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Henry Holland has left a new comment on the post "Boulez - Rituel In Memoriam Maderna":
Ah, one my favorite Paths of yours Pliable since I started to read OAOP two (three?) years ago. I love Rituel in Memoriam Maderna, I listened to it on my iPod a few weeks ago. I wish that there was more than one official recording of it or I could find some live versions on my usual file theft sites. I know Boulez is The Great Bogeyman of 20th Century music along with Schoenberg, and while I certainly don't like all of his pieces, there are some that are among my favorite pieces of music.
I went to a performance of Pli selon Pli at the Concertgebouw when I was in Amsterdam recently and despite the excellent performance by the ASKO Ensemble and Barbara Hannigan I wasn't impressed by the piece all that much; I hadn't heard it in a while.
I keep hoping that a performance of the amazing Repons will take place in the US so I can easily afford to travel to hear it but it's obviously very complicated to do in a live situation.
About 15 years ago (?) Mr. Boulez conducted the four Notations that he had then completed the orchestral versions for here in Los Angeles with the Philharmonic and it was one of the most stunning things I've ever heard in a concert hall. The Phil back then could just barely play the pieces (they'd have no problem now that Mr. Salonen has whipped them in to shape) but what stunning music. I've really wanted Mr. Boulez to come back and conduct here, anything will do, but he hasn't been here in at least a decade. I wonder if he and Mr. Salonen had a falling out? :-(
Great picture of the set-up for the Gruppen premiere and what handsome men Boulez and Stockhausen are in the bottom picture. There's apparently going to be a book about the gay aspect of the Darmstadt group appearing soon and while I will buy it instantly, I'm also afraid that the revelations in it will be used to browbeat that group, much like if you read some of the criticism of Britten in the 40's-70's, there's a barely disguised layer of homophobia to it. As if a lot of people needed the gay angle to denigrate the Darmstadt composers, any excuse along the lines of "they killed classical music" will do! :-)
Thanks for that diversion Henry. Now follow this path for the funny side of Darmstadt, and my picture shows more handsome men there, from left to right, Luigi Nono, Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen.
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As a welcome antidote to English National Opera's ill-judged Kismet (I note that Peter Bazalgette, the big cheese from Big Brother is on the ENO board - which explains a lot) this email was very welcome ~ Hello, I just wanted to inform you that 'Edalat Square' won Houston's Opera Vista Competition over the weekend. It will be staged next year at their festival in June. An MTV affiliated network, LOGO, is considering filming the opera and airing it on TV. Here is a flattering review of the opera:
"The most adventurous of the lot — in both music and libretto — was R.Timothy Brady's poignant, highly poetic Edalat Square, a disquisition on the torture and hanging of two Iranian teenage boys for homosexuality. With keening strings and an overwhelming performance by Vanessa Beaumont as the wailing, distraught mother, Brady used almost calligraphic musical motifs to limn both the intolerance of Shari'a law and man's inherent divinity. Prodigiously talented young Brady is the composer to watch. He may prove to be grand opera's future."
The full article can be found here. Thank you again for your support of the opera.
Best regards, R. Timothy Brady
For the back story on Edalat Square follow this path.
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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
The Virginian-Pilot reports ~ 'Grammy-nominated conductor JoAnn Falletta (left) of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra has avoided a hearing over workplace discrimination complaints filed by a musician at her other post in Buffalo, N.Y. The complaints against the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, which focus on her handling of alleged sexual-orientation discrimination, have been settled. A hearing on the allegations had been set for Monday.
In 2004, Falletta fired openly gay second-string oboe player J. Bud Roach after he filed a complaint with the New York State Division of Human Rights saying he was discriminated against, according to a May statement released by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. "The case settled," Thomas Shanahan, the division's deputy commissioner for external relations, said in an e-mail Wednesday. "The hearing will, therefore, not happen."
In a telephone interview Friday, Roach said, "All I can tell you is that the situation has been resolved." He declined to elaborate. Daniel Hart, the executive director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, said in an e-mail Tuesday, "the matter with Bud Roach has been mutually resolved and we have no further statement to make."
Roach alleged that the principal oboe player, Pierre Roy, used an anti-homosexual slur in February 2003, saying "we wouldn't want any more" gays in the orchestra. That March, according to the alliance's statement, Roach says he brought his concerns to Falletta, the music director and conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic. He said she told him "these things get messy," and advised him to drop the matter, reassuring him that she had no concerns with his musical ability.
"The conductor, JoAnn Falletta, did nothing to prevent or stop anti-gay prejudice among the musicians she oversaw," Roach was quoted as saying. "Over the course of the next six months, Roy's hostility toward Roach grew, and he publicly stated a desire to have Roach removed from the orchestra," the statement said. Roach hired an attorney and set up an October 2003 meeting with the Buffalo orchestra's management. "It was at that meeting - almost eight months after Roach's initial complaint and after more than 18 months of playing with the BPO - that JoAnn Falletta stated for the first time that there were 'musical issues' with Roach," the statement said.
In December 2003, Roach filed a complaint with the New York human rights division, and he was fired from the orchestra on Feb. 12, 2004. "At every juncture they have shown an unwillingness to treat me with the basic dignity that any employee deserves," Roach said in the statement.He filed a retaliation complaint against the orchestra on March 22, 2005, and the division ruled that there was probable cause to determine that Roach had been discriminated against and recommended a public hearing.
Falletta was traveling this week and could not be reached for comment. Her public relations representatives also declined to comment on the Roach case. Falletta's Web site indicated that was scheduled to work with the Shanghai Symphony in China on June 9 and was to appear at the OK Mozart Festival in Bartlesville, Okla., on Wednesday.
Among other music-related activities, Falletta essentially handles two major responsibilities. She conducts and directs the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and was paid $145,000 for that work in the 2004 fiscal year, according to the orchestra's most recent public tax filing. Her salary for conducting and directing the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra was not listed on similar tax documents, and Hart declined to discuss salary issues. The orchestra did pay $256,539 for "staff conductor fees" to a company owned by Falletta's husband, renowned clarinetist Robert Alemany, in 2005, the records show.'
Read here for the back story.
Story credit Virginian-Pilot. 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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
Michael pays penalty for driving while unfit - Singer given 100 hours' community service - Judge's best wishes to star before Wembley concert ~Guardian June 9 (above).
Conductor jailed for groping youths - An orchestra conductor was jailed for nearly four years after using his "god-like" status to grope a string of gifted teenage musicians ~ Guardian Unlimited June 4 (below).
Robert King links 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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
'A bit more Mann and a little less boy, please' demands the Guardian headline over its review of English National Opera's new production of Benjamin Britten's Death in Venice. A line of thinking that reminds me that the opera was banned from being shown to schoolchildren in Kent, England in 1989
In that year Conservative councillors forced Glynebourne Touring Opera to cancel performances planned for a school's festival. At the time the chair of Kent school's sub-committee said the decision was made because: 'It was felt that the question of homosexuality was not appropriate for all the schoolchildren who would attend.'
Elsewhere the ban was described as 'unbelievable', 'pernicious', and 'scandalous', and it was believed to be the first time any concern had been expressed about the opera since its 1973 premiere. Donald Mitchell of the Britten-Pears Foundation said the decision had been influenced by the controversial Section 28 legislation which prevented local authorities from promoting homosexuality. 'It is appalling that councils should ban a work of this stature by a composer who did so much for children. They have covered themselves in shame', he said."
A spokesperson for Kent County Council said children as young as ten would have seen the opera, and it was felt that its contents were just not suitable. The Section 28 legislation was repealed in 2003, but Kent County Council retained elements of it in their schools curriculum by teaching that heterosexual marriage and family relationships are the firm foundations for society.
Now let's celebrate not one, but two new productions of Death in Venice with Britten's champagne moment.
Sorry, my photo isn't the new ENO production, it's from the Opera Company of Philadelphia, image credit Stevenrickards.com. 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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
It is difficult to believe that we are in the 21st century after reading about the alleged anti-gay discrimination at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra (seen in photo above). A statement by dismissed Buffalo Philharmonic oboist J Bud Roach alleges both homophobic remarks by an orchestra principal, and a lack of remedial action by music director JoAnn Falletta whose credits include being inducted into the Western New York Women’s Hall of Fame, and receiving the Human Relations Award from the Buffalo/Niagra Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.
The Buffalo discrimation case will be high profile as it is being handled by The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), an organisation that has done remarkable work eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation by championing fair, accurate and inclusive media representation.GLAAD's press release states: The Division of Human Rights on March 22, 2005 in J. Bud Roach v Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. ruled that there was “probable cause to believe that the respondent [the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra] has engaged in or is in engaging in the unlawful discriminatory practice complained of. Pursuant to the Human Rights Law, this matter is recommended for public hearing.” On June 18, 2007, there will be a public hearing before the New York State Division of Human Rights in the case of J. Bud Roach v Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc.
Now read about an extraordinarily powerful statement of gay rights by a young American composer
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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
The Southern Voice reports: Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution Iran, an estimated 4,000 people have been executed for the crime of lavaat, or sex between two men. One particular execution captured the attention of R. Timothy Brady, a 21-year old music composition major at Emory University, while he was studying abroad in Italy during the summer of 2005. It was the case of Mahmoud Asgari, 17, and Ayaz Marhoni, 16, who were publicly hanged in Edalat Square on July 19, 2005, after they were accused of being lovers. “I’m gay — that could happen to me,” Brady says. “It doesn’t matter that they’re Iranian or they’re half way across the world, it still really hit home.”
A year later, when choosing a topic for his senior honors project, the boys’ story still haunted Brady, and became his inspiration for the project, “Edalat Square: Opera in One Act.” Brady, a Gwinnett County native, based his opera on Asgari and Marhoni’s executions, setting the story inside the head of Asgari’s brother, Hassan, who is “imprisoned in pain and memory.” The setting of the opera is abstract and barren, reflecting Hassan’s torment, Brady explains. The horrifying photo below shows the actual execution, and is from the Iranian Student News Agency via Wikipedia.
Rather than a traditional set for “Edalat Square,” Brady instead chose to project images of Persian artwork on stage. Brady juxtaposes post-revolution, modern Persian art with the inherent homoeroticism present in some classical Persian art. He explains that there is “this love for other men in their culture that is really denied today. Look,” he continues, “you have this in your culture, you should embrace it.”
Brady incorporates other non-traditional elements in his 40-minute opera, a form he chose for the piece because, he says, “Opera is such a powerful way to say something.” He utilizes a Persian classical vocalist and an R&B soul vocalist, as well as two more traditional opera vocalists. The ensemble also includes a traditional string quartet, conductor, an actor with a speaking role, and a tape controller, who incorporates noise elements into the performance.
To prepare for the composition of the opera, Brady immersed himself in Persian culture. He listened to Persian music, read Sufi poetry, and spoke to many local Iranians. However, Brady was cautious not to simply appropriate what he learned. “I didn’t want to take their music and put it in the opera and say, ‘Okay, this is mine,’” he explains. “What I wanted to do was incorporate their aesthetics.”
In January, Brady attended the Iranian Human Rights Symposium in Toronto, organized by IRQO, the Iranian Queer Organization, a grassroots effort to “defend the rights of Iranian LGBT people against social and civil injustice.” It was there that Brady made contacts that will help him further the reach of his opera. The University of Toronto will host a screening of “Edalat Square” in May, and the opera will air on Sirius Satellite’s OUTQ radio station as well as a local station in Vancouver.
While Brady has found some support in the Persian community, he has also received e-mails from some who feel the opera is anti-Islamic. He is quick to note that his work has no anti-Islamic sentiments, but is instead a political piece commenting more on the strict Iranian government who, according to Brady, has hijacked Islam. “We keep talking about, ‘Oh, the nuclear bomb!’” Brady states. “That’s not really the problem right now. The problem is human rights issues.”
Brady, who used to be more traditionally involved in GLBT activism, sees his opera as a form of activism. “In 2004, 2005, after the election, I became disenchanted ... I wanted to think of other avenues to express myself socio-politically,” he says. “I thought this would be a good way to continue my activism in an artistic manner. It’s a better way that I can express myself.”
As for what’s next for Brady, he plans to attend graduate school for composition, and to pursue a career as a composer and producer. For now, though, he wants people to be moved by “Edalat Square.” “I hope people will walk away being spiritually affected, not just emotionally, but I want something deeper,” he explains. Brady hopes that Asgari and Marhoni’s story will continue to live within the audience “long after the lights go down, long after the music is forgotten.”
* Visit Timothy's Myspace page here.
Now read about another topical contemporary opera that reached primetime TV. Header photograph by Bo Shell and text reproduced with full acknowledgments from The Southern Voice, execution photo added from Wikipedia . 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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
Today's Scotsman reports - Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (left), the Master of the Queen's Music, is considering legal action after he was banned from having a "gay wedding" on the Orkney island of Sanday. The celebrated composer, who has lived on the island for the past nine years, had planned to have a civil ceremony performed by his neighbour, Charlie Ridley, the registrar for the island, but has been forbidden by Orkney Islands Council.
Sir Peter, 72, and his partner of six years, Colin Parkinson, 52, a builder, had planned to tie the knot at the Sanday Light Railway, a tourist attraction built by Mr Ridley, 47, over seven years in the garden of his croft. They hoped to arrive by train, driven by Mr Ridley, who would then perform the ceremony. The composer, who officially opened the railway in August, was even composing a piece called Sanday Railway for the ceremony, which was expected to draw guests across the world of classical and pop music.
But when Mr Ridley applied for permission to perform the civil ceremony, he was told that only the registrar based at Kirkwall was authorised to carry out a civil partnership. This would force Sir Peter and his guests to travel 90 minutes by boat to the Orkney mainland. In the same letter Mr Ridley was told he now had to comply with public entertainment licensing regulations for his railway, which would cost £5,000 a year. As a result Mr Ridley, who spent £50,000 building the railway, has started to tear it down and insisted he would abandon the island.
Sir Peter, acknowledged as one of the foremost modern composers - and whose works, ironically, include An Orkney Wedding (below) - said he and his partner still wanted to marry on Sanday with Mr Ridley performing the ceremony. 
He said: "I am taking legal advice. We are under the impression that a local registrar can conduct civil ceremonies. Everybody can get married where they live except me, it seems. It would not have the same meaning to get married elsewhere, but I will not give the council the pleasure of me marrying in Kirkwall. We will do it elsewhere in the UK if we cannot do it on Sanday." He continued: "Everybody on the island is in a terrible state over what has happened to Charlie. If he leaves we will lose our main tourist attraction. Why has it taken the council seven years to throw these bills at Charlie?"
Meanwhile, Mr Ridley accused the council of anti-gay "discrimination" and said he was still determined to wed the pair on Sanday. "In the same letter they linked the need for a public entertainments licence even though I have never charged a penny for the railway. I cannot afford the £5,000 a year and all the other administration and regulations involved. So I have closed the railway and I am leaving. But not before I marry Peter and Colin here."
Orkney Islands Council (OIC) said that in common with all the other home-based registrars in its registration district, the Sanday registrar is not authorised to carry out civil partnership ceremonies. "The OIC has taken the decision, in line with guidance from the Registrar General, that the only registrar authorised to carry out civil partnership ceremonies is at Kirkwall Registration Office. OIC will be discussing this situation with all those concerned to find an acceptable solution."
From today's Scotsman - now listen to Max's Orkney Wedding.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 broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
