He doesn’t sing or play the cello (as far as I know) but one of my favorite composers in the whole wide world is Erkki-Sven Tüür, another of those masterful Estonians we hear a lot about. I would say that even if I didn’t know that he is a faithful and longtime reader of Sequenza21. But, I digress. The Estonian Philharmonic Choir, with the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste, will be performing two of Erkki-Sven’s choral pieces next Monday night at The Community Church of New York, 40 East 35th Street. There are also pieces by Tõnu Kõrvits
Read moreThis just in from singing cellist Jody Redhage: Hi friends, I’m excited to announce that my new website is up and running! Please visit www.jodyredhage.com. Also, Fire in July is playing a really fun show this Wednesday, Nov. 12 at the Players Theatre in the Village. We’re sharing the night with fellow chamber pop band alice. Please see the details below. Hope everyone is well! All best, Jody FIRE IN JULY Wed., Nov. 12, 2008 8:00 pm alice 9:00pm Fire in July Music on MacDougal Series The Players Theatre 115 MacDougal St. (between W 3rd and Bleeker) New York, NY 10012 212-475-1449
Read moreThe last concert I attended that involved one of the great minimalist composers was a concert over the summer at the Dream House–a three hour long close encounter (small, hot and sweaty room) with La Monte Young and crew. While I enjoyed the music, I felt that I had my fill of hot and sweaty for the rest of the year. So it was a surprise when I saw La Monte Young talking to Terry Riley at a specially reserved table just some 10 feet away from me (as well as the fact that I was hot and cramped once
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Bang on a Can, Chamber Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, Just Intonation
Thursday morning I talked with composer Terry Riley, who is in New York this week to collaborate with the Bang on a Can All-Stars in the US premiere of his work Autodreamographical Tales at Le Poisson Rouge on 8 November. Riley is famous for being one of the “Big Four” of American minimalist composers (the others: LaMonte Young, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass). But while his early works, such as A Rainbow in Curved Air, Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band, and the seminal In C, were musical rallying cries during minimalism’s ascendance in the 1960s, Riley’s been involved with
Read moreVolker Bertelmann, otherwise known as “Hauschka,” grew up in Ferndorf, a small village in southern Austria. His latest album is named after the town and features tracks which capture the light, “floating” mood of his childhood rambles through the countryside. Next week, Wordless Music hosts the beginning of Hauschka’s US tour featuring pieces from the album. Though his childhood was filled with music from attending church and song-filled family celebrations, he left home for Cologne to study medicine. But his piano playing, his desire to compose, and an early film-score commission convinced him to quit his studies and immerse himself
Read moreOn October 8, 1963–only 45 years ago–the great soul singer Sam Cooke and his band tried to register at a motel in Shreveport, Louisiana and were arrested for disturbing the peace. Not long after that, Cooke wrote this song. No matter what your political feelings are, we have something to be proud of this fine morning.
Read moreOn November 3rd, I sat down with David Lang at a cafe in Downtown Manhattan. I recorded the interview (on my iPod) intending to transcribe it, but the audio, while still marred by a lot of background noise, is actually listenable. Here it is:
Read moreConcerning the quality of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic, currently playing at the Metropolitan Opera through November 13, I am of many minds. This may be due in no small part to the opera being of many minds itself. Doctor Atomic is about as good as any opera could be given that its creators do not seem to have a cogent idea of what drama is. At first a documentary-style perspective on the events leading to the first atomic bomb test holds sway. In the first scene, the chorus and characters sing lines containing all the poetry of a Pentagon press
Read moreWe need somebody to do a pre-concert interview with Terry Riley and maybe review his Bang on a Can happening at Le Poisson Rouge on November 8. Free tickets, of course. Hands?
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