[245.1] NO FOREGONE CONCLUSIONS
"Art is a move from what is obvious and well-known to what is arcane and concealed." - Kahlil Gibran
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Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
[244.1] SOUL-MAKING MUSIC
Tapping away at my keyboard the other day, I caught Simon Rattle's Desert Island Discs selection. As I've often commented (as recently as December 07, in fact), this is comfort listening, but it's always better when the interviewee has a passion for music intertwined with observations on their life - rather than the notes forming little more than an incidental backdrop. What it also illustrates is how early and relatively fixed our musical foundations turn out to be. In Rattle's case, Mahler rather than the Beatles. Perhaps that's the reason I rarely find myself particularly surprised by the subject's selections. Predictable or exotic, personal or PR-oriented, there is frequently an indefinable congruence between the appearance of the person and the sound world that sustains them.
My own selection changes somewhat over the years, but not radically so. Sometimes I like to throw the cards up in the air a bit. But some features have to be there. I will always have something by Michael Tippett (the Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage or The Rose Lake, his last major work), Olivier Messiaen (probably Turangalila, though I might end up with Quartet pour le fin du temps), G. F. Handel (one of the Organ Concertos, or Ode to St Cecilia) and Harrison Birtwistle (The Last Supper, when they record it) - the composers who, for various reasons, have ingrained themselves most strongly on my psyche. Then again, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G is a must; the Poulenc Organ Concerto a powerful contender, Shostakovitch's heart-rending Tenth Symphony too, and Bartok's Second Violin Concerto (my introit to 'modern music', as my father once put it when trying to dissuade me from buying it at the tender age of 12).
But hang on, that's one over the limit of eight already, and no space yet for Miles Davis (In a Silent Way), Yes (Awaken, or Ritual from Tales from Topographic Oceans), Allan Holdsworth (something from Secrets), The Smiths (Cemetery Gates from The Queen Is Dead, or Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before from Strangeways Here We Come), Suzanne Vega (Gypsy from Solitude Standing), Hugh Masekela (Coal Train from Waiting for the Rain), Andy Sheppard / Steve Lodder / Nana Vasconcelos (Where we going? from Inclassifiable), Fripp-Sylvian (the exquisite Damage live), or k. d. lang (Constant Craving, of course).
It really is a daunting task. But fun. And like life itself, never quite complete...
Comment on this post: NewFrontEars
Tapping away at my keyboard the other day, I caught Simon Rattle's Desert Island Discs selection. As I've often commented (as recently as December 07, in fact), this is comfort listening, but it's always better when the interviewee has a passion for music intertwined with observations on their life - rather than the notes forming little more than an incidental backdrop. What it also illustrates is how early and relatively fixed our musical foundations turn out to be. In Rattle's case, Mahler rather than the Beatles. Perhaps that's the reason I rarely find myself particularly surprised by the subject's selections. Predictable or exotic, personal or PR-oriented, there is frequently an indefinable congruence between the appearance of the person and the sound world that sustains them.My own selection changes somewhat over the years, but not radically so. Sometimes I like to throw the cards up in the air a bit. But some features have to be there. I will always have something by Michael Tippett (the Ritual Dances from The Midsummer Marriage or The Rose Lake, his last major work), Olivier Messiaen (probably Turangalila, though I might end up with Quartet pour le fin du temps), G. F. Handel (one of the Organ Concertos, or Ode to St Cecilia) and Harrison Birtwistle (The Last Supper, when they record it) - the composers who, for various reasons, have ingrained themselves most strongly on my psyche. Then again, Ravel's Piano Concerto in G is a must; the Poulenc Organ Concerto a powerful contender, Shostakovitch's heart-rending Tenth Symphony too, and Bartok's Second Violin Concerto (my introit to 'modern music', as my father once put it when trying to dissuade me from buying it at the tender age of 12).
But hang on, that's one over the limit of eight already, and no space yet for Miles Davis (In a Silent Way), Yes (Awaken, or Ritual from Tales from Topographic Oceans), Allan Holdsworth (something from Secrets), The Smiths (Cemetery Gates from The Queen Is Dead, or Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before from Strangeways Here We Come), Suzanne Vega (Gypsy from Solitude Standing), Hugh Masekela (Coal Train from Waiting for the Rain), Andy Sheppard / Steve Lodder / Nana Vasconcelos (Where we going? from Inclassifiable), Fripp-Sylvian (the exquisite Damage live), or k. d. lang (Constant Craving, of course).
It really is a daunting task. But fun. And like life itself, never quite complete...
Comment on this post: NewFrontEars
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
[243.1] BRITNEY BREAKDOWN
Yup, you read that right. It's the title of Rambert Dance Company's ever-popular Season of New Choreography: an opportunity to see brand new work created by some of Rambert's versatile dancers. The company has a track record of nurturing young choreographers. One of these is Hubert Essakow, who has commissioned a new work from composer Richard Thomas for soprano Adey Grummet to sing live with the dancers. Those who know Adey won't be surprised to find out that she gets to sing the word "arse" quite a bit. Friday 1 February, 7.45pm, Southbank Centre, London: Tickets £11 - £16. Box Office 0871 663 2500. La Grum is also compering Songs From The ShowsThe BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and young people from Glasgow schools bring a footlit night of show numbers to the Grand Hall at City Halls.
Yup, you read that right. It's the title of Rambert Dance Company's ever-popular Season of New Choreography: an opportunity to see brand new work created by some of Rambert's versatile dancers. The company has a track record of nurturing young choreographers. One of these is Hubert Essakow, who has commissioned a new work from composer Richard Thomas for soprano Adey Grummet to sing live with the dancers. Those who know Adey won't be surprised to find out that she gets to sing the word "arse" quite a bit. Friday 1 February, 7.45pm, Southbank Centre, London: Tickets £11 - £16. Box Office 0871 663 2500. La Grum is also compering Songs From The ShowsThe BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and young people from Glasgow schools bring a footlit night of show numbers to the Grand Hall at City Halls. Comment on this post: NewFrontEars
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
[242.1] INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH MESSIAEN
A very happy 2008 to all NFE readers! The centenary of Olivier Messiaen's birth will be internationally celebrated throughout the year. As one of the major composers of the last century, concerts and events will pay tribute to his singular and creative personality, his poetic and spiritual world, his revolutionary vision in many paths, and to his fertile musical pedagogy. This website will inform you about Messiaen's works (chronology, works catalogue, discography, bibliography), and keep you updated on all of the events which will take place, from large concert halls to small music schools.
Comment on this post: NewFrontEars
A very happy 2008 to all NFE readers! The centenary of Olivier Messiaen's birth will be internationally celebrated throughout the year. As one of the major composers of the last century, concerts and events will pay tribute to his singular and creative personality, his poetic and spiritual world, his revolutionary vision in many paths, and to his fertile musical pedagogy. This website will inform you about Messiaen's works (chronology, works catalogue, discography, bibliography), and keep you updated on all of the events which will take place, from large concert halls to small music schools.Comment on this post: NewFrontEars
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