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Showing posts from December, 2013

2013 - the year brilliance supplanted wisdom

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In virtually all cases, a man in his late twenties, no matter how bright and precocious, has not yet manifested his full wisdom, simply because he cannot have had sufficient life experience to mature his spirit. However, it is arguable that someone under thirty years old, or even under twenty, has the intelligence, sensitivity, and full capacity to see the truth, even if they have not had the time to fully experience it. In addition, a younger mind can - probably better than an older mind - function as a 'medium' for truth, or, Mozart-like, as a vehicle for that vast artistic impuls and capacity that we refer to, with great understatement, as 'talent'. It's common knowledge that Einstein's revelatory realizations were accomplished in his mid-twnties, and that the greatest chess masters usually perform their highest feats during this young decade also. That brilliance is the province of the younger brain is usually not disputed. However, brilliance is not wisd

Is it surprising classical music has problems?

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When an embedded journalist  recommends a recording I run a mile, because there is invariably a hidden agenda . When John McLaughlin Williams recommends a recording I buy it, because John is probably the least embedded person on this planet . Back in December 2010 I ran a post highlighting John's recommendation of Paul Constantinescu's Byzantine Christmas oratorio The Nativity , which he described as a "beautiful, mystical work". In 2010 I wrote that there was currently no recording in the catalogue, and that remains the case. [ Update - see comment below. ] But after a couple of years searching I tracked down an affordable new copy of the 1977 Bucharest recording originally made by Electrecord, Romania, which was re-released and subsequently deleted by the Olympia label. It goes without saying that John McLaughlin Williams is quite right in his assessment of Constantinescu's unknown oratorio. Paul Constantinescu (1909-1963) was a pupil of Franz Schmidt in

Classical music's big opportunity is neglected music

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Here is beautiful music - straightforward, deeply felt, expertly made yet far removed from deliberate cleverness, serene, affirmative, even holy. Harrison and Hovhaness complement one another with rare energy, and one suspects that this album will find new admirers for both men. That is the concluding paragraph from a sleeve note by Tim Page - who knows a thing or two about these things . It was written for the original Music Masters CD seen above of Lou Harrison 's Symphony No 2, Elegiac and Alan Hovhaness ' Symphony No 2, Mysterious Mountain and Lousadzak , with Keith Jarrett as soloist in the latter work, and Tim Page's note is also used in the praiseworthy Nimbus re-release of the recording . Hovhaness' Mysterious Mountain is the least-neglected of the three works on the disc, but Lou Harrison's Elegiac is the real gem. If Harrison has any profile at all today it is through his gamelan influenced works ; but he was also an accomplished symphonist and in a pe

Retail therapy

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All photos taken in Avignon, France (c) On An Overgrown Path 2013. Also on Facebook and Twitter .

Figures in a creche can't sing twelve-tone music

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When asked why his oratorio El Pessebre (The Manger) ignored contemporary musical developments the great Catalan musician Pablo Casals replied with a smile "The figures in a crèche are folk figures; why, they can't sing twelve-tone music!" El Pessebre may be derivative with its echoes of Humperdinck and Wagner, but it is also a delightful example of naïve folk art that provides a welcome alternative to the oceans of musical kitsch that are now inseparable from Christmas. The naïve folk art seen in my header image, which transports the miracle of water into wine from Cana to a hilltop village in Provence, adorns the guest refectory in L'Abbaye du Barroux in France. If your Christmas tastes are more ancient than modern then, staying with the Catalunya, triomfant theme, the CD seen below is recommended; it is Navidad Renacentista , a programme of Renaissance Spanish Christmas music performed by Capella de Ministrers directed by Carles Magraner and recorded in the

Yet another new audience

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'Never-ending pan flute. Tinkly river sounds. Enya. Spa music can leave a lot to be desired. If your tastes run more classical than New Age, check out The Dolder Grand ’s Violin Touch ($230), a brand new treatment that pairs massage with a live private violin concert. The luxe spa in Zürich, Switzerland (rated one of Europe's top 20 resorts by Condé Nast Traveler readers) is giving zen-seekers a choice of two different musical compositions to accompany their 45-minute rundown: Relax, an Asian-inspired song, and Soul Detox, a peaceful melody. The program was created by musician (and frequent spagoer) Debora Vonwiller, who believes the vibrations from the live music evoke a strong emotional response and deepen relaxation' - from Condé Nast Traveler Also on Facebook and Twitter . 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).

Where has all the mystery gone?

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We are born in mystery, we live in mystery, and we die in mystery. The value of psychic experience is that it deepens the mystery, not that it dispels it - Huston Smith Tales of Wonder Christmas should be a celebration of the miracle and mystery of the Nativity. So it is appropriate at this time to remember the recent death of Colin Wilson ; a passing that was shamefully but predictably ignored by the mainstream media. His most celebrated book was The Outsider , but his exploration of the mysterious in The Occult will always be special for me. Far from being an apologia for black magic, The Occult has a remarkable contemporary relevance . Also on Facebook and Twitter . 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).

New music from the point of tangency

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'I have always felt that the action most worth watching is not at the center of things but where the edges meet. I like shorelines, weather fronts, international boundaries. Often, if you stand at the point of tangency, you can see both sides better than if you were in the middle of either one' - from Anne Fadiman The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down For music the action most worth watching is also found where the ( ragged? ) edges meet - on the shorelines where traditions mix, in the weather fronts where styles collide, and at the international boundaries where cultures fuse. Not at the dead - in more ways than one - centre where risk and tension are bleached out in the name of accessibility. At the point of tangency you can see things better, as in the new CD of choral music by the Catalan composer Bernat Vivancos. Born in Barcelona in 1973, Vivancos trained at the world famous Escolania de Montserrat which is one of the oldest choral schools in the world. His studie

Just when you thought the Wagner anniversary was over

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Rather more appealing than Britten cuff links are these Wagner inspired artworks by Norfolk sculptress Vanessa Pooley . For those struggling with the symbolism, that's Siegfried and Brunhilde above and a solo Brunnhilde below. More details here and a Wagner sculpture blog here . Salvador Dali did not design a Britten iPhone cover , but he did create a Wagner fountain . Also on Facebook and Twitter . 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).

We wouldn't sell that my luv - he's dead you know

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Research for yesterday's post revealed that Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood once worked as a sales assistant in the Our Price record store in Oxford. Back in the late 1970s I went into Our Price in Staines and asked if they had the new LP of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms , only to be told "We wouldn't sell that my luv - he's dead you know". Fortunately I found the copy seen above elsewhere. The typographical view of Bernstein's LP appears here because, ten years later and after a protracted selection process, I was verbally offered the post of buying director of Our Price which was part of the WH Smith empire. When considerable time had passed without the offer being confirmed I asked what the delay was; to be told the personnel director was waiting for the results of an analysis of my handwriting from a graphologist in New York. Eventually the offer was confirmed, but I turned it down for other reasons. Even if I hadn't, I certainly wouldn&

Classical music's new younger audience is grey-haired

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In October came the good news that 76% of ticket buyers for the Rest is Noise festival had not previously booked a contemporary classical music event at London's Southbank Centre. One of the highlights of the final month of the ground breaking festival was a discussion about the future of new music between Alex Ross, whose visionary book inspired the festival, and Colin Greenwood , the celebrated bassist of Radiohead - that is the two of them in the photo. As the Rest is Noise festival is, quite rightly, being cited as a case study in how to attract new audiences it is worth pointing out that Alex was born in 1968 and Colin Greenwood in 1969. This makes them 45 and 44 respectively, which compares with a median age of 48 for that archetype of the affluent senior citizen, the cruise ship passenger. Which is not a problem at all as it simply confirms what has been glaringly obvious for a long time: that classical music's audience is skewed towards older age groups who, like

À Jordi, pour l'âme de Montserrat

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Moroccan oud virtuoso Driss El Maloumi 's latest album Makan is dedicated 'À Jordi, pour l'âme de Montserrat' [To Jordi, for our soul mate Montserrat]. The new album is a delightful example of Maghreb-lite and was in heavy iPod rotation during my recent travels . Stand out track is a new interpretation of the traditional Berber lullaby ( Berceuse Amazigh ) that was recorded so movingly by the desperately missed Montserrat Figueras with Jordi Savall and Driss El Maloumi on her 2002 CD Ninna Nanna - an album that, incidentally, also contains two little known Arvo Pärt premieres . Driss El Maloumi was born in Agadir in southern Morocco, which is where the Berceuse Amazigh originates from. As my 2012 Agadir inspired post asked if Fair Trade works elsewhere, why not in music? Also on Facebook and Twitter . No review samples used in this post. Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use", for study, review or critical analysis only, and wil

Classical music's big opportunity is its current audience

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Let's look at alternative strategies for a moment. For instance, classical music could finesses its current audience instead of chasing the mythical monolithic / young / hip / rock loving / vibrant / technically literate / affluent 'new' audience . If every current audience member attending ten concerts in a year (that's less than one a month) was persuaded to come to one more concert, the classical music audience would increase by 10%. Similarly if every classical music buyer purchasing 10 CDs (or downloads) a year bought another CD, the market would grow by 10%. And, at the risk of repeating myself, if every classical radio station listener increased their listening from 10 to 11 hours a week, the classical radio audience would be 10% bigger. Admittedly this strategy is not as sexy as turning classical music into rock by another name, but 10% growth is a lot better than classical music's big new ideas are currently achieving . A statistically insignificant sa

Forget Dudamel - this man is classical music's future

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Musicians at the sharp end of classical music report to executive staff who are in turn accountable to management bodies variously termed boards, councils etc. These management boards control the future of classical music, yet they come under very little scrutiny. My research for yesterday's post about Aldeburgh Music uncovered just how incestuous classical music's controlling bodies are. The chairman of Aldeburgh Music council Simon Robey, who is seen above, is also chairman of the Royal Opera House and a member of many of its committees including finance and audit, while Aldeburgh Music president Lord Dennis Stevenson of Coddenham is also a director of Glyndebourne productions and Laura Wade-Gery sits on the Aldeburgh Music council and the Royal Opera House board of trustees. Of course co-productions between geographically distant companies are a fact of life in opera. But the Royal Opera House is just 109 miles from Aldeburgh and 62 miles from Glyndebourne, and there is

Who can turn Aldeburgh skies back and begin again?

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Swamped by the final echoes of the Britten centenary celebrations was the news that the chief executive of Aldeburgh Music for the past sixteen years Jonathan Reekie is leaving in March. Over the years On An Overgrown Path has enthused about many of the projects that Jonathan has headed, and the photo above was taken when I interviewed him for a 2007 post . Although Jonathan's highest profile project was this year's Britten centenary culminating in Grimes on the Beach - "a triumph against the odds" - his most lasting legacy will be the new performance spaces at Snape which he masterminded. These new spaces, with the Britten Studio as the jewel in the crown , exhibit an acoustic excellence and environmental sensitivity which Benjamin Britten would most definitely have approved of. New music has been passionately promoted by Jonathan, with the highlights including the Faster than Sound presentations at RAF Bentwater and in the Britten Studio , Chris Watson&#

Muse behind Britten's Ceremony of Carols is revealed

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Still trying to talk prestigious composers - "they needed to be important so the works would get attention" - into writing for the harp [Edna] Phillips next targeted Benjamin Britten. He agreed to meet her in New York, where she spent a pleasant afternoon playing for him and discussing the technical requirements of the harp, but when she asked him to write a work for her, he declined. At the time, he was preparing to return to England to stand with his countrymen against the German bombardment. He was too distracted to think of accepting a commission, he told her. She lost the chance, but she always wondered whether she had prompted Britten to think about the harp. "He composed the Ceremony of Carols on the ship taking him back to England and used the harp in such an original and wonderful way in it," she said. "It really doesn't matter that he didn't accept our commission. That is a great work for the harp." That new perspective on the genesis

Music is calligraphy using sounds

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Composing is perhaps something one does in order to deepen the intensity of silence rather than the intensity of sounds Music is calligraphy using sounds, which are painted on the canvas of silence. That Zen wisdom comes from Toshio Hosokawa who is seen above. Both quotes appear in the notes for the highly recommended new recording on Wergo of Hosokawa'a String Quartets by the Arditti Quartet , a CD which resonate almost inaudibly with my current meme of the ragged edge of silence . Also on Facebook and Twitter . No review samples used in this post. Any copyrighted material 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).

New music that was saved by Nelson Mandela

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My new Symphony - for that is what it eventually turned out to be - would serve as a memorial to the victims of the [ Sharpeville massacre ] in which eighty-three people were shot dead by the police while taking part in a peaceful demonstration against the notorious Pass Laws , the hated symbol of black subjection to white supremacy. I was also influenced by the example of Shostakovich's own memorial to the victims of political oppression in the shape of his Eleventh Symphony, which so movingly commemorates the dead of the 1905 Revolution in which another peaceful demonstration was turned into a massacre. But where Shostakovich uses Russian political songs as symphonic material, I resolved to make use of three African melodies to give my work a similar sense of urgency and immediacy of purpose. That is John Joubert writing in the notes for the Dutton recording of his Second Symphony , which, as related here , made an unexpected appearance in the classical charts shortly after its r

Imagine there is no new audience for classical music

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Student: What happens when we die? Zen master: I don't know. Student: But you're a Zen master. Zen master: True. Quite true. But I am not a dead Zen master. That is John Cage in the header photo with Zen master D.T. Suzuki and classical music can learn a lot from Zen thinking. Imagine for a moment there is no monolithic / young / hip / rock loving / vibrant / technically literate / affluent 'new' audience for classical music. Similarly imagine there is no monolithic / conservative / elitist / moribund / white / luddite / reactionary / disposable 'old' audience. Instead imagine the audience for classical music is like a cloud: made up of millions of unique particles, each with a different age, behaviour pattern and tastes. Now imagine this granular cloud is constantly changing and reforming in accord with the Zen teaching of impermanence. Imagine there is no one-size-fits-all music and no one-size-fits-all style of concert presentation. Imagine the concepts o

Parsifal as pure religion itself - Islam

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'There is, I believe, an important link between early Christianity and Sufism. When I read of the Desert Fathers and when I meet Sufis they seem to occupy much of the same position. The Sufis are, of course, a bit outside the mainstream of Islam. The one thing that particularly interests me is the image of the holy fool who, although no longer a stock figure in Christianity, is still important in Sufism. I am wondering to what degree Sufism might have been drawn from early Christianity. That passage from Marius Kociejowski's The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool resonates with my 2012 post which asked Was Wagner a Sufi? But it resonates even more strongly with the provocative view of the radical Muslim teacher and author Ian Dallas (aka Abdalqadir as-Sufi) that in the final act of Parsifal the white dove which descends and hovers over Parsifal - the holy fool - is... "a symbol of peace which in Arabic bears the same root 'S-L-M' as pure religion itself, I

Exploring the ragged edge of silence

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In his Syrian travelogue The Street Philosopher and the Holy Fool Marius Kociejowski celebrates the two characters in the title as "non-mainstreamers". While others have appointed themselves as cultural commentators I prefer the roles of street philosopher and holy fool, so, accordingly, my recent travels enthusiastically embraced the non-mainstream. For the 1500 mile round trip to l'Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine in Provence I chose to travel by train rather than plane or car, which, thankfully, cushioned me from the kind of French driver captured in the header photo And my journey was rich in distinctly alternative experiences including the concert seen below; while I also took the distinctly non-mainstream decision to disconnect myself from the internet for the entire ten day trip. One of the many benefits of train travel is the non-mainstreamers it brings you into contact with. Seen below are the two delectable young ladies who sat next to me on the four hour high spe