What a couple of days.
Friday night started with the combined might of POING and the Norwegian Wind Ensemble performing Eivind Buene's Into The Void. I really enjoyed the concert - a real mix of stuff, including a full on funk sound during the Theories of Mass Construction Void. Worth listening out for again. Dror Feiler's Noise Orchestra were astounding. Very, very noisy. The piece was called music is castrated noise. Well that was music with cojones. They were even giving out earplugs before the concert.
Saturday was a mix of stuff. Started off with Anton Lukoszevize performing on cello and electronics. Of particular note were Juste Janulyte's Psalms, Karlheinz Essl's Sequitur IV and Richardas Kabelis CCCC. The Arne Deforece / Richard Barrett concert I didn't really get too excited about. The Samuel Beckett video Not I (featuring Julianne Moore's mouth) was quite interesting, but the music passed me by.
The Saturday evening had a real feeling of the HCMF letting it's collective hair down. First off the musikFabrik performance of Stockhausen's KLANG: 9th hour was excellent, but even better was the second half of the programme when they performed outer nothingness and Pleiades by Sun Ra. Absolutely beautiful pieces of music (especially Pleiades). The entrance of the wind and brass sections down opposite sides of St Pauls Hall will remain with me for a long time. Sun Ra's combination of free jazz and melody was like a drink of water after some of the more abstract stuff that I've been exposed to.
The hair shaking continued into the evening with the ascolta / Zappa concert at Bates Mill. This was by far the longest performance (12-hour marathons excluded), but the audience was gripped throughout. The band even did an encore! I have a little knowledge of Zappa's music, and I have to say that ascolta did it proud. Really amazing performance. Props particularly to Hubert Steiner's blistering electric guitar (proving that classically trained guitarists can rock) and Lukas Schiske's drum solo during the penultimate medley. What's particularly sickening, as I said to my friend, is that this isn't even their day job! On a slightly more serious note, it was really interesting to hear the original synclavier recording of Samba Funk, which ascolta then played along with. That is as close as I will come to hearing Frank Zappa performing live.
So Sunday morning, and the last day of the festival. Nice start to the day listening to the New London Chamber Choir performing works by Mauricio Kagel and Stockhausen. Kegel's Gegenstimmen was excellent, but the performance of Stockhausen's Litanei 97 was superb: full of movement (literally, as the choir pirouetted about the hall).
So just the final concert to go, but what a concert: a full-on four-and-a-quarter hours John Cage tribute (with breaks, thankfully!). Bring it on!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Friday, 28 November 2008
Friday early evening...
Just got out from hearing nearly all of The Game of Life Foundation's Wave Field Synthesis performance of Sternenrest. Very impressive rig comprising 192 speakers arranged around the audience. Well, most of the audience - I arrived late thanks to a doctor's appointment and had to sit outside the main area. Never mind. I think I got most of what was going on: random-sounding scratchy noises being moved around the audience accompanied by a guitar, then a percussionist playing a bunch of glassware and finally an ensemble. Nice meditative stuff, supposedly derived from measurements of a star. Nice concept.
The other thing this morning was Nicola Sani's AchaB, skronking solo clarinet of varying magnitudes (regular, bass and contra-bass) accompanied by / accompanying noises and video projections. I really enjoyed AchaB 2 - good visuals and noises and not too annoying a clarinet part. The others were less interesting to me.
The other thing this morning was Nicola Sani's AchaB, skronking solo clarinet of varying magnitudes (regular, bass and contra-bass) accompanied by / accompanying noises and video projections. I really enjoyed AchaB 2 - good visuals and noises and not too annoying a clarinet part. The others were less interesting to me.
Friday already
I can't believe I've been doing this nearly a week. How time flies. A mere 10 concerts remain. That means I've been to 25 concerts over the last week, and missed only two. I may miss another this afternoon, as I have an appointment with my doctor as a result of my continuing hacking cough.
Since last I wrote I've seen the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart again - this time performing 12 Madrigali by Salvatore Sciarrino. I have to admit to having very little recollection of the performance, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. As far as I can remember it was OK, but nothing special.
The second half of the Stockhausen KLANG was also good - as long as I remembered not to concentrate too hard. Much the same as the first half, except I didn't start off in a bad mood.
The final event was Bakin Zub performing Jeanne of the Dark. This promised much, and I was really enjoying some of the earlier music. I even came away humming part of it - not a common occurrence over the last week! The piece progressed through alternating ensemble pieces (entitled Vampire, Eroticism and Cannibalism) and slo-mo psychedelic videos showing a vampy woman with what appeared to be Minnie Mouse ears on. So far, so good. The final segment combined recordings of the earlier music (possibly done on the night), with additional visuals and live music. It was entitled Vamp. Erm, so far so obvious - the figure of a vamp is a combination of otherworldly sex and danger. A couple of the players then narrated over an old French silent movie Les Vampires. I found this rather entertaining, but I suspect not in the way that the creators had intended - it reminded me more of old editions of Whose Line Is It Anyway. A final flourish was added by one of the artists calling out the musicians names in the style of a really cheesy mittel european rock band. No need. It felt like 40 minutes of musical ideas squeezed into 65 minutes.
Since last I wrote I've seen the Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart again - this time performing 12 Madrigali by Salvatore Sciarrino. I have to admit to having very little recollection of the performance, which is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how you look at it. As far as I can remember it was OK, but nothing special.
The second half of the Stockhausen KLANG was also good - as long as I remembered not to concentrate too hard. Much the same as the first half, except I didn't start off in a bad mood.
The final event was Bakin Zub performing Jeanne of the Dark. This promised much, and I was really enjoying some of the earlier music. I even came away humming part of it - not a common occurrence over the last week! The piece progressed through alternating ensemble pieces (entitled Vampire, Eroticism and Cannibalism) and slo-mo psychedelic videos showing a vampy woman with what appeared to be Minnie Mouse ears on. So far, so good. The final segment combined recordings of the earlier music (possibly done on the night), with additional visuals and live music. It was entitled Vamp. Erm, so far so obvious - the figure of a vamp is a combination of otherworldly sex and danger. A couple of the players then narrated over an old French silent movie Les Vampires. I found this rather entertaining, but I suspect not in the way that the creators had intended - it reminded me more of old editions of Whose Line Is It Anyway. A final flourish was added by one of the artists calling out the musicians names in the style of a really cheesy mittel european rock band. No need. It felt like 40 minutes of musical ideas squeezed into 65 minutes.
Thursday, 27 November 2008
KLANG, Thursday lunchtime
First of a pair of concerts dedicated to part of Stockhausen's unfinished swansong. In practical terms, it was performed on piano by Nicolas Hodges. At one point, he affixed a set of sleigh bells to his right wrist. The music was slow, introspective and dischordant. I found it deepened a 'down' mood that I had when I entered the venue. I admit I toyed with the idea of leaving, but instead began reading the programme notes. Thus distracted, I began to appreciate the ringing tones of the piano, and found my mood improved by the music so that by the end I would say that I enjoyed it!
Stimmung, Wednesday evening
My first real exposure to Karlheinz Stockhausen. Weird. It felt like some futuristic pagan ritual was being performed. Some seriously stunning vocal techniques: lots of nasal singing and fast echoes of other singers. Almost sounded like analog synth filter sweeps at times.
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
6 Piano Installations, Wednesday evening
Nice bit of light relief provided by 6 absurd performances, culminating in a pianist playing with her wrists attached to pulleys with weights on the end, thus rendering playing immensely difficult.
Quatuor Bozzini / Tenney, Wednesday afternoon
Yet another helping of Tenney. This programme seems to feature microtones quite a lot. The first piece, Diaphonic Study, employs a piano tuned to a bizarre scale based on harmonics of F. The overall effect is dissonant, bordering on woozy.
The long piece is a sort of tribute to other composers - Partsch, Varèse, Feldman, Xenakis, Ruggles. I guess if I knew their work, this would have been more entertaining: as it was, it was interesting to listen to but ultimately just a composer's game that I was left out of.
The final piece, Koan, is of the drone persuasion. Best listened to with eyes closed: I believe the sight of the performers detract from my experience of this kind of performance. As I listen to it, I'm reminded of Philip Glass in odd moments. The quartet's shifting frequencies occasionally break through to a recognisable chord, and then slowly drift apart only to meet up again later. Outstanding!
I have to say, I've developed a bit of a penchant for James Tenney over the course of the festival: I shall definitely be exploring recordings of his works. I think the mathematical nature of his compositions appeals.
The long piece is a sort of tribute to other composers - Partsch, Varèse, Feldman, Xenakis, Ruggles. I guess if I knew their work, this would have been more entertaining: as it was, it was interesting to listen to but ultimately just a composer's game that I was left out of.
The final piece, Koan, is of the drone persuasion. Best listened to with eyes closed: I believe the sight of the performers detract from my experience of this kind of performance. As I listen to it, I'm reminded of Philip Glass in odd moments. The quartet's shifting frequencies occasionally break through to a recognisable chord, and then slowly drift apart only to meet up again later. Outstanding!
I have to say, I've developed a bit of a penchant for James Tenney over the course of the festival: I shall definitely be exploring recordings of his works. I think the mathematical nature of his compositions appeals.
John Tilbury, Wednesday lunchtime
Just listened to a programme of Cornelius Cardhew pieces played by John Tilbury on a pair of pianos (one prepared). I could see the music was beautiful, and I detected a distinct thread the other end of which was attached to Satie. However, I come back to the problem I have with some contemporary music, which is that it seems to require a distinct way of being listened to. I don't possess this skill, unfortunately. It feels like something that I need to work on, which begs the question is it worth it? Don't know. This may give you the impression that I didn't enjoy the recital. Far from it. It's just that I think I was missing something, and I want to know what it was...
Halfway there!
So I've used up to ticket number 19 out of 38. For the mathematically minded amongst you that represents half the festival over and done. So far I missed two concerts, which isn't too bad going. I have to say at this stage I would do it all again next year, although I might be a little more selective. There's still only been one thing that I just completely failed to connect with. I've learned that I like slow textural pieces. I just hope the second half sees a recovery from this damnéd cold that I'm carrying.
Highlights so far: without doubt my favourite has been Prana by Peter Adriaansz; Martin Arnold's Moonlight on the Bluff was good, as was Nicole Lizée's Marsh Chapel Experiment; I enjoyed the Dror Feiler pieces Basura and Müll, David Fennessy's Big Lung and the Poppe pieces Salz and Knochen (although not Öl so much).
Highlights so far: without doubt my favourite has been Prana by Peter Adriaansz; Martin Arnold's Moonlight on the Bluff was good, as was Nicole Lizée's Marsh Chapel Experiment; I enjoyed the Dror Feiler pieces Basura and Müll, David Fennessy's Big Lung and the Poppe pieces Salz and Knochen (although not Öl so much).
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Prana, Tuesday evening
My new-found love of slowly-evolving texture is being indulged in spades by this performance. I love it already and we're only 5 minutes in! Playing a piano with an e-bow is genius!
At half an hour in, I'm still in love with this piece. We've just entered the third section. It's evolving in a long, slow, meandering way. Utterly spellbinding (and distinctly trippy).
The ensemble comprises three guitarists with e-bows, a pianist with e-bow, a keyboard/vibes player, two percussionists (much use of bows) and four singers.
The final segment (one hour in) is resolving to a massive unified drone underpinned by a huge bass note from the e-bowed piano. Reminiscent of Buddhist chants, perhaps unsurprisingly. The whole space vibrates with the beat frequencies and harmonics from the guitars. Amazing energy.
The end was a slow fading away to silence.
Without doubt, the best thing I've seen so far this week.
At half an hour in, I'm still in love with this piece. We've just entered the third section. It's evolving in a long, slow, meandering way. Utterly spellbinding (and distinctly trippy).
The ensemble comprises three guitarists with e-bows, a pianist with e-bow, a keyboard/vibes player, two percussionists (much use of bows) and four singers.
The final segment (one hour in) is resolving to a massive unified drone underpinned by a huge bass note from the e-bowed piano. Reminiscent of Buddhist chants, perhaps unsurprisingly. The whole space vibrates with the beat frequencies and harmonics from the guitars. Amazing energy.
The end was a slow fading away to silence.
Without doubt, the best thing I've seen so far this week.
Continuum, Tuesday evening
A couple of excellent pieces in the first half. I enjoyed Marsh Chapel Experiment by Nicole Lizée. An exercise in psychedelic video manipulation accompanied the group. The final section was underpinned by a mashed version of Please Mr. Postman by The Carpenters repeating "Stop, Wait" at irregular intervals. Reminded me of Coldcut and Sonic Youth jamming. The other standout piece was Moonlight on the Bluff by Martin Arnold. A really beautiful piece which inspired me to purchase the CD! Definitely one of the highlights so far.
The second half began with James Rolfe's raW, in which some Bach is filtered through reggae music and The Stars and Stripes. I could certainly get the Bach with snatches of the other music's beat. The final piece, Glorious, was eagerly anticipated by the staff of the LBT, largely because of the appearance of graphic sexual images in the accompanying video. Huddersfield's virtual net curtains were twitching overtime. The film was in the Buñuel style - rather surreal. The accompanying music further reinforced this image: very comical silent movie-eqsue. The graphic bit, when it came (pardon the pun) was comical, rather than shocking! Huddersfield needn't have worried.
The second half began with James Rolfe's raW, in which some Bach is filtered through reggae music and The Stars and Stripes. I could certainly get the Bach with snatches of the other music's beat. The final piece, Glorious, was eagerly anticipated by the staff of the LBT, largely because of the appearance of graphic sexual images in the accompanying video. Huddersfield's virtual net curtains were twitching overtime. The film was in the Buñuel style - rather surreal. The accompanying music further reinforced this image: very comical silent movie-eqsue. The graphic bit, when it came (pardon the pun) was comical, rather than shocking! Huddersfield needn't have worried.
Quatuor Bozzini / Tenney, Tuesday afternoon
Another helping of Tenney, this time including arrangements of Beatles tunes.
Arbor Vitae developed beautifully, from slow, creeping, scratchy harmonics to fingered notes and back again. On occasions I heard hunting horn-like tones. I'm realising I like slowly developing tones in pieces. It reminded me of In a large, open space from last night, although shorter and faster developing.
Cognate Canons struck me as very cerebral music. I wasn't feeling it on an emotional level until I stopped concentrating on it, at which point I found it became much more engaging, ironically.
The final piece, saxony, started with a low drone manufactured by the string quartet's playing being fed into a delay line. The sound developed by adding extra trills and notes related to the first. The sound became very complex, with what sounded like snippets of Scandinavian folk fiddle emerging. I was reminded of a CD I possess: Milvus by Mats Eden. It finally collapsed to the original drone as the players stopped playing and the delayed version faded. Really excellent.
The Lennon/McCartney interludes were rather fun. Nice contrast from the other Tenney pieces. Interesting to hear such familiar tunes being exposed in such a different way.
Arbor Vitae developed beautifully, from slow, creeping, scratchy harmonics to fingered notes and back again. On occasions I heard hunting horn-like tones. I'm realising I like slowly developing tones in pieces. It reminded me of In a large, open space from last night, although shorter and faster developing.
Cognate Canons struck me as very cerebral music. I wasn't feeling it on an emotional level until I stopped concentrating on it, at which point I found it became much more engaging, ironically.
The final piece, saxony, started with a low drone manufactured by the string quartet's playing being fed into a delay line. The sound developed by adding extra trills and notes related to the first. The sound became very complex, with what sounded like snippets of Scandinavian folk fiddle emerging. I was reminded of a CD I possess: Milvus by Mats Eden. It finally collapsed to the original drone as the players stopped playing and the delayed version faded. Really excellent.
The Lennon/McCartney interludes were rather fun. Nice contrast from the other Tenney pieces. Interesting to hear such familiar tunes being exposed in such a different way.
Tuesday afternoon, a brief lull
Three performances to report: Electric Autumn, James Tenney's In a large, open space and Silent Noisy Music.
The first of these was the performance resulting from a weekend of workshops with young (13-16 year old) guitarists, exploring alternative ways to make noises with guitars. Aside from the couple of guitar players who insisted on playing Stairway to Heaven in the pauses between the playing (they'll learn about the power of the sound man!), the group was remarkably mature. A particularly striking piece involved solo notes from each of the guitarists in sequence. At each iteration they modulated their own note: louder or softer; with a bend or slide; pick scraping. Really very good.
The setting for James Tenney's In a large, open space comprised some 15 or 20 players with sustaining instruments spread around Bates Mill. Over the course of an hour, they played long, soft notes selected from the score. The audience were encouraged to move about the space to get a different perspective on the music. I found it hugely hypnotic: by the end I felt like part of the performance, which I suppose I was.
The first event this morning, Silent Noisy Music, demonstrated the range of the Piano Baschet-Malbos, which is a weird sci-fi looking contraption. Four pieces were played on the PBM: the highlight by far was the Pierre Alexandre Tremblay piece Le tombeau des fondeurs. The interplay between the PBM and electronics built up rich tones reminiscent of peals of bells. Quite astounding. The four pieces were punctuated by Musicbox Interludes performed by Crank. Of the 10 pieces performed, the PA Tremblay composition Billows in a ladle really stood out for it's use of the (albeit limited) range of the instruments. The John Lely Box Music was a close second.
Off to town soon for a bit more James Tenney.
The first of these was the performance resulting from a weekend of workshops with young (13-16 year old) guitarists, exploring alternative ways to make noises with guitars. Aside from the couple of guitar players who insisted on playing Stairway to Heaven in the pauses between the playing (they'll learn about the power of the sound man!), the group was remarkably mature. A particularly striking piece involved solo notes from each of the guitarists in sequence. At each iteration they modulated their own note: louder or softer; with a bend or slide; pick scraping. Really very good.
The setting for James Tenney's In a large, open space comprised some 15 or 20 players with sustaining instruments spread around Bates Mill. Over the course of an hour, they played long, soft notes selected from the score. The audience were encouraged to move about the space to get a different perspective on the music. I found it hugely hypnotic: by the end I felt like part of the performance, which I suppose I was.
The first event this morning, Silent Noisy Music, demonstrated the range of the Piano Baschet-Malbos, which is a weird sci-fi looking contraption. Four pieces were played on the PBM: the highlight by far was the Pierre Alexandre Tremblay piece Le tombeau des fondeurs. The interplay between the PBM and electronics built up rich tones reminiscent of peals of bells. Quite astounding. The four pieces were punctuated by Musicbox Interludes performed by Crank. Of the 10 pieces performed, the PA Tremblay composition Billows in a ladle really stood out for it's use of the (albeit limited) range of the instruments. The John Lely Box Music was a close second.
Off to town soon for a bit more James Tenney.
Monday, 24 November 2008
Scottish Flute Trio, Monday afternoon
Back into St Paul's Hall to listen to the Scottish Flute Trio.
Thea Musgrave's Taking Turns reminded me of a Bach canon. Rising through three phases and falling to the last. Satisfying intellectually and nice to listen to.
I found Kirsty Blackwood's Elastic Cast very interesting - nice mix of textures and dramatic tempo changes. I'd like to search out more of her work.
Aquarium by Sally Beamish was introduced and explained by Robert Irvine (cellist and Sally's partner). I think this spoiled it a bit, because I knew what I was supposed to think about the piece, rather than actually listening to it. It was certainly evocative of fish and all things aquatic. It felt a bit like I was watching a National Geographic documentary.
The final piece was Changing Paths by Pippa Murphy. I found it pretty, but not hugely interesting. This is possibly more about the fact that it was at the end of the programme, rather than anything inherently poor about the music. I think 45 minutes is about my limit.
All in all, an enjoyable concert. I suspect that it's the HCMF version of easy listening!
Thea Musgrave's Taking Turns reminded me of a Bach canon. Rising through three phases and falling to the last. Satisfying intellectually and nice to listen to.
I found Kirsty Blackwood's Elastic Cast very interesting - nice mix of textures and dramatic tempo changes. I'd like to search out more of her work.
Aquarium by Sally Beamish was introduced and explained by Robert Irvine (cellist and Sally's partner). I think this spoiled it a bit, because I knew what I was supposed to think about the piece, rather than actually listening to it. It was certainly evocative of fish and all things aquatic. It felt a bit like I was watching a National Geographic documentary.
The final piece was Changing Paths by Pippa Murphy. I found it pretty, but not hugely interesting. This is possibly more about the fact that it was at the end of the programme, rather than anything inherently poor about the music. I think 45 minutes is about my limit.
All in all, an enjoyable concert. I suspect that it's the HCMF version of easy listening!
First weekend done... I'm still standing (just)
Well, I've missed two concerts out of a possible thirteen, which isn't too bad. My cough is still there but getting better. I'm still baffled by a lot of what I'm listening to: mainly as in, how can anyone conceive or or perform this music. I will admit to occasionally being just plain baffled by it (particularly the late night Saturday piece, which I had no way of connecting with).
Yesterday evening was also enjoyable - the Dror Feiler piece Müll performed by Klangforum Wien was a complete onslaught, but really spellbinding. I found that I had no choice but to engage with it: possibly sitting on the front row had something to do with that. What anger! By complete contrast the final concert of the evening was a second EXAUDI performance. A couple of really beautiful pieces: Michael Finnissy's Now and Claudia Molitor's Lorem ipsum. I have to admit being tired enough to being lulled to slumber on a couple of occasions - through exhaustion not boredom, I hasten to add.
Highlights so far? Big Lung, Arditti Quartet playing The Tree of Strings, The Graphic Method: Bicycle. Lowlights? Just not getting the Butcher piece, having a hacking cough!
Onwards!
Yesterday evening was also enjoyable - the Dror Feiler piece Müll performed by Klangforum Wien was a complete onslaught, but really spellbinding. I found that I had no choice but to engage with it: possibly sitting on the front row had something to do with that. What anger! By complete contrast the final concert of the evening was a second EXAUDI performance. A couple of really beautiful pieces: Michael Finnissy's Now and Claudia Molitor's Lorem ipsum. I have to admit being tired enough to being lulled to slumber on a couple of occasions - through exhaustion not boredom, I hasten to add.
Highlights so far? Big Lung, Arditti Quartet playing The Tree of Strings, The Graphic Method: Bicycle. Lowlights? Just not getting the Butcher piece, having a hacking cough!
Onwards!
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Big Lung and big lungs, Sunday afternoon
Ok, so I skipped the first concert today. But the second (Big Lung, David Fennessy) was superb. Organ textures and percussion blending in a remarkably hypnotic way. I think it helped shift my sore throat as well.
The next piece, Basura, was also good. A marching band, playing in time but out of tune. I found that my brain was desparately trying to recognise familiar tunes - Oh When The Saints, etc - from the noise. Also, felt rather christmassy!
The next piece, Basura, was also good. A marching band, playing in time but out of tune. I found that my brain was desparately trying to recognise familiar tunes - Oh When The Saints, etc - from the noise. Also, felt rather christmassy!
Somethingtobesaid, Saturday 11 pm
...but I have no idea what it was. Didn't connect with this on any level: emotional, intellectual, anything. Could have been the cough medicine, could have been exhaustion. Whatever.
Saturday, 22 November 2008
Comme ses paroles, Saturday evening
Accessible if a little over long. I enjoyed the start - cello tapping, singers exchanging syllables and sub-syllables of what were recognisably french words. EXAUDI are stunning performers. The central section reminded me of a requiem mass - none the worse for that. The latter section descended into cacophony for no apparent reason. I found myself wishing each pause would be the final one. A moment of unintentional comedy occurred when someone walked across the front of the stage. Because all the performers were moving about, I was not sure whether or not this was part of the performance.
Klangforum Wien, Saturday evening
I decided to write my thoughts down as I listened. Here they are:
First piece: Knochen
Staccato vs legato chords
Disquiet, degenerate
Moments of calm, moments of chaos
Sound effects - sheet metal
Double bass - rhytmic pulse
Anxiety, high strings highly strung
Hunting horns
Descent
Disjunction
Strikes to the stage with mallets. Cracks of gunfire.
Overall, all the more enjoyable for keeping my 'eye on the ball'.
I did write down my thoughts about the second piece, Salz, but lost them. Damn technology! I recall (10 minutes later): Instrumental interruptions punctuated by organ drones. Quite skittery. Frustration. Reaching. Precision.
Third piece: Öl
Sinewy woven strings and woodwind
Boiling energy
Quiet, mysterious passage
Disorientation
Wow! Big shiny surprise!
Stretched and sparse
Mournful
Deep and resounding bass parts
I think I give in on this one. To my mind, it outstayed it's welcome by 5 or so minutes.
I recognise that this post may make it appear that my descent into lunacy is well underway, but by actively engaging in the music, I found it much more rewarding. OK, so it's more difficult than sticking in a Keane CD, but just a touch more interesting. Not that I've got anything against Keane (or in favour of them, for that matter) - it'd be like loathing wallpaper.
First piece: Knochen
Staccato vs legato chords
Disquiet, degenerate
Moments of calm, moments of chaos
Sound effects - sheet metal
Double bass - rhytmic pulse
Anxiety, high strings highly strung
Hunting horns
Descent
Disjunction
Strikes to the stage with mallets. Cracks of gunfire.
Overall, all the more enjoyable for keeping my 'eye on the ball'.
I did write down my thoughts about the second piece, Salz, but lost them. Damn technology! I recall (10 minutes later): Instrumental interruptions punctuated by organ drones. Quite skittery. Frustration. Reaching. Precision.
Third piece: Öl
Sinewy woven strings and woodwind
Boiling energy
Quiet, mysterious passage
Disorientation
Wow! Big shiny surprise!
Stretched and sparse
Mournful
Deep and resounding bass parts
I think I give in on this one. To my mind, it outstayed it's welcome by 5 or so minutes.
I recognise that this post may make it appear that my descent into lunacy is well underway, but by actively engaging in the music, I found it much more rewarding. OK, so it's more difficult than sticking in a Keane CD, but just a touch more interesting. Not that I've got anything against Keane (or in favour of them, for that matter) - it'd be like loathing wallpaper.
Day 2. Early evening
One concert so far today: The Arditti Quartet. Excellent, especially The Tree Of Strings. I'm beginning to realise I have no way to relate to this music, except on gut reaction. There were moments with the piece that I completely got an emotional response. I think it's a lack of familiarity with the style of music which is my largest hurdle. So by Tuesday I should be fluent! The overall concert was slightly marred by my coughing fit, for which I apologise to my fellow concertgoers.
Just about to listen to Klangforum Wien do something.
Just about to listen to Klangforum Wien do something.
Friday, 21 November 2008
I feel like Bridget Jones
Events: 2
Cigarettes: 0
V. Reasonable so far
Quite enjoyed the Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne. The percussionist, in particular, was spellbinding. 4 pieces: Singulari - T I got from a mathematical perspective; At First Light I enjoyed for the texture; the third piece (too long to type) left me a bit cold; Razón Dormida was really quite enjoyable - passages of very accessible melody offset by noisy/chaotic stuff. I'd definitely look out a recording of that.
Currently listening to the house of bedlam. I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock tv programmes. It's got its moments of real interest.
Cigarettes: 0
V. Reasonable so far
Quite enjoyed the Nouvelle Ensemble Moderne. The percussionist, in particular, was spellbinding. 4 pieces: Singulari - T I got from a mathematical perspective; At First Light I enjoyed for the texture; the third piece (too long to type) left me a bit cold; Razón Dormida was really quite enjoyable - passages of very accessible melody offset by noisy/chaotic stuff. I'd definitely look out a recording of that.
Currently listening to the house of bedlam. I'm reminded of Alfred Hitchcock tv programmes. It's got its moments of real interest.
That was exhausting
I needn't have worried about laughing. The Graphic Method: Bicycle was a seriously intense experience. The noise of amplified muscle sensors and heartbeats is surprisingly danceable, in a glitchy kind of way. It was a supreme performance on behalf of the cyclist. The cranks turned less than a full cycle, and he visibly shook with the effort of dismounting.
One down, thirty seven to go!
One down, thirty seven to go!
3 hours to go
I'm currently desperately attempting to recover from a rather unpleasant cold in advance of the HCMF. It's "coming out" as my grandmother would have put it. This involves a great deal of coughing, spluttering and expectorating: all of which I'm sure will be richly appreciated by my fellow concert-goers.
Anyway, the line up starts at 6pm with a performance of The Graphic Method: Bicycle by the Dutch composer Dick Raaijmakers. This is somewhat of a totemic performance for me. It's described (well, I paraphrase slightly) as a man seated on a bicycle being pulled slowly across a stage all the while being lifted from his seat. His breathing, heart-rate and muscles are amplified and, presumably, processed. It's either going to be transcendent or hysterical - which may set the tone for the entire festival! I'll let you know.
Anyway, the line up starts at 6pm with a performance of The Graphic Method: Bicycle by the Dutch composer Dick Raaijmakers. This is somewhat of a totemic performance for me. It's described (well, I paraphrase slightly) as a man seated on a bicycle being pulled slowly across a stage all the while being lifted from his seat. His breathing, heart-rate and muscles are amplified and, presumably, processed. It's either going to be transcendent or hysterical - which may set the tone for the entire festival! I'll let you know.
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
"What's wrong with him?"
Hello. I'm writing this in the week before I attend the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. If you're not familiar with it, it's an internationally renowned music festival featuring 'serious' music - none of this pop nonsense, mind you. There's more information here.
Anyway, I've lived in dear old Huddersfield for ten years now and never yet managed to attend a single event. This is almost inexplicable given my love for weird music of varying hues (exhibit a, exhibit b, exhibit c), so this year I decided to pull my finger out. Discovering that they sell a 'Festival Saver' discount ticket which allows you to attend every event, I trotted off to the box office of the Lawrence Batley Theatre to part with my hard earned cash, expecting a snazzy armband or some such. I was rather surprised when the lass behind the desk printed off a 3-yard long strip o'tickets: one for every event. These have now been sitting on my mantelpiece for the last 2 months, brooding in an inch-thick stack. As a result, I feel duty bound to attend every single thing that is offered. The news that prompted a friend of a friend (and veteran of HCMF past) to comment "What's wrong with him?". He may have a point.
I'm hoping to blog my impressions of the festival as they are formed. I'm hoping this will prove an interesting read for me after the flurry of activity has died down. If it all goes horribly wrong, it should provide useful information for the medical health professionals, and may form an interesting case study in drone-induced lunacy.
Bring on the slowly-moving bicycles!
Anyway, I've lived in dear old Huddersfield for ten years now and never yet managed to attend a single event. This is almost inexplicable given my love for weird music of varying hues (exhibit a, exhibit b, exhibit c), so this year I decided to pull my finger out. Discovering that they sell a 'Festival Saver' discount ticket which allows you to attend every event, I trotted off to the box office of the Lawrence Batley Theatre to part with my hard earned cash, expecting a snazzy armband or some such. I was rather surprised when the lass behind the desk printed off a 3-yard long strip o'tickets: one for every event. These have now been sitting on my mantelpiece for the last 2 months, brooding in an inch-thick stack. As a result, I feel duty bound to attend every single thing that is offered. The news that prompted a friend of a friend (and veteran of HCMF past) to comment "What's wrong with him?". He may have a point.
I'm hoping to blog my impressions of the festival as they are formed. I'm hoping this will prove an interesting read for me after the flurry of activity has died down. If it all goes horribly wrong, it should provide useful information for the medical health professionals, and may form an interesting case study in drone-induced lunacy.
Bring on the slowly-moving bicycles!
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