Posts

Showing posts from May, 2015

That's not entertainment

Image
The initial spiritual idea, that music was an explanation of the divine universe, has a long and distinguished history. The symmetry of numbers presents itself as both an attractive way to account for an underlying structure in apparently chaotic nature and a fitting way to think of the beauty of God's creative mind; the important idea of music as perceptible numbers, which exemplifies this symmetry, thus stretches through history from Pythagoras and his followers to Plato , Boethius , the Corpus Hermeticum , the Camerati , Vincenzo Galileli , Ficino , Fludd , Kircher , Newton and Freemasonry . The writings of Hindemith, Schoenberg, and Stockhausen are not far removed from it either. The idea of music as being essentially entertainment was as alien to such people's attitudes as the idea of philosophy or psychology being essentially entertaining today. That is Jonathan Harvey writing in his exploration of music and spirituality In Quest of Spirit *. My first two photos were t

Much ado about nothing in Berlin

Image
Am I the only person in the whole world who is not interested in which overpaid and over-hyped celebrity maestro will replace another overpaid and over-hyped celebrity maestro in Berlin three years hence? My photo was taken in Sidi Ifni , Morocco. For these jam session the audience is rewarded, but the musicians are not. Also on Facebook and Twitter . Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" for critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).

Let's stop pretending classical music will change the world

Image
I’m not a fan of silence. Wait. Allow me, please, to clarify: I’ll take contemplative silence whenever I can, or the silence that comes from crisp mountain air or the hush that befalls your heart when gazing up at the galaxy of stars on a moonless night. Oh, I love that kind of silence. But silence in the face of oppression? Nope. Not a fan. Never have been. Can’t imagine I ever will be. That doesn’t mean that I always know how to speak up, that I always do speak up, and it certainly doesn’t mean that I always know the most effective way to speak up in order to actually invite people to listen, and then – under the best of circumstances – perhaps to actually feel the call to action. No. I’m not an expert in any of those areas. But I can tell you that I at heart, in the very center of my being, not comfortable in staying quiet about causes I am personally invested in. Especially when a person’s inherent dignity is at stake. That is Joyce DiDonato writing on the eve of her much

Scriabin in the Himalayas

Image
I have a rule of not publishing press releases On An Overgrown Path . But this one just could not be ignored: Scriabin in the Himalayas is a tribute concert for the great Russian composer Alexander Scriabin taking place on the outdoor terraces of Thikse Monastery in India this June 21st for the Summer Solstice. The multi-sensory performance includes three world-class pianists and one tenor , an interactive light show based on Scriabin's colour tonal system, Himalayan Cham dance and an olfactory score of timed scent diffusions. A limited number of 100 concert tickets have just been released via scriabininthehimalayas.com at £2,000 per person alongside an optional travel package by our partners Quintessentially Travel. This once-in-a-lifetime experience is being offered at a time when the cultures of the Himalaya, unique in the world, have suffered a great loss. Amongst the tragic loss of life, it is believed that four of seven Unesco world heritage sites in the Kathmandu v

I hear those voices that will not be drowned

Image
Peter Grimes sings of how “I hear those voices that will not be drowned” in the second act of Britten's eponymous opera . One voice that sings out against the tide while refusing to be drowned is worth one million parroting received wisdom on social media. Many lone voices have been featured over the years On An Overgrown Path , and today's article posthumously celebrates a very special voice. Temples, snake charmers, cows and call centres feature in the stereotypical Western image of India. But the reality is very different: India's economy is the seventh largest in the world measured by nominal GDP and the third-largest measured by purchasing power parity. A forecast growth of 7.2% in 2015 puts China in the economic shade, and on current trends the Indian economy will be larger than that of Japan and Germany combined by the end of the decade. This economic powerhouse has created a commercially and culturally vibrant nation, but one that is certainly not without its pro

What happened to the political dimension of the artist?

Image
By one of those auspicious coincidences that haunt my life, within a few days of a Conservative government being elected in the UK I travel to the enlightened but troubled political milieu of Greece. That header image shows the 1971 CBS LP of Maria Farantouri and John Williams performing songs by Mikis Theodorakis, and by another auspicious but sad coincidence this classic of the gramophone was produced by Paul Myers who died recently . As recounted in a post many years ago , the recital includes Theodorakis' setting of Brendan Behan's verse used in Constatin Costa Gravas' legendary film Z , which protested against the despotic regime of the Greek military junta. In the note for a recording of his Requiem Mikis Theodorakis wrote: "You can't create art with slaves, no matter whether they were forced into slavery or made to adopt a slavish attitude. At this point the political dimension of the artist comes into force. He must contribute to the rescue of mankind o

Classical music's reality distortion field needs challenging

Image
Yes, I said I would stay off this subject for a while, but classical music's reality distortion field really needs challenging. With humanitarian activist Joyce DiDonato tweeting about disappearing behind the Great Firewall , I searched in vain among her copious tweets for any comment about human rights and freedom of expression in China. So here, to balance that puzzling silence, are some links. For a full account of how dissenting voices among China's 641 million internet users are selectively silenced read Reporters Without Frontiers . Unlike Oman and Singapore, where Ms DiDonato has just performed , homosexuality is not a criminal offence in China. But Human Rights Watch puts this superficially liberal position into perspective : Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity: The Chinese government classified homosexuality as a mental illness until 2001. To date there is still no law protecting people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity,

Whoever you vote for, the government gets in

Image
That EMI LP captured the then Conservative prime minister Edward Heath conducting Elgar's Cockaigne Overture at a London Symphony Orchestra concert in November 1971. The Elgar was coupled with studio recordings of André Previn conducting Bernstein, Enescu and Vaughan Williams. Heath was never quite as good a conductor as he imagined himself to be. But, plus ça change , classical music could not resist a celebrity. On another occasion he conducted a concert in Salisbury Cathedral. During rehearsals, the prime minister was growing more and more curt in his comments. The leader of the orchestra became increasingly exasperated, and eventually exclaimed: "If you don't stop being so rude to us, Sir Edward, we may start obeying your instructions." As in music, so in politics - whoever you vote for, the government gets in. Elsewhere there is more on mixing music and politics . Also on Facebook and Twitter . Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" fo

What music would you recommend to a classical neophyte?‏

Image
Is classical music asking the right questions in its search for a new audience? Should we be debating the way musicians dress, the style of lighting used in concert halls and the rights and wrongs of applause between movements? Or should we be spending more time deliberating over what music will appeal to that elusive new audience? As the name of the game is classical music , my vote goes unequivocally for deliberating over what music to recommend and promote to new listeners. Which is why the following Facebook exchange sent me off down a path that is worth sharing. Reader - Hey there. I am a big fan of On An Overgrown Path and a friend of mine wants to start off listening to classical music. I wanted to know some recommendations for beginners Me - You ask a very important question, and one to which there is no easy answer. Can you give me a brief biographical sketch of your friend to help me? With some background I will make some suggestions. Reader - Brief bio: Female. Ed

Such a warm welcome in Oman - if you are not gay

Image
So that's the human rights problems in Oman sorted. Next stop for gay rights campaigner Joyce DiDonato's Drama Queens tour is Singapore tomorrow evening (May 4). Where, and no apologies if this is becoming repetitive, under Section 377A of the Singapore penal code , men who engage in "gross indecency" privately or publicly can be jailed for up to two years. Hopefully a stunning theatre, captivated audience and wonderfully warm welcome, together with a sycophantic global music press , will sort that little problem as well. This should be the last post for a while on the subject as from Singapore Ms. DiDonato's road show goes on to three concerts in China, where homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997 . However, other human rights infringements in China, which include press censorship and the banning of human rights organisations, should be of concern to any outspoken defender of personal liberty. Freedom of expression is a major preoccupation for classi

People reveal themselves in writing about music

Image
Composer Michael Berkeley celebrates his long-running BBC Radio 3 programme Private Passions in the Guardian article seen above. In his eulogy Michael Berkeley includes links to Overgrown Path posts praising the Private Passions programmes in 2005 on which Harrison Birwistle and David Hockney were guests. But he does not link to my 2013 post which reads as follows: I used to be a big fan of BBC Radio 3’s Private Passions programme which Michael Berkeley presents, and in the past have written here in praise of it . But the programme has fallen victim to the BBC’s ‘dumb or die’ policy and now features Berkeley indulging expendable media celebrities whose tastes in music are more Radio 2 than 3. Which means I - and probably a lot of other people - no longer listen to it. Is no one prepared to oppose dumbing-down ? Also on Facebook and Twitter . Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" for critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copy

Yes, that new young audience really does exist

Image
This youthful dervish of the Naqshbandi order was in the groove at the concert by Sheikh Hassan Dyck , Ali Keeler and Muhabbat Caravan at the Museé Batha in Fez during the Sufi Culture Festival . As Benjamin Britten proved , everybody - irrespective of faith, virtue, education, experience or age - can make music . Also on Facebook and Twitter . Any copyrighted material is included as "fair use" for critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s).