Already mentioned at Bruce Hodges’ Monotonous Forest, and soon should be buzzing all over the new-music web, but this is so absolutely inspired and well-executed that I just have to help spread it around even more: Virgil Moorefield (who was one of my click picks here not so long ago) recently directed the Digital Music Ensemble at the University of Michigan in a miniature version of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s already-audacious Helikopter-Streichquartett. To me this version is every bit as audacious as the original, subversive and absolutely respectful at the same moment… And both visually and aurally stunning, to boot. There are two Quicktime files at the page linked above; the “lo-fi” seems to be just audio, but the “hi-fi” has the full video presentation as well, and is well worth the download.
Dude, they Sweded Stockhausen! I love how they reduced everything to a smaller scale without it becoming domesticated or irreverent.
Having just seen Chris Cutler and Daan Vandewalle play an improvised version of Kontakte last week (followed by Robin Rimbaud’s re-composed version of Opus 1970), it’s great to see another example of musicians propagating Stockhausen’s musical ideas in innovative ways.
Not a performance of this, I should have said, but of his latest CD, “Things You Must Do to Get to Heaven.”
And as Bruce also mentions, Virgil will be leading a performance by his ensemble at the Stone on the Lower East Side this Thursday, March 27, at 8pm.
Lo-fi version has the movie too, just a lo-fi movie
And yes, it is very awesome.