Saturday, July 13, 2002
[I am in the US for two weeks, so updates may be sparse in that time.]
KARL RICHTER'S DEFINITIVE HANDEL
G. F. Handel, Organ Concertos, Karl Richter/Chamber Orchestra, KRI Cat. No. 4509979002
Re-listening to the CD masters of Karl Richter's complete Opus 4 and Opus 7 Handel Organ Concertos, it is astonishing to consider that these performances were recorded some 40 years ago. I first heard them when I was just eleven years old, in 1969. Indeed the third LP in the original vinyl set was the first record I ever owned. I was completely transfixed. They have held a special place in my heart ever since.
The primary charm, of course, is Handel's music. The combination of organ and small orchestra makes the most of his penchant for colouration. Combine that with superlative melodies, harmonic variation and metrical playfulness and you have a recipe for both enjoyment and engagement.
Karl Richter, who died at the age of only 54 in 1981, is best known for his ground-breaking interpretations of the more studious Bach. But as organist and choirmaster at St Mark's Church in Munich and in his work with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra he extended his passion for the little-regarded Handel concertos, leading to this extraordinary (and definitive) recording.
The Opus 4 concertos issued by Thomas Walsh in 1738 were the only legitimate ones published in Handel's lifetime. They came out to pre-empt another unauthorised version. After the composer's death two further sets appeared, the most widely recognised being Opus 7, published in 1761. It is these two main bodies of material that Richter has lovingly reproduced.
Originally these works, which included original composition and much judicious re-use or re-working of existing material, were performed by Handel as show pieces during interludes in his Oratorios. That means they would have been played on modest theatre organs with a small ensemble. Karl Richter stuck with the Chamber Orchestra but decided to use a larger organ. He reasoned, quite fairly, that the flamboyant Handel would surely have been prepared to exploit the fuller range of a church instrument to bring his work to life. Indeed, it is well noted that the performances the composer gave far outstripped the notated versions.
Another reason for this, instrumentation aside, is Handel's virtuosic propensity for improvisation. His was, if you like, the jazz sensibility of its day. Few classical performers have the courage, capacity or training to replicate that kind of extemporisation. But Karl Richter is a shining exception. Among the many highlights of these breathtaking performances are the player's own ad libtum embellishments in the spirit of the originals, the prominence of the organ, and the multi-stopping, flute, reed and bass pedal effects. The recording acoustic is also just right in its balance between breadth and detail. No doubt the overall sound quality could have been improved using modern engineering, but this is still a high standard.
In summary, we get a rich and full treatment for these fine musical miniatures. Yet Richter also shows great restraint where necessary, and he maintains a necessary balance of interpretative and performative sensitivities. Listen out for the famous 'Hallelujah' and 'Cuckoo and Nightingale' themes in Opus 4, as well as for the less famous textures and ideas of Opus 7.
Karl Richter has, without doubt, bequeathed us the finest existing recording of the Handel Organ Concertos. Or, at the very least, he has set a benchmark for other interpreters and performers to follow. All who love Handel should invest in this edition.
BIRTWISTLE ON SONG
Refrains and Choruses: Deux-Elles DXL1019
For the faint-hearted Harrison Birtwistle is a daunting prospect. In the interview with Colin Anderson that accompanies this fine recording he confesses, in a distinctly unapologetic way, that he does not begin to know how to write music 'for' an audience. Rather, (as I would put it) he writes out of his own intrinsic musical fascination; and in so doing invites the listener to accompany him on an adventure. As this collection amply illustrates, it is an adventure well worth joining.
'Refrains And Choruses' takes its title from Birtwistle's first acknowledged work (1957), a beguiling play on opposites and continuities. It is a collection of what he chooses to call 'occasional' rather than 'chamber' music. Perhaps the latter sounds too trivial or functional. More to the point, these compositions, though valuable in their own right, are not simply ends in themselves. Birtwistle frequently uses small ensemble pieces to explore ideas that crop up in, inform, or parallel more complex themes in orchestral or theatre works.
Among the goods on offer in this imaginatively organised compilation are several pieces for piano, including 'Hector's Dream' with its differing chordal patterns. This is about as near as we are ever likely to get to a 'beginner piece' from Birtwistle. The notes are possible, but the inner challenge is in the timing. Similarly, the flute 'Duet For Storab' in six short episodes has a disarmingly simple texture but is fiendishly difficult to perform. Two of its movements ('White Pastoral' and 'From The Church Of Lies') shock with their sweetness and lyricism. Those who stereotype Birtwistle as a monster of the inaccessible are confounded here.
It would of course be quite wrong to imply that Birtwistle in any way compromises his formal musical concerns in these pieces - even the most direct ones. But they are, nonetheless, a very profitable place to start for anyone seeking a way into his aural universe. Whether it is the hocketting on 'Hoquetus Petrus' or the intricate instrumental contrasts on 'Five Distances', there is a good deal to learn about Birtwistle's technique here. But there is also insight into his deep love of music as a means of expression and exploration.
For those already attracted to Birtwistle this material, excellently performed by the Galliard Ensemble and soloists, draws attention to some of the main building blocks of his work. For those who remain daunted or sceptical - but who are willing at least to try - it constitutes a more comprehensible (though no less profound) set of surfaces to contemplate. Thoroughly recommended for all concerned.
Refrains and Choruses: Deux-Elles DXL1019
For the faint-hearted Harrison Birtwistle is a daunting prospect. In the interview with Colin Anderson that accompanies this fine recording he confesses, in a distinctly unapologetic way, that he does not begin to know how to write music 'for' an audience. Rather, (as I would put it) he writes out of his own intrinsic musical fascination; and in so doing invites the listener to accompany him on an adventure. As this collection amply illustrates, it is an adventure well worth joining.
'Refrains And Choruses' takes its title from Birtwistle's first acknowledged work (1957), a beguiling play on opposites and continuities. It is a collection of what he chooses to call 'occasional' rather than 'chamber' music. Perhaps the latter sounds too trivial or functional. More to the point, these compositions, though valuable in their own right, are not simply ends in themselves. Birtwistle frequently uses small ensemble pieces to explore ideas that crop up in, inform, or parallel more complex themes in orchestral or theatre works.
Among the goods on offer in this imaginatively organised compilation are several pieces for piano, including 'Hector's Dream' with its differing chordal patterns. This is about as near as we are ever likely to get to a 'beginner piece' from Birtwistle. The notes are possible, but the inner challenge is in the timing. Similarly, the flute 'Duet For Storab' in six short episodes has a disarmingly simple texture but is fiendishly difficult to perform. Two of its movements ('White Pastoral' and 'From The Church Of Lies') shock with their sweetness and lyricism. Those who stereotype Birtwistle as a monster of the inaccessible are confounded here.
It would of course be quite wrong to imply that Birtwistle in any way compromises his formal musical concerns in these pieces - even the most direct ones. But they are, nonetheless, a very profitable place to start for anyone seeking a way into his aural universe. Whether it is the hocketting on 'Hoquetus Petrus' or the intricate instrumental contrasts on 'Five Distances', there is a good deal to learn about Birtwistle's technique here. But there is also insight into his deep love of music as a means of expression and exploration.
For those already attracted to Birtwistle this material, excellently performed by the Galliard Ensemble and soloists, draws attention to some of the main building blocks of his work. For those who remain daunted or sceptical - but who are willing at least to try - it constitutes a more comprehensible (though no less profound) set of surfaces to contemplate. Thoroughly recommended for all concerned.
REVIEW: BARRY MILLS
Barry Mills, Morning Sea (chamber pieces), Evira and Aciel Bekova (Claudio CC43182).
I discovered Barry Mills' refreshing collection of miniatures, 'Morning Sea', quite by chance - at an art open house associated with the Brighton Festival a couple of years ago. Intrigued by what I heard, I bought a copy. This CD is part of a trilogy, the other chamber collections being 'Mosaics' and 'Under the Stars'.
Mills started out as a self-taught composer and has since been tutored by Colin Matthews (of Holst after-movement fame). He combines outdoor pursuits and manual work with composition, and evinces a particular interest in the relationship between musical language, visual images and mind maps. His work is impressionistic rather than formal in its concerns, however. On 'Morning Sea' the emphasis is very much on building a sense of atmosphere through tone, texture and contrast.
Mills' music is tonal, but not unadventurous in its melodic patterns in the way that distinctly non-modernist moderns can be. After a while you begin to recognise one or two fairly evident techniques - insistent repeated riffs, doubling, call-and-response, moody key shifts, interesting block chords (sometimes vaguely reminiscent of Messiaen or Crumb), slow arpeggiated bursts. It can feel a little mannered, but it is thoughtful and often strikingly beautiful.
I enjoyed listening to the 'Piano Sketches for Children' alongside Chick Corea's 'Children's Songs' - very different, with their changing washes of sound held on sustain and una corda pedals (as the composer points out in his useful accompanying notes).
The Beklova Sisters and their accompanists obviously have a feel for Mills' music and give tender performances. I found the rather plummy acoustic a little distracting - a small quarrel with the producer / engineer. And the one compositional area where Mills' contrasts seem a bit too subtle for his own good (given what else is going on) is in the tempo department. It's all so intense in its moodiness.
But these are quibbles. This is a fine, graceful collection of chamber pieces in a modern romantic (but not reactionary) vein. I commend 'Morning Sea' and will make a note to check out the other two discs at some point.
Barry Mills, Morning Sea (chamber pieces), Evira and Aciel Bekova (Claudio CC43182).
I discovered Barry Mills' refreshing collection of miniatures, 'Morning Sea', quite by chance - at an art open house associated with the Brighton Festival a couple of years ago. Intrigued by what I heard, I bought a copy. This CD is part of a trilogy, the other chamber collections being 'Mosaics' and 'Under the Stars'.
Mills started out as a self-taught composer and has since been tutored by Colin Matthews (of Holst after-movement fame). He combines outdoor pursuits and manual work with composition, and evinces a particular interest in the relationship between musical language, visual images and mind maps. His work is impressionistic rather than formal in its concerns, however. On 'Morning Sea' the emphasis is very much on building a sense of atmosphere through tone, texture and contrast.
Mills' music is tonal, but not unadventurous in its melodic patterns in the way that distinctly non-modernist moderns can be. After a while you begin to recognise one or two fairly evident techniques - insistent repeated riffs, doubling, call-and-response, moody key shifts, interesting block chords (sometimes vaguely reminiscent of Messiaen or Crumb), slow arpeggiated bursts. It can feel a little mannered, but it is thoughtful and often strikingly beautiful.
I enjoyed listening to the 'Piano Sketches for Children' alongside Chick Corea's 'Children's Songs' - very different, with their changing washes of sound held on sustain and una corda pedals (as the composer points out in his useful accompanying notes).
The Beklova Sisters and their accompanists obviously have a feel for Mills' music and give tender performances. I found the rather plummy acoustic a little distracting - a small quarrel with the producer / engineer. And the one compositional area where Mills' contrasts seem a bit too subtle for his own good (given what else is going on) is in the tempo department. It's all so intense in its moodiness.
But these are quibbles. This is a fine, graceful collection of chamber pieces in a modern romantic (but not reactionary) vein. I commend 'Morning Sea' and will make a note to check out the other two discs at some point.
Friday, July 12, 2002
LISTENING POST: CURRENT PLAYLIST
Fourteen items on the sound system and personal stereo at the moment, and a few from the last couple of weeks. Not necessarily in this order. Those marked (+) will emerge as reviews sometime in the future. There’s newer material too, but I am doing a lot of ‘re-visiting’ at the moment.
(1) Hans Werner Henze, Requiem (+)
(2) G. F. Handel, Organ Concertos Vols 4 & 7 (Karl Richter) (+)
(3) Resonance Vol 6 No 1 (London Musicians Collective):
-----Iancu Dumitrescu/ Hyperion Ensemble, Fluxus II Live
-----Butch Morris, Conduction 59 E2: Holy Sea, The Devil's Music
-----John French, P-K-Ro-P Beat
-----Fong Naam, Homrong Lyaret (Nimbus Records)
-----Altered States, Improvisation
-----Charles Wharf and Simon H. Fell, Frankenstein (extract)
-----George Lewis, Voyager (extract)
-----Charles Hayward, Accidents and Emergencies
-----L.E.G.O., Dervish
-----Faust, Rock Aktion Party 1.12.96 (extract) >>>
(4) The Guest Stars, First Album / Out at Night (+)
(5) Yes, Symphonic: Live in Amsterdam (+)
(6) Toru Takemitsu, What Flows From Me Is What You Call Time (Live at the BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall) (+)
(7) Miles Davis, In A Silent Way [sigh...]
(8) Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennae To Heaven (+)
(9) Leos Janacek, String Quartets Nos 1 & 2
(10) Verve, Urban Hymns [better late than never]
(11) Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Footloose and Fancy Free (Live in London) (+)
(12) Pierre Boulez, Pli Selon Pli
(13) Piano Circus, Future Sound of London
(14) Biota, Object Holder (+)
Fourteen items on the sound system and personal stereo at the moment, and a few from the last couple of weeks. Not necessarily in this order. Those marked (+) will emerge as reviews sometime in the future. There’s newer material too, but I am doing a lot of ‘re-visiting’ at the moment.
(1) Hans Werner Henze, Requiem (+)
(2) G. F. Handel, Organ Concertos Vols 4 & 7 (Karl Richter) (+)
(3) Resonance Vol 6 No 1 (London Musicians Collective):
-----Iancu Dumitrescu/ Hyperion Ensemble, Fluxus II Live
-----Butch Morris, Conduction 59 E2: Holy Sea, The Devil's Music
-----John French, P-K-Ro-P Beat
-----Fong Naam, Homrong Lyaret (Nimbus Records)
-----Altered States, Improvisation
-----Charles Wharf and Simon H. Fell, Frankenstein (extract)
-----George Lewis, Voyager (extract)
-----Charles Hayward, Accidents and Emergencies
-----L.E.G.O., Dervish
-----Faust, Rock Aktion Party 1.12.96 (extract) >>>
(4) The Guest Stars, First Album / Out at Night (+)
(5) Yes, Symphonic: Live in Amsterdam (+)
(6) Toru Takemitsu, What Flows From Me Is What You Call Time (Live at the BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall) (+)
(7) Miles Davis, In A Silent Way [sigh...]
(8) Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennae To Heaven (+)
(9) Leos Janacek, String Quartets Nos 1 & 2
(10) Verve, Urban Hymns [better late than never]
(11) Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Footloose and Fancy Free (Live in London) (+)
(12) Pierre Boulez, Pli Selon Pli
(13) Piano Circus, Future Sound of London
(14) Biota, Object Holder (+)
Thursday, July 11, 2002
REAR VIEW: DARK, DARING AND DELIGHTFUL
King Crimson, THRaKaTTaK (Discipline Global Mobile DGM96042), 1996
Hard to believe that this is eight years old. Seems like only yesterday. THRaKaTTaK (let's be pedantic and get the upper and lower case rendition correct) is a full-frontal aural assault on the heinous mediocrities of corporate rock. Robert Fripp and his double-trio thread together an hour of immensely satisfying avant improvisation. This material was recorded at various live King Crimson concerts in 1995. It begins and ends with an account of 'Thrak' from the album of the same name - and in a different guise from the preceding EP, 'Vroom' (1994). In between the received notes we get some idea of just how far this Crimson line-up pushed their experimental mandate.
The natural aggression of rock, the instinctive bravery of free jazz and the complex textural interest of contemporary composed musics are all called to mind as Fripp (guitar and electronics), Adrian Belew (guitar and FX), Tony Levin (Chapman stick), Trey Gunn (Warr guitar), Pat Mastelotto (drums) and Bill Bruford (percussion) set to work. The outcome is something far more terrifying and edgy than anything the band has produced in the studio so far - a milestone in improvised rock, and for once something that actually merits the much misused monicker 'progressive'.
Many sympathetic to the Crimson cause have argued that the double trio format never really gelled. Mastelotto's muscular drums and Bruford's skittering, angularly metred percussive forays found differentiated but complementary roles; Levin's distinctive stick sound continued to cut through without competition; but the guitar-based musicians sometimes seemed to encroach on each others' accents and harmonic territory a little too much. On THRaKaTTaK, however, they unleashed a sonic force that is undoubtedly greater than the sum of their not inconsiderable parts. A classic in its own right, and one to file in between Ornette Coleman and Glenn Branca. Dark, daring and delightfully demanding.
King Crimson, THRaKaTTaK (Discipline Global Mobile DGM96042), 1996
Hard to believe that this is eight years old. Seems like only yesterday. THRaKaTTaK (let's be pedantic and get the upper and lower case rendition correct) is a full-frontal aural assault on the heinous mediocrities of corporate rock. Robert Fripp and his double-trio thread together an hour of immensely satisfying avant improvisation. This material was recorded at various live King Crimson concerts in 1995. It begins and ends with an account of 'Thrak' from the album of the same name - and in a different guise from the preceding EP, 'Vroom' (1994). In between the received notes we get some idea of just how far this Crimson line-up pushed their experimental mandate.
The natural aggression of rock, the instinctive bravery of free jazz and the complex textural interest of contemporary composed musics are all called to mind as Fripp (guitar and electronics), Adrian Belew (guitar and FX), Tony Levin (Chapman stick), Trey Gunn (Warr guitar), Pat Mastelotto (drums) and Bill Bruford (percussion) set to work. The outcome is something far more terrifying and edgy than anything the band has produced in the studio so far - a milestone in improvised rock, and for once something that actually merits the much misused monicker 'progressive'.
Many sympathetic to the Crimson cause have argued that the double trio format never really gelled. Mastelotto's muscular drums and Bruford's skittering, angularly metred percussive forays found differentiated but complementary roles; Levin's distinctive stick sound continued to cut through without competition; but the guitar-based musicians sometimes seemed to encroach on each others' accents and harmonic territory a little too much. On THRaKaTTaK, however, they unleashed a sonic force that is undoubtedly greater than the sum of their not inconsiderable parts. A classic in its own right, and one to file in between Ornette Coleman and Glenn Branca. Dark, daring and delightfully demanding.
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
WOMAN ON THE EDGE OF MUSICAL NIRVANA
Biography: introducing Suzanne Giraud
Born in Metz on 31 July 1958, Suzanne Giraud studied piano, violin, viola and composition at the Strasbourg Conservatory before entering the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Paris, where she graduated in harmony, counterpoint, analysis, orchestration, composition and conducting. While approaching spectral compositional techniques with Hugues Dufourt and Tristan Murail, she became conversant with acousmatics and data processing at Boulez’s IRCAM, where she produced several sequences which attracted widespread attention. Later, she studied with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Chigiani in Siena, then with Brian Ferneyhough during summer courses in Darmstadt.
Her two years' stay at the Villa Medici in Rome proved capital in all respects and she subsequently won several awards and prizes from institutions such as the SACEM (the French Performing Rights Society), the Académie des Beaux-Arts (the French Fine Arts Academy), UNESCO and ISCM. Works were commissioned by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Radio-France, the State (France), Musique Nouvelle en Liberté, the Strasbourg Musica Festival and the Dresden Festwochen, and she received invitations to London (Almeida Theatre), The Hague (the Residence Orchestra), Budapest, Manchester (ISCM selection 1986 and 1998), Geneva, Lausanne, Darmstadt, Cardiff, Saarbrücken, Salzburg, Köln and Brussels.
Her chamber music temporarily culminates in her second String Quartet, ‘Envoûtements IV’ written for the Arditti Quartet in 1997, and the Trio for soprano, clarinet and percussion, ‘Envoûtements III’, which met with great success when performed by the Accroche-Note Ensemble in France and in Europe.
Her intimate knowledge of string instruments led her to compose an important piece for strings, now included in the repertoire of the Toulouse National Chamber Orchestra. In 1996, she returned to her favourite medium: the voice (‘Petrarca’, for six mixed voices) and the orchestra (‘Ton cœur sur la pente du ciel’, for orchestra, and ‘To One in Paradise’, for mezzo-soprano and orchestra).
The lyrical nature and emotional quality of her eminently personal style, the delicate, refined, well-balanced textures she creates, were already clearly detectable in ‘La dernière lumière’, first performed by the Ensemble Itinéraire in 1985. The same qualities are even more apparent in her bassoon concerto ‘Crier vers l'horizon’, first performed in 1993 by Paul Riveaux and the Ensemble Intercontemporain directed by David Robertson.
Painting and poetry provide her with multiple sources of inspiration - one has only to consider her catalogue, now featuring over thirty works, and the titles of such pieces as: ‘L'offrande à Vénus’ after Titian (‘Offering to Venus’), ‘Voici la lune’, after Michel Leiris, ‘La dernière lumière’ on poems by Ivan Goran Kovacic, ‘La musique nous vient d'ailleurs’ inspired by Tolkein’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’, ‘Petrarca’ on sonnets by Petrarch, ‘To One in Paradise’ after Edgar Poe, and ‘Bleu et ombre’ to a poetic text she wrote herself.
Visit the Suzanne Giraud website :
http://www.resmusica.com/suzanne/en/
The webmaster : Christophe Le Gall clegall@resmusica.com
ResMusica, des siècles de Musique Classique
© Christophe Le Galle
TOMORROW: That playlist….
Tuesday, July 09, 2002
THE SHOUT: A CHOIR OF BABEL
The Shout is a London-based eighteen piece choir featuring the talents of an extraordinary array of singers - from contemporary classical, gospel, jazz, Indian classical, operatic, church music and early music backgrounds. It has been called a 'vocal big band', a 'vocal Stomp' and a 'choir of Babel'. Well worth checking out. Among the ensemble's notable concerts was 'Corona', an outdoor oratorio marking the total solar eclipse. It is a piece for singers, brass band and five percussionists. The Shout has a fine CD called Tall Stories. They have appeared on Unknown Public.
The Shout website is at: http://www.z360.com/shout.htm. You can listen to and download music there.
OCCASIONAL SUBJECT INDEX
One of the disadvantages of the weblog format (in other ways rather easy on author and reader alike) is that individual pieces can't readily be URLed or discovered without a fair bit of scrolling. That and the routine testing of your eyesight, of course. (Yup, I take the point. But too bad. Try a bigger monitor.) Anyway, I shall attempt to ameliorate, if not rectify, the situation by publishing an Occasional Index. When the second one appears the first will be transferred to the Links section on the left (and so on). The Date Index is a routine feature of this log. It is currently set to 'monthly', but may become weekly, depending on the flow of content. Happy surfing....
8.3 The Shout: A choir of Babel
8.2 Occasional Index, vol 1-8 (28 pieces, 20 June – )
8.1 Utopia revisited: Holdsworth’s secrets [9 July 2002]
7.5 Coming Soon
7.4 Earle Brown, RIP
7.3 Quota: Hunter S Thompson
7.2 Pli Selon free (Boulez)
7.1 Faure into the past [8 July 2002]
6.4 Difficult Listening (radio)
6.3 David Hobson review
6.2 Readers and writing
6.1 London Record Finder [7 July 2002]
5.2 Listening post: George Crumb, Ancient Voices
5.1 Twentieth Century Landmarks [26 June 2002]
4.3 Turnage’s ‘Silver Tassie’
4.2 Air guitar in Brighton
4.1 Lindley’s Handel Organ Concertos [24 June 2002]
3.2 Boulez and Zappa: perfect strangers?
3.1 Dierdre Cartwright, Play (review) [23 June 2002]
2.5 Messiaen reconsidered (conference)
2.4 La Folia
2.3 Dierdre Cartwright Group, Precious things (new: review)
2.2 Birtwistle anecdotage
2.1 Bubalo, Chamber works (review) [22 June 2002]
1.5 Symbiosis, Lee and Schuller; David Hobson, Handel Arias
1.4 Quota: Andrew Clements on ROH, Aki Nawaz on racism in music
1.3 Eclectic Guitars
1.2 Birtwisle, Refrains and choruses (review)
1.1 Journeying to the heart of planet sound: a personal odyssey (SB,) [20 June 2002]
UTOPIA REVISITED: HOLDSWORTH'S SECRET
Allan Holdsworth, Secrets, Intima Records 7-73328-2 (1998)
For some reason the word 'unfathomable' always comes to mind as soon as I hear or think of Allan Holdsworth. Without question one of the most extraordinary guitarists of his generation, the richness, complexity and suppleness of his harmonic language - allied to flawless technique and exceptional fleetness of finger - makes him the envy of almost anyone who has tried to press the frets for the purposes of shaping sound. Yet as Martin Taylor (himself no mean jazz guitar master) has pointed out, all this would be of no consequence were it not for the sheer musicality of his playing.
On occasions the Yorkshire maestro has perhaps done himself less than justice with his choice of material and with the over-busyness of his equally prodigious accompanists. On Secrets, however, the balance feels just right. Based on the trio of Holdsworth (guitar and synthaxe), Jimmy Johnson (bass) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), the album also features sterling percussive contributions from ex-Zappaista Chad Wackerman, together with Steve Hunt and Alan Pasqua (keys) and Bob Wackerman (bass).
Recorded in California, the album contains five Holdsworth compositions (two in association with singer Rowanne Marks), one by Wackerman and two by Hunt. At just over 37 minutes of music the CD may look chronologically thin by today's standards, but the material is exceptionally rich and well honed. There are more ideas (and, let's face it, notes) here than many musicians will achieve in a lifetime, let alone an album.
The most controversial aspect of Secrets is the use of synthaxe on four of the pieces. A cumbersome piece of technology that allows a guitarist to access all kinds of key shift and midi effects from a fret board, this strange instrument with its awkward control panel went out of fashion almost sooner than it entered the market. Few managed to exploit its potential before economics took its toll. Holdsworth, needless to say, is an exception. On the title track, and also on 'Spokes', 'Endomorph' and (unadvertised in the liner notes) Hunt's 'Maid Marion', he builds dense and evocative layers of sound. This works especially well when combined with the voices of Marks and Craig Copeland ('Secrets' and 'Endomorph'). On these tracks, especially, there is a haunting emotion that is sometimes missing from the clinical surface of Holdsworth's playing.
"When I hear criticism for choosing the synthaxe as my instrument", says Holdsworth, "it makes me feel as though those people aren't relating to the music or the notes, they're only relating to something physical. They're hearing with their eyes." Listening to Secrets it is hard not to agree with him.
My personal favourite on this album is probably 'Peril Premonition', an extraordinary spreading-root of a track elaborated with sometimes breathtaking pace from some initial ideas by Wackerman. Gary Husband's fusion classic 'City Lights' also receives a dashing workout, and Steve Hunt adds genuine melodic depth with his 'Joshua'. (Listen out for a couple of soap opera additions to the aural curiosity shop after 'Lights' and before 'Peril', by the way.)
Holdsworth is known more for harmonic density than hummable tunes. But this hardly matters when you are being swept away by the subtle instrumental interplay of '54 Duncan Terrace' - amidst which, in any case, you suddenly realise that there are some extraordinarily strong tunes. Pasqua's beautiful acoustic piano particularly emphasises that. After a bubbling, dancing opening 'Spokes', meanwhile, hints further in the direction of major chord power trio-ing than anything else on the album apart from the explicit 'Joshua'. The material is never less than demanding and unexpected however.
This is music that ultimately defies categorisation. If you have to put it somewhere 'jazz rock' is evidently the place, but that wearisome label hardly prepares you for the surprise of first entering Allan Holdsworth's sound world. With its restless, shifting textures, nervy rhythmic base and filigree lead lines it ebbs and flows in evolving slabs of musical intensity. And Secrets is probably as good an entry point as any. Definitely on my 'desert island' list, this is only fractionally ahead of Hard Hat Area in the justice it does to a fine and unusual musician. Between the two we are spoiled for choice.
The Shout is a London-based eighteen piece choir featuring the talents of an extraordinary array of singers - from contemporary classical, gospel, jazz, Indian classical, operatic, church music and early music backgrounds. It has been called a 'vocal big band', a 'vocal Stomp' and a 'choir of Babel'. Well worth checking out. Among the ensemble's notable concerts was 'Corona', an outdoor oratorio marking the total solar eclipse. It is a piece for singers, brass band and five percussionists. The Shout has a fine CD called Tall Stories. They have appeared on Unknown Public.
The Shout website is at: http://www.z360.com/shout.htm. You can listen to and download music there.
OCCASIONAL SUBJECT INDEX
One of the disadvantages of the weblog format (in other ways rather easy on author and reader alike) is that individual pieces can't readily be URLed or discovered without a fair bit of scrolling. That and the routine testing of your eyesight, of course. (Yup, I take the point. But too bad. Try a bigger monitor.) Anyway, I shall attempt to ameliorate, if not rectify, the situation by publishing an Occasional Index. When the second one appears the first will be transferred to the Links section on the left (and so on). The Date Index is a routine feature of this log. It is currently set to 'monthly', but may become weekly, depending on the flow of content. Happy surfing....
8.3 The Shout: A choir of Babel
8.2 Occasional Index, vol 1-8 (28 pieces, 20 June – )
8.1 Utopia revisited: Holdsworth’s secrets [9 July 2002]
7.5 Coming Soon
7.4 Earle Brown, RIP
7.3 Quota: Hunter S Thompson
7.2 Pli Selon free (Boulez)
7.1 Faure into the past [8 July 2002]
6.4 Difficult Listening (radio)
6.3 David Hobson review
6.2 Readers and writing
6.1 London Record Finder [7 July 2002]
5.2 Listening post: George Crumb, Ancient Voices
5.1 Twentieth Century Landmarks [26 June 2002]
4.3 Turnage’s ‘Silver Tassie’
4.2 Air guitar in Brighton
4.1 Lindley’s Handel Organ Concertos [24 June 2002]
3.2 Boulez and Zappa: perfect strangers?
3.1 Dierdre Cartwright, Play (review) [23 June 2002]
2.5 Messiaen reconsidered (conference)
2.4 La Folia
2.3 Dierdre Cartwright Group, Precious things (new: review)
2.2 Birtwistle anecdotage
2.1 Bubalo, Chamber works (review) [22 June 2002]
1.5 Symbiosis, Lee and Schuller; David Hobson, Handel Arias
1.4 Quota: Andrew Clements on ROH, Aki Nawaz on racism in music
1.3 Eclectic Guitars
1.2 Birtwisle, Refrains and choruses (review)
1.1 Journeying to the heart of planet sound: a personal odyssey (SB,) [20 June 2002]
UTOPIA REVISITED: HOLDSWORTH'S SECRET
Allan Holdsworth, Secrets, Intima Records 7-73328-2 (1998)
For some reason the word 'unfathomable' always comes to mind as soon as I hear or think of Allan Holdsworth. Without question one of the most extraordinary guitarists of his generation, the richness, complexity and suppleness of his harmonic language - allied to flawless technique and exceptional fleetness of finger - makes him the envy of almost anyone who has tried to press the frets for the purposes of shaping sound. Yet as Martin Taylor (himself no mean jazz guitar master) has pointed out, all this would be of no consequence were it not for the sheer musicality of his playing.
On occasions the Yorkshire maestro has perhaps done himself less than justice with his choice of material and with the over-busyness of his equally prodigious accompanists. On Secrets, however, the balance feels just right. Based on the trio of Holdsworth (guitar and synthaxe), Jimmy Johnson (bass) and Vinnie Colaiuta (drums), the album also features sterling percussive contributions from ex-Zappaista Chad Wackerman, together with Steve Hunt and Alan Pasqua (keys) and Bob Wackerman (bass).
Recorded in California, the album contains five Holdsworth compositions (two in association with singer Rowanne Marks), one by Wackerman and two by Hunt. At just over 37 minutes of music the CD may look chronologically thin by today's standards, but the material is exceptionally rich and well honed. There are more ideas (and, let's face it, notes) here than many musicians will achieve in a lifetime, let alone an album.
The most controversial aspect of Secrets is the use of synthaxe on four of the pieces. A cumbersome piece of technology that allows a guitarist to access all kinds of key shift and midi effects from a fret board, this strange instrument with its awkward control panel went out of fashion almost sooner than it entered the market. Few managed to exploit its potential before economics took its toll. Holdsworth, needless to say, is an exception. On the title track, and also on 'Spokes', 'Endomorph' and (unadvertised in the liner notes) Hunt's 'Maid Marion', he builds dense and evocative layers of sound. This works especially well when combined with the voices of Marks and Craig Copeland ('Secrets' and 'Endomorph'). On these tracks, especially, there is a haunting emotion that is sometimes missing from the clinical surface of Holdsworth's playing.
"When I hear criticism for choosing the synthaxe as my instrument", says Holdsworth, "it makes me feel as though those people aren't relating to the music or the notes, they're only relating to something physical. They're hearing with their eyes." Listening to Secrets it is hard not to agree with him.
My personal favourite on this album is probably 'Peril Premonition', an extraordinary spreading-root of a track elaborated with sometimes breathtaking pace from some initial ideas by Wackerman. Gary Husband's fusion classic 'City Lights' also receives a dashing workout, and Steve Hunt adds genuine melodic depth with his 'Joshua'. (Listen out for a couple of soap opera additions to the aural curiosity shop after 'Lights' and before 'Peril', by the way.)
Holdsworth is known more for harmonic density than hummable tunes. But this hardly matters when you are being swept away by the subtle instrumental interplay of '54 Duncan Terrace' - amidst which, in any case, you suddenly realise that there are some extraordinarily strong tunes. Pasqua's beautiful acoustic piano particularly emphasises that. After a bubbling, dancing opening 'Spokes', meanwhile, hints further in the direction of major chord power trio-ing than anything else on the album apart from the explicit 'Joshua'. The material is never less than demanding and unexpected however.
This is music that ultimately defies categorisation. If you have to put it somewhere 'jazz rock' is evidently the place, but that wearisome label hardly prepares you for the surprise of first entering Allan Holdsworth's sound world. With its restless, shifting textures, nervy rhythmic base and filigree lead lines it ebbs and flows in evolving slabs of musical intensity. And Secrets is probably as good an entry point as any. Definitely on my 'desert island' list, this is only fractionally ahead of Hard Hat Area in the justice it does to a fine and unusual musician. Between the two we are spoiled for choice.
Monday, July 08, 2002
COMING SOON:
A complete Subject Index; Current Playlist; Women on the verge of musical nirvana; extemporary out-rock, Barry Mills, Ravel classics, Colin Matthews, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Schnittke, Shout, Piano Circus, The Guest Stars, and more...
EARLE BROWN:
Composer Earle Brown died on 2 July 2002. I came across him through a John Cage tribute album, Chance Operation. Very much worth listening to is his piano music, Twenty-Five Pages, performed by Steffen Schleiermacher, ‘Synergy’, ‘Four Systems’ and the chamber works. This is from the Morton Feldman newslist:
"I think in colours. I think in masses and colors and planes. I don't start to write a piece of music with a twelve tone row or something like that, or even coming up with a melody and then trying to figure out what to do next. I start with a total concept. And then I try to fulfil what my imagination has already given me inside. Mozart said that he visualized a piece of music
almost instantly. I do that and it takes me a long time to get it down on paper. I change it and change it and sometimes I can't even get it on paper. I've experienced that over and over. But once I start thinking about a new piece, I get a pretty clear picture of what I'm going to do. And then I go into the details."
(in conversation with Petr Kotik)
QUOTE UNQUOTE:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow trench. A long plastic hallway where pimps and thieves run free and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side." Master of understatement Hunter S. Thompson proves once more that it's only rock and roll, and they hate it really.
PLI SELON FREE:
Until 16 July AM there's an opportunity to win a *free* copy of the new DG recording (and Boulez's reworking) of the classic Pli Selon Pli. All you have to do is visit the French culture website in the US and humble yourself to write a ten-line paeon to French culture. Worth a go maybe. Serial killers get such a bad press, but I still can't resist the odd mind game with Boulez. I first heard an earlier version of Pli in London's Roundhouse, years ago. The Labeque sisters were also playing - I remember not what. This on the recording itself:
Pierre Boulez Conducts Pli selon Pli
Deutsche Grammophon, CD 471 344-2
Pierre Boulez recently won a Grammy award for his recording of music by French composer Edgar Varèse (DG 471137). He has won an impressive total of 23 Grammy awards since 1967, and is certainly among the most influential contemporary musicians, both as a composer and as a conductor.
Pli selon Pli, originally written over the late '50s/early '60s, is an hommage to French poet Stéphane Mallarmé. This composition for soprano and large orchestra is structured over five different and tense movements that demonstrate Boulez's new freedom and simplicity of style, alternating a frequently ornate vocal line with dense instrumental textures.
For this recording, Boulez has revised the score. "I have completely rewritten "Don" since the last recording, back 30 years ago, and I have rewritten completely the third improvisation on Mallarmé. So there are two novelties in this recording."
As is typical for Boulez recordings, the Maestro performed the work thoroughly in concert before entering the studio for its documentation. According to the UK's Sunday Times (September 6, 1998), the new version of Pli selon Pli "has the intensity and strangeness of a Japanese ritual. [...] The three-ply scoring and prismatic structure fascinate continuously."
(c) www.frenchculture.org
A FAURE INTO THE PAST:
Gabriel Faure, Requiem, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Brasseur Choir / Andre Clutens, w. Victoria de los Angeles, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (soloists). Label: Great Recordings of the Century CDM5668942
The burgeoning popularity of Faure's Requiem has made it fashionable in some music circles to be slightly superior about it. Revisiting this classic recording (which was first re-issued by EMI in 1989, having been available as a budget LP for over 30 years) reminds me why that is a wholly misplaced reaction. Victoria de los Angeles and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau bring real depth to their solos. The Paris Conservatoire under Cluytens dwells on the luscious instrumental textures at the surface of the work, but there is loss and longing in there too. Faure's Requiem sits on the cusp of religiosity and agnosticism. This classic performance captures its sheer warmth and humanity. No doubt there are better technical recordings - in at least two places there are badly engineered fades that presumably go back to the original master tapes. But if you want the emotion and feeling of this twentieth century classic, here is a fine place to start.
A complete Subject Index; Current Playlist; Women on the verge of musical nirvana; extemporary out-rock, Barry Mills, Ravel classics, Colin Matthews, Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Schnittke, Shout, Piano Circus, The Guest Stars, and more...
EARLE BROWN:
Composer Earle Brown died on 2 July 2002. I came across him through a John Cage tribute album, Chance Operation. Very much worth listening to is his piano music, Twenty-Five Pages, performed by Steffen Schleiermacher, ‘Synergy’, ‘Four Systems’ and the chamber works. This is from the Morton Feldman newslist:
"I think in colours. I think in masses and colors and planes. I don't start to write a piece of music with a twelve tone row or something like that, or even coming up with a melody and then trying to figure out what to do next. I start with a total concept. And then I try to fulfil what my imagination has already given me inside. Mozart said that he visualized a piece of music
almost instantly. I do that and it takes me a long time to get it down on paper. I change it and change it and sometimes I can't even get it on paper. I've experienced that over and over. But once I start thinking about a new piece, I get a pretty clear picture of what I'm going to do. And then I go into the details."
(in conversation with Petr Kotik)
QUOTE UNQUOTE:
"The music business is a cruel and shallow trench. A long plastic hallway where pimps and thieves run free and good men die like dogs. There is also a negative side." Master of understatement Hunter S. Thompson proves once more that it's only rock and roll, and they hate it really.
PLI SELON FREE:
Until 16 July AM there's an opportunity to win a *free* copy of the new DG recording (and Boulez's reworking) of the classic Pli Selon Pli. All you have to do is visit the French culture website in the US and humble yourself to write a ten-line paeon to French culture. Worth a go maybe. Serial killers get such a bad press, but I still can't resist the odd mind game with Boulez. I first heard an earlier version of Pli in London's Roundhouse, years ago. The Labeque sisters were also playing - I remember not what. This on the recording itself:
Pierre Boulez Conducts Pli selon Pli
Deutsche Grammophon, CD 471 344-2
Pierre Boulez recently won a Grammy award for his recording of music by French composer Edgar Varèse (DG 471137). He has won an impressive total of 23 Grammy awards since 1967, and is certainly among the most influential contemporary musicians, both as a composer and as a conductor.
Pli selon Pli, originally written over the late '50s/early '60s, is an hommage to French poet Stéphane Mallarmé. This composition for soprano and large orchestra is structured over five different and tense movements that demonstrate Boulez's new freedom and simplicity of style, alternating a frequently ornate vocal line with dense instrumental textures.
For this recording, Boulez has revised the score. "I have completely rewritten "Don" since the last recording, back 30 years ago, and I have rewritten completely the third improvisation on Mallarmé. So there are two novelties in this recording."
As is typical for Boulez recordings, the Maestro performed the work thoroughly in concert before entering the studio for its documentation. According to the UK's Sunday Times (September 6, 1998), the new version of Pli selon Pli "has the intensity and strangeness of a Japanese ritual. [...] The three-ply scoring and prismatic structure fascinate continuously."
(c) www.frenchculture.org
A FAURE INTO THE PAST:
Gabriel Faure, Requiem, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Brasseur Choir / Andre Clutens, w. Victoria de los Angeles, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (soloists). Label: Great Recordings of the Century CDM5668942
The burgeoning popularity of Faure's Requiem has made it fashionable in some music circles to be slightly superior about it. Revisiting this classic recording (which was first re-issued by EMI in 1989, having been available as a budget LP for over 30 years) reminds me why that is a wholly misplaced reaction. Victoria de los Angeles and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau bring real depth to their solos. The Paris Conservatoire under Cluytens dwells on the luscious instrumental textures at the surface of the work, but there is loss and longing in there too. Faure's Requiem sits on the cusp of religiosity and agnosticism. This classic performance captures its sheer warmth and humanity. No doubt there are better technical recordings - in at least two places there are badly engineered fades that presumably go back to the original master tapes. But if you want the emotion and feeling of this twentieth century classic, here is a fine place to start.
Sunday, July 07, 2002
DIFFICULT LISTENING
In a world of corporate airwave schmaltz, innovative radio deserves widespead support. Here's a challenging playlist option from down under, brought to you by the wonders of online technology.
Sunday Evenings 9-11pm. Public Radio RTR FM (92.1)
Perth, Western Australia
Contemporary classical, experimental, electronic,
industrial, ambient, noise, etc.
Presenters: Bryce Moore and Sarah Combes.
Public radio RTR FM is now broadcasting over the internet, 24 hours a day. Follow the Real Audio link from the Difficult Listening page, shown in the .sig below. If you want to catch Difficult Listening in particular, it goes to air at 1.00pm Sunday GMT, 9.00am US Eastern Time, and 6.00am US Pacific time.
----------------------
Presenter: Sarah Combes
Cornelius
Mic Check (3' 0")
Keigo Oyamada
CD: The Wire Tapper (cover mount CD, April 1998) (The Wire Magazine: )
Wire online
David Hykes
Rainbow Voice (7' 55")
Harmonic Choir/ David Hykes
CD: Hearing Solar Winds (Ocora: C.558607)
Merzbow
Tape Dada (1980) (5' 53")
Masami Akita
CD: Merzbow Merzbox Sampler (Extreme)
Shinjuku Filth
Detox (4' 12")
CD: Junk (Peril 305)
Dorobo
Edgard Varese
Poeme Electronique (7' 54")
Edgard Varese, electronics
CD: Electro Acoustic Music: Classics (Neuma: 450-74)
Darrin Verhagen
The spores of death (2' 52")
CD: Shinjuku Thief: The Witch Haven (Dorobo: 017)
John Zorn
Forbidden Fruit (1987) (10' 20")
Kronos Quartet; Christian Marclay, turntables; Ohta Hiromi, voice
CD: Winter Was Hard (Elektra Nonesuch: 979 181-2)
Coil
Hellraiser (6' 12")
CD: Gold is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders (World Serpent:
CD11)
Skinny Puppy
Brak Talk (5' 00")
CD: Worlock (Nettwerk: W2-3071)
Goblin
Sighs (5' 10")
Witch (3' 07")
CD: Susperia Motion Picture Soundtrack (Cinevox Records: CD-MDF 305)
----------------------
These playlists are stored cumulatively (for the last three months) at the website listed below. Contact me if you want to receive them by email. If you have some music that you think I might be interested in broadcasting, on tape, CD or vinyl, don't hesitate to
get in touch.
(c) Bryce and Sarah.
difflist@westnet.com.au
Westnet online
PO Box 2237
Kardinya WA 6163
Australia.
-------------------------------------------------
A READER WRITES...
Actually several of you have been kind enough to do so. And here is my response...
Have you considered a career in music? Few professional writers in the business can match your ecumenical knowledge and especially appreciation.
When I worked in current affairs journalism for a number of years I stupidly missed the opportunity to build an additional portfolio of arts reviews, which would have given me a leg-up. Yup, I've thought of it several times. But in spite of the allegedly postmodern cultural Zeitgeist, musical eclecticism has limited commercial outlets. I had a few stabs at 'The Wire' a few years back, but my stuff is not nearly outre enough for them. I have of course long subscribed to Duke Ellington's famous observation that there are no such things as good and bad categories of music, just good and bad music. And I revel in the sheer variety that's available these days. Naturally you have to wade through sludge to get there, especially in less formal genres (where creativity isn't subjected to academy-based quality control). But life is hugely enriched by the search. Also, some of the music I love is hardly fashionable, even if it's 'modern'. It would be nice to earn a crust sharing my opinions... but I already manage to do that (just about) in one sphere: it would perhaps be a bit greedy to attempt it in two! Still, you never know. I'm always open to offers...
HOBSON UPDATE
The collection of Handel Arias I mentioned some time back has been reviewed intelligently at the excellent Music Web site, which is well worth visiting. It is now part of Classical Link - equally excellent, though occasionally a little slow to load for those with more febrile browsers. The classical editor is Rob Barnett and the manager of Music Web is Len Mullenger, who is a goodly fellow judging by the sporting way he dealt with a couple of technical criticisms (including one from me) on rec.music.classical.contemporary recently. Go there today...
LONDON RECORD FINDER
Talking of good people, I have recently been impressed by the very helpful service of Geoff Wallis at London Record Finder. He has a good selection in rock, jazz, dance etc. He recently let me have two quite rare albums by The Guest Stars (review to follow shortly) at a snip of a price and is clearly worthy of business support. We all know how easy it is to find inflated prices and bad service. If you're fed up with such things, give Geoff a go. The web site is well organised, and you can email wants lists to him at: geoff@connectfree.co.uk. He also has an ebay site - just search for londonrecordfinder (one word).
In a world of corporate airwave schmaltz, innovative radio deserves widespead support. Here's a challenging playlist option from down under, brought to you by the wonders of online technology.
Sunday Evenings 9-11pm. Public Radio RTR FM (92.1)
Perth, Western Australia
Contemporary classical, experimental, electronic,
industrial, ambient, noise, etc.
Presenters: Bryce Moore and Sarah Combes.
Public radio RTR FM is now broadcasting over the internet, 24 hours a day. Follow the Real Audio link from the Difficult Listening page, shown in the .sig below. If you want to catch Difficult Listening in particular, it goes to air at 1.00pm Sunday GMT, 9.00am US Eastern Time, and 6.00am US Pacific time.
----------------------
Presenter: Sarah Combes
Cornelius
Mic Check (3' 0")
Keigo Oyamada
CD: The Wire Tapper (cover mount CD, April 1998) (The Wire Magazine: )
Wire online
David Hykes
Rainbow Voice (7' 55")
Harmonic Choir/ David Hykes
CD: Hearing Solar Winds (Ocora: C.558607)
Merzbow
Tape Dada (1980) (5' 53")
Masami Akita
CD: Merzbow Merzbox Sampler (Extreme)
Shinjuku Filth
Detox (4' 12")
CD: Junk (Peril 305)
Dorobo
Edgard Varese
Poeme Electronique (7' 54")
Edgard Varese, electronics
CD: Electro Acoustic Music: Classics (Neuma: 450-74)
Darrin Verhagen
The spores of death (2' 52")
CD: Shinjuku Thief: The Witch Haven (Dorobo: 017)
John Zorn
Forbidden Fruit (1987) (10' 20")
Kronos Quartet; Christian Marclay, turntables; Ohta Hiromi, voice
CD: Winter Was Hard (Elektra Nonesuch: 979 181-2)
Coil
Hellraiser (6' 12")
CD: Gold is the Metal with the Broadest Shoulders (World Serpent:
CD11)
Skinny Puppy
Brak Talk (5' 00")
CD: Worlock (Nettwerk: W2-3071)
Goblin
Sighs (5' 10")
Witch (3' 07")
CD: Susperia Motion Picture Soundtrack (Cinevox Records: CD-MDF 305)
----------------------
These playlists are stored cumulatively (for the last three months) at the website listed below. Contact me if you want to receive them by email. If you have some music that you think I might be interested in broadcasting, on tape, CD or vinyl, don't hesitate to
get in touch.
(c) Bryce and Sarah.
difflist@westnet.com.au
Westnet online
PO Box 2237
Kardinya WA 6163
Australia.
-------------------------------------------------
A READER WRITES...
Actually several of you have been kind enough to do so. And here is my response...
Have you considered a career in music? Few professional writers in the business can match your ecumenical knowledge and especially appreciation.
When I worked in current affairs journalism for a number of years I stupidly missed the opportunity to build an additional portfolio of arts reviews, which would have given me a leg-up. Yup, I've thought of it several times. But in spite of the allegedly postmodern cultural Zeitgeist, musical eclecticism has limited commercial outlets. I had a few stabs at 'The Wire' a few years back, but my stuff is not nearly outre enough for them. I have of course long subscribed to Duke Ellington's famous observation that there are no such things as good and bad categories of music, just good and bad music. And I revel in the sheer variety that's available these days. Naturally you have to wade through sludge to get there, especially in less formal genres (where creativity isn't subjected to academy-based quality control). But life is hugely enriched by the search. Also, some of the music I love is hardly fashionable, even if it's 'modern'. It would be nice to earn a crust sharing my opinions... but I already manage to do that (just about) in one sphere: it would perhaps be a bit greedy to attempt it in two! Still, you never know. I'm always open to offers...
HOBSON UPDATE
The collection of Handel Arias I mentioned some time back has been reviewed intelligently at the excellent Music Web site, which is well worth visiting. It is now part of Classical Link - equally excellent, though occasionally a little slow to load for those with more febrile browsers. The classical editor is Rob Barnett and the manager of Music Web is Len Mullenger, who is a goodly fellow judging by the sporting way he dealt with a couple of technical criticisms (including one from me) on rec.music.classical.contemporary recently. Go there today...
LONDON RECORD FINDER
Talking of good people, I have recently been impressed by the very helpful service of Geoff Wallis at London Record Finder. He has a good selection in rock, jazz, dance etc. He recently let me have two quite rare albums by The Guest Stars (review to follow shortly) at a snip of a price and is clearly worthy of business support. We all know how easy it is to find inflated prices and bad service. If you're fed up with such things, give Geoff a go. The web site is well organised, and you can email wants lists to him at: geoff@connectfree.co.uk. He also has an ebay site - just search for londonrecordfinder (one word).
Tuesday, June 25, 2002
LISTENING POST: GEORGE CRUMB
Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children by George Crumb (Composer)
Those who know US composer George Crumb mainly from the terrifying musings of 'Black Angels' (made semi-famous by the Kronos Quartet) will probably be surprised by the haunting beauty of 'Ancient Voices'. Based on texts from Lorca, the rich but sparing instrumentation is complemented by evocative, floating soprano - sometimes sung into the piano to create an eerie, mystical ambient. My first exposure was at London's Roundhouse in 1976, where even the background rumbling of trains couldn't sublimate the extraordinary lure of Crumb's sound world. Truly gorgeous and thoughtfully composed.
LIST: TWENTY TWENTIETH CENTURY LANDMARKS
A personal selection with one or two twists. Such things are fun but inherently absurd, of course.
Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children by George Crumb (Composer)
Those who know US composer George Crumb mainly from the terrifying musings of 'Black Angels' (made semi-famous by the Kronos Quartet) will probably be surprised by the haunting beauty of 'Ancient Voices'. Based on texts from Lorca, the rich but sparing instrumentation is complemented by evocative, floating soprano - sometimes sung into the piano to create an eerie, mystical ambient. My first exposure was at London's Roundhouse in 1976, where even the background rumbling of trains couldn't sublimate the extraordinary lure of Crumb's sound world. Truly gorgeous and thoughtfully composed.
LIST: TWENTY TWENTIETH CENTURY LANDMARKS
A personal selection with one or two twists. Such things are fun but inherently absurd, of course.
Monday, June 24, 2002
NEW OPERA: TURNAGE
Mark Antony Turnage’s timely opera about war, injustice and football makes a welcome return to the English National Opera this month, on 26 and 28 June, and 1, 3 and 6 July 2002. ‘The Silver Tassie’ to a libretto by Amanda Holden, “has been several years in the making .. in the workship environment of the ENO Opera Studio; the result is the most streamlined and cohesive full-length opera to hit the London stage in well over a decade”, according to Richard Whitehouse. He was reviewing the world premier at the London Coliseum in February 2000.
Based on the play by Sean O’Casey, the opera follows the fortunes of a group of young men from Ireland at the time of the First World War. Leaving for the trenches, Harry Heegan and his friends are euphoric: they have won a football cup – the Silver Tassie – and believe themselves invincible. In music at once visceral and tender, Turnage evokes the spectral domain of the battlefield and the shattered lives of the returning men.
Further details on the ENO site.
EXHIBITIONISM: FLAILING LIKE THE WIND
My home city of Brighton was under siege in Sunday – ‘Party in the Park’ inflicted Blue, Gareth Gates and Hear’say on us, god forbid. Genuine popular music culture was enhanced far more, I’m sure, by the less publicized eighth national air guitar championships. Yes, that’s right: all style, pre-recorded content and no guilt. What a temptation for men of a certain age and inclination. ‘No Stairway To Heaven’ either, according to the legendary notice. Party on, dudes…!
GOOD INTRODUCTION TO THE HANDEL ORGAN CONCERTOS
Handel Organ Concertos Opus 4 Nos 1 - 6. Simon Lindley (organ), Northern Sinfonia / Bradley Creswick. Naxos 8.553835, 1997
Though not as popular as his Concerti Grossi, Handel's Organ Concertos have been fair game for recording artists in recent years. They are not terribly well known but they attract readily when heard. As most Handel watchers know, there are three sets of Organ Concertos, only one of which - Opus 4 - was published in the composer's lifetime. It is not unusual for record labels to pick and choose a selection of the most obviously showy or ear-friendly ones. There is nothing wrong with this, since these pieces were produced to act as interludes in Oratorios rather than to be played in sequence. Nevertheless, and not least because this set represents about the only thing that could just about pass muster for 'authenticity' in the genre, it is good to have a 67 minute CD of the six Opus 4 works - in G Minor, B Flat, G minor again, F, F again, and B flat.
These performances by Simon Lindley and the highly competent Northern Sinfonia were recorded at Holy Cross Church, Fentham, England, in 1996. The Concertos are well and faithfully executed. Perhaps because Lindley is better known for his interpretation of French organ music, I wonder whether his playing is not quite in sympathy with their definitely Italianate style. (Having said that, the very best expositor is surely the late Karl Richter, a German, whose Edition is an absolute must if this Naxos taster engages you.) Maybe the problem is not so much in Lindley's playing but in the slightly distant rendering of the organ sound, which tends to lose detail at various key points. In fact the recording level is a little low all round.
But these are details. Given the extraordinarily low price this disc represents undeniably good value and is a worthy introduction to one of the less visible aspects of Handel's considerable output. The Organ Concertos are charming, entertaining and very well crafted. Now make sure you check out the Richter Edition.
[A review of the Richter edition will follow. Back in 1970 Simon Preston also recorded an interesting selection from all three sets with Yehudi Menuhin and the Bath Festival Orchestra – based on six first violins, woodwind and harpsichord. I haven’t found these on CD yet. Let me know if you spot them. Preston has recorded more Handel Organ Concertos with Trevor Pinnock and the English Consort (Archiv, 1995). ]
Saturday, June 22, 2002
BOULEZ AND ZAPPA: PERFECT STRANGERS
Thanks to Juan Arbore for the tip-off about Patrick Neve’s University of Oregon music log on the strange and interesting collaboration between Ensemble InterContemporain, Frank Zappa and French composer Pierre Boulez (see IRCAM). Between 10-11 January 1984 Boulez agreed to conduct seven ensemble orchestral pieces by Zappa, enfant terrible of avant rock.
The Perfect Stranger was released in August that year. It has some incredibly dense and interesting music on it. Dissociated from the individuals involved it isn’t hard to see why Boulez might have been intrigued. But two more unlikely partners it is hard to imagine: one zany, the other “as serious as cancer” (Thomas Nordeg).
As ‘Andante’ magazine (Dec 2001) commented: "It is a strange image: Frank Zappa seated next to Pierre Boulez. Boulez looks avuncular and charming, Zappa hirsute, gaunt, legs crossed, somewhat terrifying. Appearances aside, these two artists have both everything and nothing in common: Zappa, the angry iconoclast with a guitar, a one-man Brecht/Weill/Spike Jones (the list goes on) simultaneously seeking and disparaging academic acceptance; Boulez, his own brand of iconoclast, with the legendary ear and more legendary aesthetic fury."
Zappa remarked: “I bought my first Boulez album when I was in the twelfth grade: a Columbia recording of 'Le Marteau Sans Maitre' (The Hammer Without A Master) conducted by Robert Craft, with 'Zetmasse' (Time-mass) by Stockhausen on the other side. Within a year or so of that, I managed to get hold of a score. I listened to the record while following the score, and I noticed that the performance was not very accurate. I later acquired a recording of 'Le Marteau' on the Turnabout label, with Boulez conducting, and was surprised to find that he took the first movement much more slowly than the tempo marked in score. I razzed him about it when we met.” (‘The Real Frank Zappa’)
Posterity doesn’t record how Boulez reacted! He was typically cagey about the collaboration at the time. At a press conference in 1990 he was asked if he liked Zappa’s music. His enigmatic reply, according to Ben Watson: "Certainly. I found a kind of vitality and it was very good for our musicians to do that: they were not accustomed at all to it, and that's good to work on."
The album was on Barking Pumpkin and was listed under an EMI Classical subsidiary. It is now on Rykodisc. If anyone reading this has seen further comment from Boulez or his close associates it would be interesting to read. A thread on this topic appeared recently in rec.music.classical.contemporary.
PLAY IT AGAIN, DEIRDRE:
A couple of people have asked for more about Deirdre Cartwright after the ‘Precious Things’ review yesterday. Here’s my Amazon review of her previous album, ‘Play’. There’s also a review of her first, ‘Debut’ here. Best, however, to Buy via the Blow the Fuse site. See the contact details in my links column on the left.
Deirdre Cartwright, ‘Play’, Blow the Fuse Records BTF9703, 1998.
Type ‘play’ in Amazon’s music section and you might just end up with something you weren’t expecting. Moby’s dance album is pleasant enough. Magazine make up for what they lack though raucous energy. And Joanna MacGregor’s collection of twentieth century piano miniatures is exquisite. But what a happy outcome it would be if someone hunting one of these three ‘Play’ albums was also to make a chance discovery of guitarist Deirdre Cartwright.
And play-ful her CD certainly is, in all senses of the word. Cartwright the composer is restless, enthusiastic, considered and broad in her interests and influences. On this 1998 album you have the sense that there are moments when she throws studio calculation to the wind in much the same way her trios do live. She is a natural improviser and ‘Play’ is very natural jazz.
Along for the ride this time are regular accompanists Alison Rayner (double / fretless bass), Louise Elliott (tenor sax, flute), Steve Lodder (keys) and Gary Hammond (percussion). Simon Pearson joins them on drums. The additional guests are Annie Whitehead (trombone), a stalwart of the burgeoning British jazz scene; alto and soprano saxophonist Co Streiff (known for her work with the Vienna Art Orchestra); and soprano saxophonist Diane McLoughlin (who worked with Rayner in Giant Steppes and has performed with Martha Lewis of Martha and Eve fame).
My memories of this album are its straight-ahead moments. This is possibly because several of the more energetic numbers are regulars in Deirdre Cartwright’s live set lists, along with reworked standards and compositions by the musicians she plays with. All the pieces on ‘Play’ are self-penned and enormously enjoyable, but the twists, nuances and calming interludes are as much part of the picture as the swing. Generally Cartwright grooves more on tour than on her albums, but there are moments here that capture both the intensity and the joyfulness of her craft.
‘Got My Modem Working’ begins with a deft reggae shuffle before settling into one of Rayner’s persistent, infective bass rhythms. Elliott and Cartwright proceed to weave melodic lines over the medium paced swing. On ‘Some Folks Tune’ there is a more spacious feel, with changes of tempo in the guitarist’s legato style and a sweet-timbred bass solo. ‘Strange But True’ eschews percussion for a harmonically fascinating saxophone duet with trombone elaborations and rounded guitar musings of great clarity. This is music of real depth and feeling.
‘Flamengo’ has Latin inflections, but it doesn’t wear them too obviously. McLoughlin’s beautiful ballad eventually gives way to a Barbara Thompson-style workout, complete with touches of flute. ‘Warm Front’ cooks pretty hot for most of six minutes, with Lodder’s pianism urgent and lyrical. ‘View From A Mountain’ builds from a haunting sax melody into a triumphant (but nicely understated) diatonic denouement. ‘Voluble’ then lets some hair down with its irrepressible, funky percussive drive. The album ends on a fitting note with ‘You Wish’. A languorous theme is given the big band treatment just short of swagger.
This album is most definitely worth a play – along with its predecessor ‘Debut’ (1994) and new successor ‘Precious Things’ (2002).
Thanks to Juan Arbore for the tip-off about Patrick Neve’s University of Oregon music log on the strange and interesting collaboration between Ensemble InterContemporain, Frank Zappa and French composer Pierre Boulez (see IRCAM). Between 10-11 January 1984 Boulez agreed to conduct seven ensemble orchestral pieces by Zappa, enfant terrible of avant rock.
The Perfect Stranger was released in August that year. It has some incredibly dense and interesting music on it. Dissociated from the individuals involved it isn’t hard to see why Boulez might have been intrigued. But two more unlikely partners it is hard to imagine: one zany, the other “as serious as cancer” (Thomas Nordeg).
As ‘Andante’ magazine (Dec 2001) commented: "It is a strange image: Frank Zappa seated next to Pierre Boulez. Boulez looks avuncular and charming, Zappa hirsute, gaunt, legs crossed, somewhat terrifying. Appearances aside, these two artists have both everything and nothing in common: Zappa, the angry iconoclast with a guitar, a one-man Brecht/Weill/Spike Jones (the list goes on) simultaneously seeking and disparaging academic acceptance; Boulez, his own brand of iconoclast, with the legendary ear and more legendary aesthetic fury."
Zappa remarked: “I bought my first Boulez album when I was in the twelfth grade: a Columbia recording of 'Le Marteau Sans Maitre' (The Hammer Without A Master) conducted by Robert Craft, with 'Zetmasse' (Time-mass) by Stockhausen on the other side. Within a year or so of that, I managed to get hold of a score. I listened to the record while following the score, and I noticed that the performance was not very accurate. I later acquired a recording of 'Le Marteau' on the Turnabout label, with Boulez conducting, and was surprised to find that he took the first movement much more slowly than the tempo marked in score. I razzed him about it when we met.” (‘The Real Frank Zappa’)
Posterity doesn’t record how Boulez reacted! He was typically cagey about the collaboration at the time. At a press conference in 1990 he was asked if he liked Zappa’s music. His enigmatic reply, according to Ben Watson: "Certainly. I found a kind of vitality and it was very good for our musicians to do that: they were not accustomed at all to it, and that's good to work on."
The album was on Barking Pumpkin and was listed under an EMI Classical subsidiary. It is now on Rykodisc. If anyone reading this has seen further comment from Boulez or his close associates it would be interesting to read. A thread on this topic appeared recently in rec.music.classical.contemporary.
PLAY IT AGAIN, DEIRDRE:
A couple of people have asked for more about Deirdre Cartwright after the ‘Precious Things’ review yesterday. Here’s my Amazon review of her previous album, ‘Play’. There’s also a review of her first, ‘Debut’ here. Best, however, to Buy via the Blow the Fuse site. See the contact details in my links column on the left.
Deirdre Cartwright, ‘Play’, Blow the Fuse Records BTF9703, 1998.
Type ‘play’ in Amazon’s music section and you might just end up with something you weren’t expecting. Moby’s dance album is pleasant enough. Magazine make up for what they lack though raucous energy. And Joanna MacGregor’s collection of twentieth century piano miniatures is exquisite. But what a happy outcome it would be if someone hunting one of these three ‘Play’ albums was also to make a chance discovery of guitarist Deirdre Cartwright.
And play-ful her CD certainly is, in all senses of the word. Cartwright the composer is restless, enthusiastic, considered and broad in her interests and influences. On this 1998 album you have the sense that there are moments when she throws studio calculation to the wind in much the same way her trios do live. She is a natural improviser and ‘Play’ is very natural jazz.
Along for the ride this time are regular accompanists Alison Rayner (double / fretless bass), Louise Elliott (tenor sax, flute), Steve Lodder (keys) and Gary Hammond (percussion). Simon Pearson joins them on drums. The additional guests are Annie Whitehead (trombone), a stalwart of the burgeoning British jazz scene; alto and soprano saxophonist Co Streiff (known for her work with the Vienna Art Orchestra); and soprano saxophonist Diane McLoughlin (who worked with Rayner in Giant Steppes and has performed with Martha Lewis of Martha and Eve fame).
My memories of this album are its straight-ahead moments. This is possibly because several of the more energetic numbers are regulars in Deirdre Cartwright’s live set lists, along with reworked standards and compositions by the musicians she plays with. All the pieces on ‘Play’ are self-penned and enormously enjoyable, but the twists, nuances and calming interludes are as much part of the picture as the swing. Generally Cartwright grooves more on tour than on her albums, but there are moments here that capture both the intensity and the joyfulness of her craft.
‘Got My Modem Working’ begins with a deft reggae shuffle before settling into one of Rayner’s persistent, infective bass rhythms. Elliott and Cartwright proceed to weave melodic lines over the medium paced swing. On ‘Some Folks Tune’ there is a more spacious feel, with changes of tempo in the guitarist’s legato style and a sweet-timbred bass solo. ‘Strange But True’ eschews percussion for a harmonically fascinating saxophone duet with trombone elaborations and rounded guitar musings of great clarity. This is music of real depth and feeling.
‘Flamengo’ has Latin inflections, but it doesn’t wear them too obviously. McLoughlin’s beautiful ballad eventually gives way to a Barbara Thompson-style workout, complete with touches of flute. ‘Warm Front’ cooks pretty hot for most of six minutes, with Lodder’s pianism urgent and lyrical. ‘View From A Mountain’ builds from a haunting sax melody into a triumphant (but nicely understated) diatonic denouement. ‘Voluble’ then lets some hair down with its irrepressible, funky percussive drive. The album ends on a fitting note with ‘You Wish’. A languorous theme is given the big band treatment just short of swagger.
This album is most definitely worth a play – along with its predecessor ‘Debut’ (1994) and new successor ‘Precious Things’ (2002).
MESSIAEN RECONSIDERED:
The University of Sheffield music department has been hosting a conference on Olivier Messiaen from 20-23 June 2002 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the great composer’s death. It was intended to be a celebration of the maitre and an opportunity for scholars interested in his music to share their knowledge and deepen their understanding of all aspects of Messiaen, his work and his influence.
In addition to papers, round table events and presentations, the conference featured two concerts of music by Messiaen, not least the UK premières of ‘Prélude for piano’ (1964) and ‘Feuillets inedits’ for piano and onde Martenot. There was the first concert performance of a short piano piece written for the École Normale in the 1930s. As well as these, and other rarely heard works, the concerts included ‘Visions de l’Amen’, ‘La fauvette des jardins’ and extracts from ‘Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus’. Performers included Madeleine Forte, Peter Hill, Matthew Schellhorn and Jacques Tchamkerten.
For further information about papers etc., write to: Messiaen@sheffield.ac.uk
ONLINE INFO:
‘La Folia’ is an excellent free online music review featuring a selection of articles and abstracts on classical and contemporary music, recording and related issues. It has a fine index and is brought to us by Madrigal. The eight offerings for June 2002 include pieces on ‘recordings alone’ and ‘Modern, Nasty Recordings: or Why Did Everyone Go So Terribly Wrong?’ by W A Greive-Smith. That ought to get you going! This news was brought to me by the ever-useful newsgroup rec.music.classical contemporary. If you follow the link (or the one at the side) you’ll get to it via GoogleGroups.
The University of Sheffield music department has been hosting a conference on Olivier Messiaen from 20-23 June 2002 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the great composer’s death. It was intended to be a celebration of the maitre and an opportunity for scholars interested in his music to share their knowledge and deepen their understanding of all aspects of Messiaen, his work and his influence.
In addition to papers, round table events and presentations, the conference featured two concerts of music by Messiaen, not least the UK premières of ‘Prélude for piano’ (1964) and ‘Feuillets inedits’ for piano and onde Martenot. There was the first concert performance of a short piano piece written for the École Normale in the 1930s. As well as these, and other rarely heard works, the concerts included ‘Visions de l’Amen’, ‘La fauvette des jardins’ and extracts from ‘Vingt regards sur l’enfant-Jésus’. Performers included Madeleine Forte, Peter Hill, Matthew Schellhorn and Jacques Tchamkerten.
For further information about papers etc., write to: Messiaen@sheffield.ac.uk
ONLINE INFO:
‘La Folia’ is an excellent free online music review featuring a selection of articles and abstracts on classical and contemporary music, recording and related issues. It has a fine index and is brought to us by Madrigal. The eight offerings for June 2002 include pieces on ‘recordings alone’ and ‘Modern, Nasty Recordings: or Why Did Everyone Go So Terribly Wrong?’ by W A Greive-Smith. That ought to get you going! This news was brought to me by the ever-useful newsgroup rec.music.classical contemporary. If you follow the link (or the one at the side) you’ll get to it via GoogleGroups.
NEW REVIEW:
Deirdre Cartwright Group, 'Precious Things', Blow the Fuse Records BTF204CD, June 2002.
I was fortunate enough to catch Cartwright's Trio at a rainy open-air gig at Embankment Gardens in London on 6 June. Deirdre kindly let me have acopy of her new album, though it was officially released on 17 June - and launched with a concert at the Jazz Cafe, Camden, on 19 June. A tour is in tow. Check the Blow the Fuse website for details.
Diversity, depth and delight: precious things indeed
‘Precious Things’, the third album from the Deirdre Cartwright Group, is an infectious, adventurous celebration of music and life. The nine tunes included here were recorded in North London during April 2001. However the emergence of the CD also tragically coincided with the death of guitarist Cartwright’s sister, Bernice, at the age of just 43. The end result is, fittingly enough, a musical triumph – a collection that is at once playful, thoughtful and exploratory.
This time the cast involves three collaborators: long-time sparring partner Alison Rayner (electric and acoustic basses), Carola Grey (drums), and Janette Mason (Hammond organ, piano, synths). Rayner and Cartwright were part of ’80s headliners The Guest Stars. They are now leading lights in the ‘Blow The Fuse’ jazz project, which has its own web presence. Mason worked with a prestigious line-up (Annie Whitehead, Julie Tippetts and many more) on the ‘Soupsongs’ tribute to Robert Wyatt in 2000. She has toured with Carol Grimes and she recorded ‘Live At The Purcell Room’ with her own band in 1995. Grey’s career in the US, Germany, Britain and South East Asia has involved playing with the likes of Mike Stern and Ravi Coltrane. Altogether this is a considerable array of talent, and they certainly deliver.
Those familiar with the laid-back style of Deirdre Cartwright’s ‘Debut’ (1994) or the slightly more assertive guitar grooves on ‘Play’ (1999) might initially find themselves a bit taken aback by ‘Precious Things’. It is more eclectic in its references, but also somehow more organic in its sound. A good trick if you can pull it off. First we have the burbling drum and bass riffs of ‘Hyperbubble’, one of two tracks written and arranged by Rayner. Then on the equally danceable ‘Cold War’ the Hammond’s roomy acoustic conjures up the ghost of a rider on the storm. This sets the scene for some marvellous guitar organ/duetting throughout the album.
The title track bends a couple of memorable melodic riffs through some metrical, harmonic and key-shifting hoops. Tricky playing, but not at all self-conscious or showy. ‘Wonderwall’ follows – a jaunty instrumental version of the famous Oasis tune. Good to see Noel Gallagher in decent company for a change. ‘X Factor’ swings willingly and allows Grey room for a few pleasantly un-egotistical drum exercises.
‘Urban Reshuffle’, the other Rayner piece, begins by creating a bass, snare and breathy organ texture upon which Cartwright and Mason double a melody before heading off in their own directions. Towards the end the guitarist hints at Bill Frisell in her use of effects. Elsewhere you might pick up shapes of Green, Montgomery, Abercrombie. But Cartwright’s inventive phrasing and bell-like clarity of tone is distinctively her own. The last three tracks feature the gentle grooving of ‘No Nylon’, harder-edged lines on ‘N. 16 (Stoke Newington, home of the fated Vortex club), and rippling slabs of guitar set against cymbals and airy organ interludes on ‘Smells Like Jazz’.
Deirdre Cartwright is a rare talent indeed; the sort of musician you would actively wish commercial success upon precisely because you know she has the integrity to resist its blandishments. On ‘Precious Things’ she demonstrates considerable instrumental and compositional prowess. But she does not do this by hogging the limelight or by cramming in solos. Rather she generates a refreshing sense of musical space with a group of fine players who really seem to enjoy bringing the best out of each other. The result is an album of depth and quality as well as much surface attraction. Wholeheartedly recommended.
(c) Simon Barrow, 17 June 2002
ANECDOTAGE:
When composer Harrison Birtwistle was interviewed some time ago for BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', a slightly pleading Sue Lawley asked 'Sir Harry' what he would say to the many people who find his music too difficult to bear. 'I'd say listen to something else', he responded, in typical Lancastrian fashion. He also surprised some in the audience by not opting for much contemporary music, by selecting a bubblegum hit from Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, and by trying to make his island luxury a chainsaw, as I recall. How could anyone not love the guy?
MORE AMERICAN TREASURES:
Rudolph Bubalo, Various, Cleveland Chamber Symphony / Edwin London, New World NW80446, 1997.
Adventurous, energising music
8 June, 2002
This fine collection of chamber pieces by contemporary US composer Rudolph Bubalo (b. 1927) was one of those happy chance finds that makes life especially worthwhile for the restless music lover. Bubalo began his career as a jazz pianist and arranger and ended up switching streams into what gets awkwardly called 'classical'. He is now both professor of composition and director of the electronic and computer music studios at Cleveland State University. This is a joint production of CSU and New World Records in New York.
The four pieces represented on the CD illustrate different facets of the composer's varied interests - from the integration of orchestra and synthesisers on 'Concertino' and 'Offset 1' (where the electronics are mainly used to enhance colour and texture), through to the vibrantly serialist 'Concerto for Cello and Orchestra' and woodwind multiphonics of 'Valence II'.
Bubalo explains: "In all my work I am concerned with the expressive content of sound... sound that engages and stimulates the consciousness of the listener." In these aims he certainly succeeds. These pieces are among the most energising, adventurous, timbrely full-bodied and rhythmically packed I have heard for a long time. They combine formal musical interest with a real visceral punch, revealing their originator's intellectual rigour but also his delight in musics outside the canonical high art tradition. Synaesthetically speaking, his sound palettes are full of deep reds and blues contrasting with lighter hues and some surprising splashes of colour. This is a superb collection by a relatively little-known composer. Thoroughly recommended.
Deirdre Cartwright Group, 'Precious Things', Blow the Fuse Records BTF204CD, June 2002.
I was fortunate enough to catch Cartwright's Trio at a rainy open-air gig at Embankment Gardens in London on 6 June. Deirdre kindly let me have acopy of her new album, though it was officially released on 17 June - and launched with a concert at the Jazz Cafe, Camden, on 19 June. A tour is in tow. Check the Blow the Fuse website for details.
Diversity, depth and delight: precious things indeed
‘Precious Things’, the third album from the Deirdre Cartwright Group, is an infectious, adventurous celebration of music and life. The nine tunes included here were recorded in North London during April 2001. However the emergence of the CD also tragically coincided with the death of guitarist Cartwright’s sister, Bernice, at the age of just 43. The end result is, fittingly enough, a musical triumph – a collection that is at once playful, thoughtful and exploratory.
This time the cast involves three collaborators: long-time sparring partner Alison Rayner (electric and acoustic basses), Carola Grey (drums), and Janette Mason (Hammond organ, piano, synths). Rayner and Cartwright were part of ’80s headliners The Guest Stars. They are now leading lights in the ‘Blow The Fuse’ jazz project, which has its own web presence. Mason worked with a prestigious line-up (Annie Whitehead, Julie Tippetts and many more) on the ‘Soupsongs’ tribute to Robert Wyatt in 2000. She has toured with Carol Grimes and she recorded ‘Live At The Purcell Room’ with her own band in 1995. Grey’s career in the US, Germany, Britain and South East Asia has involved playing with the likes of Mike Stern and Ravi Coltrane. Altogether this is a considerable array of talent, and they certainly deliver.
Those familiar with the laid-back style of Deirdre Cartwright’s ‘Debut’ (1994) or the slightly more assertive guitar grooves on ‘Play’ (1999) might initially find themselves a bit taken aback by ‘Precious Things’. It is more eclectic in its references, but also somehow more organic in its sound. A good trick if you can pull it off. First we have the burbling drum and bass riffs of ‘Hyperbubble’, one of two tracks written and arranged by Rayner. Then on the equally danceable ‘Cold War’ the Hammond’s roomy acoustic conjures up the ghost of a rider on the storm. This sets the scene for some marvellous guitar organ/duetting throughout the album.
The title track bends a couple of memorable melodic riffs through some metrical, harmonic and key-shifting hoops. Tricky playing, but not at all self-conscious or showy. ‘Wonderwall’ follows – a jaunty instrumental version of the famous Oasis tune. Good to see Noel Gallagher in decent company for a change. ‘X Factor’ swings willingly and allows Grey room for a few pleasantly un-egotistical drum exercises.
‘Urban Reshuffle’, the other Rayner piece, begins by creating a bass, snare and breathy organ texture upon which Cartwright and Mason double a melody before heading off in their own directions. Towards the end the guitarist hints at Bill Frisell in her use of effects. Elsewhere you might pick up shapes of Green, Montgomery, Abercrombie. But Cartwright’s inventive phrasing and bell-like clarity of tone is distinctively her own. The last three tracks feature the gentle grooving of ‘No Nylon’, harder-edged lines on ‘N. 16 (Stoke Newington, home of the fated Vortex club), and rippling slabs of guitar set against cymbals and airy organ interludes on ‘Smells Like Jazz’.
Deirdre Cartwright is a rare talent indeed; the sort of musician you would actively wish commercial success upon precisely because you know she has the integrity to resist its blandishments. On ‘Precious Things’ she demonstrates considerable instrumental and compositional prowess. But she does not do this by hogging the limelight or by cramming in solos. Rather she generates a refreshing sense of musical space with a group of fine players who really seem to enjoy bringing the best out of each other. The result is an album of depth and quality as well as much surface attraction. Wholeheartedly recommended.
(c) Simon Barrow, 17 June 2002
ANECDOTAGE:
When composer Harrison Birtwistle was interviewed some time ago for BBC Radio 4's 'Desert Island Discs', a slightly pleading Sue Lawley asked 'Sir Harry' what he would say to the many people who find his music too difficult to bear. 'I'd say listen to something else', he responded, in typical Lancastrian fashion. He also surprised some in the audience by not opting for much contemporary music, by selecting a bubblegum hit from Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons, and by trying to make his island luxury a chainsaw, as I recall. How could anyone not love the guy?
MORE AMERICAN TREASURES:
Rudolph Bubalo, Various, Cleveland Chamber Symphony / Edwin London, New World NW80446, 1997.
Adventurous, energising music
8 June, 2002
This fine collection of chamber pieces by contemporary US composer Rudolph Bubalo (b. 1927) was one of those happy chance finds that makes life especially worthwhile for the restless music lover. Bubalo began his career as a jazz pianist and arranger and ended up switching streams into what gets awkwardly called 'classical'. He is now both professor of composition and director of the electronic and computer music studios at Cleveland State University. This is a joint production of CSU and New World Records in New York.
The four pieces represented on the CD illustrate different facets of the composer's varied interests - from the integration of orchestra and synthesisers on 'Concertino' and 'Offset 1' (where the electronics are mainly used to enhance colour and texture), through to the vibrantly serialist 'Concerto for Cello and Orchestra' and woodwind multiphonics of 'Valence II'.
Bubalo explains: "In all my work I am concerned with the expressive content of sound... sound that engages and stimulates the consciousness of the listener." In these aims he certainly succeeds. These pieces are among the most energising, adventurous, timbrely full-bodied and rhythmically packed I have heard for a long time. They combine formal musical interest with a real visceral punch, revealing their originator's intellectual rigour but also his delight in musics outside the canonical high art tradition. Synaesthetically speaking, his sound palettes are full of deep reds and blues contrasting with lighter hues and some surprising splashes of colour. This is a superb collection by a relatively little-known composer. Thoroughly recommended.
RECORDING REACTIONS:
'Symbiosis’ (G.M. Recordings 007) is a collection of occasional instrumental pieces by Thomas Oboe Lee and Gunther Schuller. Lee’s ‘Mad Frog’ for oboe, bass clarinet and harp is especially diverting and intriguing. The Kronos Quartet give a strong performance of the same composer’s Third String Quartet, “Child of Uranus, Father of Zeus”. The Schuller contribution is the atmospheric chamber work for violin, percussion and piano from which the whole collection takes its name. American composed music continues to be a vibrant source of new delights often hidden from European ears. Schuller’s is a relatively well-known name, Lees less so. He is from China via Brazil and studied under Schuller and George Russell among others. If you like variety, colour and challenging a/tonality in your music you will not be disappointed. There are three one minute sound snatches at Amazon.com for those who want an aural clue.
On the prosaically entitled ‘Handel Arias’ (ABC Classics 472 151-2 ) acclaimed Australian tenor David Hobson sings exactly that: 17 songs from 12 operas, an oratorio and the ‘Ode for St Cecelia’ – the latter particularly beloved for me. I confess that I’ve only heard seven minutes of this fine collection, and that on a less than worthy sound system. Even so, Hobson’s voice shines through with the warmth, roundedness and clarity for which it is renowned. In fact I had better be complementary, since my friend Priscilla Abbott is a huge devotee of the man’s vocal chords. When I finally lay my hands on the CD itself I think I shall see (hear!) why. At the moment this seems to be an Australia-only release, but if I track it in the US or Europe I’ll add a note on this log. Still, this is the age of the credit card and online ordering. You can hear snatches at cdcollector. Irritatingly they refuse to let you leave their site, so you have to type in another URL. The best place to purchase would seem to be the ABC shop. Tajima’s Hobson page provides more artist links.
QUOTA:
(1) Andrew Clements of The Guardian newspaper, commenting on the imminent end (in July 2002) of Bernard Haitink’s tenure as music director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. He described the man as an undeniably great musician, but then went on to point out:
“The only unexpected work in his CV is Tippett’s ‘The Midsummer Marriage’. For a conductor charged with shaping and driving forward the whole musical profile of this country’s most prestigious company, this has been a desperately narrow repertoire at atime when the horizons of opera companies and opera audiences have become wider than ever before. It also comes as a shock rather than a surprise to discover that during the 15 seasons that Haitink has been at the helm, there have been only two new operas premiered in the House – Birtwistle’s ‘Gawain’ and Goehr’s ‘Arianna’ – neither of them, it almost goes without saying, conducted by its music director. That is a record the Royal Opera should regard with considerable shame and embarrassment.”
Too right, but don’t hold your breath. Meanwhile, check out Mark Antony Turnage’s fine ‘The Silver Tassie’ at English National Opera (the Coliseum).
(2) Aki Nawaz, founder of Fun’Da’Mental and Nation Records:
“Our philosophy with Nation Records was to give anyone – be it Asian Dub Foundation, Talvin Singh, Transglobal Underground, Jah Wobble – the freedom to express themselves. We don’t have immigration controls.. [but] radio stations won’t go near global fusion music.. Multicultural Britain? Islam messes up the band… But I don’t care. I won’t compromise my beliefs.”
LISTED:
A small selection on Amazon I have called Eclectic Guitars. For that is indeed what they are, in many contexts and across a number of (often boundary-defying) genres.
ARCHIVE REVIEW:
Birtwistle the surprise lyrical purist
Refrains and Choruses: Deux-Elles DXL1019, July 2001.
For the faint-hearted Harrison Birtwistle is a daunting prospect. In the interview with Colin Anderson that accompanies this fine recording he confesses, in a distinctly unapologetic way, that he does not begin to know how to write music 'for' an audience. Rather, (as I would put it) he writes out of his own intrinsic musical fascination; and in so doing invites the listener to accompany him on an adventure. As this collection amply illustrates, it is an adventure well worth joining.
'Refrains And Choruses' takes its title from Birtwistle's first acknowledged work (1957), a beguiling play on opposites and continuities. It is a collection of what he chooses to call 'occasional' rather than 'chamber' music. Perhaps the latter sounds too trivial or functional. More to the point, these compositions, though valuable in their own right, are not simply ends in themselves. Birtwistle frequently uses small ensemble pieces to explore ideas that crop up in, inform, or parallel more complex themes in orchestral or theatre works.
Among the goods on offer in this imaginatively organised compilation are several pieces for piano, including 'Hector's Dream' with its differing chordal patterns. This is about as near as we are ever likely to get to a 'beginner piece' from Birtwistle. The notes are possible, but the inner challenge is in the timing. Similarly, the flute 'Duet For Storab' in six short episodes has a disarmingly simple texture but is fiendishly difficult to perform. Two of its movements ('White Pastoral' and 'From The Church Of Lies') shock with their sweetness and lyricism. Those who stereotype Birtwistle as a monster of the inaccessible are confounded here.
It would of course be quite wrong to imply that Birtwistle in any way compromises his formal musical concerns in these pieces - even the most direct ones. But they are, nonetheless, a very profitable place to start for anyone seeking a way into his aural universe. Whether it is the hocketting on 'Hoquetus Petrus' or the intricate instrumental contrasts on 'Five Distances', there is a good deal to learn about Birtwistle's technique here. But there is also insight into his deep love of music as a means of expression and exploration.
For those already attracted to Birtwistle this material, excellently performed by the Galliard Ensemble and soloists, draws attention to some of the main building blocks of his work. For those who remain daunted or sceptical - but who are willing at least to try - it constitutes a more comprehensible (though no less profound) set of surfaces to contemplate. Thoroughly recommended for all concerned.
(c) Simon Barrow, 6 June 2002.
'Symbiosis’ (G.M. Recordings 007) is a collection of occasional instrumental pieces by Thomas Oboe Lee and Gunther Schuller. Lee’s ‘Mad Frog’ for oboe, bass clarinet and harp is especially diverting and intriguing. The Kronos Quartet give a strong performance of the same composer’s Third String Quartet, “Child of Uranus, Father of Zeus”. The Schuller contribution is the atmospheric chamber work for violin, percussion and piano from which the whole collection takes its name. American composed music continues to be a vibrant source of new delights often hidden from European ears. Schuller’s is a relatively well-known name, Lees less so. He is from China via Brazil and studied under Schuller and George Russell among others. If you like variety, colour and challenging a/tonality in your music you will not be disappointed. There are three one minute sound snatches at Amazon.com for those who want an aural clue.
On the prosaically entitled ‘Handel Arias’ (ABC Classics 472 151-2 ) acclaimed Australian tenor David Hobson sings exactly that: 17 songs from 12 operas, an oratorio and the ‘Ode for St Cecelia’ – the latter particularly beloved for me. I confess that I’ve only heard seven minutes of this fine collection, and that on a less than worthy sound system. Even so, Hobson’s voice shines through with the warmth, roundedness and clarity for which it is renowned. In fact I had better be complementary, since my friend Priscilla Abbott is a huge devotee of the man’s vocal chords. When I finally lay my hands on the CD itself I think I shall see (hear!) why. At the moment this seems to be an Australia-only release, but if I track it in the US or Europe I’ll add a note on this log. Still, this is the age of the credit card and online ordering. You can hear snatches at cdcollector. Irritatingly they refuse to let you leave their site, so you have to type in another URL. The best place to purchase would seem to be the ABC shop. Tajima’s Hobson page provides more artist links.
QUOTA:
(1) Andrew Clements of The Guardian newspaper, commenting on the imminent end (in July 2002) of Bernard Haitink’s tenure as music director of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. He described the man as an undeniably great musician, but then went on to point out:
“The only unexpected work in his CV is Tippett’s ‘The Midsummer Marriage’. For a conductor charged with shaping and driving forward the whole musical profile of this country’s most prestigious company, this has been a desperately narrow repertoire at atime when the horizons of opera companies and opera audiences have become wider than ever before. It also comes as a shock rather than a surprise to discover that during the 15 seasons that Haitink has been at the helm, there have been only two new operas premiered in the House – Birtwistle’s ‘Gawain’ and Goehr’s ‘Arianna’ – neither of them, it almost goes without saying, conducted by its music director. That is a record the Royal Opera should regard with considerable shame and embarrassment.”
Too right, but don’t hold your breath. Meanwhile, check out Mark Antony Turnage’s fine ‘The Silver Tassie’ at English National Opera (the Coliseum).
(2) Aki Nawaz, founder of Fun’Da’Mental and Nation Records:
“Our philosophy with Nation Records was to give anyone – be it Asian Dub Foundation, Talvin Singh, Transglobal Underground, Jah Wobble – the freedom to express themselves. We don’t have immigration controls.. [but] radio stations won’t go near global fusion music.. Multicultural Britain? Islam messes up the band… But I don’t care. I won’t compromise my beliefs.”
LISTED:
A small selection on Amazon I have called Eclectic Guitars. For that is indeed what they are, in many contexts and across a number of (often boundary-defying) genres.
ARCHIVE REVIEW:
Birtwistle the surprise lyrical purist
Refrains and Choruses: Deux-Elles DXL1019, July 2001.
For the faint-hearted Harrison Birtwistle is a daunting prospect. In the interview with Colin Anderson that accompanies this fine recording he confesses, in a distinctly unapologetic way, that he does not begin to know how to write music 'for' an audience. Rather, (as I would put it) he writes out of his own intrinsic musical fascination; and in so doing invites the listener to accompany him on an adventure. As this collection amply illustrates, it is an adventure well worth joining.
'Refrains And Choruses' takes its title from Birtwistle's first acknowledged work (1957), a beguiling play on opposites and continuities. It is a collection of what he chooses to call 'occasional' rather than 'chamber' music. Perhaps the latter sounds too trivial or functional. More to the point, these compositions, though valuable in their own right, are not simply ends in themselves. Birtwistle frequently uses small ensemble pieces to explore ideas that crop up in, inform, or parallel more complex themes in orchestral or theatre works.
Among the goods on offer in this imaginatively organised compilation are several pieces for piano, including 'Hector's Dream' with its differing chordal patterns. This is about as near as we are ever likely to get to a 'beginner piece' from Birtwistle. The notes are possible, but the inner challenge is in the timing. Similarly, the flute 'Duet For Storab' in six short episodes has a disarmingly simple texture but is fiendishly difficult to perform. Two of its movements ('White Pastoral' and 'From The Church Of Lies') shock with their sweetness and lyricism. Those who stereotype Birtwistle as a monster of the inaccessible are confounded here.
It would of course be quite wrong to imply that Birtwistle in any way compromises his formal musical concerns in these pieces - even the most direct ones. But they are, nonetheless, a very profitable place to start for anyone seeking a way into his aural universe. Whether it is the hocketting on 'Hoquetus Petrus' or the intricate instrumental contrasts on 'Five Distances', there is a good deal to learn about Birtwistle's technique here. But there is also insight into his deep love of music as a means of expression and exploration.
For those already attracted to Birtwistle this material, excellently performed by the Galliard Ensemble and soloists, draws attention to some of the main building blocks of his work. For those who remain daunted or sceptical - but who are willing at least to try - it constitutes a more comprehensible (though no less profound) set of surfaces to contemplate. Thoroughly recommended for all concerned.
(c) Simon Barrow, 6 June 2002.
Thursday, June 20, 2002
JOURNEYING TO THE HEART OF PLANET SOUND: A PERSONAL ODYSSEY
Links in this initial entry are to composer sites, information sites and Amazon files on suitable recordings - though you may find better and cheaper ways to make your purchases.
The story so far... My love of music began when I fell under the spell of a family-owned recording. It was Handel's 'Ode to Saint Cecilia'. (1) Then I received, as a birthday present, my first LP: Karl Richter and the Munich Chamber Orchestra performing Handel's Organ Concertos (Opus 4 and Opus 7). I was about eleven. I almost wore the vinyl out! My parents were slightly less enamoured with the Baroque era - it was mainly the sounds of Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Mozart and Mendelssohn that filled our home. I appreciated them, though I sometimes resented the reverential nature of our listening sessions. Naturally I rebelled as soon as possible.
It happened at the age of twelve or thirteen. A visit to a record store brought me face-to-face with a violent modern painting adorning a recording of Bartok's Second Violin Concerto. I had never heard of Bartok. My parents advised me that it would probably be a bit noisy. That was enough for me. I invested my pocket money immediately. I took it home, played it - and couldn't fathom it at all. But so determined was I not to waste my money, and not to allow my parents to prove me wrong, that I played it over and over again. After about a dozen spins those grooves started to reveal the magic of the sounds embedded in them. First it was the rhythm and energy, then the contrasts of light and dark. Then the atonal melodic and harmonic qualities started to seep into my soul. I began to like it. A lot. I learned the all-important lesson that good music takes time and effort. You must enter its world, not always expecting it to reveal itself instantly or obviously.
By now the muse of music had worked her wonders on me. I was spellbound. I spent time pondering record sleeves by composers I had never heard of in the now-defunct 'Fine Records' store in Worthing. I came across Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, which I later realised had introduced me to jazz; though that bug didn't formally bite for another fifteen years or more. Meanwhile, as I entered my late teens, serious young men were being influenced by something rather dubious called 'progressive rock'. Popular music had largely passed me by. I'd barely heard the Beatles, though I do recall horrifying my parents some years earlier by listening enthusiastically to Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames ('Yeah, Yeah') on Top of the Pops. I liked the energy of rock, but its lyrical and melodic content seemed obvious and boring. The singers were often not my cup of tea, either. And I could do without twangy electric guitars. Oh, and that 4/4 drum drop was deadly.
At this point I was leaned upon by peers brandishing a copy of the first Emerson Lake and Palmer album. The band would later go on to earn its reputation for tasteless bombast, but on this LP they were genuinely interesting. All the usual rock rules did not apply and they were recognisably good musicians within my listening universe. There was Bartok again ('The Barbarian' was a Hammond heavy version of his Allegro Barbaro), and Janacek ('Knife Edge'). Keith Emerson's long jazz piano break in the middle of 'Take A Pebble' was heaven to my ears. So, as well as pursuing my classical interests, Baroque and twentieth century mostly, I started surreptitiously tuning in to a late night programme on Radio 3 called 'Sounds Interesting'. It was hosted by Derek Jewell, then popular music and jazz correspondent for the Sunday Times in London. His enthusiastic and rather earnest take on new trends in rock appealed to me, and via his programme I came across Yes's sprawling, eighty-minute, four movement epic 'Tales From Topographic Oceans'. Then came the frightening electricity of 'Relayer' and the measured glories of 'Close To The Edge'. It began an unlikely lifelong love affair with that particular band, cemented by a magical evening at the Empire Pool Wembley on 28 October 1977.
In my school music classes I had by now been introduced to the wilds of experimental music - John Cage, Feldman, Subotnik and the muso-Dadaists. It didn't grip me straight away, but it left an impression. I admired their sense of adventure and their conviction that music could and should press every boundary, aesthetic and conceptual. I discovered that liking music and finding it interesting or valuable was not exactly the same thing. That realisation has, of course, enabled me to infuriate many an interrogator when I have been asked for an instant opinion on a new piece! Always restless for a new angle, I simultaneously traipsed the streets of Worthing and Brighton with my friend Stuart. He introduced me to proto-punk band Tonge, who later became The Depressions. My attempts to persuade Cathy to like twentieth century classical music failed, however. But then she went on to study it at Oxford and got hooked. Heady days.
Round and round I went on the musical kaleidoscope. At the Roundhouse in London I heard George Crumb's eerie 'Ancient Voices of Children', competing with the rumble of rail trains nearby. Poulenc, Messiaen ('Vignt Regards', 'Le Banquet Celeste'), Debussy, Faure and Frank Martin made it into my collection. A little Bruckner and Mahler, too. But it was the French who seemed especially to grip my soul. Mostly it was instrumental material, here and there choral and vocal. With the late David Munrow I found Machaut and the joys of Early Music. I can't remember when I discovered Tippett, but I know what first inflamed my passion for his strange and demanding sound world. It was the 'Ritual Dances' from his early opera 'The Midsummer Marriage'. I also became a Proms devotee. Copland (I saw him conduct), Ives and Ruggles chanced upon me that way. Britten's 'War Requiem' too. Messiaen's 'Turangalila Symphony' literally transfixed me in the fifth row of the stalls at the Albert Hall one night. It was as if something had arrived from another world.
In the 1980s I lived in London and enrolled for an extramural sight-reading and theory course at Morley College. I didn't make massive progress, to be honest, but I borrowed an awful lot of records from the library! Webern, Henze, Ligeti and Varese come to mind. Also around that time I discovered jazz, particularly through a friend in Leeds who was devoted to Art Pepper. He introduced me to the fledgling pianist Jason Rebello and the legendary sax giant John Coltrane. The extraordinary Miles Davis thus came late - I had already encountered the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report and Soft Machine during my prog days, so the connections flowed naturally into the burgeoning fusion scene. Bill Bruford's Earthworks, of course, and the unfathomable harmonic flights of guitarist Alan Holdsworth. Then back to King Crimson. Inter alia I should offer a quick prayer of thanks for the South Bank Centre, the Contemporary Music Network, Serious/Speakout , the Society for the Promotion of New Music, and the CD-zine ‘Unknown Public’.
While I shared a semi-communal pad in Brixton the 'house band' was women's jazz combo The Guest Stars. An Australian flatmate then introduced me to The Smiths (I still rate Morrissey as one of the great songwriters), New Order and Talking Heads. The intelligent folk of Suzanne Vega blew through open windows during that period, and Asian and African music too. I remember a mesmerising set from Hugh Masakela at a jazz club in East London. In the nineties I began listening to Turnage, Birtwistle, Bill Frisell and Zappa. I found myself reading The Wire (for adventures in the more obscure environs of recorded and live sound). When I married Carla I discovered the gentle country-jazz of Montreux and Barbara Higbie. I also enjoyed a powerful re-awakening to Monteverdi's 'Vespers' at Union Chapel. I heard Jan Garbarek and the Hilliard live in church and concert hall. An electrifying chance meeting on a plane introduced me to a new friend from the US, Priscilla. She loves opera and has more traditional classical tastes - a reminder for me of those all-important roots. I love the Beethoven late String Quartets. I may yet listen to the Symphonies from end to end. I might even soften to Mozart.
So onward goes the unchartable adventure that is music. At the moment I am returning to Handel's Organ Concertos after a thirty year gap and enjoying the legato jazz guitar of Deirdre Cartwright who I came across in the '80s. At the same time I've discovered Elizabeth Maconchy's String Quartets, the sonic mind warp of Godspeed You Black Emperor!, Goldie's drum'n'bass anthem 'Timeless', Evan Parker's freeform soundscapes (not before time) and a host of hidden contemporary classical voices via MP3.
This weblog is called 'NewFrontEars' because, poor pun though it might be, that's exactly what we need every day to refresh our acquaintance with the wonders of music. When all else in the world seems dark and fitful, the muse of music continues to weave a spell, open better vistas, enrich the spirit, enchant the past, and invite us ever forwards. Each musical journey is different. But if mine can enrich yours and vice versa all shall be well in the end.
NOTE: (1) The actual recording was: Handel Ode for St Cecilia: final recit. & chorus. April Cantelo and Choir of King's College Cambridge/Willcocks. Decca 436-259-2. LP. Get the vinyl if you can track it.
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