Author: Steve Layton

Click Picks, Composers, Contemporary Classical, Online

A Second Life for New Music

Tim RisherTim Risher is a composer that I bumped into a long time ago on this here web thingy. His illustrious career has taken him from making new music in Florida, to a long stint producing radio in Germany, to currently doing — well, something or other — in deepest, darkest Durham, North Carolina.

One of Tim’s latest personal ventures involves the wildly-popular virtual world of Second Life. There, people seem to carry on just like they do out here in the real world, except they get to make it — and even themselves — into anything they can dream up. Like the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, which gave a “virtual” concert in there just last autumn. 

What Tim has dreamed up in his own little patch of turf within Second Life, is a place called HD Artists (for you folks who already wander this alternate world, here’s a link directly to his place). I’ll let Tim himself explain:

HD Artists is a virtual New Music center in Second Life. The center has only just opened, but we plan on having:

A wall of CD players letting you hear music samples of different composers along with a link to their website.

Links to various publishers of new music.

Soon we hope to present live performances at our building as well, this will take a while to suss out, though.

Going to places in Second Life is a lot like walking around in a 3D blog, or better, a 3D fashion magazine. And visiting concerts there are just like, well, a 19th-century fashion magazine salon. But the concerts are quite enjoyable, it is really like listening to a real-life concert (which, in fact, that’s what it is), but with all the trappings of Second Life.

If you’re interested in learning more about HD Artists or would like a link there, feel free to contact me.

Tim asked me if I’d like to have my own music up in the place (even though I don’t hang in that particular world just yet), and I said sure, why not? If you’re ready to go virtual, send Tim an email at timrisher@googlemail.com. Maybe we’ll all get two free virtual tickets to the inaugural concert…

by Steve Layton
Concerts, Contemporary Classical

Free as a Bird in Spring

Rice UniversityWhen you’re in a town with a good university or two, spring always brings a sudden flood of concerts and recitals, almost all of them free. It’s kind of like having a mini-festival, chock-a-block full of tasty morsels. Down here in Houston, Rice University is my main music fix (the University of Houston is no slouch, either, but I’m being picky), and April has a number of excellent-sounding concerts with newer music (and yes, that’s just what the weather looks like down here right about now):

April 10th, 8pm, Stude Concert Hall – the Shepherd School of Music’s Percussion Ensemble takes on Steve Reich’s Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ. Also worth experiencing on the bill is Arthur Gottschalk’s The Consecration of the Fatted Calf, for 16 timpani.

April 13th, 8:30pm, Hirsch Orchestra Recital Hall: Composer Elliot Cole offers his senior recital, with works for double string quartet, clavichord, jazz piano trio, and electronics. I’ve heard this young guy’s work, and like it quite a bit.

April 14th, 7:30pm, Hirsch ORH: Percussionist Grant Beiner gives his master’s recital, with works by Xenakis, Cage and Veldhuis.

April 21st, 7pm/April 22nd, 8pm, Wortham Opera Theater: Rice’s REMLABS (the electronic music school) sponsors two concerts: April 21st is “Hecho en Mexico“, a program of electroacoustic music by composers who reside or study in Mexico; the next night it’s the turn of all the local Rice composers to share their creations.

April 23rd, 8pm, Stude Concert Hall: the Shepherd Chamber Orchestra takes on Olivier Messiaen’s Oiseaux exotiques, with Brian Connelly the piano soloist.

April 25th, 8pm, Stude Concert Hall: The Shepherd Symphony and Rice Choral get together to give Stravinsky’s always-stunning Symphony of Psalms, then finish up with Mahler’s 4th Symphony.

I’m not even counting the couple dozen other recitals, with quite nice, though more traditional, fare. All that music, without spending a dime on admission — what could be better?…

If that weren’t enough, I should mention that happening right in the middle of all that, the Pacifica Quartet hits town to give us their cycle of all five Elliott Carter Quartets. On Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 3:00 PM there’s a free concert in The Menil Collection’s fantastically weird Cy Twombly Gallery (Temple? Mausoleum?), featuring Carter’s String Quartet No. 1. (Reservations are required; call 713-524-5050). Monday, April 14, 2008 at 7:30 PM, the event continues with Carter’s String Quartets Numbers 2 and 3 and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat Major, Op. 110.  On Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 7:30 PM, the program is Carter’s String Quartets Numbers 4 and 5 and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111. (These last two concerts you’ve got to pay for,  but it’s all still quite a deal.)

Of course, many of you know of similar treats happening the next couple months in your own neck of the woods; feel free to mention anything worthwhile in the comments.

by Steve Layton
Contemporary Classical, Experimental Music, Lost and Found, Recordings

Back from the Brink

At the start of 2007, I told you about my composer/sound-artist pal Chris DeLaurenti’s great new CD release, Favorite Intermissions. A collection of recordings made during symphony concerts around the country, of everything but the concert itself; the warm-ups, noodles and doodles from both pre- and mid-concert, framed to draw our attention to the fun, beauty and serendipity these moments hold. Released on GD Records, it included a wonderfully cheeky cover, a parody/homage to the classic Deutsche Grammophon covers (shown here for illustration only!): 

Response was good, with positive notices in places like the Wire, Signal to Noise and even the New York Times. But an 800-pound fly showed up in the ointment: Universal Music Group, now-parent to Deutsche Grammophon, took a dim view of Chris’ cover-art tribute, demanding that all copies be immediately recalled and destroyed.

After lengthy negotiation, Chris’ CD has been given the green light again, and is once more available, though now with this slightly revised cover. To learn more about the pieces and concept, you can listen to an interview with Chris about this work, and his musical/phonographic work in general.

by Steve Layton
Chamber Music, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Experimental Music

Incredible Isn’t Even Close…

 

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.

by Steve Layton
Click Picks, Concerts, Contemporary Classical

Frankly, Psappha

Psappha(OK, OK I know, the puns don’t come any worse than that…) No F.Z. music, but rather a reminder that The excellent U.K. ensemble Psappha (with help from Lancaster University and the BBC Singers) is in the middle of a great webcast series. You can watch and listen already to any of the pieces from the first two concerts, the third concert available March 31st.

Webcast #1 includes Larry Goves’ Four Letter Words, Gyorgy Kurtag’s Signs, Games and Messages and Scenes from a Novel, and Gyorgy Ligeti’s Aventures & Nouvelles Aventures. Webcast #2 is all Claude Vivier: his Et je reverrai cette ville etrange, Shiraz, Glaubst du an die Unsterblichkeit der Seele? and Journal. The final webcast offers Gordon McPherson’s Celeste Unborne, Edward Cowie’s Psappha Portraits, and Steven Mackey’s Five Animated Shorts.

by Steve Layton
Contemporary Classical, Critics

Alex Takes Some Lumps

While Alex Ross’ The Rest is Noise is winning awards over thisaway, its recent release in England gives a chance for the other side of the ocean to beat him up on it a bit. BBC3’s current Music Matters program (archived for the next seven days) has a pleasant chat with Alex which, as soon as he makes his exit, turns downright hostile. Poet James Fenton and writer/critic Morag Grant nicely rake him over the coals for a certain American myopia, reductionism and dismissiveness.

The “what about the Brits?” question doesn’t trouble me much (especially as Britten is pretty well covered), but many of their other gripes are the same ones I share. [note: If you want to go right to it, on the BBC iPlayer pop-up click the “15 min” fast-forward button; you’ll be right in the middle of Alex’s chat, and just before the crtic’s response.]

by Steve Layton
Contemporary Classical

Xenakis talks

It’s now just a smidge over seven years since Iannis Xenakis died. And almost exactly 13 years ago, Xenakis sat down for this amicable interview in English:

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This is the first ten minutes; its poster, Edward Lawes, promises a second part in the near future. (And if anyone recognises who Xenakis is talking with in the video, fill me in.)

by Steve Layton
Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Downtown

Young Yalies United Will Never Be Defeated

New Yawkers could do worse at 8 p.m. on March 1st, than drop by Roulette, plunk down a $10 and slurp-munch free refreshments, all while checking out this great little posse of 80’s-born composers’ music:

Timothy Andres will present two recent works: Play it By Ear (2007), for a mixed chamber group of nine players, and Strider (2006), “ambient music” for vibraphone and piano. Both pieces will feature the best young musicians from the Yale School of Music, with the composer on piano.

Lainie Fefferman has a new electric guitar quartet called Tounge of Thorns (2007), which she describes as a “7-minute giant pulsing sound inspired by the Velvet Underground’s ‘Venus In Furs’”. Tounge of Thorns will be played by Dither. Lainie and Alex will also perform a brand-new piece with Lainie singing and Alex playing melodica and piano.

Jennifer Stock will perform on laptop in her piece The High Line (2006), based on sounds recorded around the abandoned High Line railway structure in Manhattan. The piece also features soprano Ali Ewoldt, who recently made her Broadway debut in Les Misérables, and star cellist Ezra Seltzer. We’ll also see and hear Grainery (2006), a video project with processed piano soundscape.
 
Alex Temple will contribute The Last Resort Party Band (2006), “cabaret music from an alternate universe,” featuring composer Emilia Tamburri on alto saxophone and Yale musicians. Next comes a new piece for clarinet and electric guitar, Slightly Less Awkward People (2007), featuring James Moore (of Dither) and Sara Phillips Budde (of NOW Ensemble). Alex will also perform his David Lynch-inspired Inland (2007), for melodica and piano. (Why the preponderance of melodica? “Despite being a silly-looking instrument,” says Alex, “the melodica can be used to make serious music.” I hear you, Alex. I had one next to me all through my own college years…)

This is all a production from IGIGI (pronounced “ee-ghee-ghee”), a close-knit group of composers formed at Yale College. They work with the best New York and New Haven-area musicians to premiere new works, give repeat performances, and put on concerts featuring all genres of “cutting-edge” music. IGIGI produces the annual New Music Marathon, an all-night concert at Yale featuring student works, contemporary favorites, improvisation, and performance art. IGIGI’s history stretches back at least thirty years; its predecessor was called A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing, which gave rise to the Bang on a Can All-Stars.

by Steve Layton
CDs, Chamber Music, Composers, Contemporary Classical, Recordings

Surprise!!

Toub: darfur pogrommenJust when you thought we’ve been musically laying low… There’s a brand-new online-only CD release by fellow S21 regular and composer David Toub, realized by yours truly (Steve Layton, for those of you who don’t read the bottom post tag). It just became available on iTunes (US, also now or very soon in UK/Europe, Australia and Japan) on my little NiwoSound label; expect its appearance on eMusic as well very soon. The CD is in the “electronic” genre at both places, but purely as a matter of expediting the release; if it’s not classical I don’t know what is!

David’s darfur pogrommen, composed only a few months ago, is another expansive minimalist essay; its single continuous movement clocks in at 47 minutes. There’s no real attempt at programmatic writing; rather — like many of David’s other pieces — the title is a marker of a moment, that can call up whatever associations the listener might have in relation to it.

The piece is for open instrumentation. David’s own first recorded version used synthy string sounds, but I decided to give it a kind of “old school” treatment: a Reich-Glass hybrid with a vibraphone and electric organ taking the two primary parts, and electric piano and two more organs adding secondary voices. It trades a little lushness, but finds a bright, hard and uncompromising edge.

The biggest influence is still “classic” 60s-70s Glass, but David has his own way with how figures intuitively expand and contract, the harmonies involved, and his preference for alternating and pulsing notes. But later in the piece there’s a spot that to my ears definitely pays tribute to Morton Feldman as well. Surprising and beautiful!

Though there are many clearly defined sections in the piece, like so much of David’s work there’s just no way to get the whole flow with separate tracks. So if you want it, it’s all or nothing. (You can preview 30 seconds of the beginning on iTunes, but it’s a laughably hopeless indicator of what unfolds…)

Anyone wishing to burn the download to disc can also download and print this PDF file, which gives you the entire cover art and inner notes. More musically, you can freely download the PDF of the entire score from David himself.

Oh yeah: play it LOUD.

by Steve Layton