Hurd Audio reviews American Voices.
Originally posted by brian from brian sacawa | sounds like now, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
Katie Paterson, Modern Art Oxford - Times Online
Katie Paterson, Modern Art Oxford Times Online, UK - And it has moved way beyond its origins in avant-garde music, bringing an innovative approach to traditional subjects such as nature, landscape and human ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:32 AM | Comments (0)
Ionarts at Large: Ernani at the Met
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:29 AM | Comments (0)
Finally!
Originally from Iron Tongue of Midnight, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 30, 2008 at 01:27 AM | Comments (0)
March 29, 2008
DVD: Chereau/Boulez with a definitive version of From The House of The Dead
This DVD release of Patrice Chéreau´s superb staging of Janacek´s opera From The House of The Dead, conducted by Pierre Boulez, is one of the very few examples of an opera performance, which I simply cannot imagine being bettered in any way. Information on the DVD here.
This is Janacek´s last opera, premiered in 1930, two yeras after the composers death. It is based on Russian author Dostojevski´s autobiographical novel of four years spent in a Siberian prison for illegal political activities in the mid-19th century. Janacek almost exclusively used Dostojevski´s test as libretto with the addition of a maximum of 10 paragraphs of his own.
The opera, in short, is about the conditions in the prison, and as such may be viewed as an ensemble piece for male voices. There is no protagonist, and no conventional plot, but we follow the lives of a handful of prisoners, who one at a time tells their life story. The starting point of the opera is the arrival of an aristocratic prisoner (sung by Olaf Bär), who in the end is released, while life for the other prisoners goes on as usual.
Patrice Chéreau/Pierre Boulez received ravishing reviews for this production, including several "opera performance of the year" awards when it opened at the Wiener Festwochen last year and this is a co-production with venues such as Wiener Festwochen, Aix-en-Provence and Metropolitan Opera Houses, where it will appear in future seasons. This DVD was recorded live at the 2007 Aix-en-Provence Festival.
Patrice Chéreau succeeds in penetrating the layers of this story, showing the multi-facettet universal aspects of prison life while staying close to the text: The sets are by his usual set designer Richard Peduzzi, creating a gloomy concrete environment alluding any prison anywhere. We see the hierarchy of prisoners, the loneliness and desperation of the individual characters but also the strong sense of brotherhood and unity. Touching, depressing, but also in a weird sense, uplifting.
As usual Chéreau´s trademark is the detailed instruction of the singers, who simply displays superb and moving acting of a quality rarely seen in opera. All were good, but especially John Mark Ainsley and Gerd Grochowski stood out by their convincing portrayal of two of the prisoners. Chéreau has indeed succeeded in bringing this work to another level.
And Pierre Boulez - the facets he brings out in Janacek´s score with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra are no less impressive - conducted with a transparent sense of detail - never sentimental or sloppy and never less than accurate. He stated that this was the last opera he would conduct, choosing to concentrate on composing in the future. I sincerely hope he changes his mind (as he has done before..).
In addition this DVD contains 45 minutes of rehearsal footage and insightful interviews with Chéreau and Boulez.
I cannot imagine any better production of this opera and this DVD is a must for those interested in operatic theater. And for those living in the area of the Metropolitan it is a must to see when it appears at the MET 2009-10 season conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. No doubt, it is one of the best opera DVD´s I have ever seen.
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 07:46 PM | Comments (0)
Sublimation (by Dave Seidel)
This piece is inspired by three chords from La Monte Young's "The Well-Tuned Piano" and various sine-tone installations: the Opening Chord, the Magic Chord, and the Magic Opening Chord. I didnt use Youngs chords literally, but instead made five new chords whose pitches I derived based on the combination tones (summation, difference, and periodicity pitch) implied by his chords. The piece was built by combining these five chords in various layers.
Kyle Gann has included Sublimation on the playlist">http://www.kylegann.com/postclassicradio.html">playlist (look under "Past Selections") of his Postclassic">http://www.live365.com/stations/kylegann">Postclassic Radio show. Tim">http://johnsonsrambler.wordpress.com/">Tim Rutherford-Johnson used an excerpt from Sublimation in his "avant-classical" mix Long">http://johnsonsrambler.wordpress.com/2006/06/15/my-first-avant-classical-mix/">Long Shadows.
Sublimation is licensed under the Creative">http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution License.
read">http://www.csounds.com/node/104">read more
From Podcast: cSounds.com - .
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 07:42 PM | Comments (0)
The Billionaires, "End of Summer Song"
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Gai Savoir"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar 9002 --4. GAI SAVOIR
Joyful Wisdom (3:30)
1) The eight selections on the present release were culled from a total of twenty
pieces that were issued on six 10" LPs in a limited edition of fifty copies, each numbered and signed by Dubuffet. A book on the subject has been written by Beniamino dal Fabbro under the title of Esperienze musicali di Jean Dubuffet, published by Edizioni del Cavallino, Venice, 1962. Eleven other pieces, realized by Dubuffet with Asger Jorn, between December 1960 and March 1961, were issued on four 10" LPs in a limited edition of fifty numbered copies.2) From an interview I conducted with Dubuffet, in Paris, July 1966. Translation mine.
3) Id.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Diligences Futiles"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar 9002 --3. DILIGENCES FUTILES
Futile Diligences (4:17)
It remains to be indicated, while closing this brief commentary, that Dubuffet eventually abandoned his musical pursuits, not because they contrasted with his work as a painter, but because they claimed the same amount of time, dedication-and passion. -- Ilhan Mimaroglu
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
Tristan at the MET: Voigt and Heppner finally sang together in the last performance transmitted live from the MET website
I suppose it´s a sign of competent leadership, that Metropolitan Opera´s new General Manager Peter Gelb has managed the multiple cancellations around this season´s revival performances of Tristan and Isolde in a way resulting in considerable (generally, positive) media interest (including 4 (!) reviews in the New York Times, which will probably end up being 5) as well as a sold-out house.In fact, what has happened is not that exceptional, the core issue being tenor Ben Heppner´s (Tristan) withdrawal from the first performances and the problems concerns surrounding his replacement. On top of that, Deborah Voigt has been intermittently ill as well.
A brief recapitulation of events:
1st performance: John MacMaster steps in for Ben Heppner and is (disgracefully, in my opinion) booed by some of the audience.
2nd performance: Gary Lehman is now Tristan, receiving fine reviews. Deborah Voigt leaves stage in Act 2 due to illness and is replaced by Janice Baird.
3rd performance: Gary Lehman and Deborah Voigt sings, but the performance is briefly interrupted in Act 3, when Lehman has an accident on stage.
4th performance: Robert Dean Smith is brought in to sing Tristan for what is also the HD telecast, and receives good reviews.
5th performance: Ben Heppner is now back as Tristan, but now Deborah Voigt is ill and replaced by Janice Baird.
6th performance: Ben Heppner and Deborah Voigt sing together as originally scheduled. This time Margaret Jane Wray as Brangaene is ill and replace by Michelle DeYoung.
This last performance was transmitted free via the Metropolitan website, where I listened in, curious after all this publicity (exactly as intended by the House Management, I suppose!).
First I was curious about the way Margaret Jane Wray´s illness was announced from the stage (presumably by Peter Gelb): "I have only good news.." Well, regarding Voigt and Heppner perhaps, but...isn´t that a politcally incorrect way of announcing someone´s illness?
In brief, I thought it a quite good, but in no way exceptional performance. I don´t think James Levine (whom I otherwise rate a very fine conductor) is at his best with this piece: By all means the orchestra plays well, but he generates an incredibly smooth sound (primarily by the accentuation of upper strings and wood-winds), which is apparent from the beginning of the prelude and lasts throughout the piece, becoming at some point, frankly, boring. Very placid, and he doesn´t seem to get to the core issues of the work.
I am very curious what Daniel Barenboim can do with this orchestra, when he will conduct the run of performances next season: Will he have enough rehearsal time to be able to influence the long-time established Tristan-playing traditions of this orchestra? I suspect, he will, otherwise I doubt he would have accepted the assignment.
I find Deborah Voigt´s Isolde has deteriorated significantly compared to her performances 5 years ago in Vienna (the only other time she has performed the role, and which at that time was recorded for Deutsche Gramophone with Christian Thielemann): Her nasal sound has become more dominant, as has her fluttery, she tends to hit the notes flat, but the thing that really detracts from her performance is the lack of diversity in expression and characterization. She seems to move at the same level throughout the piece. Never mind that she tires at the end or hits a couple of notes flat, it´s the lack of variety and characterization in her performance that makes it relatively uninteresting.
Although Ben Heppner´s return to stage so soon after his illness, is admirable, he was not at his best last night, but I find it unfair to linger to much upon that. His was an honourable, but in no way (as far as it was transmitted by the website-streaming) exceptional performance.
As for the others, the stand-out was Matti Salminen as King Marke. Aslo Schulte as Kurwenal did well. Some rumours has it, that this was Matti Salminen´s farewell to the MET. I am (once again) glad that I am European, since he has plenty of European engagements in the upcoming seasons.
So, to summarize: The Metropolitan Opera has managed to revive a moderately-interesting Tristan production and turn a handful of cancellations into both positive media coverage as well as sold-out performances. Not bad at all.
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Paris: Two "sights" and a "site"
If you're planning a trip to Paris, allow me to recommend two places well worth a visit for those of you with an interest in music and/or art. You won't find them at the top of the lists of most famous "must-sees" but my wife and I found them engrossing and fascinating and were glad we searched them out.
The first is the Musee Marmottan, backed up against the Bois de Boulogne, near the La Muette Metro stop. We saw about 50 of Claude Monet's works there, including many very late ones which push the murkiness of his brand of Impressionism almost past a border into abstraction. If you want to have a comprehensive understanding of this artist, this museum is a must.
The Cite de la Musique (out to the northeast fringe of the city, near the Porte de Pantin Metro stop) contains a wonderful 700-seat hall where we (the Philip Glass Ensemble) played, and other groups such as the incredible Ensemble Intercontemporain are based there. But within that complex is the Musee de la Musique, which possesses a remarkable musical instrument collection (click on this link to view a virtual tour). Especially memorable for me was seeing a Pleyel piano that was rented to Chopin for several years when he lived in Paris, and an Erard piano on which Franz Liszt performed in Lyon and to which he affixed his signature. You wear headphones when you tour the museum and wireless signals near different display cases convey music played by the instruments you are viewing, you don't have to push any buttons at all.
Finally, if you are about to travel to Paris, you must check out Chocolate and Zucchini, a website created by a twenty-something Parisian woman named Clothilde who is a true foodie, and who will clue you in as to where to get the best hot chocolate in Paris, or a delightful little hole-in-the-wall which features 10 delicious soups daily, or how to find the places where the pros buy their kitchen tools and utensils, and on and on. This website is a treasure trove of information for food-lovers, and after all, food is half the reason for going to Paris in the first place!
Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Mozart: "The best work I have ever composed..."
Excuse the lengthy pause between blog entries; I have been (and still am) in the Caribbean, performing at the St. Barts Music Festival, and computer access has been a bit limited. My absence also means I have not been in Columbia for the beginning of the SC Mozart Festival, the ambitious undertaking of Jared Johnson, organist and music director at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and Peter Hoyt, professor of music history at USC. They have organized an astonishing array of concerts, lectures, theatrical and film presentations to celebrate the 250th birthday of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Here are some links to the State newspaper's coverage of the festival.
I am very happy to be doing my bit for this festival, with a couple of performances coming up for their daily lunchtime series of short programs at Trinity. The first of these takes place this Monday, Jan.30, at 12:30 PM, when I'll be joined by USC wind faculty Rebecca Nagel, Robert Pruzin, Douglas Graham, and Carol Lowe for a performance of the Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds. This is one of the few pieces for this combination (piano with oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn) by any composer, and one of Mozart's finest chamber works, period. In fact, shortly after the work's premiere in Vienna, he told his father in a letter that he felt it to be "the best work I have ever composed." That might have been a bit of a stretch, perhaps the enthusiasm of the moment, but it is a marvelous work, full of high spirits, a bit of comedy, and plenty of lovely harmonic manipulations and striking sonorities. Come take a break from your work day next Monday at 12:30 and join us for a delightful half-hour of music.
Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Camille: The fast facts - Digital Spy
Camille: The fast facts Digital Spy, UK - ... Elvis or Judy Garland", but "also the idea of repetition, like in African drums music or in minimalist music like [innovative US composer] Steve Reich". ... |
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 Mar 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Emil Gilels, Leonid Kogan, Mstislav Rostropovich: Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann Piano Trios; Fauré Piano Quartet (DG)
James Manishen, Winnepeg Free Press, 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Molinari Quartet performs works of Schafer -- complete with shenanigans
Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen, 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
Reaching the final turn in 3 years of bumpy road
Allan Kozinn, New York Times, 3/29/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
Chaos at the Met
Tristan and Two Isoldes. The New Yorker, March 31, 2008.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
Finally!
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
Well, it took three replacement Tristans (one of whom rolled off the stage) a pair of nights that required two Isoldes, and countless doses of Sudafed, but Ben Heppner and Deborah Voigt finally made it from ship’s deck to "Liebestod" together. I had the good fortune to be at the Met last night, and I can’t remember a more consistently mesmerizing performance of Tristan und Isolde. Heppner has lost a bit of the superhero ease he once had, but with his warm, elastic voice and controlled fervor, he insinuated himself so thoroughly into the role that it became hard to imagine wanting to hear it any other way. Perhaps to show what fine form she was in, Voigt hammered the odd high note with a little more gusto than strictly necessary, but you can’t begrudge her the pleasure she takes in producing that fine, rich blang! Heppner’s and Voigt’s timbres harmonized gorgeously, and in spite of these weeks of separation, their sense of breath and phrasing merged. They sang Act II in silhouette against a luminous, abstract backdrop, their voices bobbing on the surface of a dark orchestral tide controlled by James Levine.
You can have a magical Tristan und Isolde even if only Tristan und Isolde sing really well, but happily that wasn’t the case last night. Michelle De Young stepped back into the role of Brangaene, which she had planned to sit out in order to give Margaret Jane Wray a crack at it. Wray was sick (Curse you, Influenza!); De Young was splendid. So were Eike Wilm Schulte as Kurwenal, Stephen Gaertner as Melot, and the great Matti Salminen as an especially harrowed King Marke.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
Sibelius event in Stockholm
I was there! But I sat so close to the windows to the right, so I am not visible in this photo, or any of these.
[photo published with permission from Claes B Nilsson at www.sibelius.se]
Originally from The Sibelian Conspiracy, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
Chincha-Chancha Cooroo or The Weaver’s Wedding
This is what Cedric wrote in another forum about the premiere of Bernard Hughes' opera "Chincha-Chancha Cooroo or The Weaver’s Wedding" with the young opera company W 11 in London:
You missed a rip-roaring success this evening. Bernard Hughes' children's opera is a multi-layered treat. Beautifully paced and directed with opportunities for every single member of the huge cast (80+ children) to do their bit. Bernard provided patter songs, duets, comic choruses, introspective solos, big set pieces and a neat orchestral interlude between the two acts (was Bernard inspired by a joint outing to see Berg's Lulu a year ago, I was wondering?).
Despite the story's Bengali origins and setting, the score steadfastly avoided any concessions to Bollywood beyond a tabla and a brief episode where a pizzicato cello stood in for a sitar. The music communicated in very singable but by no means predictable terms with remarkably resourceful use of a small group of nine instruments. The closing, roof-raising chorus proceeded majestically in 7/4 with the instrumental ensemble adding a thoroughly rousing contribution.
What was notable throughout was Bernard's clear determination to give each character (and there were six main characters and several subsidiary parts) something individual to sing. Bernard's librettist, William Radice, clearly knows how to inject wit, fantasy, drama and occasional pathos into the simplest of tales. The start, in which the Storyteller is loudly and hilariously rubbished by members of the cast planted in the audience who then get drawn into the story as it unfolds is an inspired opening.
On a more personal note, the stage action managed to include a quick cricket lesson for the hero, something which must have carried particular poignancy for the composer, given Bernard's devotion to the game and his assiduous following of England's unfortunate progress in the Ashes.
The production, choreography, sets and costumes as well as the cast and players all did Bernard's work proud. I think it would be fair to say that for Bernard and his librettist, Christmas has come very early this year.
[ written by Cedric Peachey, 09 Dec 2006]
Originally from The Sibelian Conspiracy, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
Dialogics: Ne(x)tworks at Chelsea Art Museum April 5 2PM
On April 5, 2008, 2pm, the creative music ensemble Ne(x)tworks presents the 2nd installment of Dialogics: Ne(x)tworks at Chelsea Art Museum (CAM), the group’s third annual multi-event residency. This concert features several works by polymath composer Alvin Curran, a true innovator of avant garde music since the late 1960’s. Ne(x)tworks is developing material for a future recording project of Curran’s music, and Dialogics Concert 2 kicks off the process with selections from The Alvin Curran Fake Book. Also featured are brand new works by two of Ne(x)tworks’ most experienced and revered members, Miguel Frasconi and Joan La Barbara. On CAM’s 3rd floor, the music of these compelling composers will be brought to life by Ne(x)tworks’ rich roster of what Time Out labeled “new music superstars.” (6/07)
Program:
Distancing (1981/2008) Miguel Frasconi
Triadic Limbo (2007) (fragment) ** Alvin Curran
Words on Water (Shimmer) (2008) ** Joan La Barbara
Endangered Species (1994 – 1996) Alvin Curran
Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights (1992) Alvin Curran
Saltando in Padella (2005) ***
Al Forno Al Sugo Al Pesto Al Vino (2001) (fragment) Alvin Curran
** There will be no pause between Triadic Limbo and Words on Water (Shimmer)
*** Fragments of Why Is This Night Different From All Other Nights and Saltando in Padella will be performed simultaneously.
Ne(x)tworks is a collaborative ensemble of musicians creating and interpreting work that features a dynamic relationship between composition and improvisation. In performance and recordings, the group locates pathways into various types of notation systems and interfaces, striving for a meaningful dialogue with the past, present, and future of creative music.
Formed in 2002 in New York City, Ne(x)tworks first performed at legendary American composer Earle Brown’s memorial concert. Working in the tradition of the ‘performing composer’, the group often presents full programs of music created by its members. Ne(x)tworks’ repertoire also expands outward from its ranks to encompass the open scores of Brown and his New York School colleagues, work by the their European counterparts, further experiments by the composer/performers of the AACM and SoHo Scene of the 1970’s, the so-called Downtown composers of the 1980’s, and commissioned works by like-minded contemporary colleagues.
Tickets $15
Chelsea Art Museum
556 West 22nd.
www.nextworksmusic.net
www.chelseaartmuseum.org
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Too many emails
I get too many emails.
I’m not talking about spam. I have a variety of filters that get most of the spam out. I’m talking about email from people I know from the various parts of my life: my family, close friends, friends, colleagues, students, former students, staff, and then all the email that comes at me because I’m Chair of an academic department. Being in the latter category has put me into CC hell. Everyone feels they need to CC me on everything they think or say. In my crankier moods, I find myself tempted to turn on the autoreply feature of my email program and say something like:
I’VE HAD IT. I CAN’T READ ANYMORE EMAILS, INCLUDING YOURS. HA! FOOLED YOU, JUST KIDDING. BUT YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT I GET FROM 100 TO 300 EMAILS A DAY, MANY OF WHICH REQUIRE A RESPONSE FROM ME. PLEASE KNOW THAT THERE ARE 193 AHEAD OF YOU, SO IT MAY TAKE A FEW HOURS FOR ME TO GET BACK TO YOU.
Then I realize that this bitchy message would get read by everyone, and everyone would assume I was having a melt down. Which I’m not. But really, there is no precedent for what we are required to do now days. Chairs didn’t used to get 200 pieces of paper mail per day before the internet. I haven’t come up with any strategies yet for dealing with this challenge, so any advice is welcome. When I finish HOMER, I imagine I’ll have time to sit in book stores again and will probably find some helpful book that will teach me how to write 300 responses to emails and still have a life and a job.
Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Musician Finds Muse In Florida Orchestra - Tampa Tribune
Musician Finds Muse In Florida Orchestra Tampa Tribune, FL - By DEREK MAUL BRANDON - At home, Alan Glick is happy to shed his orchestra tuxedo and play ball with his boys. "Brandon is a great place to live and play," ... |
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 Mar 29, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Conductor, composer Gerhard Samuel dies at 83 - San Francisco Chronicle
Conductor, composer Gerhard Samuel dies at 83 San Francisco Chronicle, USA - The stylistic range was broad enough to encompass such European masters as Lutoslawski and Stockhausen and California composers like Terry Riley and Henry ... |
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 Mar 29, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Bateau Coule"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar 9002 --2. BATEAU COULE
Sunken Ship (9:03)
Let us note that his reference to a cutting stylus on the wax as the only possible means of writing music is made partially in a figurative sense. By this he also refers to all the other means of sound recording, including the magnetic imprints of a record head onto a tape a means that he himself used, not only to keep, but above all to construct his music. It is therefore futile to discuss whether this music can be recreated by performance and, if so, aptitudes of a special nature are required in other musicians who would want to play the instruments the way Dubuffet did. Our criteria are not those of the musical performance, but of musical creativity in all its vastness. It should suffice to note that his music is the product of a mature artistic mind which would not allow the hands to perform anything incongruous with it. In an incidental way, it marks historical change, although its importance lies primarily in the domain of intrinsic merit. It is among the purest products of imagination, unadulterated by conceptual thinking. The propulsive succession of its sound images may someday lead others to conceptualize about it, and only then perhaps, in an ironical way, it will begin to acquire universal recognition. Like all good modern music that drives bad listeners out of their minds, it cannot be expected to receive instant acceptance even if it ever gets to be widely distributed.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Pleure et Applaudit"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar SR 9002 --4. PLEURE ET APPLAUDIT
Cry and Clap (11 :20)
His views on music ring the bell of a truth that many a wise thinker may have arrived at, but would refrain from voicing too loudly for fear of shaking an established order:
I believe that our western music is an avatar among all the possibilities that were offered to music. Now, by an optical error, one imagines that this is the only music possible, while, in reality, it is only a very specious music among millions of possibilities that were available and, without doubt, will be available tomorrow. . . In my music I wanted to place myself in the position of a man of fifty thousand years ago, a man who ignores everything about western music and invents a music for himself without any reference, without any discipline, without anything that would prevent him to express himself freely and for his own good pleasure. This is what I wanted to do in my painting too, only with this difference that painting, I know it-western painting of the last few centuries, I know it perfectly well-and I wanted to deliberately forget all about it . . . But I do not know music, and this gave me a certain advantage in my musical experiences. I did not have to make an effort to forget whatever I had to forget. . .
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Humeur Incertaine"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar 9002 --Side Two (24:33)
I. HUMEUR INCERTAINE
Uncertain Humor (7:43)
Dubuffet is even more radicat, and as logical, when he comments on the question of written music:
I find that true music should not be written, that all written music is a false music, that the musical notation which has been adopted in the west, with its notes on the staves and its twelve notes per octave, is a very poor notation which does not permit to notate the sounds and only allows the making of a totally specious music which has nothing to do with true music. It is impossible to write true music, except with a stylus on the wax, and this is what they do now in recordings. This is a way of writing and the only one that's proper to music.3
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Off the beaten track - The Age
 The Age | Off the beaten track The Age, Australia - Following years of conservative Australian programming, this week's inaugural Melbourne International Biennale of Exploratory Music aims to put the far ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Tango and cash - Sydney Morning Herald
 Sydney Morning Herald | Tango and cash Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - Dick Verdult, an avant-garde musician and artist from the Netherlands, began toying with cumbia - a dance music of Colombian origin - about 2000, ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
A fitting homage to one of Canada's best - Globe and Mail
A fitting homage to one of Canada's best Globe and Mail, Canada - On the other hand, Wednesday's concert served as a sobering reminder of just where contemporary classical stands in public esteem. Here was a free concert, ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Favourite stoned listening
'Favourite stoned listening included electronic music by Luciano Berio; the IBM computer singing 'Daisy, Daisy'; John Cage's Indeterminacy - some stories were longer than others, but he read each one in two minutes, some speeded up, others very slowly; a two-volume Folkways recording of a Japanese Zen ceremony - on one track a bell rang once a minute, and it was always great when it finally rang; and lots of the latest squeals and shrieks from the ghetto: Albert Ayler's Bells and Spirits Awake; Ron Blake (photo above); Pharoah Sanders; Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra; Eric Dolphy's honking bird imitations; Free Jazz by the Ornette Coleman Double Quartet: two reeds, two bassists, two drummers, two trumpets, thirty-eight minutes of spontaneous collective improvisation with no preconceptions' - Barry Miles recalls stoned listening with Paul McCartney in the out-of-print but not out-of-mind In the Sixties.
Now playing - The Brad Mehldau Trio's take on Nick Drake's River Man from Art of the Trio, Volume 5. Nick was no stranger to stoned listening, more here.
The book actually misspells Pharoah Sanders by adding a 'u' to his surname, I've corrected the error in the quote. 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 Mar 29, 2008 at 04:37 PM | Comments (0)
Name That Tune 66
This is the sixty-sixth in a 100 part series.
Name the composer: 50 Points
Name the work: 50 Points
The winner(s) of each round will be the first person(s) with the correct answer(s) in each category. When the dust settles she or he with the highest combined score wins a prize.
Originally from Sequenza21/Composers Forum, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
Get Tough
OK all you swamp dawgs. It's abundantly clear to me that the first 50-odd Name That Tunes were just way too easy for the likes of y'all. Fine. Starting tonight, we get tough. Buncha Brainiacs.
Originally from Sequenza21/Composers Forum, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:49 PM | Comments (0)
Portrait of the Critic as a Young Man
“That’s a very powerful song, Mommy.”
“Yes it is,” she replied.
“But you don’t sing it powerfully.”
Originally from Sequenza21/Composers Forum, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
Blogger Makes Good
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
Christine Brewer's Isolde
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
Basso Moderno Review: KULTURA
Originally from Basically Modern, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 05:12 AM | Comments (0)
Basso Moderno in Bulgaria & Romania
Originally from Basically Modern, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 05:12 AM | Comments (0)
On Right Now, As In, NOW
Originally from Iron Tongue of Midnight, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 05:11 AM | Comments (0)
Re: Joyce.
Joyce DiDonato at the Rose Theater
The New York Times, March 28, 2008
Originally posted by NightAfterNight from Night After Night, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 05:10 AM | Comments (0)
Stick figures in Wonderland–Karla Holloway
This is the second of three parts–you can go back to the introduction or skip ahead to the part about Mark Anthony Neal (soon).
Karla Holloway (disclaimer) is one of the “listening” statement endorsers with the highest profile on DIW. Neal is in the next tier down but still among the dozen or so that crop up most often. Like the rest of the endorsers, Johnson presumes both of them guilty of having presumed and announced the lacrosse players’ guilt. Beyond that, whatever incriminating evidence he can pin on individual endorsers is icing on the cake, and with repetition he has no trouble making a little bit go a long way. Relatively speaking he comes up with a lot to hold against Holloway, but the centerpiece is the article entitled “Coda: Bodies of Evidence” that she wrote for the Summer 2006 issue of The Scholar and Feminist Online. I’ll concentrate on that article and its tie-in with her service on the Campus Culture Initiative (CCI), along with Johnson’s response. If you’re interested you can find her rap sheet in this DIW post.
“Bodies of Evidence” is not a general-purpose analysis of the case or a full-scale rationalization of her positions on it, it’s personal impressions and commentary that relate the lacrosse case to the theme of the issue (”The Cultural Value of Sport: Title IX and Beyond”), pitched to the interests of the journal’s readers. Holloway is a veteran academic administrator and naturally seems to see things from an institutional perspective. She frames the schools response to the lacrosse case as a clash between the institution’s dedication to athletics and its commitment to race and gender equity. In parts of the article she’s effectively thinking out loud about how athletics seem to have trumped equity. Two questions represent her disillusionment with both sides. On one hand, if students behave atrociously, what does it matter if they’re national-class athletes with good grades? On the other hand, if the university accepts that women and minorities are disadvantaged, why does it expect them to take on the extra work of documenting the inequity and figuring out how to address it? The two meet head-to-head because of the university’s sense that she should put her body in the line of rhetorical fire serving on a committee charged with patching up the mess.
At every level, starting with the premises, the article is full of assumptions, claims and observations that are eminently debatable–and I mean both questionable and the basis for a worthwhile debate. It also offers a candid view of the mechanics of a diversity-minded institution through the eyes of a consummate insider. Johnson shows no interest in either debate or insight but instead sets to work demolishing a text he’s remade into the product of the extremist he knows Holloway to be.
Tags: Duke lacrosse, Duke University, KC JohnsonOriginally posted by Robert Zimmerman from Re:harmonized, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:39 AM | Comments (0)
Season of Birth Effect
This little chart has been swirling around the internet, and, for what it's worth I'll add my two cents. Though I would like to embrace the science of this article, I think this chart is just as reliable an indicator of mental illness as the Chinese Zodiac or even the Western Zodiac. According to this chart my birthday of April 30 is right on the cusp of schizophrenia, suicide, anorexia, and dyslexia (and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, who I just found out shares my birthday, might be susceptible as well). I would prefer to attribute my difficulties, tendencies, and personality quirks to genetics, the way I was raised, life circumstances, and maybe the bossa nova.
So which composer's birthdays would fit in with this the findings of this chart? It looks like Brahms (May 7) and Tchaikovsky, who shares his birthday, could have been susceptible to dyslexia. J.S. Bach (March 21) would have been a candidate for schizophrenia, as would Modest Moussorgsky (who shares his birth date, but none of his personal characteristics). I could go on. I imagine you will.
In the process of writing this post I found this nifty calendar that will prove to be an excellent tool for your search.
Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:39 AM | Comments (0)
DVD: Enjoyable L´Elisir d´Amore with Netrebko/Villazon from Vienna
And the story of how a shy country boy (Villazón) gains the necessary confidence to win his beloved (Netrebko) after having purchased a (fake, obviously) love potion from a con-man (d´Arcangelo) is actually quite well-suited for the stage, even today - being both funny and touching, but avoiding the ridiculous.
The main selling point of this DVD obviously is Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón. And, though nobody may live up to the hype surrounding these two, they show in this DVD that all this hype indeed does not come out of nothing, convincing with a high-quality performance both vocally and dramatically.
First, Nemorino is an ideal role for Rolando Villazón in every way. He simply is that clumsy, shy and naive village boy, believing that a fake love potion will get him his Adina. 5 minutes applause after his big aria Nella Furtiva Lacrima even resulted in an encore. And justly so, the lyrical part bringing out maximal expressivity in his voice, without pushing it to the limit. Though his acting does in some ways remind of Mr. Bean, he genuinely seems to be in his right element here. So does Anna Netrebko with her lofty, though warm Adina. Very convincing.
Also Ildebrando d´Arcangelo (as the potion-seller Dulcamara) and Leo Nucci (as Nemorino´s rival Belcore) are very convincing, although they probably would have been even more convincing had they switched roles, leaving the younger (and quite handsome) d´Arcangelo to play Villazon´s rival.
Do not expect this DVD to profoundly change your life or to provide new insights into the darkest psychological corners of the human mind. But do expect to be splendidly entertained for two hours.
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
The Fitting
It is March 20th, and I am called for an actual costume fitting. At last I will be able to discover the 19th-century Parisian I am destined to be. Since the day I was measured I have been trying to imagine how I will look and what sort of person I will become. Will I literally be a Bohemian—a frill-free suffragette type who lives in a garret and burns her petticoats in order to stay warm? Or am I the wife of a successful Parisian businessman dressed for a party in a chic little suit with a bustle and perhaps a small cocktail hat perched on my neatly coiffed head?
Or let’s take it one step further. Maybe I am really upscale, a socialite perhaps, or a famous actress, or even a Russian Countess who has fled the Revolution with jewels hidden in her bodice! At the Metropolitan Opera House, anything is surely possible.
As I ponder all this while waiting for the elevator, I suddenly become aware of the man standing next to me. He has a certain presence about him. Although he is not tall, he looks rather imposing, and although he is not young, he is handsome with his silvery hair. And he looks familiar, like someone I know but can’t really place. I am brazen enough to look at him directly, and I realize he is a singer. Why, he is Paul Plishka, the American bass who is a fixture at the Met, extremely versatile, popping up in all sorts of roles that run the gambit from the title role in Falstaff to Alcindoro in La Bohème. In fact—and I catch my breath as this begins to register—he is portraying Musetta’s wealthy beau this very season. In the Christmas Eve scene at the Café Momus, my scene! I wonder if I should introduce myself. I am only a part of the crowd, but we are sharing the stage. Surely it would not be untoward for one colleague to greet another. As a matter of fact it would be considered ill-mannered if one didn’t.
I take the plunge. My instinct is to address him as “Maestro”—or is that only for conductors? I settle for “Mr. Plishka.” He acknowledges me and smiles politely when I tell him my name and inform him of our collaboration, incidental though it is. Naturally, I explain my role, and he nods with an air of understanding with slightly bemused overtones. He says something like, “How nice.” The elevator arrives and the door opens. He asks if I am going down. I tell him I am going up—to Wardrobe to try on my costume. Since the elevator is heading downward, he steps in and smiles again before the door closes. I am thrilled. What a delightful man! Who says opera singers are temperamental and stuck up?
In the costume shop I am greeted by a woman named Michelle, and we get right down to business. She pulls a long woolen dress from a rack. It is dark blue, imprinted with a sprinkling of tiny beige-colored flowers. It has a high neck and sleeves that pouf out from the elbow, but fit tightly around my wrists. It’s not exactly Countess-like, but it is pretty in a cozy kind of way. I strip down to my underwear and reach for it. But wait. This gown has underpinnings of its own. Not one, but two enormous crinolines. I slip them on. They are beautiful and sway when I walk. They make me want to dance. The dress slides over them and is laced up the back. A black band cinches my waist. The high neck makes my own neck look long. I step into low black shoes with “Mary Jane” style straps over my instep. I stare at myself in the mirror. I like what I see.
Michelle tosses a dark blue stole over my shoulders and places a frilly bonnet on my head. I’m okay with the stole, but the bonnet flattens my hair and gives my face a pinched look. I turn to Michelle and ask if we can try something else. She tells me there is something else, picks up the phone, and asks to be connected to the wig department. The wig department! She asks if Tom Watson can come and have a look at me. I perk up considerably. Mr. Watson is the head of the Met’s wig department, a fantasy place where a woman with limp blond hair can be turned into a sexy redhead with thick shiny curls cascading down her back, or a man with no hair at all can look like Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean. When Mr. Watson arrives my bonnet is removed and he measures my head. I ask if he can give me something that stands out from the crowd so my friends in the audience will be able to recognize me. He suggests something with flashing lights… Yeah, right. In my dreams. I give a resigned sigh. I have a feeling I’m going to look like Little Bo Peep.
And then it’s over. Mr. Watson leaves, I am unlaced, untied, unshod, and myself again, slipping into my plain black pants and jacket. I no longer sway when I walk, my neck doesn’t resemble a swan’s in the least. But my costume is carefully hung on the rack and my Mary Janes sit beneath. I do not know who wore these things before me or who will wear them in the future. But, for now, these are my clothes, as surely as if they were in my own closet. And the next time I put them on we’ll be going for a walk together—on the great stage of the Metropolitan Opera.
And I expect Mr. Plishka to ask me to call him “Paul” any day now.
Originally posted by Cherokee La Scala from MetBlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
The Guest Super Blog
At a fundraising auction last season, the Met put up a very special offer: the chance to be a super in a Met performance, live on the main stage. Met patron Cherokee La Scala was the lucky high bidder. Read her blog about her experiences onstage and backstage.
Originally posted by Philipp Brieler from MetBlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
Cherokee’s Debut
This exciting journey began at the end of the 2006–07 Metropolitan Opera season. The opportunity presented itself at the annual “Dinner on the Stage” as a fundraising initiative. First up was an art auction—very interesting, very successful—but to me the last item on the block was the chance of a lifetime. Not a painting, but the opportunity to appear on the Met stage as an extra, or “super,” during an actual performance—dressed, coiffed and shod courtesy of the Met’s incredible wardrobe department!
This particular auction offering was so popular that the auctioneer offered it up four times. On the last round, I nabbed it. The name of the opera was not announced, but the winnings included a parterre box for eight and a personal photographer to record this heart-stopping event. How much better could it get? Of course I had to wait for the 2007–08 season, a wait as endless as a child’s anticipation of Santa Claus, but, like Santa, the moment I began to think of as my “Met debut” would eventually materialize. And, in the meantime, I was free to plan, to dream… to tell everyone within earshot.
Not long after the auction, I received an “official” letter informing me I would be appearing in La Bohème. La Bohème! Talk about waiting for Santa! This was literally a Christmas present like no other. And I didn’t have to wait until December to unwrap it. Having seen the spectacular Franco Zeffirelli production numerous times, I knew instantly how it would be. Christmas Eve in 19th-century Paris… Outside a small, romantic café, townspeople strolling, wide-eyed children gaping at the toys and candy offered by eager vendors… I would be one of the townspeople, perhaps trying on a pair of gloves or a delightful hat with a feather in its brim. And—oh, yes—sharing the stage with Ramón Vargas and Angela Gheorghiu.
This is big stuff! This is huge! This deserves more than a photograph, precious though that might be. And at this point, I am not only thinking of myself, but my friends (make that fans) who will be watching me from the Parterre box. This deserves a celebration. A party! Yes!! Champagne! Flowers! Good grief. In my own mind, I have become a diva. (Autograph, anyone?)
But wait. This requires some deep thinking. Who should sit in my box and what sort of problems will the decision present for those who will be left out? I must be very careful. And canny. I decide on old friends, some from childhood, none of whom live in New York. If they come from places like Tulsa, San Luis Obispo, Hilo, surely they deserve box seats for their trouble. And there will be a party after the opera, to which my New York friends will be invited—provided they care enough to buy a ticket. (Which, thankfully, many of them did.)
The clock is ticking. Hours, days, weeks, months are passing. The new season schedule is announced. La Bohème opens in late March, and the date of my performance is April 12th. In February I receive a request to report to Wardrobe for my first fitting. I stroll through the stage door, announcing to the security guard that I have an appointment pertinent to my upcoming debut. The guard is not impressed. But he lets me in.
My fitting is not really a fitting, but a “measurement.” My head is measured, my wrists are measured, my throat, hips, bust, the length of my arms, the distance between my collar bone and my waist… I suck in my stomach, stand as tall as I can, sticking my head up like a giraffe. Does Renée Fleming have to go through all this? I ask to see the costume, but is has not yet been decided upon. I will have to wait. And try not to shrink, grow fat or any taller before April 13th.
Stay tuned for my second fitting, my rehearsal and my big night!
Originally posted by Cherokee La Scala from MetBlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
Barenboim, Levine, Maazel and...?
Gustavo Dudamel picked up his violin Tuesday for a chamber-music concert with members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Mark Swed's LA Times review is here, with blogosphere commentary from Roger Bourland helping to fill out the picture.
Among the titan conductors who also perform on an instrument these days, the names I can think of are Daniel Barenboim (piano), James Levine (piano), Lorin Maazel (violin), and now Dudamel. I must be missing someone, though I can't think of whom. Myung-Whun Chung doesn't play piano anymore, I'm pretty certain, and Gerard Schwarz doesn't even list his career as co-principal trumpet in the New York Philharmonic trumpeter in his official bio. Others?
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
…And More Albums!
A few people asked why I do not feature free albums that require registration. This is because I do not really consider it a free album. You are essentially paying with your privacy. The information can be used, and is used, to create a mailing list, marketing purposes, or to allow the artists to estimate his customer base. There’s nothing wrong with this. In fact, it is a perfectly acceptable method to increase your market, whether you are an artist, a record label or any type of business. But you are giving something of value for the product.
But, as I said, I have no problem with it. In fact, especially with so many artists and record companies looking for new market strategies, there is an increase in the amount of “free” online albums available for only an email address or some other form of identity. I thought I would mention some of the current ones and you can use your own judgment.
West coast punk stalwarts Pennywise are debuting their new album by offering it for free from their Myspace page. You must be a member of Myspace and add Textango as a friend. The specific instructions are available from the page. I haven’t tried it..probably won’t…but Pennywise is one of the better hardcore punk groups to come out of the California scene. So if you are into the scene, it might be worth it. Caveat emptor.
One “subscription needed” freebie I can highly recommend is from the Classical record label Chandos. By simply subscribing to their newsletter you can download a free full-length MP3 album each month. The album for March is An Introduction To Edward Elgar featuring fine performances of Elgar’s compositions including “Pomp and Circumstances”and the “Enigma Variations”. Next month’s album will feature works by Prokofiev. I consider this the music deal of the internet. I’m also looking forward to the newsletter although I’ve yet to receive it.
Aside from the thousands of independent music treasures they regularly offer, eMusic’s paid subscribers are often treated to free offerings ranging from record label samplers to full albums by unknown but talented artists. I’ve been told that non-subscribers can gain access to these albums but my attempt on another computer failed to verify this. Nonetheless, I’ve been a happy eMusic subscriber for six years so it might be worth the bucks to subscribe if you are a music fanatic like me.
Ex-Boo Radley songwriter Martin Carr has his sixth Bravecaptain album, Distractions available by subscribing to his newsletter. Haven’t tried it but a number of my readers have recommended it. So give it a go if you are so inclined.
A while back I was lucky enough to download the six track EP Stop Drop and Roll by Foxboro Hot Tubs which went on their site for three days then disappeared. It is a delicious throwback to the days of 60s garage bands. It appears that Foxboro Hot Tubs may actually be Green Day. Certainly if the vocalist isn’t Billy Joe Armstrong, he is doing a hell of an impersonation. You can still get one MP3 trackoff the album from the web site but you’ll have to wait for the full length (12 track) CD for the rest. My guess is that it will be well worth the wait.
And while I’m at it, thanks for all your recommendations. Feel free to email me about good free and legal albums, yours or someone else’s, but please understand that I can’t reply to every single e-mail (gotta work sometimes) and I can’t feature every single album. In fact, only about 10 to 20% of the albums I listen to make it to the blog. Nonetheless, I do find time to listen to every single recommendation (eventually!) and appreciate all comments and recs.
Originally posted by Marvin from Free Albums Galore, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
Beginnings
By Justin Davidson
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
Carnegie Hall, which long ago outgrew its reputation for stodginess, has been commissioning a stream of new music, and now it has started to stream the music it's commissioned. I'm starting with Kayhan Kalhor's beguiling Silent City. I hope the catalog lengthens, and that the available pieces acquire some online program notes.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:38 AM | Comments (0)
Charlie Parker/Dizzie Gillespie... Horace Silver/Jazz Messengers... Jim Hall/Bill Evans... Cecil Taylor
To be or not to bop (with apologies to Babs Gonzales...)Bird and Diz at Carnegie Hall, 1947... Bop in the joy spring of its years... This is 'Confirmation' – of their greatness (I know - but - couldn't resist). Opening on drums, then the familiar theme in unison at a sprightly tempo. Bird up first, sounding relaxed, sudden flurries of notes breaking the line. Tone drenched in the blues, such a human sound. The double-tempo he frequently launches into and stays in for long stretches is stunning. Yet the tune is never far away – this is not just virtuoso playing over the changes. Gillespie next – soaring upwards to descend in rapid runs, brash, brassy and beautiful. John Lewis takes a solo from somewhere upstate by the muffled sound of it – way off-mike. Bass up briefly then theme and out. Rapturous applause etc... and rightly so. Glory Days.
Bop – to the birth of hard bop. Returning to the blues as grounding (although Bird was never more than a flicker away from them). Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers. Their first incarnation as a small group - Silver was to leave and Art Blakey take over the leadership. From 1955, playing his composition the ever-catchy 'Doodlin.' Silver takes the first solo, funky figures, a facet of his style that perhaps Bobby Timmons would inherit when he joined the band in 1958. Think Moanin' etc... Much dropping of 'g's, I'm thinkin'... Tenor next, Hank Mobley, sounding calm, a little detached almost, although spiking his passage with blues figures. Kenny Dorham then, as Silver plays an almost boogie woogie train figure underneath for the first chorus and a few bars into the second. Elegant and spacious trumpet. Blakey takes a piece, some hard hitting on and off the beat as his cymbals mark the movement through. Funky.
Onwards a few years – back to the cool, say, in 1962. Jim Hall and Bill Evans take a look at 'I'm getting sentimental over you.' Slow yet supple, weaving round each other in an intricate coupling, seamlessly moving between accompaniment and solo – blurring the partition, actually while not getting in each other's way - guitar and piano can create a muddy sound if the participants are not very careful. Here? Two hearts beating as one... well, I'm in a sentimental mood myself today... Intelligent and moving.
Cecil Taylor at the old johanna live and solo from the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1974, this is 'After All (Fifth Movement).' Repeating an opening chordal figure to suddenly spray a higher flash of notes across the deeper contrast. More complex harmonic terrain than above – yet still you find a bluesy snatch here and there that links to the tradition. Behind it all, however abstracted or disguised, the rhythms of jazz. European conservatory meets the Afro-American tradition (Cecil uses call and response as a major performative vehicle). Towards the end, thoughtful, rhapsodic and perhaps not so far removed from Bill Evans above...
A final thought on criticism - what it should be, as opposed to what it frequently has been and is, in all disciplines:
'Admit what you can’t conceal,' [Randall] Jarrell concludes in "The Age of Criticism," 'that criticism is no more than (and no less than) the helpful remarks and the thoughtful and disinterested judgment of a reader, a loving and experienced and able reader, but only a reader. . . . Remember that you can never be more than the staircase to the monument, the guide to the gallery, the telescope through which the children see the stars. At your best you make people see what they might never have seen without you; but they must always forget you in what they see.' (From here... ).
Not sure about the 'experienced and able' (or 'disinterested' - music is too intense an experience for me) but certainly 'loving' in my own case... and hopefully 'helpful' occasionally... I love the image of 'the staircase to the monument.' As a renegade from academe, how true those words are and how many critical 'monuments' exist, that should be knocked down for 'staircases.'
Oo-pop-a-da - to end where we started, with Babs Gonzales...
Charlie Parker (as) Dizzie Gillespie (t) John Lewis (p) Al McKibbon (b) Joe Harris (d)
Confirmation
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Buy
Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers
Horace Silver (p) Kenny Dorham (t) Hank Mobley (ts) Doug Watkins (b) Art Blakey (d)
Doodlin'
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Buy
Jim Hall (g) Bill Evans (p)
I'm getting sentimental over you
Download
Buy
Cecil Taylor (p)
After All (Fifth Movement)
Download
Buy
Originally from wordsandmusic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 29, 2008 at 02:10 AM | Comments (0)
March 28, 2008
Ionarts at the Met: Nicolas Poussin
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 11:12 PM | Comments (0)
Ummm... and eartrip magazine...
I was on the way out tonight (to hear some music, not in the sense of snuffing it, you understand) but when I stuck my head out the door something - guilt at lack of blogging or the cold wind or the gust of rain coming in on the breeze from Lincolnshire - or a combo of these factors - brought me back in again. I suppose one develops a certain blogging fatigue anyway - my posting have been somewhat sporadic for a while now. But one makes the effort - the rewards outweigh the hassle overall and I blog because I both enjoy it and (I think) benefit from the discipline... I had intended to post a review of the Pete Morton gig last week but did not want to duplicate a lot of what I said here in a long, rambling writeup sometime back so - back-burnered slightly, as I realised I could write about Pete from a different and broader angle concerning his relationship to contemporary acoustic 'folk' music which would cover some wider issues I have been concerned with. Soon, hopefully...Some mp3s to follow later - but first a mention of a new venture - I received a mail alerting me to the first issue of 'eartrip' magazine, available here (scroll down) as a PDF download. Anyone interested in 'Jazz, Improv, Other' should grab this asap and support the venture -a lot of hard work has obviously gone into its production. Mucho informative and entertaining stuff delivered with energy and love - and I've only scratched the surface so far. Congratulations to David Grundy for getting this out...
So: search for the corkscrew and start uploading the music...
Originally from wordsandmusic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)
Richmond Times-Dispatch review
Today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch carries a review of our Richmond premiere of The Only Moving Thing by Walt Amacker.
[8bb] showed a versatility that must be seen and heard to be fully appreciated…[and] rocked the boat with everything from sand on a table to six people playing or plucking the piano strings at the same time to a tray full of varied utensils, pipes and pans that were dropped on the floor, picked up, and dropped again…The amazing thing to see was the continuing sound coming from the talented six musicians who played much of all the pieces from memory.
Clarke Bustard, previously a reviewer for the Times-Dispatch, has posted a review of the concert on his blog.
Its length, scope, contrast of musical and physical materials, combination of sound, movement and lighting, suggest that “singing in the dead of night” might harbor Gesamtkunstwerk aspirations. But its titles are so open-ended and its content so varied (and variable) that I wouldn’t attempt to guess what it’s “about,” certainly not on one hearing.
[8bb,] playing much of the work from memory, played up to and beyond the composers’ numerous technical challenges and the logistical ones posed by both score and choreography. I’ve never seen these musicians work harder at a piece, and rarely to better effect.
Originally posted by Tim from thirteen ways, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
Watching Gustavo play the violin
Daniel and I have fabulous front row tickets to the Chamber Music series at Disney Hall. On Tuesday, Josie (his mother) and I went to a concert that featured our new conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. Like us, everyone was anxious to see him in action. But here he played second violin in the Mozart Clarinet Quintet in A — a part that doesn’t have a huge amount to do with the exception of keeping the harmonies filled out and the motion going. In the rare moment that his part came to the fore, he would start moving and swaying and tightening that adorable dimple in his cheek. When Gustavo plays, it occurred to me that notes come from his entire body — you know how on a garden hose’s nozzle, there are different settings: the spray, the intense wide range spray, the single stream intense spray, and the one that comes out gently — such are Gustavo’s settings. But the one he used most often last night was the intense single stream pointed at the balconies. His body would lean back, he would take a big breath, and one long beautiful note went flying towards the balcony.
I loved watching his interaction with the 1st violinist, Martin Chalifour — everything felt like healthy conversations between friends.
Mr Dudamel has an intense little vibrato — it reminded me of the Kolisch Quartet recordings, an almost early 20th century German sound.
Gustavo is a short person. He is also very young. And the fans in Disney Hall love him already. Many gave HIM a standing ovation. Michelle Zukofsky was puzzled for the 3 call backs the group received, and then realized they were clapping for the 2nd violinist. (Her performance was transcendent and thrilling by the way.)
I am confident the search committee found the right conductor for the LA Philharmonic in the early 21st century. Welcome young Gustavo! LA loves you already.
[Photo: PABLO JULIÁ]
Originally posted by Roger Bourland from rogerbourland.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:17 PM | Comments (0)
An (very) early recording discovered
Thomas Edison may not have been the first to record the human voice.Originally from post-gazette.com - Classical Musings, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
All music and no [insert subject here] makes Jack a dull boy
With the blogosphere expanding at a rate faster than the known universe, I thought I'd post a fraction of my favorite haunts which have nothing to do with music.
The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks. Seven contributors find and interpret signs in which quotation marks are either superfluous or outright misleading, with dry commentary. "Really."
Christian Montone. This New Jersey artist (and public school teacher, which might qualify him for sainthood) posts photographs, often documenting the forlorn beauty of suburban relics.
Brilliant Detroit Reporting. Poet and satirist Emily XYZ has found yet another niche with this commentary on what is, and isn't, important in news. (Honest, I have nothing but love for Detroit.)
lifeiscarbon. An assortment of contributors from around the world highlight examples of new Scandinavian design, furniture and architecture. Check out this post, showing the Hotel Kirkenes (below) and ending with the Home-Box, perhaps too monastic for most of us, but for a small dwelling it shows enormous imagination.
[Photo: Hotel Kirkenes by Finnish architect Sami Rintala]
Originally posted by bhodgesnyc from Monotonous Forest, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
Alex Ross speaks on continuum of music through 20th century - Wesleyan Argus
Alex Ross speaks on continuum of music through 20th century Wesleyan Argus, CT - Phil Lesh, bassist for The Grateful Dead, and Steve Reich, famous minimalist composer, were college roommates. Lesh took LCD while listening to the complete ... |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
King Karajan turns 100 - The Age
 | King Karajan turns 100 The Age, Australia - ... to hear his Schoenberg was to hear an entirely different interpretation from, say, Pierre Boulez: not so much analytical, but warmer, more involving." |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
Guillemots go for avant-garde sounds - Liverpool Echo
Guillemots go for avant-garde sounds Liverpool Echo, UK - Oh, and he’sa former boarding school boy and music teacher who writes choral ensembles in his spare time. But then again, this is a band which revels in the ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
Guide to the Weekend, March 27-20 - Bwog
 Bwog | Guide to the Weekend, March 27-20 Bwog, NY - Thomas Adès, "one of the most imposing figures in contemporary classical music" [New Yorker], conducts this English new-music ensemble. ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
Gavin Bryars' 'Sinking of the Titanic' in Concert
NPR, 3/28/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:16 PM | Comments (0)
New Destinations, New Identifications: A Dutch Pianist Setting Sail to the World of American Music
While openness has only lately started to trickle slowly through the creative minds of the European musical establishment, it seems to have been a characteristic element of American repertoire from the beginning.Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
The Friday Informer: Once More, With Feeling
Those multitasking youngsters always mange to stay six steps ahead, so is it really such a shock that what they value most is an honest, quality presentation?Originally from NewMusicBox, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
No One Wants To See The Fonz @ Covent Garden
* More Reaction to the Royal Opera's makeover: "Every rebranding of this sort involves, sooner or later, a DJ and the artist Julian Opie, and this one goes along with the general tendency in an almost parodic way.""...any self-respecting "buzzy, cool" youth knows when they're being served half-baked ideas instead of the real thing. They also know crap when they see it."
* Wayne Shorter: "We just go on stage and don't know what the hell we're going to do; we just go. And then we say, let's do it again."
* The last radio orchestra on the continent will cease to be in November.
* The CEO of New Zealand Symphony Orchestra tackles an orchestral rivalry.
* Billy Corgan: "They've lost money continuously for seven or eight years and they continue to hold on to the Titanic. This is just another indication of them thinking that they can get away with whatever because they're the big old record business."
* "[David] Lynch discussed with Olga [Neuwirth] the idea that one or more of the characters in the film are undergoing a ‘psychogenic fugue’."
* "Brain-drain in music is a fact in Vietnam. Most music talents who are trained abroad don’t return home because they can’t live by music in Vietnam."
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
A 20th Century Liszt?
originally aired 19th October 1978 when Miss Mussel was still in utero.
Part I
Part II — amusing scene with the first officer of the Culture and Good Taste Police: Sam The Eagle at about 2:45.
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Going To Hell In A Handbasket
First the record label, then the radio and now the orchestra. Anyone have some spare Zoloft they want to send Miss Mussel’s way?
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
The Barenboim/Kupfer Meistersinger revival - again...
Orchestra on stage for the applause, as usual in the Berlin State Opera (at least for Barenboim-conducted Wagner performances)
Meistersinger, Berlin State Opera, March 24th 2008. Kupfer (d), Barenboim (c).
With: James Morris, René Pape, Dorothea Röschmann, Roman Trekel, Burkhard Fritz.
This is almost a replica of the Meistersinger performance I saw last week (same production, same conductor, same cast), so no reason to repeat my write-up from last week (see here).
The major difference from last week was the audience reaction: That James Morris was not booed this time, but instead received a deservedly warm applause. On the contrary one (only one) very loud person booed Dorothea Röschmann - really, what kind of person decides to stand up alone in a theater and just yell? It is completely beyond me.
René Pape was quite demonic as Pogner, the glances he shot at Beckmesser resulted in most of the audience fearing for their lives. Over-all Kupfer´s individual characterization of the Meistersinger´s is far more detailed than the group portrayal often seen, here with Sachs and Pogner firmly together and Kothner clearly following them, although he does not understand what is going on.
Nothing to say of Daniel Barenboim´s excellent conducting, that I haven´t said numerous times before, including at last weeks performance.
It was also interesting to note how much better the acoustics are when you are seated at the 2nd level of the theater, as opposed to the floor section. Especially since the tickets up there comes at a fraction of the floor ticket prize.
James Morris, René Pape and Roman Trekel (center from right):
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Music Review | Benjamin Moser - New York Times
Music Review | Benjamin Moser New York Times, United States - Written in 1961 when he was studying composition with Pierre Boulez, the work takes its inspiration from the writings of the symbolist poet Georg Trakl, ... |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Review: Villa-Lobos festival
March 27, Virginia Commonwealth University, RichmondIf someone were to tell me that Heitor Villa-Lobos’ "Rudepoema," a 22-minute-long hunk of early modern uneasy listening solo-piano music comparable to a similar stretch of, say, Bartók or Janáček, would utterly transfix a crowd of not especially highbrow members of the iTunes
generation, my reflexive response would be, "No way."That’s what happened, though, at the end of the opening-night concert of "Experiencing Villa-Lobos," Virginia Commonwealth University's festival devoted to Brazil’s preeminent composer. Pianist Sonia Rubinsky performed before about 300 students and perhaps a third as many older listeners; she had them, all of them, engrossed, as few performers of any music can accomplish with any crowd.
Rubinsky, a formidable artist last heard in these parts playing Mozart, spent her formative years in Brazil and knows Villa-Lobos’ piano works as well as any musician. (She’s recording a complete edition for Naxos.)
"Rudepoema" may be the toughest nut of the canon. Villa-Lobos wrote it as a showpiece for and quasi-character sketch of Arthur Rubinstein in the 1920s, when that long-lived pianist was at his most flamboyantly virtuosic. The piece’s technical challenges are comparable to those of Ravel’s "Gaspard de la Nuit." Its musical language suggests some sort of culture-crossing "Fitzcarraldo" scenario – Scriabin on the Amazon, maybe.
Rubinsky worked her way up to "Rudepoema" with fluent, idiomatic performances of "A Lenda do Caboclo" (1920), Villa-Lobos’ lyrical, swaying evocation of Brazilian peasant dance, and two excerpts from "Ciclo Brasileira" (1936), the audibly Latin but somehow Chopinesque "Impressões Seresteiras" ("Impressions of a Serenade Musician") and percolatingly energetic "Dansa do Índio Branco" ("Dance of the White Indian"). She encored with the "Choros" No. 5 ("Alma brasileira").
The opening half of the concert was highlighted by Lisa Edwards-Burrs, a soprano based at Virginia State University, performing "Poema da Criança e sua Mama" ("Poem of the Child and its Mother") with flutist Kristen Kean, clarinetist Roland Karnatz and cellist Nathan Jasinski and, with pianist Dmitri Shteinberg, six pieces from "Modinhas e Canções," a cycle from the 1930s based on folk and popular songs.
Although not fluent in Portuguese, Edwards-Burrs showed she had the stylistic grasp and, more essentially, the emotional measure of these songs. She made a dramatic soliloquy of "Poema da Criança" and a joyous exercise in coloratura of "Manda tiro, tiro, lã" ("I Send for It"). And one might have thought that Villa-Lobos wrote the more soulful "Canção do Marinheiro" ("Sailor’s Song") and "Vida Formosa" ("Beautiful Life") with her voice in mind.
The program opened with Kean and Jasinski playing one of the composer’s best-known miniatures, "Assobio a Jato" ("The Jet Whistle"). Kean and Karnatz made fine work of another miniature, the samba-inflected "Choros" No. 2.
"Experiencing Villa-Lobos" continues on March 28 with simultaneous concerts of chamber and vocal music at 11:30 a.m. in Vlahcevic Concert Hall of VCU’s Singleton Arts Center and Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church; a young performers’ concert at 3:30 p.m., choral-vocal concert at 5 p.m. and orchestral-choral concert at 8 p.m., all in Vlahcevic Hall. March 29 events include a guitar concert at 3:30 p.m., a chamber-music program at 5:30 p.m., a concert by Cuarteto Latinoamericano at 8 p.m., and a screening of the 1959 film "Green Mansions," scored by Villa-Lobos, at 10 p.m., all in Vlahcevic Hall. Ticket information: (804) 828-6776, http://www.pubinfo.vcu.edu/artweb/music/villa_lobos/index.html
Originally from Letter V, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Group 180 - two albums
Group 180 was an Hungarian modern classical chamber group. Two of their albums were released in 1980 and 1985 in vinyl LP and are not only out of print but, as far as I can tell, never released on CD. Again Ubuweb comes through by making these two albums available on-line. This is excellent modern music well worth the listen.
The first self-titled album has five works. The first three are clearly in the minimalist tradition. Tibor Szemzo’s “Water-Wonder” starts out with a single repeated note on a single instrument like a water drop. A flute enters and the piece slowly builds up momentum. What Steve Reich’s “Music for Pieces of Wood” lacks in tonality makes up in rhythm. Laszlo Melis’s “Etude for Three Mirrors” may be minimalist but the interplay between piano and woodwinds is quite intense. The last two works are by Fredric Rzewski and they are my favorite of the set. “Coming Together” and “Attica” not only shows the composer’s brilliancy in composition but represent his socio-political influences.
Group 180 II is from 1985 and exhibits the same good taste in modern compositional works. There are two pieces by Steven Reich, “Piano Phase” and “Octet”. Compositions by András Soós and Bela Farago make up the rest of the album. It should be note that, with the exception of Rzewski and Reich, the composers are all members of Group 180. It is again a well played set and one that fans of modern music will treasure.
Unfortunately the albums are available in only 80kbps MP3. There are also quite a few scratches and snaps from these vinyl recordings. Still, I find the sound quite acceptable and urge you check these out in light of their historical significance, their rarity, and the quality of performance.
Originally posted by Marvin from Free Albums Galore, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)
Inside crumbling walls, sounds of bells and Copland
Bernard Holland, New York Times, 3/28/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Into the classical arena, in the spirit of a jam band
Vivien Schweitzer, New York Times, 3/28/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
One mezzo, wide terrain
Steve Smith, New York Times, 3/28/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Gilbert brings out fierceness, fun in Nielsen's Second Symphony
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/28/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Mandolin Man
By Justin Davidson
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
Some years ago, the phenomenal bassist Edgar Meyer interrupted an interview to go on a rhapsodic digression about a young composer and mandolin player who could deliver Bach better than anyone he had ever heard, and who, by the way, was also one of the key figures in a bluegrass revival. Some time later, I stopped in to see Bob Hurwitz, president of Nonesuch Records, who sat me down, swore me to secrecy, and turned on his stereo. I think the gag rule can now be lifted because the subject of both Meyer's and Hurwitz's enthusiasm was Chris Thile, sometime member of Nickel Creek, and now allied with the Punch Brothers for their debut Nonesuch album, Punch. It's ambitious stuff, and Russell Platt has the word:
The central piece is Thile’s “The Blind Leaving the Blind,” a forty-minute, multi-movement fantasy that mixes the core sounds of bluegrass with jazz improvisations, Bach-style toccatas, Baroque “lamento” bass lines, whole-tone harmonies, and a couple of Straussian melodic swoons.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Best Bets The Denver Post - Denver Post
Best Bets The Denver Post Denver Post, CO - Contemporary classical music. The 10 members of Colorado College's Bowed Piano Ensemble pluck, strum and manipulate the strings of a grand piano in a ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Five days of Zorn - Jerusalem Post
Five days of Zorn Jerusalem Post, Israel - By BEN JACOBSON Avant-garde jazz mogul John Zorn has performed in Israel many times over the years, including a landmark 1994 Jerusalem show with his Masada ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Chicago jazz great graces Elgin Art Showcase - The Courier News
Chicago jazz great graces Elgin Art Showcase The Courier News, IL - The music became avant-garde with the rise of such genres as smooth jazz and acid jazz, but he said Chicago's sound remained pure. ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
on a lighter note..
Dig this - the spectral analyists should have a field day.
And considering that it only took 148 years to get from there to here, some days it's seems were doing pretty well.
Originally posted by Frank Pesci from Blog - Narcissistic Plate, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)
Thursday, April 3rd: Sonic Generator Concert
Georgia Tech’s chamber music ensemble in residence, Sonic Generator, presents their final concert of the season:Thursday, April 3rd at 8 p.m.
Georgia Tech Alumni House
190 North Avenue
The program features music by Nico Muhly, Henrik Strindberg, Eric Moe, Eric Chasalow, Karen Tanaka, Nick Demos (world premiere), and Randall Woolf. More info...
Admission is free and no reservations are required.
We hope to see you there!
Originally from Atlanta Composers Blog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:28 PM | Comments (0)
From Iraq: Last Letter Home
Music by Lee Hoiby, performed by Andrew Garland and Lee Hoiby
nting.Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:27 PM | Comments (0)
Carla Bruni's musical connections
French first lady Carla Bruni has some interesting classical music connections. Her mother Marisa Borini is an actress and classical pianist who is reported to have had an affair with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Bruni's biological father is Maurizio Remmert, an Italian businessman who now lives in Brazil Marisa. But Marisa Borini was married to contemporary composer Alberto Bruni Tedeschi seen in my header photo. His distinctions included writing four operas and having one of them filmed with a cast including Charles Aznavour, his own daughter Valeria Bruni and Isabel von Karajan, the daughter of the conductor.
President Sarkozy seems to appreciate ladies with musical connections. His divorced second wife, Cécilia Ciganer-Albéniz, is the great grand-daughter of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. Which, interestingly, means the families of both the President's second and third wives are of Sephardic descent.
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
Everybody Stay Calm
The festival "Voyages: Montréal-New York" runs April 2 through 6 next week at the Theatre la Chapelle (3700, rue St.-Dominique) in Montreal, and my new electric guitar quartet lies smack dab in the middle of it, on April 4, the all-guitar concert. More info at guitarist Tim Brady's web site.The literature of expostulation, of Catastrophe, is taken to be very serious. But among people carried along in a canoe toward a waterfall, the one who stands up and screams is not the one with the keenest sense of the situation. We are in a place so difficult that perhaps alarm is an indulgence, and a harder thing - composure - is required of us.
Originally from PostClassic, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:24 PM | Comments (0)
Pocket Concertos Year Three - Miller Theatre 27 March 2008
Originally from Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Six-year miscellany
It has taken 6 years to get to this point. Years of begging Steve Reich and the Bang on a Can folks on bended knee; of finding co-commissioning partners for 80 very expensive minutes of music; of planning dates with managers and presenters; of hiring an “entourage” and working out the complex logistics. Then, this season, waiting with baited breath for the (fantastic) finished product; countless hours of practicing, rehearsing and recording the Reich CD part; collaborating with Susan Marshall and her assistant Mark deChiazza; going back and forth and back and forth with presenters about the difficulties of staging the project…
So it was unfortunate that in the middle of an open “airing” of Reich’s Double Sextet in front of 40 music students at U of R today, everything came to a grinding halt. Nothing exploded; nobody was injured. The scratched CD skipped a few times, we all got lost, and the thing just died. With a whimper.
“Um. Well, I guess we should be glad that this happened now, rather than tomorrow night…”
Below, under full concert lighting the Kap writhes on autumnal leaves during the final moments of Julia Wolfe’s piece:
“OK, don’t say it. Don’t say it, Tim.”
“Say what?”
“NICE KNOCKERS! HAHAHAHAHAHAAAHAHHAHA”
Below, we were given our final “kitting up” this morning by our gorgeous costumer, Mary McNaugher. Clearly she is aware of our, um, somewhat tight budget. These are the Duv’s stylish shoes:
Below, the Mac (posing for the camera, as always), looking every inch the dapper gent (dare I say “dandy”?) in his sexy threads:
Below, we love U of R. I don’t say it enough, but we love them. Love. It’s hard to express, but they treat us like royalty. Not just any old royalty, but “ReadyBrush: Prepasted Toothbrush” royalty:
Below, the Kap in a somewhat vulnerable position under our stage cloth:
Below, our patient Stage Manager, Barbara Whitney, who clearly didn’t see the “sorting fake leaves into different colors” line in her contract:
Tomorrow, Reich and Co arrive; we freak out during eight hours of dress rehearsals and soundchecks; play a freaking good show; spend two hours packing up; drink awesome beer; I go home and blog. Stay tuned….
Originally posted by Tim from thirteen ways, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 02:40 PM | Comments (0)
Washington Post review
A substantial review of our world premiere performance of The Only Moving Thing has appeared in the Washington Post, written by Anne Midgette.
Her entertaining, evocatively written review begins:
Six musicians are playing a duet with recorded versions of themselves. It is like looking into an electronic mirror. The mirror refracts the rapid, driving beat of piano and marimba; it adds a reflected gleam to long-held chords of strings and winds. The players, live and recorded, create layer upon layer of sound, a rich mille-feuille of music, while pinwheeling light-images create visual parallels on the wall behind them.
Apparently we are “the straight-A students of the contemporary scene. It’s new music you could bring home to your mother. In performance, eighth blackbird embodies a slightly geeky spirit of earnestness.”
Midgette seemed most taken with Reich’s new work, fruit of “a warm late period that verges on the downright romantic.”
The second half generated a more complex reaction. She thought that the “controlled chaos” of Michael’s “jam session” and the “intense quiet and complexity” of Julie’s work overstayed their welcome, while Lang’s “had a tonic delicacy in comparison,” including the “wistful, elegiac second movement.”
Originally posted by Tim from thirteen ways, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
A Must-Read
The following are the opening grafs of a spot-on essay by Brian Boyd in The American Scholar. While it concerns literature and the academic literary...Originally posted by ACD from Sounds & Fury, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
From The I Wish I’d Said That Dept
In the 18th century the piano danced. In the 19th it sang. The 20th century liked to use the piano as an assault weapon.” The...Originally posted by ACD from Sounds & Fury, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 02:39 PM | Comments (0)
Inside the musical avant-garde
Britain is having a love affair with all things French. As well as hosting the current state visit by President Sarkozy and his new wife we have the first IRCAM academy in the UK in April. Is it a sign of these devolved times that the event is not in London, but is being hosted by the BBCSSO and led by Jonathan Harvey in Glasgow on April 7-12? Or is it because, as I've said here before, the BBCSO is on a roll? Read more in today's Guardian, including the inside track by Jonathan Harvey on new IRCAM technologies.
One of the few books to explore IRCAM is the snappily-titled Rationalizing Culture, IRCAM, Boulez and the Institutionalization and the Musical Avant-Garde. Anthropologist and Cambridge don Georgina Born spent a year in IRCAM in Paris producing her ethnographic analysis and if both the title and the book itself reads like a Ph. D. thesis it is not surprising as that is how the book originated. Which means that, unlike Joan Peyser, Georgina Born leaves Boulez's private life off-limits; although it is not all the stuff of dissertations and Michael Jackson receives no less than five mentions.
The 1995 publication date means that the avant-garde is today rather more avant. But, nevertheless, Rationalizing Culture is a brave attempt to get inside the culture of an important and little-understood creative hot-house. Quite appropriately the book is published by the University of California Press using the latest print on demand technology.
More on Jonathan Harvey here.
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 02:10 PM | Comments (0)
The View from NYC
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:14 AM | Comments (0)
Unbounded Space (Drums and Different Canons #4)
Unbounded Space (Drums and Different Canons #4)
O God! I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams --- William Shakespeare from Hamlet
This piece explores further all the instruments that were used by Richard Boulanger in his well known Trapped in Convert, and also in his later At Last...Free. The instruments are played in the same order and same proportions as appear in Trapped. However the timing, pitches, and durations and other parameters are chosen by values generated by the Henon (chaotic) equation. This equation
read">http://www.csounds.com/node/101">read more
From Podcast: cSounds.com - .
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Aguichements"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar SR 9002 --
JEAN DUBUFFET
MUSICAL EXPERIENCES
Side One (28:15)
1. AGUICHEMENTS
Enticements (7:lO)
All the music on this album was composed, performed, recorded and realized by Jean Dubuffet. Collation, editing, sequencing and processing supervision by Ilhan Mimaroglu. The lacquers for the present release were cut directly from the original single-track tapes without the intervening tape duplication for mastering purposes. Processing for stereophonic reproduction was done at the mastering stage and the amount of equalization for each channel was determined in a way not to "improve upon" or alter the original sound.
Mastering: George Piros.
Cover art & design: JEAN DUBUFFET
(Used by permission of the artist)
FINNADAR RECORDS
Distributed by
ATLANTIC RECORDING CORPORATION
1841 Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10023
(1973) Finnadar Records
Made & Printed in U.S.A.
A few years ago when, quite possibly for the first time in the United States, I presented the music of Jean Dubuffet over radio station WBAI in New York City, the program folio stated: "The Music of Jean Dubuffet. Note: this is not a typographical error." This caption, in its own joyful way, had perfectly summed up the magnitude of the discovery."In my music I wanted to place myself in the position of a man of fifty thousand years ago, a man who ignores everything about western music and invents a music for himself without any reference, without any discipline, without anything that would prevent him to express himself freely and for his own good pleasure." -Jean Dubuffet
After making my own acquaintance with Dubuffet's music under some unusual circumstances (never before had the existence of a highly significant bulk of music been brought to my attention by its composer himself, and I very much doubt that the future reserves for me a similar occasion) I set forth to share my enthusiasm with others, only to find that, even in the most erudite musical circles of the United States, there was no one who had heard about Dubuffet as a composer; and in Europe only a handful of persons knew.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:33 AM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "L'Eau"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar SR 9002 --2. L'EAU
Water (4:15)
Yet, like anyone familiar with his biography, I was aware that he was not a total stranger to music. Decades ago, in the days of my early interest in jazz, my first acquaintance with Dubuffet's art was through a reproduction of his Grand Jazz Band, which had urged me to know more about his musical side. He had studied the piano, played the classics, enjoyed Duke Ellington, but eventually closed the book on all "culture music". Later, I also came across a passing remark on Dubuffet in Pierre Schaeffer's book, A la recherche d'une musique concrete. I could have used all this as a starting point to further explore the matter, but having not done so, what's in the grooves of this record strikingly came my way.
Among my earlier efforts in electronic music was a set of Visual Studies, one of which, the third, was based on a Dubuffet drawing, a Bowery Bum. I sent him a recording of the piece, and he replied using kind words to the effect that my music reflected the spirit of his drawing. He also noted that he too, a few years before, had done certain musical experiments and that he was forwarding them to me.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:33 AM | Comments (0)
Jean Dubuffet, "Deliberants"
-- Liner Notes from Finnadar SR 9002 ---3. DELIBERANTS
Deliberators (5:30)
I happened to first hear them in a blindfold-test situation. I was expecting in those days a recording of something new by a renowned composer. I mistook what I heard, which was totally unanticipated, as the work of that particular composer and thought that he had finally broken new ground and created music of surpassing significance. A fascinating surprise ensued. The composer turned out to be Jean Dubuffet.
It was music that, by its unequivocal quality, had urged me to accept it as the most original and revolutionary since Varese. And, if classifications are unavoidable, it readily gained access to the category of electronic music. His process consisted of improvising on various musical instruments, occidental as well as belonging to other cultures, and on other sound sources (i.e. piano alone on Diligences futiles; piano, chinese mouth organ, various flutes and bowed string instruments on Humeur incertaine; piano, trumpets, violoncello, tambur on Cai savoir; cimbalom, balafon, Geisha tambur in L'Eau; crumpled paper, voice and two bassoons on Deliberants . . . ) and, using a number of tape recorders and a mixing box, he would record the performances, superimpose them, edit out on tape unwanted sequences, hence finalize the musical creation on tape. These are all, of course, basic processes of electronic music. The fact that he used non-professional equipment and that his sound-engineering skills were empirical proved to be advantageous to the musical objectives at hand. Indeed, he believed that professional techniques, despite their obvious advantages, often prove to be inhibiting. After all, what is expected from an electronic music composer is not the exclusive application of known and properly instructed procedures, but the discovery of a music that belongs to himself. As to Dubuffet's use of the musical instruments, almost all of them he did not know how to play "correctly"-which offered the benefit of unforeseeable results.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:33 AM | Comments (0)
March 28- April 3: Music, Movies & More - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
March 28- April 3: Music, Movies & More The Oregonian - OregonLive.com, OR - Columbia Symphony: Former Portlander Jennifer Choi, who's making a name as an avant-garde New York violinist, performs Beethoven's Violin Concerto on a ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:33 AM | Comments (0)
Guide to the Weekend, March 27-20 - Bwog
Bwog | Guide to the Weekend, March 27-20 Bwog, NY - Thomas Adès, "one of the most imposing figures in contemporary classical music" [New Yorker], conducts this English new-music ensemble. ... |
Originally from "contemporary classical" | "avant garde" music - Google News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:32 AM | Comments (0)
Three tunes I have heard coworkers unconsciously humming to themselves over the years
Originally from Boring Like A Drill, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:32 AM | Comments (0)
128kbps MP3s don’t sound so bad now, do they?
The world’s oldest recording was played back for the first time a few days ago, and it wasn’t Edison’s doing. The honor goes to the copiously named Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, who rather asymmetrically invented a device which could record sounds — just — but not reproduce them. Apparently he was prepared for someone else to discover how to do the reconstruction bit, and naturally in this age of scanners and computers a team did just that after discovering the paper recordings of his device in an archive in Paris.
Here is the rather spooky sounding recording, a singer singing Au Clair de la Lune, from 1860, the same year Mahler was born.
For more of the gruelling details take a peak at the original article in the NYT.
Originally posted by Ben from classicalconvert.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:32 AM | Comments (0)
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) Celebrates Musical Collaborations in its “Double Entendre” Concert
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation’s leading orchestra dedicated exclusively to performing, commissioning, and recording new music of the 21st century, honors some of its long-standing cherished collaborations in a special Double Entendre concert at Jordan Hall (30 Gainsborough Street), Saturday, March 29th @ 8:00pm.A program soaked by artistic influences includes four world premieres: Double Violin Concerto by BMOP’s Composer-in-Residence Lisa Bielawa featuring two of her frequent muses- violinists Colin Jacobsen and Carla Kihlstedt; Clades by Derek Hurst with Boston’s own Firebird Ensemble; On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of Most Specific Hypothesis by Ken Ueno as throat-singer soloist; and The Conscious Sleepwalker Loops by Argentinian composer Alejandro Rutty.All four works will receive their New York premieres by BMOP at the 10th Annual MATA Festival in April 2008 in collaboration with MATA (Music at the Anthology, Inc.), the leading global catalyst for emerging composers and contemporary music co-founded by Philip Glass.Both the Bielawa and Ueno works will be recorded for future release on BMOP’s record label, BMOP/sound.
To learn more, visit http://www.bmop.org.
Tickets range from $10 - $48. Students 50% discount. Seniors 10% discount. FREE pre-concert talk @ 7:00pm. For tickets, call BMOP at 617.363.0396 or visit www.bmop.org. Tickets are also available for sale at the Jordan Hall Box Office three weeks before the concert and at the door, subject to availability.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
The North/South Chamber Orchestra performs works by four generations of composers on April 20 at 3 PM
North/South Consonance, Inc. will open its 2008 spring concert season with a special event on Sunday, April 20 at 3 PM featuring The North/South Chamber Orchestra performing compositions by composers born in Europe and the Americas.
The program will be held at the auditorium of Christ & St. Stephen’s Church (120 West 69th St) in Manhattan. Admission is free. It is part of the 5th Annual Immigrant Heritage Week sponsored by the Mayor’s Office.
The concert will open with the premiere of a work especially written for the occasion by Tudor Dominik Maican, a 19 year old composer born in Germany to Romanian parents. Mr. Maican grew up in the Washington DC area where he began studying music with his mother Valerica before enrolling in the preparatory division of The Juilliard School. President George W. Bush honored him as a 2007 Presidential Scholar. In 2006 he was named composer-in-residence at Dumbarton Oaks and also won a fellowship from the Davidson Institute for Talent Development. Maican has also won many prizes including the ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composers Award; the Tchaikovsky Conservatory Young Composers Competition in Russia; and the George Enescu Romania International Competition. Maican’s new work Vox Maris (Voices from the Sea) is a one movement quasi-impressionistic composition that attempts to evoke the sounds of the sea at the shore before the sunset.
Another work also being heard for the first time is Remembrances by Howard Quilling, the California composer born in 1935. A student of the late Ingolf Dahl, Mr. Quilling served as composer-in-residence at Bakersfield College from 1971 until his retirement in 1996. He is now in charge of the New Directions Concert Series sponsored by the Bakersfield Symphony. Cast in three contrasting movements the music of Remembrances brings to mind both serious and playful memories eventually subsiding in the quietness of forgetfulness.
The Puerto Rican composer Rafael Aponte-Ledée will be on hand to celebrate his 70th birthday by listening to the premiere of his recently completed Aforismos (Aphorisms). Born in Guayama, Puerto Rico in 1938, Mr. Aponte-Ledée studied in Madrid and Buenos Aires with Cristobal Halffter and Alberto Ginastera. From 1968 until 2003 he taught at the Puerto Rican Conservatory in San Juan. He has also served as director of the Latin American Foundation for Contemporary Music. Aforismos is in two concise, contrasting movements. Its music juxtaposes unusual timbres with rhythmic elements derived from Caribbean music.
Long time New York resident Richard Owen will be feted on the occasion of his 85th birthday. His wife, soprano Lynn Owen will be the soloist in a performance of Patterns, Owen’s stirring setting of a poem by Amy Lowell. Owen is a graduate of both the Manhattan School of Music and Harvard Law. His operas have enjoyed critical acclaim in the US, and Europe. Soprano Lynn Owen has appeared on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall. She has also toured throughout the US, Europe, Canada and Latin America. Her recent compact disc release From Vienna to Broadway with Love was nominated for a Grammy award.
The program will conclude with a recent work by Max Lifchitz, the Mexican-born composer and conductor who founded North/South Consonance, Inc. in 1980. A New York City resident since 1966, Mr. Lifchitz studied at Juilliard and Harvard and has taught at Columbia University, the Manhattan School of Music, New School University, Columbus State University and the University at Albany, SUNY. A tireless advocate of today’s composers, Lifchitz has recorded more than 40 critically acclaimed albums. His Yellow Ribbons No. 42 (2006). belongs to a series of compositions being written as homage to the former American hostages in Iran.
The composers will be on hand to introduce their works and meet with the audience during intermission and after the concert. All participants in the event are available to the press for interviews and may be contacted through our office at (212) 663-7566 or by e-mail at
North/South Consonance’s 2007-08 season is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. For further information about its activities, including concerts and recordings, please visit http://www.northsouthmusic.org/
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
Unusual musical associations
I loved Harold and the Purple Crayon when I was a kid. I especially loved it because my father used to practice Berlioz's Harold in Italy a lot during the time that I first discovered Crockett Johnson's books about Harold's adventures. I imagined (actually I just knew) that the piece was about one of Harold's adventures with his purple crayon. The validity of my association might have been reinforced by some reference I might have heard to the Childe Harold. Of course Harold was a child. And he had a purple crayon with which he could draw the covers and go to sleep.
Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
Alec Empire strikes back - Guardian
Alec Empire strikes back Guardian, UK - a grinning Alec Empire blurts, explaining why his iPod contains only three albums (by John Coltrane and Stockhausen) but has been filled up with bootleg ... |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
Future sounds of Paris - Guardian
Future sounds of Paris Guardian, UK - Andrew Clements and composer Jonathan Harvey applaud its radical spirit Through the 1960s and much of the 70s, Pierre Boulez was the great French musician ... |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
Quick ‘n’ Dirty Music News: 03.27.08 - 411mania.com
Quick ‘n’ Dirty Music News: 03.27.08 411mania.com, TX - I could play a Steve Reich album on her fucking ribs. Yes, a rare xylophone reference in the QnD), and no one seemed to care. Who will win this match? ... |
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 Mar 28, 2008 at 04:31 AM | Comments (0)
[no title]
Sunday: Cleveland Chamber SymphonyI've been waiting for months for Sunday's Cleveland Chamber Symphony concert, set for 3:30 p.m. at the Kulas Musical Arts Building at 96 Front Street in Berea. The show is free; lots of free parking, too, a short block away west in a parking lot across from the Giant Eagle. The program: "Lumen" by Marta Ptaszynska; "Prometheus Wept" by Dennis Eberhard; "Osa Sinfonica" by Monica Houghton, and something by Loris Chobanian. Three out of four (Ptaszynska the exception) are Cleveland folks. We'll have to see, but the program looks very promising.
Originally from Modernclassical, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 04:22 AM | Comments (0)
Moondog, and a few weird sounds.
To the very, very few people that are or will be reading this, I can't suggest enough the music of Louis Hardin, a.k.a Moondog. He wrote almost exclusively in canons and madrigal forms, and he's simply amazing. He spent most of the sixties and seventies voluntarily living on the streets on 6th Avenue, NYC, playing his music to the crowds passing by. Simply amazing. The London Saxophonic collection "Sax Pax for a sax" is one of the better places to start listening to his stuff. I'll include a clip of them at the bottom of this post.In other news, I've found joy in the form of a downloadable album by Polish tubist Zdzislaw Piernik. It's weird stuff, but goddamnit, it's good. I don't know how he does the stuff he does with the horn. Ridiculousness. I also have a solo album coming in the mail some time, another purchase today.
As promised, here's the song "New Amsterdam" off of the Sax Pax album.
http://www.mediafire.com/?xexmxmg4n3r
Originally from On a notion of music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 03:33 AM | Comments (0)
In other news
I can't believe I've never really listened to any music by Lou Harrison, until now. What a ridiculous mistake to make...I have found that I'm in the mood for some new music. New stuff to me, at least. I'm tired of listening to the old stuff over and over again.
I think, in general, I'm just ready for some peace and quiet. Being surrounded by the noisy and disruptive fools on my floor is starting to take its toll on me. I don't know why no-one on this floor seems to appreciate some peace and quiet, especially when they should be doing their school work, (although, the house-wide average GPA of 2.58 probably explains that away.)
I'm almost ready for the tuba ensemble recital later in April. I really, really am liking the recital selections. Although part of that is because I'm going to have the first "premiere" of a piece of mine. I can't wait until summer, when I'll have time to do some fun stuff, like writing new music, actually stretching out with my practice time, and just having some relaxation time. I'm also going to start doing some work as a field recorder this summer, which will be a lot of fun.
That's it, I'm out for now.
Originally from On a notion of music, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 03:33 AM | Comments (0)
Salvatore Sciarrino, "3 Pieces from L'opera per flauto"
-- Richard Craig's Notes --
'Come vengono prodotti gli incantesimi?' 'Canzona di ringraziamento' and 'Lettera degli antipodi portata dal vento' surround us in the world of whispers and shadows which Salvatore Sciarrino inhabits. With unassuming ascendancy, the music envelopes us and erodes our concepts of borders and limitations with incantations, songs of thanks and letters to the antipodes, all of which are steeped in semiotics, the meanings and signs of which are unearthed in this recording.Richard Craig (www.richardcraig.net)
Recorded by: Douglas Whates, Natural Studio (http://www.naturalstudio.co.uk/records/) at Wellington Church, Glasgow, Scotland on the 15th of August, 2005.
Dogme95 ("The Vow of Chastity", Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg)
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 01:39 AM | Comments (0)
ANABlog Bashes MSM
A while back, one of our favorite bloggers, Marc Geelhoed, pined for a little Hunter S. Thompson in this campaign cycle. He pointed out that despite the wealth of material in this election, the media coverage has been downright eyeball glazing.
Nothing encapsulates that more than an appearance by the total limpdick that Rolling Stone has allowed to ape Thompson for the past few years. Matt Taibbi turns up every now and then on TV, which only reminds us that he's trying even harder than it seems when you read his columns. In person, he comes off as a reasonably-minded preppie, which makes the fire he breathes in print seem all that much more artificial. In private, he's probably not rabidly anti-Clinton or anti-GOP at all. But Taibbi's not the only douchebag covering this election who likes to get hopped up on nothing harder than Red Bulls and toss grenades into their copy. Chris Matthews never met a boxing analogy he didn't like, and Keith Olbermann wants to be Edward R. Murrow so bad that it's surprising he doesn't broadcast Countdown in black and white.
Take todays big kerfuffle: The Pelosi Letter.
A bunch of Clinton donors didn't like what she had to say about superdelegates going with the popular vote; so, they wrote her a letter. Now, it is a perfectly ordinary letter from a group of donors to a politician asking her to bear their point of view in mind.
However, you wouldn't know that from the headlines, which have raised sensationalism to new lows:
'Top Clinton Backers Threaten Pelosi' (US News)
'Clinton backers warn Pelosi on superdelegate rift' (Reuters)
'Hillary Campaign Didn't Disavow Donor Letter To Pelosi' (TPM)
'Obama Camp Hammers Letter To Pelosi As "Inappropriate"' (TPM)
The coverage of this mundane little story typifies the media's default tone for every moment of this campaign. Other favorite headline verbs: 'bash', 'rip', 'slam', and 'slug'.
As Marc pointed out, this is all a very dim echo of Gonzo journalism, which got woven into the mainstream media so slowly and effortlessly that it's easy to forget how revolutionary it really was. Guys like Taibbi thinks littering his copy with f-bombs gussies it up enough to call it Gonzo, but what none of these pantywaists get is that Hunter actually had profound insights about the process.
These jerkwads are just ornamenting standard political beat stories with course language. Hunter used the vernacular to cut to the core of the matter:
"There is nothing in McGovern’s campaign, so far, to suggest that he understands this kind of thing. For all his integrity, he is still talking to the Politics of the Past. He is still naïve enough to assume that anybody who is honest & intelligent—with a good voting record on “the issues”—is a natural man for the White House.Unlike McGovern, Obama understands perfectly well that he's taking Door Number Two in Hunter's scenario. Can't reach working class voters in Pennsylvania? Well, then push to register every last college student you can in the state!
But this is stone bullshit. There are only two ways to make it in big-time politics today: One is to come on like a mean dinosaur, with a high-powered machine that scares the shit out of your entrenched opposition (like Daley or Nixon)…and the other is to tap the massive, frustrated energies of a mainly young, disillusioned electorate that has long since abandoned the idea that we all have a duty to vote. This is like being told you have a duty to buy a new car, but you have to choose immediately between a Ford and a Chevy."
And for those who still thinks that 'Yes We Can' and 'We are the Change that We've Been Waiting For' is about anything but Barack Obama's unbridled ego, Hunter has a bucket of cold water for them too:
"…a man on the scent of the White House is rarely rational. He is more like a beast in heat: a bull elk in the rut, crashing blindly through the timber in a fever for something to fuck. Anything! A cow, a calf, a mare—any flesh and blood beast with a hole in it. The bull elk is a very crafty animal for about fifty weeks of the year: his senses are so sharp that only an artful stalker can get within a thousand yards of him…but when the rut comes on, in the autumn, any geek with the sense to blow an elk-whistle can lure a bull elk right up to his car in ten minutes if he can drive within hearing range.While Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 is far from necessary reading, it is still a bracing look into the
The dumb bastards lose all control of themselves when the rut comes on. Their eyes glaze over, their ears pack up with hot wax, and their loins get heavy with blood. Anything that sounds like a cow elk in heat will fuse the central nervous systems of every bull on the mountain. They will race through the timber like huge cannonballs, trampling small trees and scraping off bloody chunks of their own hair on the unyielding bark of the big ones. They behave like sharks in a feeding frenzy, attacking each other with all the demented violence of human drug dealers gone mad on their own wares.
A career politician finally smelling he White House is not much different from a bull elk in the rut. He will stop at nothing, trashing anything that gets in his way; and anything he can’t handle personally he will hire out—or, failing that, make a deal. It is a difficult syndrome for most people to understand, because few of us ever come close to the kind of Ultimate Power and Achievement that the White House represents to a career politician."
political process, and when placed aside the impotent reportage of '08, it leaves us jonesing for some Gonzo.Perhaps most indispensable of all, is the 'July' chapter, wherein a 28-year old Rick Stearns explains to Hunter how he and Gary Hart navigated the byzantine credential rules of the party to insure McGovern's nomination at the convention in Miami Beach.
The Democrats bring this shit on themselves with an unstinting devotion to fairness, which inevitably leaves its intended beneficiaries feeling royally screwed over. They've set up a system where neither Barack or Hillary can win the delegates necessary for the nomination.
So, eager young staffers on those campaigns out to get a copy of Thompson's book and brush up on the art of maneuvering on the convention floor. It might just win their bull elk the White House.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 01:34 AM | Comments (0)
I have never been so bored...
...as when I try to be an educated, involved citizen and follow the primaries as they follow their state-by-state path to elect our next President.* Anyone who's read Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 will know what I'm talking about. And anyone who hasn't read it should stop reading and come back when you have. In this election, so far, we've had a TV actor, a mayor of New York who's been photographed in drag, an evangelical minister who recently discovered the joys of not going barefoot, a woman who didn't leave her husband after he took a sweet, sweet present from an intern, and a black man who admitted straight up that he'd used drugs. Any one of those should've been the launching pads for journalism you couldn't look away from.**
People, there is so much rich material here, and so many crazed characters working for each of these candidates, that the writing of this campaign should've grabbed the f&^$!# jugular and never let go. Can you imagine how Thompson would've crowed that a candidate was finally honest about drugs? Or the glee that would've gone into skewering Huckabee, or laughing at Giuliani, or maiming Fred Thompson in print for punching above his weight?
Or going after that underreported tempest when Patti Solis Doyle left Hillary Clinton's campaign. Most outlets released the canned pablum that passes for political press releases these days, barely hinting at what must have been some serious turmoil. (Yes, I'm speculating, but we cynics usually assume the worst. And we're usually right.)
Or my personal favorite example, the Nevada caucus from last January. The offbeat and the unhinged and the glamorous and the formerly glamorous all manage to find work in Las Vegas's casino industry, so there should've been some serious anthropological reporting going on, some bizarre moments that could barely have been believed. Yet the published reports, like this one from the Times, have all the color of a church social. "Men with rumpled hair, just off their bar shifts, wore their sunglasses inside." Rumpled hair! Sunglasses worn indoors! Call the hall monitor! (It's not the Times' place to provide the surreal coverage I'm looking for, I know, but this example couldn't be passed over. I also know that Rolling Stone and other papers went out of their way to provide outlets to people like Hunter Thompson. Ah, the '70s.)
You'd think that blogs would provide what I'm looking for, given that there are 500,000,000,000,000 of them today,*** but no. I go to Talking Points Memo, I go to Two Blowhards, I go to Slate's blogs, and it's the same nit-picking coverage following the dailies.
The closest thing I've found to someone following a dirty hunch is in this footnote to this article in the New York Review of Books by Michael Tomaskey. He's writing about how it seems odd that Clinton and her team only decided to count the delegates from Michigan and Florida after her candidacy learned it would need them. Instead of endorsing the decision not to count those delegates, Tomaskey writes, he thinks the Clinton campaign would've been more likely "to issue a statement of agreement that still tried to allow her future wiggle room," had she followed her and her husband's previous history of scheming and wordplay. But I had to read a bloody footnote to find this! There must be someone out there who could've described how the disappointments of the Romney campaign wore on that easily twisted candidate.
I care about counting delegates, and I really do care how seriously we take the projections of voters in southeastern Pennsylvania, but really, I just want it to be interesting. Because there are some serious weirdos out there. You wouldn't know it from the coverage so far of the campaign...but that's kind of why I had to vent today. If there is someone out there who's writing about the races with ferocity and flair and tenacity, please tell me, because my glazed eyeballs have almost lost all focus.
*What I'm asking for calls for all sorts of journalistic conflicts to be ignored. Adjust for that as you read.
**These are clearly pejorative caricatures and not what I actually would like to see the candidates reduced to.
***I made this up.
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 28, 2008 at 01:33 AM | Comments (0)
March 27, 2008
Brian Ferneyhough, "Cassandra's Dream Song"
-- Richard Craig's Notes --
Brian Ferneyhough's (on the left) labyrinthine systems reveal a work of surprising fragility and hyper-expression in 'Cassandra's Dream Song', his first essay for flute and one of the iconoclasts of its time.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
The Balustrade Ensemble, "A Long Fetch Over"
It is absolutely no surprise that Scott Solter's latest project, The Balustrade Ensemble, would be so wonderful. Their album, Capsules, comes out on May 13, and it is lovely from start to finish. The standout track for us is "A Long Fetch Over", which sounds like a summer twilight heard from a front porch, where the mosquitos are hard at work and Anonymous 4 are performing just over the horizon.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
Choral Music of Beth Anderson to Be Performed by Acappellago in Illinois on March 29 and 30
American composer Beth Anderson’s The Good Christmas Cat and Wynken, Blyken, & Nod for SATB chorus will be performed by Acappellago, Dennis R. Smith, Music Director, on a concert entitled Escape to…Wonderland on Saturday, March 29, 7:30 PM at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 W. 31st Street in Oak Brook, Illinois and on Sunday, March 30, 3:00 PM at Naperville Congregational Church, 1 Bunting Lane in Naperville, Illinois.
The Good Christmas Cat was written in 1999; with words by Jo-Ann Krestan and Wynken, Blynken, & Nod in 1987, with words by Eugene Field.
Tickets for the March 29 and 30 concerts are $14, $11 for seniors & students. For tickets and more information, call 708-484-3797 x. 2 or visit http://www.acappellago.org/tickets.html.
Acappellago is an a cappella chamber choir performing in the western suburbs of Chicago. Their special appearances have included Chicago Composer’s Forum’s first John Cage’s “Musicircus” in September 2005, singing the Star Spangled Banner for the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago White Sox, the Kane County Cougars and the Schaumburg Flyers. In March 2008, they presented their first “accompanied” performance with the Salt Creek Sinfonietta of Fanny Hensel’s “Hiob.” Visit them at http://www.acappellago.org/.
Beth Anderson is curator and host of Greenwich House Arts’ Women’s Work series - http://www.myspace.com/womenswork. For more information about composer Beth Anderson, including a bio, list of works, discography and much more, please visit http://www.beand.com.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
Extra! Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville Explores 11-Note Melodies Half Century Before Arnold Schoenberg And Josef Mattias Hauer!
... "But the April 1860 phonautogram is more than a squawk. On a digital copy of the recording provided to The New York Times, the anonymous vocalist, probably female, can be heard against a hissing, crackling background din. The voice, muffled but audible, sings, “Au clair de la lune, Pierrot répondit” in a lilting 11-note melody —a ghostly tune, drifting out of the sonic murk." ...Jody Rosen "Researchers Play Tune Recorded Before Edison" New York Times March 27, 2008.
Pan Cogito plays 1860 and 1931 recordings of a French popular song at the same time ... and develops plan to add overlay of Edison's colleague's 1888 snippet of a Handel oratorio captured on a wax cylinder...
WILLIAM KENTRIDGE'S NOIRAILLE
POLITENESS OF OBJECTS
Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
Hilary Hahn's Schoenberg and Sibelius
Originally from Ionarts, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:33 PM | Comments (0)
Drums and Different Cannons #3 - For Connie
Drums and Different Cannons #3 - For Connie
This short piano prelude is an algorithmic composition, the third in the Drums and Different Cannons series, mapping chaotic equations into pitch and time. The first two were tape works, but this is the first designed for a live performer. In this case the equation is the Torus equation x" = K sin(x). To me the interest lies in the similar but non-identical repeating patterns, and sudden changes that form cannons.
This version is realised via Rosegarden, Csound and samples.
read">http://www.csounds.com/node/100">read more
From Podcast: cSounds.com - .
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM | Comments (0)
Sending Out An SOS
Reader Maurizio is looking for the composer of a piece he heard years ago. Anyone recognize it?
It was a sort of “futuristic” composition; the Author tried (with good results, I remember!) to himitate the sounds of the city of London during wartime….I remember the warning sirens before the German planes come to bomb, the busy industrial equipment at work, the lyric calm of the dawn…..
The title of the piece was something like “A London Symphony” and the Author……sorry, but I remember only that the name sounded like English….(Be patient: I was 14 or 15 year old… and it was a long long time ago)
Leave your thoughts in the comments or send a note
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:57 PM | Comments (0)
Letter To PBS From Jane Austen Viewing Club Member About Prokofiev's Peter And Wolf And Humperdinck's Hansel And Gretel: Please Sirs, Not Too Much!
Dear PBS,
Good morning.
Don't any of you have children or spouses or grandparents or partners who have to work in the mornings? Back to back, edgy screenings of Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf and Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel are, well, you know, too much -- and too late for us workers and caregivers.
Faithfully,
Pan Cogito
Lagging Member of the Jane Austen Viewing Club
*
Great Performances at The Met: "Hansel and Gretel"
Great Performances at The Met: "Roméo et Juliette"
Great Performances at The Met: "Macbeth"
Great Performances at The Met: "The Magic Flute"
Great Performances at The Met: "Manon Lescaut"
Great Performances at The Met: "I Puritani"
Great Performances at The Met: "The First Emperor"
Great Performances at The Met: "Peter Grimes"
Great Performances at The Met: "Eugene Onegin"
Great Performances at The Met: "Tristan und Isolde"
Great Performances at The Met: "The Barber of Seville"
Great Performances at The Met: "La Bohème"
Great Performances at The Met: "Il Trittico"
Great Performances at The Met: "La Fille du Règiment"
Great Moments at The Met: Viewer's Choice
Great Performances at The Met: "L'Elisir D'Amore"
Beverly Sills: Made in America
"The Nightingale"
Operatunity
"The Little Prince"
"The Merry Widow" from the San Francisco Opera
*
"Peter and the Wolf"
*
Photo credits: (c) Ken Howard and MET Opera. All rights reserved. [Hansel and Gretel and Peter Grimes]. Heinrich Zille images from Academy of Arts, Berlin via New York Times. With thanks.
Originally from Renaissance Research, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Happy Birthdays to MTT and FZ
Happy Birthday today to Michael Tilson Thomas, who according to today's paper, is just now 63. Remembering what a splash he was already making in the 1970's (a life-changing...for me... public TV broadcast of Les Noces comes to mind) one is reminded that MTT was Gustavo Dudamel before there was---literally---a Gustavo Dudamel.And a Happy Birthday to Frank Zappa, who would have been 67 today, and who has been gone an astonishing 14 years already. In tribute, we link to this YouTube excerpt of a 1974 TV performance of "Inca Roads." This is in my opinion the greatest lineup of all the Mothers bands, and though the video is grainy and most of the performance is backdrop to some pretty freaky claymation (what TV station or network put this on air, I wonder?), you still get healthy doses of the magnificent George Duke surrounded by enough keyboards to launch an Apollo mission, and the midriff-baring percussion wonder Ruth Underwood.
If you want to hear the uninterrupted version of "Inca Roads" (with a brilliant guitar solo by FZ interpolated from a Helsinki performance), I recommend buying the entire album "One Size Fits All" which IMHO is second only to the double live album "Roxy and Elsewhere" as the greatest Zappa recording of all time.
Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Gamelan Galak Tika this Saturday at USC
Southern Exposure, besides being the only real presenter of new concert music here in the Midlands, is also the only presenter here that occasionally branches out into what could be called world music. Many of you will recall the electrifying performance a couple of years ago by Kartik Seshadri; this Saturday night brings the ensemble Gamelan Galak Tika, in residence at MIT under the directorship of composer/performer Evan Ziporyn. Details on the concert can be found here.Originally posted by Phillip from Mostly Music in the Midlands, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Review: eighth blackbird
March 26, University of RichmondWhoever said first impressions are the truest doesn’t know some of my best friends, and wouldn’t stand a chance of getting to the nub of "singing in the dead of night," a wildly eventful, 45-minute-long work by composers David Lang, Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe and choreographer Susan Marshall, given its first performance by eighth blackbird.
Lang, Gordon and Wolfe write for and perform in Bang on a Can, the New York new-music ensemble. Their energy levels are complementary and they seem to share certain traits – notably, similar senses of humor; but their contributions to this piece stand off from one another.
Lang’s two episodes and epilogue, titled "these broken wings" one, two and three, sound to be inspired by baroque contrapuntal exercises. The second episode, subtitled passacaille, effectively hides its form behind slapstick visual effect – the piling up and dropping of metal objects on a resonating surface.
Gordon’s episode, "the light of the dark," contrasts low-register slides on cello with brilliant, virtuosic violin figures, punctuated by percussive downbeats and running interference through jarring chords and tone clusters from winds, accordion, harmonica, acoustic and amplified guitar and piano, whose keyboard is played by two to six hands with a seventh finally strumming its strings.
Wolfe’s episode, from which the whole piece takes its name, centers on the sound effects of sand slowly pushed around a tabletop by one or two performers, with the conventional instruments providing a Greek chorus to the grittily resonant protagonist(s).
Its length, scope, contrast of musical and physical materials, combination of sound, movement and lighting, suggest that "singing in the dead of night" might harbor Gesamtkunstwerk aspirations. But its titles are so open-ended and its content so varied (and variable) that I wouldn’t attempt to guess what it’s "about," certainly not on one hearing. (In a post-concert Q&A, Wolfe didn’t rise to Marshall’s bait when the choreographer strung together the words "obsessive, desperate, sad" to characterize her episode. Lang and Gordon said nothing about theirs.)
It’s unquestionably a pentathlon for the performers. Pianist Lisa Kaplan, percussionist Matthew Duvall, violinist Matt Albert, cellist Nicholas Photionos, flutist Tim Munro and clarinetist Michael J. Maccaferri, playing much of the work from memory, played up to and beyond the composers’ numerous technical challenges and the logistical ones posed by both score and choreography. I’ve never seen these musicians work harder at a piece, and rarely to better effect.
The program, called "The Only Moving Thing," opened with another premiere, of the Double Sextet by Steve Reich, the percussionist and composer commonly identified as one of the founders of minimalism. (Nicolas Slonimsky more alluringly termed Reich’s music "hypnopompic.") Written for 12 instruments, the piece is being introduced by eighth blackbird with six instruments pre-recorded and six played live.
Reich’s sextet opens and closes with emphatic, layered ostinato played off against sighing long notes from strings and winds, which gradually pick up the insistent rhythmic figure. The central section is lyrical, gently rocking like a barcarolle. Nervy syncopation and chorale-like melody rub against each other, as in jazz and blues.
The piece is more for executants than interpreters – aside from some issues of dynamics and whether to play long notes straight or messa di voce, it’s mostly timing and balance.
In the first performance, the recorded tracks (laid down by the ’birds two months ago) sounded more mellow and mid-rangy, while the live (and amplified) instruments were more (at times much more) edgy. That contrast may have been more pronounced in the acoustically bright Camp Concert Hall at the University of Richmond than it will be in the venues for subsequent dates.
"The Only Moving Thing" will receive six more performances through May, including a May 13 date at the Kennedy Center in Washington. Details: www.eighthblackbird.com
Originally from Letter V, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Guest pianists Deanne Mohr, Eric Brisson to perform - St. Olaf College News & Announcements
Guest pianists Deanne Mohr, Eric Brisson to perform St. Olaf College News & Announcements, MN - ... Urness Recital Hall on Thursday, April 3, at 8:15 pm The program will include works by Olivier Messiaen, Cesar Franck and Henri Dutilleux. ... |
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 Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Oh, Just Review It
Originally from Iron Tongue of Midnight, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:56 PM | Comments (0)
Saint Louis Symphony goes download-only
James Jolly, Gramophone, 3/27/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
Cuppa
By Justin Davidson
Justin.Davidson@nymag.com
This just arrived in my inbox:
Dear Colleague,
There was a miscommunication between our office and our shipping service regarding the shipment of the [ensemble name redacted] CD, [title redacted]. They were not supposed to send them to our classical list. Please note this is not a core classical CD but falls in the category of experimental/electronic music and probably not your cup of tea. I would appreciate it if you would pass on reviewing it. Thank you in advance.
Apparently I'm on the cranky old fuddy duddy list–either that or the record company doesn't think much of this release.
Originally posted by Alex Ross from Alex Ross: The Rest Is Noise, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
James Dillon, "Sgothan"
-- Richard Craig's Notes --Conceived as an act to preserve the purity and integrity of the sound documents (a proposition widely disregarded these days) it was recorded in a five hour session without a break in an almost Dogme95-like stance. Alongside, is the intention of capturing all of the personal idiosyncrasies, inflections and internal references, conscious or otherwise, that are omnipresent in live performance - there has been no editing of the the material, neither for page turns or 'mistakes', and all are complete 'takes'. As a result, there is a migration of the sound which is obvious in the Dillon when I move to the next page-a small but charming addition to the gradual winding-down of 'Sgothan'.
James Dillon's music is embedded in syntax and turbulence. In 'Sgothan', this manifests itself as 24 interwoven miniatures, in various states of equilibrium and volatility, colliding and diffracting from each other with varying degrees of temporal and sonic flux, whilst retaining a disquieting naivete.
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
Going to Carolina in My Mind
After Austrian born composer and conductor Peter Paul Fuchs died about a year ago in North Carolina our English home Pliable wrote two short tributes to him On An Overgrown Path with John McLaughlin Williams. Fuchs’ widow saw the tributes and supplied Bob with previously unpublished biographical material and photos.
To mark the first anniversary of Fuchs’ passing, Pliable published a new profile at On An Overgrown Path and on Wikipedia (which had no entry for him) using this material.
And here’s some good news: Scott Unrein has revived his Nonpop Music podcast and blog. We alll know Brian Eno but how many of you knew there was a Roger Eno?
Originally posted by Jerry Bowles from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:37 PM | Comments (0)
Stalactite; Drums and Different Cannons #2
Stalactite; Drums and Different Cannons #2
Sitting in Detroit Airport (Wright Field) waiting for a flight home from ICMC I found a power point and started an investigation of the 88CET scale. It was a long wait and Wright Field seemed to have no facilities -- food, drink or duty-free shopping.
read">http://www.csounds.com/node/98">read more
From Podcast: cSounds.com - .
Originally posted by jeff from cacophonous.org, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 07:36 PM | Comments (0)
What price the music of an unsung master?
1968 was a year of upheaval. It was the year of sex and drugs and rock and roll and saw the assasination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the accidental death of Trappist monk and social activist Thomas Merton, the Tet offensive in Vietnam, the rise of the anti-war movement, the student rebellion that paralysed France, and the growth of the civil rights and women's movements. Stockhausen composed Stimmung, Hair opened on Broadway, the Beatles released their White Album and a Lindsay Anderson film put an African version of the Latin Mass at the top of the UK charts. Finally, as a reminder that history rarely repeats itself, but its echoes never go away, in October 1968 Tommie Smith and John Carlos made their controversial protest in support of the Olympic Project for Human Rights (OPHR) on the podium at the Mexico Olympics.
While society was in upheaval elsewhere Dom Charles was completing the remarkable work of art seen above in the Abbey church of the Benedictine community at Buckfast in a peaceful Devon valley. The huge east window (judge the size by the altar visible in lower foreground of my photo) is in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel at Buckfast Abbey. It uses the technique known as dalles-de-verre in which ‘tiles’ of coloured glass are chipped to shaped and laid mosaic-fashion in a matrix of resin. The window was made by the monks in the Abbey's workshop, and since its completion in 1968 windows have been made by the Brothers for more than 150 other churches using the same technique. One of the most recent commissions has been a window commemorating the New York firefighters who died in 9/11.
We had travelled to Buckfast to hear a concert of choral works by the unsung master Philippe de Monte. The music of this 16th century Flemish composer is very rarely performed today (although it is recorded), which is surprising as he wrote 1,073 secular and 144 spiritual madrigals, 45 chansons, 319 motets and 38 mass settings - eat your heart out Leif Segerstam! The intelligently planned and beautifully delivered concert was given in the Abbey church (Lady Chapel seen in my photo below) by the vocal ensemble Voces directed by Martyn Warren. There may still be many voices to a part in choirs in Devon and the men may still wear suits, ties and white shirts, but in other ways they are right up there with Radiohead. Here is an extract from the free programme book which included texts:
Concerts are normally free, allowing you to make your own decision about the contribution you make to the retiring collection. After expenses this will be split equally between the Abbey and the Voce music fund. Neither singers nor conductor take a fee. As a rough guide, a ticket for a concert like this would normally cost you at least £8, and we hope you will give generously with your money as the performers have given of their time in preparing and performing.>
Masses of early music on iPods here.
My wife and I stayed in one of the Buckfast Communities splendid retreat houses on the edge of the monastic domain - recommended. Photos (c) On An Overgrown Path 2008. 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 Mar 27, 2008 at 07:35 PM | Comments (0)
Everybody Wang Chung Tonight!
* Except for the Boston Ballet, that is.* Emir Kusturica's operatic adaptation of "Le Temps de Gitans" is playing in Paris' Palais de Congres.
* New music makes strides in Czech Republic.
* Thom Yorke and others to remix classical tunes for some new compilation.
* 'As classical music is piped into 40 Tube stations to reduce antisocial behaviour, Jessica Duchen asks if we really want rush hour symphonies.' (Yes, it's the ONLY good thing about Penn Station!)
* Chamber Orchestra Anglia will premiere new Britten works next month.
* American Idol for classical music.
* Isn't 'The Bernstein of Early Music' a woeful oxymoron?
* "In the car, I also listen to the Saint-Saëns requiem and the Mozart requiem -- that's usually the right mood for Baghdad"
* "An endless stream of standards by Beethoven, Brahms and the Russians is a programming strategy that leads to artistic oblivion."
Originally posted by jodru from ANABlog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
Thursday Links
- On the eve of his 19th birthday, Marvin Forbes did something which completely shocked his mates: he sat down at the piano which had appeared overnight on the corner of Orphanage and Mason roads, and played a few bars of Offenbach. “I never knew you could do that!” Thasawar Iqbal said, stunned. British artist Luke Jerram puts 15 pianos all around Birmingham just to see what would happen.
- Ben ruminates on the similarities between Where’s Waldo and classical music. A pretty good effort considering the unspeakably early hour at which it was germinated. Well, early for kidless work-from-homers, at least.
- Darcy James Argue gets a little irrational. (Warning: super extra geeking out in progress)
- Jeremy Denk talks of bacon, Chopin and oatmeal. “Yes, that way lies happiness,” I say to myself, “and yet this way lies bacon.” Happiness seems, at that moment, such an unwelcomely long-term proposition. The seared, salty idea of bacon flashes in my mouth, fatty slab of the moment; whereas oatmeal squishes over into a digestive chain of planning and forethought, as if I were a stove and not a man.”
- “Well, I guess no critic gets it right all the time, but when an artist cites Stendhal and Bunuel as his leisure pastimes and Peter Brook as his most admired living person, it might be reasonable to suggest that he has a whiff of bookishness about him, no matter how wacky an eccentric he would like to seem.” Norman Lebrecht on being in Alfred Brendel’s bad books
- Tim Rutherford-Johnson brings word of a newly launched HD music download site. Tragically, all the cool kids on Macs and those living outside the US of A will have to sit tight for a while.
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:46 PM | Comments (0)
Quiz #9: The Day You’ve All Been Waiting For
[Drumroll] The Super Ultimate Winner of OM Quiz #9 is none other than Roger Miller. Unless the intertubes exist in the afterlife, it’s probably not this Roger Miller but nevermind.
The answer is Claude Debussy String Quartet in G minor Op 10 (fourth movement) completed in 1893.
The mass of responses flooding the OM mailbag indicate that the Quiz was a little more of a softball than Miss Mussel intended but that’s ok. As always, your participation is much appreciated as the game’s not so fun if Miss Mussel is the only player.
Our Quiz #9 Super Ultimate Winner Roger deserves special mention achieving the OM Quiz record for fastest correct answer. Those interested in breaking it next week will have to respond less than six hours from time of posting. Just so you know. You might need to set your alarm.
The recording used this week was the a 1996 album by the Tokyo String Quartet also containing the Ravel SQ and a piano trio by Fauré. It’s really quite an excellent recording, so if you don’t have any of these opi nestling comfortably on your shelves, adopt them today.
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Bach Cab Sessions
Reuters brought news today of a fantastic little concert series called The Black Cab Sessions. The premise is simple: musicians are invited to play one a song in the back of a London black cab and it is filmed all in one take.
There are 34 chapters in the series so far and all are pop/rockers except for this delight from Jonathan Byers of the Badke Quartet.
The first thing Miss Mussel notice when listening was the sound quality. Who knew the back of a cab could sound so great?
Note to young musicians looking for studio space to make a demo recording: take a cab ride. You can go a long way for £100 and get a great recording out of it. £50 even.
This and this are some of the best of the others.
Originally posted by Miss Mussel from The Omniscient Mussel on Classical Music & Culture, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
Sweatin' to the oldies
Sports Illustrated is the latest publication to put its archives online, which means I can link to this 1979 article by Sean Kellogg about the athleticism of singing opera. Includes interviews with Sherrill Milnes and Luciano Pavarotti, who compliments some leading ladies: "For a big voice you need incredible muscular power to go to the top. Birgit Nilsson is very strong. The same with Joan Sutherland. She's a very athletic girl."The strength required to sing is the reason you find so many mesomorphs in opera—the same body type usually found in football or weight lifting. Mesomorphs are bulky and muscular and tend to gain weight easily. A number of opera singers are obviously no exception.(I'll let Opera Chic photoshop that one.) Nothing a fan doesn't already know, but still a fun read.
Consider four of the top male singers in the world. Placido Domingo stands 6'2" and weighs 225 pounds; Milnes is 6'2", 212 pounds; Martti Talvela 6'7", 250 pounds; and Pavarotti 6'1", about 240 pounds. That's a front four Bear Bryant would covet.
BONUS! From September 29, 1969, Seiji Ozawa falls on his butt:
Seiji Ozawa is a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic and a second baseman for the Penguins, the orchestra's softball team. Earlier this month, while the Philharmonic was performing at Iowa State, the Penguins took on a fraternity team. The Penguins won the game 9-8 but almost lost a conductor. Ozawa was knocked down by a determined base runner and suffered a fractured coccyx. It's nice that conducting is something you do standing up.
Originally from Soho the Dog, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
Who's in charge?
I had a conversation recently with a retired violinist-conductor, whose many years on both sides of the podium gave him an interesting perspective. “I can assure you,” he said, “the conductor does not have more impact on the performance than the concertmaster.”
But articles on concertmasters are few and far between. I can imagine a fascinating study comparing the concertmasters of various orchestras and what they bring to each orchestra’s sound world and interpretation. Why have I never read such an article, yet every day I read about the men and women who stand on the podium and don’t play a note?
Don’t get me wrong – great conductors are wonderful beasts, and their impact on orchestras is undeniable.
But our fascination with conductors often seems out of proportion to their roles in shaping the music. Why is that? Is there a process of identification taking place? I suppose if you don’t play an instrument, it might seem easy (it’s not) and gratifying to imagine yourself waving your arms around in time to the music. Surely it’s easier to imagine mastering that skill than mastering the intricacies of the violin.
Or is it the baton itself, the wand that seems to magically pull forth lush sound with each wizardly stroke? Do we have an innate desire to believe in supernatural powers, a desire gratified by the visual-aural confluence of a maestro cutting an enormous swath of sound?
Originally from Sequenza21/Composers Forum, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
I'm a dork
So I got a little "free money" and I spent it on Elliott Carter scores. My freshman theory class would clearly put their hands in L shapes on their foreheads if it was still cool to do that.Anyhow, I got a great deal on the hard bound collection of string quartets. I saw it everywhere else for $90 but found it at Compumusic for significantly less. I'll be happy when it gets here.
Ok, I'm happy now, but I'll be happier when the box arrives.
Originally from Sequenza21/Composers Forum, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:43 PM | Comments (0)
The International Street Cannibals Present From the Holding Tank Chamber Music and Dance Concert on March 30 at St Marks in-the-Bowery
The International Street Cannibals and the alangooddance company will join forces for a special “From the Holding Tank” series chamber music and dance event on Sunday, March 30, 2008 – 3 PM at St Mark’s in-the-Bowery, 131 East 10th Street (at 2nd Ave.) in Manhattan.
The afternoon will include performances of music by Beethoven, Boccherini, Jean Hure, Gene “Noizepunk” Pritsker, Robert Schumann and the world premiere of Dary John Mizelle’s multi-media work The Daily Bread.
The “From the Holding Tank” series offers a wide range of traditional and non traditional chamber works by great European masters, contemporary American composers and satirists. Improvisatory and semi-staged works are also presented in ways that expand and de-contextualize the boundaries of the concert hall, and exploit in novel ways the spatial qualities of the venue.
International Street Cannibals performers will be Dan Barrett, cello, John Carbone, contrabass, Leo Grinhaus, cello, Franz Hackl, trumpet, Gregor Kitzis, violin, Margaret Lancaster, flute, Ron Lawrence, viola, Adam Mizelle, electric bass, Dary John Mizelle, conductor, Anna Smirny, piano, Michiyo Suzuki, clarinet and bass clarinet, Bill Trigg, percussion, Linda Wetherill, flute and actors Marni Lustig and Agon Mizelle.
Featured guest artists will be Alan Good, dancer/ choreographer and dancers Fiona Evans and Luis Gabriel Zaragoza. More about them at http://www.alangooddance.com/.
Tickets for the March 30 event are $10 and are available by calling 212-961-0357 or 212-663-8826, or at the door on the day of the performance. For more information, please contact The International Street Cannibals at 212-961-0357 or 212-663-8826.
The International Street Cannibals offer musical presentations which defy the hierarchical space of the concert hall, and which represent diverse stages and modalities of composition. They were conceived by Director Dan Barrett, and are steered by Resident Composer Gene “Noizepunk” Pritsker, Artistic Director Franz Hackl, and Artistic Advisor Dave Taylor. Much more about them at http://streetcannibals.com/.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
COMPOSERS OF THE FUTURE
Writing for the symphony orchestra in one of the great challenges for a young composer. ACO’s Underwood New Music Readings are designed to give emerging composers the opportunity to work with an orchestra committed to American orchestral composers enabling them to hear their works rehearsed and read by some of the country’s most outstanding contemporary music instrumentalists.
So – come hear something new and different:
Tuesday, 6 May and Wednesday 7 May
10:00 — AM to 1:00 PM
New York University’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts.
Conductors Brad Lubman and Anne Manson will lead the American Composers Orchestra its 17th annual Underwood New Music Readings with works by this year’s winners: Ruby Fulton, Takuma Itoh, Andrew McKenna Lee, Leanna Primiani, Conrad Winslow, and Roger Zare. These composers represent a broad range of sound worlds, experience, and intentions. It should be a lively and ear-provoking few days!
Composer mentors will be Derek Bermel, ACO’s Music Alive Composer in Residence, Chen Yi, Christopher Theofanidis, and Christopher Rouse.
Please let me know if I can provide you with any additional information on these readings.
All best,
Linda
Linda S. Golding lgolding@nyc.rr.com
The Reservoir 212 496 1483
Park West Station
POBox 20309
New York, NY 10025
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
2008 MATA FESTIVAL
MATA (Music at the Anthology, Inc.), the leading global catalyst for emerging composers and contemporary music, brings five days of original and adventurous concerts to the Brooklyn Lyceum (227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY) with its 10th Annual MATA Festival. From Monday, March 31st - Friday, April 4th, the festival will feature more than 35 young composers from around the world, three world premieres, and four MATA commissions, while showcasing internationally acclaimed artists, a variety of performances and lectures, and an innovative sound installation operating daily.
MATA FESTIVAL Schedule (subject to change):
* MATA Commission
** World Premiere & MATA Commission
*** New York Premiere
ong>Monday, March 31st – Friday, April 4th Mon – Wed; Fri: 12:30-2:00pm & 6:30-8:00pm
FREE Sound Installation @ Café Room Thur: 2 to 7pm (5 different hour-long works) A co-production with Diapason Gallery, the leading presenter of sounds work in the U.S., MATA’s installation runs the length of the festival. The works, which vary from day to day, feature a newly commissioned piece by Micah Silver amongst 18 other pieces pulled from the Diapason Archive. Other composers include Marina Rosenfeld, Stephen Vitiello, and MATA AD Chris McIntyre.
Monday, March 31st 8:00pm
MATA Interval curated by Mario Diaz de Leon
As part of MATA Interval, composer/performers, including electro-acoustic music from members of Shinyoko record label, and Symbol, a psychedelic improvisational group led by one of MATA’s Curatorial Associates, Mario Diaz de Leon.
Tuesday, April 1st 8:00pm
New York Premiere of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP)
Led by Artistic Director/Conductor Gil Rose, BMOP performs four New York City premieres:
Double Violin Concerto by Lisa Bielawa with guest artists Colin Jacobsen & Carla Kihlstedt
On a Sufficient Condition for the Existence of Most Specific Hypothesis by Ken Ueno (throat singer)
*The Conscious Sleepwalker Loops by Alejandro Rutty; MATA’s first orchestral commission
Clades by Derek Hurst; a concerto for members of BMOP
Wednesday, April 2nd 8:00pm
The Knights Chamber Orchestra led by Conductor Eric Jacobsen
**Polarities by Zibuokle Martinaityte
***Culture No. 3 by Aaron Gervais
***A Thousand Machines by Jennifer Fitzgerald
***I Know Where Everything Is by Nico Muhly
***At the end of a really great day by Judd Greenstein
Thursday, April 3rd 7:00pm
FREE Guest Lecture
Christoph Cox discusses the concepts behind his book Audio Culture, and his ideas regarding the ontology of sound art. Also, a discussion between Cox and MATA commissionee Micah Silver.
Friday, April 4th 8:00pm
Newspeak and Either/Or
**A new work by Sean Griffin
In Spite of All This by Missy Mazzoli
Breaking and Entering (with aggravated assault) by Oscar Bettison
sweet, light, crude by David T. Little
Towards Qualia by Richard Carrick
White Bone Country by Andrew Byrne
Tripod by Julius Eastman
Tickets for all events will go on sale to the public on Saturday, March 1st. Individual concert tickets $15. Week-long festival pass $50. All other activities are FREE. Tickets may be purchased at the Brooklyn Lyceum and by contacting MATA at 212-563-5124. For a complete listing of all Festival events and to order tickets online, log on to www.matafestival.org.
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
CHAUCER GOES TO THE OPERA
Chaucer – one of the central storytellers in the English language. But what an English language! How do we tell a classic story for today’s opera and music-theater audience? And in what kind musical and English language?
CRISEYDE (www.criseyde.com) will answer these questions and more with an unusual New York launch of selected scenes with two performances in less than two weeks.
On Thursday 24 April (CUNY) and Sunday 11 May (NYCO VOX 2008) come hear how composer-dramatist Alice Shields and librettist and medieval scholar Nancy Dean stake out a strongly feminist point of view, setting a funky Middle English libretto in a musical mixture influenced by Indian raga, Western lyrical traditions combined with improvisation for all. This is CRISEYDE, a feminist reinterpretation of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde.
Although most people know Geoffrey Chaucer’s for Canterbury Tales, his most popular work, he was most honored in his own time for Troilus and Criseyde, a stunning poem of more than 8,000 lines. The work is a contemplative, serious, philosophical, and very beautiful romance.
Composer Alice Shields writes: “Chaucer’s brand of 14th-century English is both near to and far from own 21st century English. It’s a little like hanging around a cousin we didn’t know growing up; after hanging around each other for a while, we find we share a certain amount in common and can even finish each other’s sentences.”
Please let me know if you would like any additional information.
All best,
Linda
Linda S. Golding lgolding@nyc.rr.com
The Reservoir 212 496 1483
Park West Station
POBox 20309
New York, NY 10025
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Metropolis Ensemble April Concert at NYC Times Center
Metropolis Ensemble, New York’s premier professional chamber orchestra dedicated to emerging a new generation of composers and performers, springs into the new season with a one-night only concert of 20th century masterpieces at the Times Center (242 West 41st Street), Thursday, April 10th @ 8:00pm. Led by Artistic Director/Conductor Andrew Cyr, the concert is soaked by special guest artists including pianist Anna Polonsky who spearheads the world premiere of Piano Concerto by young composer Ryan Francis. Complementing the program is a dramatic series of three diverse modern works that reveal an unfolding vista of color and sensual imagery including Maurice Ravel’s Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé and Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Five Images from Sappho with soprano Kiera Duffy, and Erik Satie’s Sports et Divertissements, 20 brilliant sketches in a newly commissioned arrangement by London-based composer David Bruce for chamber orchestra and narrator/spoken word artist Mike Daisey.
www.metropolisensemble.org
Originally posted by s21concerts from Sequenza21/, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:42 PM | Comments (0)
Playing by the rules
I used to be one of those musicians who used to look for rules that I could use to make my playing better. Since I was a flutist in my youth, baroque music made up most of my daily practicing, so the rules I tried to apply to my playing often came in the form of method books, many of which were written in the 18th century to dictate the idiosyncrasies of a particular musical style or to reflect an individual musician's idea of how to play musical phrases the way he (yes, all the treatise writers went by "he" during the baroque period) thought they should be played.I still come across young people who like to apply "rules" to the interpretation of baroque music. It used to bother me to witness their insistence on a particular kind of musical behavior, but now I just kind of smile to myself and hope that these people will, one day, understand the applying any kind of across-the-board rule to any kind of musical interpretation is just part of the experience of a growing musician. Like other maladies of youth, it too will pass.
Not all rules are bad. Actually, there are a lot of technical rules that can be applied quite successfully in order to build an instrumental or vocal technique. On the violin these rules concern things like shifting properly (actually I think there is only one way of shifting properly and there are a lot of ways of shifting improperly, but this thought might be a result of my relative violinistic youth), counting beats accurately, and keeping fingers down during string crossings.
I cannot think of an interpretive musical rule I have learned that applies universally. There are no hard and fast rules concerning trills (and these are the first rules that people look for) because there are always exceptions. There are no rules regarding articulations, because music has all kinds of articulations, and they are used for all kinds of different reasons. A particular articulation that is well suited to the oboe may not be well suited to the violin. Therefore an oboe player would be more likely to write a treatise that favored oboe articulations to the kinds of articulations that are used in writing for the violin.
There are no hard and fast phrasing rules (for music of any period), because every phrase of music (worth playing) is unique and beautiful in its own way. Each phrase is a separate case, and each phrase can be interpreted in a multitude of equally correct ways, depending on the desire(s) and mood(s) of the person who is playing. Applying stress to one beat instead of another can be executed tastefully or non-tastefully. I have come to understand that interpretive musical rules do not guarantee excellent musical taste. They don't even guarantee good musical taste.
Some of the novice rule book players seem to believe that one set of rules applies for all "early" music. A set of early 17th-century French rules would sound kind of odd when applied to music from C.P.E. Bach's Hamburg, or Mozart's Vienna, yet there are people who seem to believe that somewhere there is a set of universal rules that tell the "way" to play all "early" music, no matter where it comes from. I hope that all of these people dig deeply enough in their early music studies to learn the folly of their relative youths and in so doing understand that all musical interpretation is subjective, creative, and personal, rather than uniform and formulaic.
Originally from Musical Assumptions, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:41 PM | Comments (0)
Excellent new production of The Gambler at the Berlin State Opera
The Gambler, Berlin State Opera, March 23th. Tcherniakov (d), Barenboim (c).
Cast: Opolais (Polina), Didyk (Alexej), Ognovenko (General), Toczyska (Babulen´ka). Detailed cast and information here. Co-production with La Scala opera house.
In short, this was an excellent performance of Prokofiev´s opera The Gambler. Interesting sets, very interesting stage direction, a fabulously well-playing orchestra, good singer-actors. What more can you possibly want from an opera? And besides, this had attracted a significantly younger audience, than usually seen at the opera - most of whom (at least the ones we talked to and over-heard talking) seemed to share my opinion of the performance.
Dmitri Tcherniakov is a very interesting stage director, also responsible for the excellent Boris Godunov at the Berlin State Opera (more here) and Khovantschina (more here) in Munich last year. He also designs the sets himself, which this evening, consisted of a hotel lobby, which transformed into a gambling room in the last act.
But first of all, he is eminent in his detailed direction of the singers - the interactions between them become clear and interesting - as well as funny. Plus, he has an affinity for creating several rooms on stage, in which you see the parallel actions of characters, not currently singing, which greatly contributes to the understanding of the underlying motives of the characters. Tcherniakov seemd to follow the libretto quite closely, though placing the action close to the present day. An atmosphere of nouveau riche Russian lives were tangible.
You have to admire Daniel Barenboim for his versatility and constantly taking up new repertoire, where he could easily play it safe and stick with Wagner. This Prokofiev was simply grand - I have rarely heard this orchestra play any better (or louder, for that sake).
And with excellent soloist, especially Misja Didyk (Alexej) and Kristine Opolais (Polina), but also Stefania Toscyzka (Babulen´ka) was very convincing.
Again, my only complaint this performance relates to the outrageously high Festival ticket prizes..But rumours has it there will be a run of performances at ordinary (which are very reasonable) ticket prices this autumn. Not to miss, if anywhere near Berlin. Or La Scala, for that matter, where it will be shown later this season.
Curtain call photos:
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
Pierre Boulez - 83 today
Based on the performance I saw him conduct in Paris last week, he looks like he could continue conducting for at least another 20 years.Below, conducting the Ensemble Intercontemporain in his own composition Sur Incises:
Originally from mostly opera..., ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
Neo-classicism
"Let me at least dispute the validity of the prevalent opinion that taking an older work and retouching or partly rewriting it is a useless or even injurious enterprise because it destroys the original impulse and passion. On the contrary, for me it was both a privilege and an experience to see this substance, fixed on the page for such a long time, become once again pliable, to relive this adventure I had made up in circumstances I no longer even remembered, and finally to find myself again before these romanesque events as before situations I had already lived through once. Now, however, I could explore them better, interpret them or explain them more fully, even though it was not in my power to change them. The opportunity of expressing ideas and emotions that were still mine, with improved craftsmanship and through the insights gleaned from a longer human experience, seemed to me too precious not to be accepted with joy and humility."---A Coin in Nine Hands, afterword. Marguerite Yourcenar, translated by Dori Katz, 1934.
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:39 PM | Comments (0)
Dude, you were so jaded last night
After one week at the Chicago Symphony, I was sitting at my desk, it was 5:45 on Friday evening, I was nowhere near finished, and I didn't know how to start half of the projects that I'd hoped to have finished by then. My head was in my hands, and it occurred to me that this was what it felt like to be part of the machine. All of your thoughts were focused on you, and not on the job of the institution, which is in the business of putting on concerts. You start thinking that it's a job, the concerts become less important, and the next thing you know, you don't care about music anymore. (I'm sure I'm skipping a few steps in here, but for argument's sake, let's pretend this is more or less accurate.)
One week before I started the new job, I was hanging out with some out-of-town friends, and someone asked why I did what I did, first as a journalist and then working on a record label. We all had musical backgrounds, and most of the group works in the field. "I love classical music, and I want people to love it nearly as much as I do," I answered. I've spent most of my life listening to it and learning about it, so I know that most people won't enjoy it as intensely as I do, just like I'll never develop a love of prog rock or free jazz. But if I can communicate some of the joy that I get from it, and someone takes a chance and downloads a movement of a Beethoven symphony or, the true jackpot, buys a ticket to a live event, then I've fulfilled a little bit of what seems to be the niche I occupy. It's not solving global warming or inner-city poverty, but it's not nothing, either.
When you work around something you enjoy, it's easy to become jaded, and that was something I initially feared going into this job. It's something I feared as a journalist, too, and I got to the point where a concert was work. I have a lot of respect for my former colleagues who've gone to concerts week in, week out, for upwards of 20 years, in some cases, and can still write about it with passion and insight. It's easy to lose sight that several hundred or thousand people have bought tickets to the event and are greatly anticipating it, while you sit there wishing you could be somewhere else. That boredom seeps into your work, if you're not careful.
It's the same thing with working in an administration. I'm surrounded by the Chicago Symphony. Everything I do there has direct bearing on the recordings we're trying to get produced. At the end of the day, the last thing you want to do after soaking your head in that barrel is stick around even longer and go to a concert, sometimes. And you end up jaded.
A couple days into the second week, I was talking with a colleague about getting jaded. It seems important that "jaded" is an adjective, and not a verb. You can't actively get jaded; it's something that describes your state of mind, and you kind of slip into it without realizing it. "Let's jade ourselves!" Sorry, it doesn't work like that. Other staffers seem to have found their own ways around getting bored with work, some through simply working incredibly hard. Just to keep up, I now walk through the halls much faster and take the stairs two at a time.
Because I can see that future on the horizon, I vowed to continue going to CSO concerts every week, but I also started going to rehearsals. The CSO doesn't have open rehearsals, and has a rule about barring press from them, so I've never had the chance before. (A couple years ago, I knew I wasn't going to be able to go to a concert I really wanted to hear, so I called the PR office to see if I could go to the dress rehearsal. I think she PR rep laughed for five minutes straight.) You'll have to go to Michael Hovnanian's blog to get the dirt on what happens in those rehearsals, and I really can't hear, anyway, since we have to sit far back on the main floor. I get a fresh reminder in the middle of the day about what's going on that justifies my getting up and going to work every day.
And the goal isn't to end up jaded.
Originally posted by MarcGeelhoed from Marc Geelhoed: Deceptively Simple, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
Building Healthy Communities for Families - Arrow Lakes News
Building Healthy Communities for Families Arrow Lakes News, Canada - Speakers include Julia Stockhausen, whose area of expertise is infant mental health. She’ll lead a class on infant massage and attachment. ... |
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 Mar 27, 2008 at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
Private photos for my favourites - Guardian
Private photos for my favourites Guardian, UK - Road Trip) at one end and Matthew Barney's Cremaster at the other and finds all the middle a bit boring; who gets excited by Boulez (really) and by Yeasayer ... |
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 Mar 27, 2008 at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
Keltonic scores again
Richmond's John Keltonic, a prolific composer of scores for television documentaries (among other things), has two more set to air on PBS. Locally, on WCVE (Channel 23), "The Power of Forgiveness" is scheduled for 11:30 p.m. March 24, and the first installment of "Retirement Revolution" begins at 11 p.m. March 31.
More of Keltonic's music at:
http://jdkmusiclibrary.blogspot.com
Originally from Letter V, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:38 PM | Comments (0)
Pro Musica, Brahms, and Young Singers
I’ve just come from working with the Guilderland HS Chamber Choir, a great bunch of kids and an extraordinary group of musicians/singers. So I’m thinking about young singers right now.Have I mentioned that Pro Musica’s performance of the Brahms Requiem has 11 high school apprentices in it? (I might have, but I’d have to read my own blog to see, and I can’t quite bring myself to do that! There was an earlier blog about our fabulous high school choral festival, which one young singer described below as singing in Hi-Def (there’s a comment I will absolutely remember forever!).
The apprentices, from a half-dozen high schools in the area, sit side-by-side with their Pro Musica mentors for the entire rehearsal period from January to April, and get to experience this wonderful piece form the inside over this long period - it’s fantastic! I remember the first time I sang this piece. What an incredible experience it was, and I was 23. These kids, who were accepted as apprentices based on their NYSSMA scores and recommendations from their HS choral directors, are fabulous singers, and we are delighted to have them with us. Some of them, though, don’t know quite what to make of me; sometimes the mentors have to “explain me” to them.
We also have an entire HS choir singing with us on the first half of the program, which includes two short pieces, Fauré’s lovely Cantique de Jean Racine and Vaughan Williams’ Five Mystical Songs. The Guilderland HS Chamber Choir, under the direction of Rae Jean Teeter, is the first group in our new Adopt-a-Choir program.
I hope this turns out to be the fabulous opportunity we think it will be. The chance to sing with Pro Musica, to sing great, great works, with a huge professional orchestra, in Troy Music Hall - singing in Hi-Def indeed!
Now someday I have to learn what Hi-Def actually is.
Originally posted by David from David Griggs-Janower, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:36 PM | Comments (0)
A Bad Analogy
This analogy sucks. Well, maybe it’s a metaphor… no wait, it’s a simile. But it still sucks. My pathetic example of an excuse is that it struck in dawnish daylight, as the royal we was marching up a very steep slope to attend an eight-forty class during which the results of a prelim which sucked even more than my simile did were going to be announced. How’s that for a run-on sentence?
The terrible simile occurred while my sensitive little brain was escaping from prelim fear by reminiscing about “Where’s Wally?“, aka “Where’s Waldo?” if you’re one of those true patriot type people. Ever read them? Each massive double page spread consists of hundreds of cartoon figures engaged in all kinds of activities in a wonderfully detailed landscape. Your object is to find Wally/Waldo/Charlie/Holger/Walter (British/US/French/Danish/German, if you care) within this explosion of figures and activities.
One of the best bits of the books was all the interactions going on in the illustrations. There were thousands of little stories and jokes happening to the myriad figures. However, when you first opened the page your initial impulse was one of being totally overwhelmed by the degree of detail. You couldn’t see the wood for the trees; or the Wally for the, errrm, little figures. However, after your eyes recovered from the initial visual onslaught, everything started popping out and making sense, and a whole world opened up
This suddenly reminded me of listening to a new piece of classical music. the initial confusion over all of the complications of the music, followed by the gradual appreciation of all of the individual details as you slowly become accustomed to it. It brought to mind that most popular pieces are more like an individual single-panel cartoon, something which is designed to be understood immediately. With classical there is always something more to find, some new hidden aspect waiting to be uncovered.
Just like Wally.
Told you it was a horrible analogy.
Originally posted by Ben from classicalconvert.com, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
Reigning Wagnerian tenor returns to 'Tristan'
Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, 3/27/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
Carmen - Royal Opera House
Martin Kettle, Guardian Unlimited, 3/27/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)
Give me divas - not DJs
Tom Service, Guardian Unlimited, 3/26/2008Originally from Classical Music News, ReBlogged by newmusicrebloggers on Mar 27, 2008 at 04:35 PM | Comments (0)