I went to several concerts in early March; I’ve been lazy about reviewing them but they deserve mention. So here are three quick reviews in one: March 1, 2009: Donald Berman at Le Poisson Rouge Berman (at left) is a terrific pianist, and this was overall a very solid program. There were several works by Mark Wingate, all of which were good–they sometimes got a bit generic, but much of the time were fresh and interesting. Wingate’s tape piece Welcome to Medicare is brilliant. He took recordings of Medicare’s already fairly byzantine automated telephone system, then re-cut and processed it to make a sort of bureaucratic
Read moreMost S21 regulars know about these already, but for all our newer visitors I thought I’d mention how most of us keep on top of what’s what, day-to-day, in the classical and “non-pop” world. The secret is to visit a few of the aggregation sites intrepid volunteers have set up, that comb the news sites and blogs for current tidbits of interest. It’s really pretty easy on your part, requiring just three quick clicks (besides our humble and happy abode, of course!) once a day (or twice or thrice, even better): NetNewMusic Reblog — Jeff Harrington’s site probably has the
Read moreHey, remember a couple of weeks ago when I asked if anyone knew a video blogger for a special project. I found one and not only is she a terrific interviewer (not to mention cute as a button) but i hear she plays a pretty mean fiddle. Here, Hilary interviews violinist and YouTube symphony member Ben Chan about his experience via video Skype. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZhqE0sVfV0&annotation_id=annotation_681278&feature=iv[/youtube]
Read moreOn this very page back in 2007, one of my ‘click picks’ told you about a great historic recording available to hear on the web: one of John Cage’s and Lou Harrison’s earliest all-percussion concerts, presented at the Cornish School in Seattle, May 19th, 1939. As I wrote in my earlier post: The performers heard include Cage, his then-wife Xenia, and the dancer Doris Dennison. (and quite possibly Lou Harrison himself. The photo here shows Lou, John, and Xenia behind, Doris and Margaret Jansen in front). The pieces on these recordings represent the core of the West-Coast experimentalist group (I know, I know, Harry Partch; but
Read more[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiazdmmZF_8[/youtube] Though usually known by its French title, “Les Noces” (The Wedding), this piece is ‘wedded’ so strongly to Stravinsky’s native tongue that I prefer to think of it by its original Russian title. Stravinsky’s apotheosis of his Russian-folk style gave birth to almost as many developments as the iconoclastic Rite of Spring. The Rite was an amazing achievement, coming only thirty years after Brahm’s second Piano Concerto; but the novel rhythms, form, harmonies were still mostly clothed in the symphonic and balletic traditions of that earlier time. Just a few years later in Svadebka (1923, though the piece was musically complete by 1917) even
Read moreCongratulations to our Peruvian-born, Belgium-abiding amigo Marco Antonio Mazzini who was one of the 90 or so musicians from 30 countries chosen from submitted videos to play in the YouTube Symphony. The orchestra will appear on April 15 at Carnegie Hall, with Michael Tilson Thomas as conductor, and music by Tan Dun.
Read moreOne of our English connections (and good S21 pal), Edward Lawes sent along a note reminding us that György Ligeti is BBC3’s Composer of the Week, so be sure to check the schedule for lots of good listening on the menu. Not only that, but This Tuesday (10 March) evening brings us a great all–Xenakis broadcast on the Beeb’s Performance on 3 program. That feast includes Tracees, Anastenaria, Sea-Nymphs, Mists, Nuits, Troorkh, and Antikhthon. This stuff is generally archived for a week or so, meaning you can be fashionably late yet still not miss a note. Ed’s own blog, Complement.Inversion.Etc., is
Read moreSchuyler Chapin, the legendary former general manager of the Met, died yesterday at 86. Composer Matthew Zachary Johnson, who served as Mr. Chapin’s secretary for the past four years, has a tribute here.
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Chamber Music, Classical Music, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, Electro-Acoustic, Experimental Music, Improv, Music Events, New York, Performers
Interpretations continues its twentieth season of provocative programming in New York City. Founded and curated by baritone Thomas Buckner in 1989, Interpretations focuses on the relationship between contemporary composers from both jazz and classical backgrounds and their interpreters, whether the composers themselves or performers who specialize in new music. To celebrate, Jerry Bowles has invited the artists involved in this season’s concerts to blog about their Interpretations experiences. The concert on 12 March 2009 is a recital by the producer himself, baritone Thomas Buckner. He took time out of his busy schedule to tell us in his own words about
Read moreThere are beings that are just too special for this world. They arrive, fully-formed, on the messy little stage of your life and immediately dazzle you with their stunning beauty and charisma and goodness. They capture your heart so completely that you are always a little fearful that something this perfect cannot last. Howard arrived in our household eight years ago, at a time when we were still mourning the loss of a previous companion. By the second day, previous cats were forgotten. He seemed to have two speeds—full and stop—careening around our apartment and crashing into furniture like a
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