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Showing posts from May, 2009

There is music - and then there is Bach

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Scott Ross died at the tragically early age of 38 on June 13, 1989. There is a wealth of Scott Ross material on YouTube . Other resources include my posts about his pioneering Scarlatti Sonata cycle and about Michel Proulx's engaging memoir 'An Unfinished Destiny - Scott Ross, Master of the Harpshichord'. Wanda Landowska was born on July 5, 1879 and died on August 16, 1959. There is also some priceless footage of Wanda Landowska on YouTube . My appreciation of her, Music grows old if neglected , appeared here on the anniversary of Landowska's death last year. The anniversaries of Scott Ross' death and Wanda Landowska's birth fall while On An Overgrown Path will be enjoying an unusually long summer break, which starts today. But, needless to say, the music continues, and I am sure the other fine music blogs will keep you informed and entertained while I am offline. So, what better to leave you with than the sleeves of recordings by those two great musicians

Performing outside the comfort zone

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In 1968 acclaimed film director Seijun Suzuki was fired by the major Japanese studio Nikkatsu for making films that were "incomprehensible". A three and a half year court case followed. Although Suzuki won an out of court settlement he was blacklisted by all the major Japanese production companies, and was unable to make another film for 10 years. In 1980 he directed the first part of what became his Taishō trilogy, Zigeunerweisen . The film is a psychological thriller and takes its name from the gypsy violin music of Pablo de Sarasate used in the soundtrack. Distributors declined to handle Zigeunerweisen , so its producer, Genjiro Arato , screened it in an inflatable mobile dome. The film was a major success, and went on to win awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and the Japanese Academy. It was later voted best Japanese film of the 1980s by the country's critics. My header image shows Tsunehisa Kimura's 1980 poster for Zigeunerweisen , the sleeve of

In search of the lost sleeve notes

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Early music is providing some very tempting re-releases. After Erato Originals, which I wrote about a couple of weeks back , comes Archiv's al fresco series . I have been greatly enjoying the collection of concertos for four violins seen above from Reinhard Goebel directing Musica Antiqua Köln from 1992. Musica Antiqua Köln's sparkling playing of five gossamer light concerti by Torelli , Mossi , Valentini , Locatelli and Leo is matched by a wonderfully natural soundbalance. Worth buying for the Fuga: Allegro Moderato of the Leo concerto alone. Goebels enforced retirement in 2006, caused by a neuroligical disorder affecting his right hand, was a grievous blow to classical music. Archiv's al fresco series comes in attractive cardboard packaging with stylish artwork, although at mid-price they are less of a bargain than Erato Originals. But one major moan. The Archiv's al fresco fold-out sleeve contains a brief excerpt from the original sleeve notes, surrounded by

On your bike

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Edward Elgar was a keen cyclist , and this photo shows him in Malvern with his trusty bike. Cycling technology has progressed a lot since Elgar toured the Malvern Hills in the early 1900s. An interesting story in the Telegraph updates us, and also contains a familiar name . And, quite appropriately, An Overgrown Path will be taking a prolonged break shortly - while I go cycling in France . Photo credit Elgar Society . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

'One of the greatest recordings I know'

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George Crumb's Ancient Voices of Children was the subject of a very interesting comment left by composer James Primosch on my post Not quite Harmonium a while back. I have lightly edited James' comment and am publishing it as a separate post, as it provides some otherwise unavailable information on an important contemporary music recording. George Crumb’s Ancient Voices of Children was recorded by Nonesuch in 1971 and went on to sell more than 70,000 copies. On October 24th 2009 its composer (seen in my footer photo) celebrates his 80th birthday, and this has triggered a resurgence of interest in his music. This summer's BBC Proms season features three works by Crumb including Ancient Voices , and reader Daithí Mac Síthigh points out a George Crumb Total Immersion weekend at the Barbican in December. Here is James Primosch’s account of the Nonesuch recording: For the recording Arthur Weisberg led the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a group of New York free-lancers,

Shuffling Kurtag's Ghosts

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György Kurtág > Guillaume de Machaut > György Kurtág > Karlheinz Stockhausen > Olivier Messiaen > György Kurtág > Pierre Boulez > Modest Mussorgsky > György Kurtág > Domenico Scarlatti > György Kurtág > J.S. Bach > György Kurtág > Joseph Haydn > György Kurtág > Domenico Scarlatti > György Kurtág > Franz Schubert > György Kurtág > Bela Bartók > Ludwig van Beethoven > Bela Bartók > György Kurtág > Henry Purcell > > György Kurtág > Leoš Janáček > György Kurtág > Franz Schubert > György Kurtág > Frédéric Chopin > György Kurtág > Robert Schumann > György Kurtág > György Ligeti > György Kurtág > Franz Liszt This is the extraordinary sequence of composers selected by Marino Formenti for his solo piano cycle Kurtág’s Ghosts, which examines how major composers from the fourteenth to the twentieth century have influenced the Hungarian composer György Kurtág. Formenti has performed the se

What were you celebrating this weekend?

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Over the weekend Romas from around the world gathered in the town of Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in France to celebrate the feast day of the black Saint Sarah. It is now generally believed that this Romani festival is linked to the ceremony of the Durga Pooja of India. This celebrates the Hindi Goddess Kali, who is seen above. More on that link here , and the story of my visit to Les-Saintes-Maries in 2006, and its musical connections, here . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Back at Snape by popular demand

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'Unquestionably one of the highlights of the 2006 Snape Proms, their return promises ... colourful and exuberant performances' - from the 2009 Snape Proms brochure. Gustavo Dudamel and the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra were one of the highlights of a previous Snape Proms season. But no, it is not dancing brass players that are back by popular demand. In August the monks of the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in southern India return for another week's residency at Snape. This culminates in an evening of Tibetan music and dance in the Maltings, as seen in the photos here. There are also Tibetan culture workshops, lunches prepared by the monks, and a sand mandala . But, alas, there is no complementary performance of Britten's Buddhist inspired church parable Curlew River . Unlike today's made-for-mass-media BBC Proms , which take place at the same time, the Snape Proms still value the adventurous . Among the other highlights at Snape are Music from the Penguin Café with a b

Both sides now

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I dreamed down at the clouds, and thought that when I was a kid I had dreamed up at them, and having dreamed at the clouds from both sides as no other generation of men had done, one should be able to accept his death very easily. However, we made safe landings every time ... I kept thinking, 'Bountiful life! Oh, how bountiful life is!' Joni Mitchell's song Both Sides, Now was inspired by that passage from Saul Bellow's Henderson the Rain King . The evocative late 1960s photo of Joni is by Bill Smith, who has has wonderful pictures of many jazz musicians on his website . And Joni's own images of herself are here . Joni Mitchell photo used with the kind permission of Bill Smith . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

If I was CEO ...

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I had to smile when I saw this visitor on my site traffic log - ip-167-167-XX-YYY.uswwp.umusic.com (Universal Music Group Inc) [Label IP Address] New York, New York, United States, 2 returning visits Date Time WebPage 22nd May 2009 16:37:47 www.overgrownpath.com/2009/05/if-i-was-ceo-of-major-corporate-record.html Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Classical music is the new classical

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... says Philip Glass in conversation with Nico Muhly . But back in the early 1960s ‘the world of new concert music had reached a virtual dead end' . Joanna McGregor on Harrison Birtwistle is worth reading as well . Birtwistle's spirit of space below and here . And Harry's cheesy private passions are here . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

If I were CEO of a major record label

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All the music on this CD is by composers who, in various ways, have been deeply influenced by profound religous or cultural encounters. Most of these encounters have concerned traditional Christian orthodoxies; but some have been syncretic in that they draw together traditions that are contrasting, and sometimes opposed. For each composer, the struggle with ideals of belief and art, and to find ways in which music can epitomise those ideals, has been a quest, often involving the reconciliation of inner contradictions. In Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (1966), the free-and-deep-thinking Catholic mystic, Thomas Merton (1915-68), wrote that "The wise heart remains in hope and contradiction, in sorrow and in joy ... the wise heart lives in Christ (p. 192)" - a place between. 1. John Tavener (b. 1944)- Ikon of Joy/Sorrow (First recording), Callino Quartet 2. Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) - Hymn to a Great City , Michael McHale 3. Alexander Knaifel (b. 1943) - O Heavenly King (Fi

The CD that nearly got away

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For Ascension Day , the story of Armenia Sacra , the CD that nearly got away. I had read about the beauty of the Armenian Liturgy , but had never come across a recording of it until I was staying at the Benedictine L'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine in Provence last December . The excellent shop run by the monks had the CD of Armenian liturgical chants on the French Jade label seen above , but it was a whopping 22€ for a single CD. So I didn't buy it, thinking I would find it far cheaper on the internet when I returned home. But I was to be punished for my infidelity. Not only wasn't the CD available at a lower price, I could not find a copy at any price. So I emailed one of the Brothers at the monastery and confessed my sin. He arranged for me to buy the CD, and it arrived faster than an Amazon delivery (Godspeed?). In AD301 Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity. In the fifth century the Armenian Church broke away from the Orthodox Church, as did the Coptic Chur

Beans in my ears

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Stephen Spender was conscious always of being a foreigner in Washington, with the guest's obligations. He none the less picked up some good insider LBJ stories. One of his favourites was from Abba Eban . The urbane Israeli ambassador recalled 'that when he visited the President on a mission for his country, Johnson greeted him with the words, "Ah was just scratchin' mah ass this mornin' when ah started thinkin' of your little country."' From Stephen Spender - the authorized biography by John Sutherland. Another LBJ gem here. Beans in My Ears is the title of a children's song that was reworked by Pete Seeger in 1966 as a satire on Lyndon B. Johnson. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

BBC Radio Free Is A Real Revelation

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The continuing cultural genocide at BBC Radio 3 has forced me to experiment with alternative music sources in the car. My Overgrown Path company car (106,000 miles on the clock and about to make its twelth trip to mainland Europe!) doesn't have an auxiliary jack on the audio system, but it does have good speakers and a decent amplifier. So I bought the Griffin iTripAuto seen together with my iPod in the photo above. The iTrip concept is very simple; it takes the iPod output and broadcasts it as a low power signal on a vacant FM frequency to the tuner in your car stereo. Power for the little transmitter is supplied by the car cigarette lighter and it takes just a few minutes to get working. My expectations were not high, after all the iTrip costs less than £12 in the UK. But the performance is surprisingly good, and is certainly far better than acceptable. Yes, there is low level background noise, and it is not ideal if you exist on a strict diet of clavichord recordings. But

It's not that important - it really isn't

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This afternoon Michael Martin became the first Speaker of the House of Commons to effectively be forced out of office in Parliament's 300 year history. Martin's resignation follows widespread criticism of his handling of the MPs' expenses scandal. Last week music journalist and pre-concert speaker Stephen Fry dismissed the revelations over Member's expenses, saying - 'It's not that important, it really isn't.' I haven't read Stephen Fry's book on classical music . But I hope his views on music are more reliable than his views on politics. Everyone knows, the speaker is the most important component in the system . Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Howells that!

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'In 1983, I was laid to rest in the north choir aisle (Musicians' Aisle) of Westminster Abbey next to Purcell, Stanford, and RVW'. Reincarnation is alive and well on MySpace Music. Herbert Howells' tulku is posting and already has 425 friends . Heaps more Howells here. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

How spooky are your sponsors?

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On his return from Israel in late April [1952], Spender was plunged into arrangments for the 'Festival of Twentieth-Century Masterpieces of Modern Arts' in Paris. Sponsored by the CCF [ Congress for Cultural Freedom ] and directed by Nicolas Nabokov , the festival aimed to demonstrate that Western culture - specifically American modernist culture - could be mobilized as ideological resistance to the Soviet Union's Kultura . The CIA's International Organizations Division, which had an annual budget of £250 million, clandestinely helped underwrite the operation. Nabokov serenely took the credit for raising the money from a (supposedly) private source. The programme was scheduled to last a whole month. A huge cast of speakers and performers was recruited. The main expense (costing a massive $160,000) involved transporting the entire Boston Symphony Orchestra to Paris, for an overture performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring .. . As Stephen Dorill records: 'Secre

Is the solution to blow up lean back art?

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Two wonderfully invigorating and fulfilling evenings. Friday with Philip Glass in Norwich , Saturday with the Bern Ballet at Snape. Both superb examples of lean forward art in the way they engaged, challenged and rewarded the audience. What a contrast to lean back art, where the audience are passive observers never required to leave their personal comfort zones. Modern dance is a miraculous combination of the visual, the experimental, and the musical. The Bern Ballet (seen above) is now under the dynamic artistic direction of Cathy Marston and the company is working with an eclectic group of young choreographers. Their Snape programme ended with Mission Eurohell, which was choreographed by the Swede Alexander Ekman to music by Bach and Vic Damone . At the end of Mission Eurohell the twelve dancers left the stage and made their way into the audience, a breaking down of barriers that took me back to 1968 and the original London production of the rock musical Hair . While we were lean

Such things get in the way

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As it spread from country to country, it acquired a wide variety of cultural trappings; special clothes and hats, status, incense, gongs, bells, whistles - even peculiar architectural forms, icons and symbols ... In fact, all too often, such things get in the way. Steve Hagen was writing about Buddhism, plain and simple . But he may just as well have been writing about classical music. Last night in the packed Theatre Royal, Norwich there were no bells or whistles. Just a Steinway slightly right of centre stage and a microphone in front of it for the seamlessly integrated links. Plus Philip Glass, dressed creative casual, delivering a ninety minute set unbroken by intermission or any other cultural trapping. Nothing to get in the way of one of an evening that rose effortlessly above culturally defined music making. Philip Glass is more than a pianist, more than a composer. He is that most precious of beings, a free mind. The visual underlined just how free that mind is , particularly

Industry awards and natural justice

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Much excitement elsewhere about two UK music industry award bashes this week. The Royal Philharmonic Society Awards are run 'in association with BBC Radio 3' , while the Classical Brit Awards are 'supported by Classic FM radio and its sister publication Classic FM Magazine' . Both events allow the great and good of the music industry to indulge their passion for self-congratulation and rubber chicken while boosting radio audiences. One of the categories for the BBC supported RPS Awards is 'Creative Communication', which includes books. That great composer, musicologist and BBC producer Robert Simpson , whose Ninth Symphony features on the CD seen above , wrote a very important book in 1980. The Proms & Natural Justice was highly critical of the BBC's music programming policies. It was an influential book that was admired by many, including long-time BBC employee Sir Adrian Boult , who provided the foreword. Let's imagine for a moment that Robert

A crass and insensitive Peter Grimes?

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I went to see Peter Grimes last weekend and hated yet another expressionist production where the director's vision took precedence over the work. (Production shot above.) How can the English National Opera , of all companies, mess up Peter Grimes ? Peter Grimes and ENO is one of those combinations where tradition and context matter. The last version I saw there was gripping, but this one was just crass and insensitive. This gets me upset at two levels. First, I'm so tired of the expressionist rut that the opera world seems to find itself in. We now have a tradition that's as hidebound as the old one, but without the advantage of history. I'm not actually anti-interpretation, I've seen plenty of weird productions that I liked ( Richard Jones' Ring , for example), but if you're going to mess with the rules, you'd better be great (oh, and getting the singers pointing in the right direction is good too). In the meantime, I don't need every last sub-t

Sea symphony

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Sea Concert from the Panoramic Sea Happening , 1967 by the Polish artist and performer Tadeusz Kantor . The exhibition An Impossible Journey, the Art and Theatre of Tadeusz Kantor is at the Sainsbury Centre for the Visual Arts , Norwich from June 2 to August 30. In 1965 Kantor mounted Poland's first-ever happening. Thirteen years earlier, when Lou Harrison was head of the music department at Black Mountain College in North Carolina, he staged what is considered to be the first ever multi-media happening. The participants included John Cage , Merce Cunningham, Charles Olson and David Tudor. Read the story here . YouTube interview with Tadeusz Kantor here . Header image credit from Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts, photo by Eustachy Kossakowski. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail

The holy atmosphere of concerts

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In Christopher and his Kind , Christopher [Isherwood] admits to have been 'violently prejudiced against culture worship' . He hated 'the gushings of concert audiences and the holy atmosphere of concerts.' Stephen thought it was 'in some respects' like 'the Nazi attitude' . It was particularly painful when the brutal sarcasm was turned against figures like the pianist Artur Schnabel and the composer Roger Sessions , both of whom Spender had come to know, and revere, in Berlin. He continued to go to concerts (by Schnabel, Bruno Walter and Furtwängler ), defying his friends philistine edicts. From - Stephen Spender the authorized biography by John Sutherland. I am a camera in East Berlin here . My montage shows Roger Sessions with Christopher Isherwood on the left and Stephen Spender right. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the

Wagner dream

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Vincent had discovered the laws of colour while he was living in Nuenen, and found them 'unutterably beautiful'. Around the same time, excited by the analogies he now understood between painting and Wagner's music, he took lessons from the organist of St Catherine's Church in Eindhoven, a man called Vandersanden. These were not a success: Vincent continually compared music chords with Prussian blue or cadmium yellow, so that the organist concluded that he was dealing with a madman. It is true that synaesthesia , experiencing one sensation in terms of another, can be found in those suffering from mental problems and those under the influence of hallucinogens. But if Vincent was mad in this respect, so were many other artists and musicians. Gauguin claimed that when he looked at a Delacroix, he had 'the same feelings as after reading something'. When he heard a Beethoven quartet, 'I leave the hall with coloured images that vibrate in the depth of my soul.'

Coup for classics?

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I was disappointed to see the excellent Britten Sinfonia using Stephen Fry and Paul Gambaccini to introduce concerts in Cambridge and Peterboro' last week, a move described in the press as a 'Coup for classics' . I am aware the concerts were in aid of a deserving conservation project , and the programme included a commission from Associate Artistic Director of the Aldeburgh Festival John Woolrich . But for many, including some who attend Britten Sinfonia concerts , overexposed media celebrities such as Stephen Fry and Paul Gambaccini are as much part of our current problems as bankers, and certainly have no place in the solution. Stephen Fry (above) has given high profile support to chat show host Jonathan Ross, who last year was responsible for one of the most sordid incidents in the BBC's long history . Paul Gambaccini's presentation style while a BBC Radio 3 presenter was described variously as ingratiating, unctuous, schmaltzy, egregious, patronising and tot

Excellent new CD of creaky stuff

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'I'd have got rid of the creaky stuff on the Early Music Show, which was neither by Felix nor very Felixcitatious ...' writes the official BBC Radio 3 blogger about the network's Mendelssohn weekend. The creaky stuff was music by JS Bach, CPE Bach and WF Bach . A different perspective is provided in Angelique Chrisafis' excellent interview with Cannes film festival jury president Isabelle Huppert in Saturday's Guardian . From the article we learn that, unlike the official BBC blogger, Ms. Huppert is a big fan of the creaky stuff - 'In 2001 she appeared on the [Cannes] red carpet with a tattoo across her back and arms, quoting the Romanian writer Emil Cioran , "God can thank Bach because Bach is the proof of God's existence." ' I know a lot of readers share my own and Isabelle Huppert's passion for the creaky stuff. So I am featuring a newly released CD that has brought me a lot of pleasure. Le Clavecin et Son Histoire is one in a ser

Playing in new music's sandbox

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New music's sandbox went live last night with the Faster Than Sound contemporary music festival playing in the Britten Studio on Snape's new creative campus. Jon Hopkins and Tim Exile (photos 1 & 6) shaped cool sounds and played with Roland Olbeter's musical robots (photo 10). The Prometeo Quartet performed an Aldeburgh Music commission, Salvatore Sciarrino's String Quartet No 8 (photos 8 & 9); a work during which the composer's fascination with the higher registers of the violin was not shared by all the audience. James Weeks and Exaudi experienced no such problems with the world premiere of a challenging new choral work by Amber Priestley . The ever adventurous Exaudi also performed what was for me the highlight of the evening, Alvin Lucier's simple but sublime Unamuno . As if all this was not enough, visual artist Quayola's installation celebrating Rome's renaisance architecture was playing in the new Jerwood Kiln Studio (photo 5).