Chamber Music, Classical Music, Contemporary Classical, Downtown, Experimental Music

Sounds Postitively…Anti-Social

Dear Jerry,

You are cordially invited to a program featuring the music of Pat
Muchmore as performed by the erstwhile and talented members of Anti-Social Music. The gala shall be held at the Ukrainian National Home at 2nd Ave between 8th & 9th streets on December the Thirteenth, where the finest beers and vodkas will be available to soothe the savage humours stirred by the oft-acrid tones emanating from the stage. Also available: pierogies and other Ukrainian delicacies–some of which may be forcibly shoved down the gullets of less attentive patrons.

A number of works excreted by Muchmore’s fecund mind will be played, all of which sport titles that are either incomprehensible, not fit to be uttered in polite society, or both. The fine musicians of ASM will then venture into the studio to record these works for an upcoming release on laser-etched binary Audio-Disk, courtesy of the fine folks at the American Music Center and their wondrous Aaron Copland Fund.

Other cool people involved in making this night of pleasure happen include The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, NYSCA, and the Meet the Composer/JPMorgan Chase Fund for Small Ensembles.

cheers,
Andrea La Rose
Anti-Social Music

Anti-Social Music Presents:
Muchmore Music–Muchmore Pierogies
Thursday, Dec. 13th – 8PM
Ukrainian National Home ( 140 2nd Avenue bet. 8th & 9th Sts)
6 to Astor Place/R-W to 8th St/F-V to 2nd Ave/L to 1st or 3rd Ave
http://antisocialmusic.org

by Jerry Bowles
Contemporary Classical

Making a List

It’s that time of year again when critics make lists.  The New York Times musical luminaries have made their choices which include, by the way, a couple of items on my list which I’ll be revealing in these very digital environs in due course.  First, however, I thought we should do a community list.  What were your favorite new music releases in 2007?  Oh, hell, let’s make it favorite live performances too.

by Jerry Bowles
CDs, Classical Music, Contemporary Classical

How Strange is the Change From Major to Minor

Big news on the time-marches-on front.  Deutsche Grammophon (DG) yesterday became the first major classical record label to make the majority of its huge catalogue available online for download with the launch of its new DG Web Shop.

The DG Web Shop allows consumers in 42 countries to download music, including–the press folks claim–markets where the major e-business retailers, such as iTunes, are not yet available: Southeast Asia including China, India, Latin America, South Africa, and Central and Eastern Europe including Russia.

Almost 2,400 DG albums will be available for download in maximum MP3 quality at a transfer bit-rate of 320 kilobits per second (kbps) –  an audio-level that is indistinguishable to most of us from CD quality audio; and which exceeds the usual industry download-standard of 128-192 kbps (as well as EMI’s 256 kbps on iTunes, the press folks helpfully observe).  Most prices are in the $12 range, which is not too bad I suppose although they’d be making a nice profit at half that.

The best feature, from my perspective, is that 600 out-of-print CDs are now available again as downloads. 

by Jerry Bowles
Classical Music, Contemporary Classical

Not So Great Performances

From the BBC:

Croatia rose to the occasion in their crucial Euro 2008 defeat of England – after an apparent X-rated gaffe by an English opera singer at Wembley.

Tony Henry belted out a version of the Croat anthem before the 80,000 crowd, but made a blunder at the end.

He should have sung ‘Mila kuda si planina’ (which roughly means ‘You know my dear how we love your mountains’).

But he instead sang ‘Mila kura si planina’ which can be interpreted as ‘My dear, my penis is a mountain.’   –more–

Today’s topic–embarassing public performances.  Your own or others.

by Jerry Bowles
Contemporary Classical

Unsilent Night in San Diego

December Nights Balboa Park 2006

If you’re in the San Diego/Tijuana region today, or if you happen to be at your computer at 6 pm PST, tune in to KSDS FM (88.3), our beloved jazz station, to hear yours truly and Ellen Weller interviewed about our forthcoming Unsilent Night performances.

I don’t know if this is a first for Unsilent Night worldwide, but we are entered as a participant in a holiday parade:  The North Park Toyland Parade, Sat. Dec. 8 at 11 am, marching down University Ave from Utah to 32nd St.  I set up a Facebook page called Unsilent Night San Diego with more details, plus photos from one of our performances last year. 

Our traditional (well, five years old anyway) stroll through the Gaslamp Quarter will take place on Sat. Dec. 15 at 7 pm, starting at the Gaslamp Quarter trolley stop.  If you want more information and don’t want to register with Facebook, send me an email at christianDOThertzogATgmailDOTcom.

Your town doesn’t have an Unsilent Night performance?  Go to Phil Kline’s site and learn how you can join the electronic caroling fun.

by Christian Hertzog
Classical Music, Composers, Contemporary Classical

Play That Funky Music, Monk Boy

The new Pope with the Prada slippers whose name nobody can remember, and who is, by the way, German, is apparently banning modern music in the Vatican.  Seems he thinks that Pope Gregory pretty much nailed it and is backing his chief enforcer–Mgr Valentin Miserachs Grau, director of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, which trains church musicians, who says that there had been serious “deviations” in the performance of sacred music.

“How far we are from the true spirit of sacred music. How can we stand it that such a wave of inconsistent, arrogant and ridiculous profanities have so easily gained a stamp of approval in our celebrations?” he said.

He added that a pontifical office could correct the abuses, and would be “opportune”. He said: “Due to general ignorance, especially in sectors of the clergy, there exists music which is devoid of sanctity, true art and universality.” 

The Pope is also considering having the Sistine Chapel ceiling painted to remove any hint of perspective.

by Jerry Bowles
Contemporary Classical

Question

I have a vague recollection of an article in the Sunday Times sometime in July of one of the last ten or so years which compared the decline of twelve-tone music (or maybe atonality or maybe modernism in general, but I think it was twelve-tone music) to the fall of the Soviet Union. I wonder if anybody remembers it and can possible cite its date and author.

Thanks

by Rodney Lister
Contemporary Classical

Sequenza21/NetNewMusic Wiki Spammed – Temporarily Taken Down

Unfortunately, I’ve been unable to keep up with the spam attacks our little wiki have suffered and have been forced, because of bandwidth charges, to take it temporarily down. I don’t mind spending a few bucks for the new music world; I’m just not that interested in spending bucks for creepy botboys.

I’ll be looking for some plugins or other solutions in the meantime. Sorry for any inconvenience. All of the data is fine – including a zillion links to sex toys, viagra, ciallis in our articles and then there’s the spam stuff too! Just kidding… and stay tuned.

P.S.  It’s back up.  I upgraded to the latest version and installed two new spam-blocking systems.  One, unfortunately, requires that you verify you’re not a bot by typing in 2 words.  Any help, removing all of the krrrrrap those jerks put into our wiki would be appreciated.

by Jeff Harrington
Contemporary Classical

What’s with that? (or rock out, Roma-style)

All the ooh-ahh flutter over Golijov’s Ayre, or even the recent Dudamel & Co., and then you spot something like this:

Loredana: Marioara de la Gorj (2001)

Loredana is a Romanian Madonna pop-diva clone (here’s a more typical example from her new CD, where Roma kinda meets the Black Eyed Peas), but here shows that underneath her roots are second nature. All props to the Dude & kids, Ms. Upshaw, O.G. (and especially Gustavo Santaolalla, the real mastermind behind the sound of Ayre), but even this MTV-style context should show that the lessons of this kind of approach and energy are already all around.

by Steve Layton