Latest Blogger Updates
What's New in the Composers Forum
CD Reviews
Calendar
Latest Podcasts at cacophonous.org

SEQUENZA21/
340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019

Zookeeper:   
Jerry Bowles
(212) 582-3791

Managing Editor:
David Salvage

 Contributing Editors:
Galen H. Brown
Evan Johnson
Ian Moss
Lanier Sammons
Deborah Kravetz
(Philadelphia)
Eric C. Reda
(Chicago)
Christian Hertzog
(San Diego)
Jerry Zinser
(Los Angeles)

Web & Wiki Master:
Jeff Harrington

Latest Posts
Last Night in LA--Soprano and Flutes
What's New for Monday?
Weisberg's 'Fives for Five' debuts in Florida
Fiddle Players We Love
Last Night in LA--Honoring George Crumb
So, New?
Que Pasa Hoy?
Lieder Chansons Canzoni Mazurkas (And All that Jazz)
Mo Better Modern at City Opera, S.F. Symphony
What's New Today?


 

Record companies, artists and publicists are invited to submit CDs to be considered for review. Send to: Jerry Bowles, Editor, Sequenza 21, 340 W. 57th Street, 12B, New York, NY 10019

Tuesday, March 08, 2005
Another Fine Mess--Knussen's Ghost at Zankel Hall

Saturday night was supposed to have been Oliver Knussen/Peter Serkin night at Zankel Hall but the bearded wild man of British new music was nowhere to be found. A program insert informed the hearty few who turned out that Brad Lubman had graciously agreed to fill in on �very short notice� for the ailing Knussen. Since Lubman�s picture (not Knussen�s) appeared on the posters outside, the notice could not have been that short and the aptly named Olly, who does indeed resemble a scruffier version of Stan Laurel's screen partner, is either sicker than we know or got an advance peek at the gate and decided he couldn�t afford to make the trip. All things considered, staying home was not a bad move.

Which is not to say that Knussen was not implicated in the proceedings. Lubman and a lightly rehearsed pickup orchestra called the Zankel Band played two of Knussen�s own short pieces and there were brief works by Colin Mathews, Mark-Anthony Turnage, and George Benjamin which were written as tributes to Knussen for his 50th birthday in 2002. Of these, only Turnage�s Snapshots, composed from a memory of �a very memorable and drunken evening� spent in Knussen�s company in Frankfurt, showed any signs of life. The rest were pretty much DOA.

Alexander Goehr�s Marching to Carcassonne, a serenade for piano and 12 instruments, is a more substantial piece with amusing first and second Vienna school references and rippling piano passages that provided Serkin with an opportunity to demonstrate that he is an excellent sight reader. The Zankel Band was joined for this piece by Fred Sherry--who resembles Dick Cheney more with each passing day--on cello.

By the time we got to the merciful end of Charles Wuorinen�s 2002 piece Cyclops I had had a couple of small epiphanies. One is that Pierre Boulez (whose own work I actually find quite engaging) has inspired a lot of really incestuous, drab music. And, two, Knussen is doing his part to continue the tradition. If this is where modern music has gone the audiences are never going to get any bigger.

UPDATE: Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times apparently saw an entirely different performance at Zankel Hall on Saturday night.
posted by Jerry Bowles 3/08/2005



 
Google


Search WWW
Search www.sequenza21.com

Music News

Archives
12/19/2004 - 12/25/2004 12/26/2004 - 01/01/2005 01/02/2005 - 01/08/2005 01/09/2005 - 01/15/2005 01/16/2005 - 01/22/2005 01/23/2005 - 01/29/2005 01/30/2005 - 02/05/2005 02/06/2005 - 02/12/2005 02/13/2005 - 02/19/2005 02/20/2005 - 02/26/2005 02/27/2005 - 03/05/2005 03/06/2005 - 03/12/2005 03/13/2005 - 03/19/2005 03/20/2005 - 03/26/2005 03/27/2005 - 04/02/2005 04/03/2005 - 04/09/2005 04/10/2005 - 04/16/2005 04/17/2005 - 04/23/2005 04/24/2005 - 04/30/2005 05/01/2005 - 05/07/2005 05/08/2005 - 05/14/2005 05/15/2005 - 05/21/2005 05/22/2005 - 05/28/2005 05/29/2005 - 06/04/2005 06/05/2005 - 06/11/2005 06/12/2005 - 06/18/2005 06/19/2005 - 06/25/2005 06/26/2005 - 07/02/2005 07/03/2005 - 07/09/2005 07/10/2005 - 07/16/2005 07/17/2005 - 07/23/2005 07/24/2005 - 07/30/2005 07/31/2005 - 08/06/2005 08/07/2005 - 08/13/2005 08/14/2005 - 08/20/2005 08/21/2005 - 08/27/2005 08/28/2005 - 09/03/2005 09/04/2005 - 09/10/2005 09/11/2005 - 09/17/2005 09/18/2005 - 09/24/2005 09/25/2005 - 10/01/2005 10/02/2005 - 10/08/2005 10/09/2005 - 10/15/2005 10/16/2005 - 10/22/2005 10/23/2005 - 10/29/2005 10/30/2005 - 11/05/2005 11/06/2005 - 11/12/2005 11/13/2005 - 11/19/2005 11/20/2005 - 11/26/2005 11/27/2005 - 12/03/2005 12/04/2005 - 12/10/2005 12/11/2005 - 12/17/2005 12/18/2005 - 12/24/2005 12/25/2005 - 12/31/2005 01/01/2006 - 01/07/2006 01/08/2006 - 01/14/2006 01/15/2006 - 01/21/2006 01/22/2006 - 01/28/2006 01/29/2006 - 02/04/2006 02/05/2006 - 02/11/2006 02/12/2006 - 02/18/2006 02/19/2006 - 02/25/2006 02/26/2006 - 03/04/2006 03/05/2006 - 03/11/2006 03/12/2006 - 03/18/2006 03/19/2006 - 03/25/2006 03/26/2006 - 04/01/2006 04/02/2006 - 04/08/2006 04/09/2006 - 04/15/2006 04/16/2006 - 04/22/2006 04/23/2006 - 04/29/2006 04/30/2006 - 05/06/2006 05/07/2006 - 05/13/2006 05/14/2006 - 05/20/2006 05/21/2006 - 05/27/2006 05/28/2006 - 06/03/2006 06/04/2006 - 06/10/2006 06/11/2006 - 06/17/2006 06/18/2006 - 06/24/2006 06/25/2006 - 07/01/2006 07/02/2006 - 07/08/2006 07/09/2006 - 07/15/2006 07/16/2006 - 07/22/2006 07/23/2006 - 07/29/2006 07/30/2006 - 08/05/2006 08/06/2006 - 08/12/2006 08/13/2006 - 08/19/2006 08/20/2006 - 08/26/2006 08/27/2006 - 09/02/2006 09/03/2006 - 09/09/2006 09/10/2006 - 09/16/2006

Powered by Blogger


Subscribe to this feed listing