Last night was an incredibly rare performance of John Cage's HPSCHD. After seeing the production, it's understandable why it's mounted so rarely - it's really a monumental task. 7 harpsichords, video projections and electroacoustic sounds. And what you end up with is really more of a cocktail party with bizarre background music. It's more of an event to experience, rather than music to listen to.
I did at one point sit down and close my eyes and focus on what I was hearing, dissecting the various layers of sound. What I heard was talking and the electronic music. I couldn't hear a single harpsichord note!
I do wish I'd brought my camera, but there were lots there, so I'm sure I'll find some pictures to post. I recorded lots of audio samples, which I'll edit up and post, as well as an interesting conversation with composer Emily Hall and Continuum's artistic director Jennifer Waring, in the car on the way home.
I think the conclusion the three of us came up with is that it's a piece that belongs to its time, and doesn't work well outside of its context as a musical or philosophical work. Mounting it in 2008 seems more of a celebration of what it and Cage were. But it's still something really cool to have taken part in, and something I might never get a chance to do again.
More later.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Penderecki Quartet
It's all too rare that we get to hear great music played by truly world class performers. Last night's concert of the Penderecki string quartet was all that and more.
We heard music from visiting Italian composers Ada Gentile and and Riccardo Piacentini. Gentile's 3rd and 1st quartets were played back to back, and even though these quartets were only composed a few years apart (2000 and 1996), I appreciated having the opportunity to hear how her writing had changed between the two (though I did find it curious that the more recent was played first).
We also heard the group perform the music of its namesake, his second quartet. Obviously one would expect this group to excel at Penderecki's music, but this performance overcame any expectation. Wow. Just, wow. The expressive capability of this group is exceptional. They have a spectacular range of dynamic, colour, texture, everything that makes the music come alive.
In the second half we heard the 3rd quartet of Andrzej Panufnik. Panufnik is not heard often on this side of the pond, though apparently he was very well known and respected in his native Poland when he was active there. (He died in 1991.) I'm familiar with his music, having written a paper on one of his pieces when I was in school, but I hadn't heard this piece before. I quite enjoyed it - despite its somewhat traditional sound, it's full of expression and emotion, much like his music I'm more familiar with. If you've never heard of him before, check him out - it'll be worth your time.
The concert wrapped up with a premiere by Pianentini. At this point I should mention that inside the Music Gallery the temperature hovered around 35 degrees, with no fans on at all. I have no idea how the musicians not only made it through such a challenging concert (in full concert dress no less) but played to their exceedingly high standard. But by the end of the evening there's no doubt everyone was beat. I do wish this piece had been placed earlier in the program, because I think I would have paid much closer attention and enjoyed it much more had I not been trying to retain consciousness.
A world-class performance indeed.
We heard music from visiting Italian composers Ada Gentile and and Riccardo Piacentini. Gentile's 3rd and 1st quartets were played back to back, and even though these quartets were only composed a few years apart (2000 and 1996), I appreciated having the opportunity to hear how her writing had changed between the two (though I did find it curious that the more recent was played first).
We also heard the group perform the music of its namesake, his second quartet. Obviously one would expect this group to excel at Penderecki's music, but this performance overcame any expectation. Wow. Just, wow. The expressive capability of this group is exceptional. They have a spectacular range of dynamic, colour, texture, everything that makes the music come alive.
In the second half we heard the 3rd quartet of Andrzej Panufnik. Panufnik is not heard often on this side of the pond, though apparently he was very well known and respected in his native Poland when he was active there. (He died in 1991.) I'm familiar with his music, having written a paper on one of his pieces when I was in school, but I hadn't heard this piece before. I quite enjoyed it - despite its somewhat traditional sound, it's full of expression and emotion, much like his music I'm more familiar with. If you've never heard of him before, check him out - it'll be worth your time.
The concert wrapped up with a premiere by Pianentini. At this point I should mention that inside the Music Gallery the temperature hovered around 35 degrees, with no fans on at all. I have no idea how the musicians not only made it through such a challenging concert (in full concert dress no less) but played to their exceedingly high standard. But by the end of the evening there's no doubt everyone was beat. I do wish this piece had been placed earlier in the program, because I think I would have paid much closer attention and enjoyed it much more had I not been trying to retain consciousness.
A world-class performance indeed.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Rechenzentrum
Last night we saw a screening of Rechenzentrum's latest DVD entitled Silence. Rechenzentrum is the duo of Marc Weiser (music) and Lillevan (visuals). The dvd consisted of 13 vignettes of music and video. Lillevan gave a brief q&a after the screening, in which he explained that dvds such as this are not the end product of their work as a duo, but rather the live semi-improvised collaborations are the final product. He went on to explain that this dvd was a snapshot of what they were doing at the time, and that their work together was always evolving and changing.
I'm not unfamiliar with multimedia works such as this, however I'm more familiar with the Montreal style works of composers like Jean Piche. This collaboration I found to be a bit more disjointed - it seemed to me that neither the music nor the video had any focal point, but instead seemed to support each other. While this does ensure the integration of both, it leaves the overall work somewhat directionless. The music I didn't find overly compelling, and while the visuals captured my attention, I didn't find they held it for the near-hour of the work. I don't mean to suggest that such a work needs to be framed within a narrative, or take more of a clear direction, however I would have liked to have seen or heard more presence from either aspect. Perhaps if the music were more engaging it would have carried me along better. Instead, the first 8 or 16 bars of each piece/song more or less revealed the entire scope of the tune.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, or that I wasn't intrigued by it, but I can't say I'd readily go see/hear it again. I would, however, be quite interested to see their live show, where, as Lillevan explained, he works with thousands of video bits and arranges them on the fly as the music and his own intuition dictate.
I'd love to hear comments from someone more familiar with these types of works, so by all means, comment away! Tell me how I completely missed the boat, how naive I am, etc.!
I'm not unfamiliar with multimedia works such as this, however I'm more familiar with the Montreal style works of composers like Jean Piche. This collaboration I found to be a bit more disjointed - it seemed to me that neither the music nor the video had any focal point, but instead seemed to support each other. While this does ensure the integration of both, it leaves the overall work somewhat directionless. The music I didn't find overly compelling, and while the visuals captured my attention, I didn't find they held it for the near-hour of the work. I don't mean to suggest that such a work needs to be framed within a narrative, or take more of a clear direction, however I would have liked to have seen or heard more presence from either aspect. Perhaps if the music were more engaging it would have carried me along better. Instead, the first 8 or 16 bars of each piece/song more or less revealed the entire scope of the tune.
I can't say I didn't enjoy it, or that I wasn't intrigued by it, but I can't say I'd readily go see/hear it again. I would, however, be quite interested to see their live show, where, as Lillevan explained, he works with thousands of video bits and arranges them on the fly as the music and his own intuition dictate.
I'd love to hear comments from someone more familiar with these types of works, so by all means, comment away! Tell me how I completely missed the boat, how naive I am, etc.!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Hits and Misses
Tonight we heard the Cantus Ensemble, from Zagreb, Croatia perform a series of pieces, mostly from Croatian composers. For me the program was hit and miss, delivering a couple good pieces and a couple forgettable. The program started off with my least favourite of the evening, a rather straightforward, unimaginative three movement work. However things quickly changed directions with the second piece, disORDER by Kresimir Seletkovic. I found myself unable to follow where the composer was going throughout the piece, but always intrigued to find out where we'd end up. The only Canadian piece on the program, Michael Pepa's Isomorphe, rounded out the first half. This piece featured the ensemble plus violin, accordion and mezzo soloists. The quieter moments were particular notable, as was the solo violin part. The piece ended beautifully with a soft, static harmony held in the strings and pizzicato bass on a repeated note.
The second half started with a piece written by the ensemble's conductor, Berislav Sipus. This work came dangerously close to over-reliance on texture and colour, but didn't quite overdo it. The second piece of this half, Srdjan Dedic's Ich Vergesse Dich Nicht (I Won't Forget You) is ironically-titled at best. This 3-movement work lost me near the beginning of the second movement and never got me back. I'll most definitely forget it.
The concert ended with a work called Dolce Furioso by Dubravko Detoni. The title is extremely apt, as the piece constantly moves back and forth between soft and loud sections, often quite violently. This piece featured a brief but very dramatic and effective section in the middle where the entire ensemble mimes playing their instruments in a "furioso" section. It was quite striking to watch the whole ensemble appearing to play madly, with not a sound coming from the stage. Unfortunately some in the audience found this more comical than dramatic, which really takes away from the significance of it.
But enough about the music, because ultimately, at least in my opinion, this concert was about the ensemble, not the repertoire. These guys are absolutely awesome. Technically, expressively, they're the whole package. Particular standouts were the cellist, flautist and trombonist. Even in the very rhythmically demanding Dolce Furioso, the ensemble was razor-sharp. Unison passages were played so perfectly I had to watch sometimes to see what instruments were playing.
This is two nights in a row we've been treated to exceptional, world-class performers. What a treat. It's also two nights in a row I've wanted the concert to keep going, though for very different reasons. Last night I just wanted to keep hearing Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti keep playing. Tonight, I wanted to hear this fantastic ensemble dig into some classics of the chamber orchestra rep, because it would've been truly memorable to hear them played by such a fine group.
The second half started with a piece written by the ensemble's conductor, Berislav Sipus. This work came dangerously close to over-reliance on texture and colour, but didn't quite overdo it. The second piece of this half, Srdjan Dedic's Ich Vergesse Dich Nicht (I Won't Forget You) is ironically-titled at best. This 3-movement work lost me near the beginning of the second movement and never got me back. I'll most definitely forget it.
The concert ended with a work called Dolce Furioso by Dubravko Detoni. The title is extremely apt, as the piece constantly moves back and forth between soft and loud sections, often quite violently. This piece featured a brief but very dramatic and effective section in the middle where the entire ensemble mimes playing their instruments in a "furioso" section. It was quite striking to watch the whole ensemble appearing to play madly, with not a sound coming from the stage. Unfortunately some in the audience found this more comical than dramatic, which really takes away from the significance of it.
But enough about the music, because ultimately, at least in my opinion, this concert was about the ensemble, not the repertoire. These guys are absolutely awesome. Technically, expressively, they're the whole package. Particular standouts were the cellist, flautist and trombonist. Even in the very rhythmically demanding Dolce Furioso, the ensemble was razor-sharp. Unison passages were played so perfectly I had to watch sometimes to see what instruments were playing.
This is two nights in a row we've been treated to exceptional, world-class performers. What a treat. It's also two nights in a row I've wanted the concert to keep going, though for very different reasons. Last night I just wanted to keep hearing Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti keep playing. Tonight, I wanted to hear this fantastic ensemble dig into some classics of the chamber orchestra rep, because it would've been truly memorable to hear them played by such a fine group.
May 31 podcast
Music and conversations from last night's concert featuring Lori Freedman and Frances-Marie Uitti. The first audio you hear is the wonderful La Notte that I raved about last night. You'll also hear Frances-Marie describing this piece in her own words. There's also a short interview with Richard Marsella, aka Friendly Rich, aka director of the Ontario region of the Canadian Music Centre, and a conversation between myself, Richard and composer Paul Frehner, where Paul discusses Christine Duncan's mystery concert yesterday at Somewhere There.
May 24 podcast part two
Here's the audio from the second concert from May 24, World Beats. You'll hear the Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan and the various percussion groups, ending with the jam session with all the musicians from the concert. The audio clips are interspersed with clips from my conversation with composer Vince Ho, where he discusses what attracts him to a piece of music.
Ok, it's been a few days, but we're back into the thick of things now. Tonight the Music Gallery was filled with the sounds of cello and clarinet with Frances-Marie Uitti and Lori Freedman. You know you can't go wrong...
I said this blog would be about the music, and not get personal and self-indulgent, but let me put tonight's concert in my own personal context. For me, and I suspect for most of us, a lot of the new music we hear is ultimately forgettable. Not necessarily bad, but not overly good. And we all agree that this is part of the game - this music needs and deserves to be heard. Performers and presenters haven't had the decades or centuries of filters that dinosaur ensembles have, to get rid of the mediocre and bad music. Of the good music we hear, much falls into the "good" or "great" categories, but it's all too rare that we hear a true gem.
Over the last few years I've grown much more critical and discriminating in what makes the "good" or "great" cut - I suppose that's just natural as we hear more and more music as we get older. But usually I can count on hearing one gem of a piece each season - the kind of piece that sticks with you, that you can't forget about, that you crave to hear again and again. I fully realize that these kinds of pieces can differ greatly from person to person - I've had long arguments with people over pieces that made my "gem" list which they thought were garbage, or at best "good", and vice-versa. But whatever it is that makes it into the "excellent" category, you know it when you hear it, and you can't forget it.
Tonight I got one of those in Frances-Marie Uitti's "La Notte". I'm even at a loss as to how to start describing this piece. It's beautiful, yes, but what does that mean - to me, or to anyone else? Should I describe it technically? Walk you through it? My personal reaction to it? In the end, none of these will do the piece justice, which is, I suppose, why we have music - to communicate something we can't otherwise communicate with words.
I suppose I could at least take a stab at describing it. First off, I imagine the piece would suffer in the hands of any performer other than those of the composer. What a treat to have the ultimate performer for such a great piece. And no doubt, Uitti and Lori Freedman are the ultimate performers. It starts with what at first appearances are traditional arpeggiated chords, but there's something odd with the tuning... It moves through various textures and sounds, always emphasizing the quiet abilities of both instruments, and often the lower registers. Maybe it's the relatively low volume of everything that forces you to pay closer attention. Maybe it's just that anything these two play will sound good.
I spoke briefly to Uitti about the piece, so I'll let her describe it in her own words. I'll also post a short clip of the performance, as soon as I get the audio edited up (hopefully tomorrow) so keep an eye out for that.
Look for more posts all this week, as I'll be at most of the evening events.
I said this blog would be about the music, and not get personal and self-indulgent, but let me put tonight's concert in my own personal context. For me, and I suspect for most of us, a lot of the new music we hear is ultimately forgettable. Not necessarily bad, but not overly good. And we all agree that this is part of the game - this music needs and deserves to be heard. Performers and presenters haven't had the decades or centuries of filters that dinosaur ensembles have, to get rid of the mediocre and bad music. Of the good music we hear, much falls into the "good" or "great" categories, but it's all too rare that we hear a true gem.
Over the last few years I've grown much more critical and discriminating in what makes the "good" or "great" cut - I suppose that's just natural as we hear more and more music as we get older. But usually I can count on hearing one gem of a piece each season - the kind of piece that sticks with you, that you can't forget about, that you crave to hear again and again. I fully realize that these kinds of pieces can differ greatly from person to person - I've had long arguments with people over pieces that made my "gem" list which they thought were garbage, or at best "good", and vice-versa. But whatever it is that makes it into the "excellent" category, you know it when you hear it, and you can't forget it.
Tonight I got one of those in Frances-Marie Uitti's "La Notte". I'm even at a loss as to how to start describing this piece. It's beautiful, yes, but what does that mean - to me, or to anyone else? Should I describe it technically? Walk you through it? My personal reaction to it? In the end, none of these will do the piece justice, which is, I suppose, why we have music - to communicate something we can't otherwise communicate with words.
I suppose I could at least take a stab at describing it. First off, I imagine the piece would suffer in the hands of any performer other than those of the composer. What a treat to have the ultimate performer for such a great piece. And no doubt, Uitti and Lori Freedman are the ultimate performers. It starts with what at first appearances are traditional arpeggiated chords, but there's something odd with the tuning... It moves through various textures and sounds, always emphasizing the quiet abilities of both instruments, and often the lower registers. Maybe it's the relatively low volume of everything that forces you to pay closer attention. Maybe it's just that anything these two play will sound good.
I spoke briefly to Uitti about the piece, so I'll let her describe it in her own words. I'll also post a short clip of the performance, as soon as I get the audio edited up (hopefully tomorrow) so keep an eye out for that.
Look for more posts all this week, as I'll be at most of the evening events.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
CBC Rally video
Here's a video of the choral occupation of the CBC atrium Elizabeth referred to in the podcast I just posted:
May 24 podcast part one
In this podcast:
Geoff Holbrook's Wooden Stars, performed by Fernando Rocha
Scott Wilson's Broken Allegory, performed by Aiyun Huang
Interview with Elizabeth Bihl, director of the Canadian Music Centre, on the CMC's action regarding the situation with the CBC.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Geoff Holbrook's Wooden Stars, performed by Fernando Rocha
Scott Wilson's Broken Allegory, performed by Aiyun Huang
Interview with Elizabeth Bihl, director of the Canadian Music Centre, on the CMC's action regarding the situation with the CBC.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
May 23 podcast
In this podcast:
John Cage's First Construction in Metal, Terry Riley's In C, performed by Nexus and guests, interviews with Adrienne Clarkson and Ryan Scott.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
John Cage's First Construction in Metal, Terry Riley's In C, performed by Nexus and guests, interviews with Adrienne Clarkson and Ryan Scott.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Extra-musical stuff
As inevitably happens when so many interesting people gather for a festival, I've had several opportunities to speak to people about other musical areas of our lives. As you probably know, there was a huge rally yesterday at the CBC broadcast centre on Front St. to protest the recent changes to Radio 2, the firing of the Radio Orchestra, etc. I mananged to drop by for a short time and heard a few people speak. One sour bit of irony I noticed: this weekend is Doors Open Toronto, in which many of the city's buildings are open for tours, including the CBC. Unless of course you were with the protest. They weren't letting people into the building, even just to use the washroom.
Reports are that the rally drew 1000 people at its peak. When I was there (about 2-2:30, before the first concert) there were maybe 3-400. I ran into Elizabeth Bihl, director of the Canadian Music Centre, at one of the concerts and asked her about whether she thought these protests and rallies would really make a difference. Check out the May 24 podcast (once it's posted) for a clip of that conversation.
I also had a few minutes to speak to Vince Ho about his beliefs and philosophies about music. Vince is a composer whom I respect very much, and whose music I greatly enjoy. Again, watch for the May 24 podcast for a bit of that conversation.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Reports are that the rally drew 1000 people at its peak. When I was there (about 2-2:30, before the first concert) there were maybe 3-400. I ran into Elizabeth Bihl, director of the Canadian Music Centre, at one of the concerts and asked her about whether she thought these protests and rallies would really make a difference. Check out the May 24 podcast (once it's posted) for a clip of that conversation.
I also had a few minutes to speak to Vince Ho about his beliefs and philosophies about music. Vince is a composer whom I respect very much, and whose music I greatly enjoy. Again, watch for the May 24 podcast for a bit of that conversation.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
The last of Cool Drummings
So the Soundstreams Cool Drummings portion of Soundaxis wrapped up last night. As with most festivals, Soundaxis has quickly become more than just a series of concerts, not the least because so many interesting people are gathered in one place. I've had a chance to have some really interesting conversations with performers, composers, and all sorts of other people in one way or other connected to new music. Check out my 2nd "mini-podcast" for clips of music and interviews, to be posted shortly (I'm just transferring all the audio right now).
So here's a quick run down of yesterday's music. The day (for me) started with the Wired Percussion. The McGill Percussion ensemble (with a little help from Toca Loca) presented a concert of percussion + electronics pieces. Most of these pieces I really enjoyed, a few less so. Of the less enjoyed was Six Japanese Gardens, by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. There seemed to be little if any connection between the live performed music and pre-recorded electroacoustics. Furthermore, I wasn't really captured by either part. The music seemed disconnected and directionless to me. The show closer, Rolf Wallin's Stonewave, is a real showpiece for the ensemble, and is a greatly fun piece to listen to and watch. What threw me, however, was the program note. It explained how the piece was based on fractals, though he claims the music doesn't sound like it, which is true. He then goes on to say that the piece sounds ritualistic, then went on into a brief political diatribe about the evils of liberalism, blah blah blah. I found this to really detract from my experience of the piece. Never mind my own political views, I didn't at all find the piece to sound ritualistic in any way. In fact, I found it almost silly that he'd use a program note for a political agenda, trying to force politics into music that really had nothing to do with it in any way shape or form. I have no problem whatsoever with political music (in fact, I often wish there was more of it), but this failed miserably. Ironically, I still thought it was a good piece. I just wish I hadn't read the program note!
But I'm dwelling on the negative too much. I don't mean to sound biased towards colleagues, but the highlights for me were Andrew Staniland's Adventure Music and Geoff Holbrook's Wooden Stars. Andrew's piece was not only very well-constructed, but employed really musical use of extended piano techniques (a nice change from the too-often heard overuse of playing inside the piano, just for something interesting to do).
For me, Wooden Stars was my favourite of the concert. The electronic portion was composed so as to allow very seamless integration with the live performer. The sounds plus the innovative writing, especially for the guiro, did not in at all get in the way if a musically expressive and creative piece, which for me is the perfect combination. The piece was a first prize winner in 2007's SOCAN young composer's competition, and I can see why. It didn't hurt that percussionist Fernando Rocha absolutely nailed his performance of the work.
The second concert of the day was entitled World Beats. The first half featured the Evergreen Club Gamelan, while the second half consisted of a series of different performers from various parts of the globe, each bringing their respective cultures to the stage.
I feel ill at ease writing too in-depth about music I don't know as well, but the whole show was definitely a lot of fun. I could listen to gamelan for hours and enjoy it. I think the proverbial 1000 monkeys could be playing, and it would still sound good. Evergreen went through a series of 6 or 7 pieces, all highlighting different instruments within the group. Blair Mackay introduced each piece from the stage, so unfortunately I didn't catch any titles or composers (some were traditional arrangements, some composed by members of the group). What I love about watching these guys is that they always look like they're having the time of their life.
The second half was emceed by percussionist Sal Ferreras and featured music from all around the globe, including Latin America, Africa, native Canada and Indonesia. One highlight was Yamoussa Bangoura doing a (somewhat) traditional dance full of acrobatics and juggling. The best of the evening, and perhaps the week so far, though, was the final piece, where all the musicians of the concert joined together in a huge jam session, led by Ferreras. Even though the first concert was called "Coming Together", this was the true coming together. Here we had musicians from at least 6 or 7 countries, each representative of their own style, playing together. What a great analogy of what music can and should be for all of us.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
So here's a quick run down of yesterday's music. The day (for me) started with the Wired Percussion. The McGill Percussion ensemble (with a little help from Toca Loca) presented a concert of percussion + electronics pieces. Most of these pieces I really enjoyed, a few less so. Of the less enjoyed was Six Japanese Gardens, by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. There seemed to be little if any connection between the live performed music and pre-recorded electroacoustics. Furthermore, I wasn't really captured by either part. The music seemed disconnected and directionless to me. The show closer, Rolf Wallin's Stonewave, is a real showpiece for the ensemble, and is a greatly fun piece to listen to and watch. What threw me, however, was the program note. It explained how the piece was based on fractals, though he claims the music doesn't sound like it, which is true. He then goes on to say that the piece sounds ritualistic, then went on into a brief political diatribe about the evils of liberalism, blah blah blah. I found this to really detract from my experience of the piece. Never mind my own political views, I didn't at all find the piece to sound ritualistic in any way. In fact, I found it almost silly that he'd use a program note for a political agenda, trying to force politics into music that really had nothing to do with it in any way shape or form. I have no problem whatsoever with political music (in fact, I often wish there was more of it), but this failed miserably. Ironically, I still thought it was a good piece. I just wish I hadn't read the program note!
But I'm dwelling on the negative too much. I don't mean to sound biased towards colleagues, but the highlights for me were Andrew Staniland's Adventure Music and Geoff Holbrook's Wooden Stars. Andrew's piece was not only very well-constructed, but employed really musical use of extended piano techniques (a nice change from the too-often heard overuse of playing inside the piano, just for something interesting to do).
For me, Wooden Stars was my favourite of the concert. The electronic portion was composed so as to allow very seamless integration with the live performer. The sounds plus the innovative writing, especially for the guiro, did not in at all get in the way if a musically expressive and creative piece, which for me is the perfect combination. The piece was a first prize winner in 2007's SOCAN young composer's competition, and I can see why. It didn't hurt that percussionist Fernando Rocha absolutely nailed his performance of the work.
The second concert of the day was entitled World Beats. The first half featured the Evergreen Club Gamelan, while the second half consisted of a series of different performers from various parts of the globe, each bringing their respective cultures to the stage.
I feel ill at ease writing too in-depth about music I don't know as well, but the whole show was definitely a lot of fun. I could listen to gamelan for hours and enjoy it. I think the proverbial 1000 monkeys could be playing, and it would still sound good. Evergreen went through a series of 6 or 7 pieces, all highlighting different instruments within the group. Blair Mackay introduced each piece from the stage, so unfortunately I didn't catch any titles or composers (some were traditional arrangements, some composed by members of the group). What I love about watching these guys is that they always look like they're having the time of their life.
The second half was emceed by percussionist Sal Ferreras and featured music from all around the globe, including Latin America, Africa, native Canada and Indonesia. One highlight was Yamoussa Bangoura doing a (somewhat) traditional dance full of acrobatics and juggling. The best of the evening, and perhaps the week so far, though, was the final piece, where all the musicians of the concert joined together in a huge jam session, led by Ferreras. Even though the first concert was called "Coming Together", this was the true coming together. Here we had musicians from at least 6 or 7 countries, each representative of their own style, playing together. What a great analogy of what music can and should be for all of us.
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Saturday, May 24, 2008
"I have nothing to say and I am saying it"
Thus spake John Cage, via Adrienne Clarkson, which is perhaps the best summary I could come up with for last night's concert, entitled Minimalist Classics. We heard some pillars of minimalism, including Cage's First Construction in Metal and Terry Riley's In C. I think what really set last night's show apart was hearing these classics done so well, with Nexus forming the core group of each ensemble. I've heard Cage's First Construction performed by less-than-professional groups a few times, so it was great to hear it done so well.
The evening started off with Cage's Amores, which intersperses recited text with music for solo prepared piano and percussion trio. I'm of the belief that the more you understand about the music you're hearing, the more you'll appreciate it. In this work, the audience is more or less forced to listen to some of Cage's beliefs and philosophies, and, if unaware of such things beforehand, I think will ultimately benefit from understanding the music better. Clarkson recited the spoken text, and in speaking with her afterwards, I learned that she's no stranger to Cage's music, but this was the first time she's ever performed any of it. Listen for that short interview in my next mini-podcast, as soon as I'm able to edit up the audio and get it posted.
We also heard Steve Reich's Proverb, which was a first listening for me. It's an incredibly difficult piece for the sopranos, due to the intense concentration required. The problem here was that if you ask a solo soprano to sing senza vibrato into a microphone, even Jessye Norman will sound terrible.
The concert ended with Terry Riley's In C. Nexus and friends played for about an hour, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire time. Because as a group they're so familiar and comfortable with each other, they were able to add great depths of colour and dynamic variance to the music, which made for a much more satisfying performance.
Not far from the end, maybe 45 or 50 minutes in, the patterns move to the upper register of each instrument, and the group brought the dynamic level down quite low. I believe most of the audience felt the piece was drawing to a close and when the piano began a new pattern that was clearly moving the music in a different direction (and not ending), there was a palpable collective sigh and shuffle in the room. While expected, it did get me thinking about long pieces, particularly of the minimalist variety. I love long pieces, but after 45 minutes or so, theatre chairs get uncomfortable. Maybe these are better suited to alternative performance venues - imagine listening to such a work, lying in the grass in a park? With a cold beer?
Anyway, today promises even more great music, so look for another post tonight or tomorrow morning (depending on how late tonight goes!).
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
The evening started off with Cage's Amores, which intersperses recited text with music for solo prepared piano and percussion trio. I'm of the belief that the more you understand about the music you're hearing, the more you'll appreciate it. In this work, the audience is more or less forced to listen to some of Cage's beliefs and philosophies, and, if unaware of such things beforehand, I think will ultimately benefit from understanding the music better. Clarkson recited the spoken text, and in speaking with her afterwards, I learned that she's no stranger to Cage's music, but this was the first time she's ever performed any of it. Listen for that short interview in my next mini-podcast, as soon as I'm able to edit up the audio and get it posted.
We also heard Steve Reich's Proverb, which was a first listening for me. It's an incredibly difficult piece for the sopranos, due to the intense concentration required. The problem here was that if you ask a solo soprano to sing senza vibrato into a microphone, even Jessye Norman will sound terrible.
The concert ended with Terry Riley's In C. Nexus and friends played for about an hour, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire time. Because as a group they're so familiar and comfortable with each other, they were able to add great depths of colour and dynamic variance to the music, which made for a much more satisfying performance.
Not far from the end, maybe 45 or 50 minutes in, the patterns move to the upper register of each instrument, and the group brought the dynamic level down quite low. I believe most of the audience felt the piece was drawing to a close and when the piano began a new pattern that was clearly moving the music in a different direction (and not ending), there was a palpable collective sigh and shuffle in the room. While expected, it did get me thinking about long pieces, particularly of the minimalist variety. I love long pieces, but after 45 minutes or so, theatre chairs get uncomfortable. Maybe these are better suited to alternative performance venues - imagine listening to such a work, lying in the grass in a park? With a cold beer?
Anyway, today promises even more great music, so look for another post tonight or tomorrow morning (depending on how late tonight goes!).
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Concert 1: Cool Drummings opening Gala
Well, that was a pretty cool way to start the festival off!
First off, a confession: I missed the first 2 pieces because I was stuck in traffic. There are some things I hate about this city... Alice Ho's Kami sounded pretty cool from the vestibule, but that's as close as I got to it.
We heard a real variety of music tonight, spanning almost a century. The highlight of the night for me was undoubtedly George Antheil's Ballet Mechanique, performed by members of the U of T and McGill percussion ensembles, plus a quartet of pianos. I've heard this piece in recording a number of times, but never live, and what a treat! It was remarkably well-performed, by a mostly student group, nonetheless! The version tonight was Antheil's edited (read: shortened) version, but still clocking in at almost 20 minutes it's a feat of accomplishment for the performers. The precision involved is staggering, and to watch it makes one appreciate it all the more.
Another highlight was Liam Teague playing the steel pan. Teague has brought this instrument to an entirely new level of virtuosity. He started with a solo piece of his own composition, which I was really thankful for. The instrument is almost irrevocably tied to its usual context of tropical beaches. That connection stayed with me for the first maybe 30 seconds or so, but he manages to break the connection fairly quickly - eventually you hear the instrument for what it is. Which was great to set the stage for the next piece, Michael Colgrass's Pan Trio. This piece, for steel pan, harp and percussion (largely vibe and marimba), is a brand new work, and the first thing you hear is brand new sounds and colours. Key to this piece, I think, was the dialogue between the different roles taken on by the instruments, and the performers (Teague on pans, Sanya Eng on harp and Ryan Scott on percussion) accomplished this very well.
The evening ended with Rzewski's Coming Together, which featured Bev Johnston narrating. I hadn't heard this piece before, and frankly would be ok never hearing it again. There's lots of good music in there, but like the original version of the Ballet Mechanique, it could use some editing. I just simply found it overly long and repetitive.
I've got some audio interviews with one of the performers, and a few sound clips of the CBC crew which I'll edit up and post tomorrow. I'm off tomorrow but I'll be at Friday's concert so watch for another post then!
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
First off, a confession: I missed the first 2 pieces because I was stuck in traffic. There are some things I hate about this city... Alice Ho's Kami sounded pretty cool from the vestibule, but that's as close as I got to it.
We heard a real variety of music tonight, spanning almost a century. The highlight of the night for me was undoubtedly George Antheil's Ballet Mechanique, performed by members of the U of T and McGill percussion ensembles, plus a quartet of pianos. I've heard this piece in recording a number of times, but never live, and what a treat! It was remarkably well-performed, by a mostly student group, nonetheless! The version tonight was Antheil's edited (read: shortened) version, but still clocking in at almost 20 minutes it's a feat of accomplishment for the performers. The precision involved is staggering, and to watch it makes one appreciate it all the more.
Another highlight was Liam Teague playing the steel pan. Teague has brought this instrument to an entirely new level of virtuosity. He started with a solo piece of his own composition, which I was really thankful for. The instrument is almost irrevocably tied to its usual context of tropical beaches. That connection stayed with me for the first maybe 30 seconds or so, but he manages to break the connection fairly quickly - eventually you hear the instrument for what it is. Which was great to set the stage for the next piece, Michael Colgrass's Pan Trio. This piece, for steel pan, harp and percussion (largely vibe and marimba), is a brand new work, and the first thing you hear is brand new sounds and colours. Key to this piece, I think, was the dialogue between the different roles taken on by the instruments, and the performers (Teague on pans, Sanya Eng on harp and Ryan Scott on percussion) accomplished this very well.
The evening ended with Rzewski's Coming Together, which featured Bev Johnston narrating. I hadn't heard this piece before, and frankly would be ok never hearing it again. There's lots of good music in there, but like the original version of the Ballet Mechanique, it could use some editing. I just simply found it overly long and repetitive.
I've got some audio interviews with one of the performers, and a few sound clips of the CBC crew which I'll edit up and post tomorrow. I'm off tomorrow but I'll be at Friday's concert so watch for another post then!
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Introductions are in order...
Hi everyone. Your intrepid guide through the world of Soundaxis here. Thought I might introduce myself, to break the virtual ice. My name's Christien Ledroit. I'm a composer, some-time performer, CMC Ontario regional councillor, small business owner, dad, husband, car buff, etc etc. I'm a pretty busy guy. But I'm setting some time aside to get knee deep in the wonderful festival that is Soundaxis, and I'm pretty excited about the whole deal!
You see, I need live music to inspire me in my own creations, and lately I've been up to my eyeballs in work (the not-good kind), so I've been low on inspiration. What that means is that my time in the studio becomes less fruitful, and that makes it frustrating. But getting out to a few concerts all of a sudden seems to open up parts of my brain, and all of a sudden my pencil can't keep up with my brain. (yes, I still compose the "old fashioned" way, with pencil, paper, and lots of erasers)
The irony about this whole blog is that I hate blogs. Absolutely detest them. Why? Because 9 times out of 10 they're self-indulgent. So this blog won't be about me, it'll be about the music.
So stay tuned throughout the entire festival, starting tonight. I can't be everywhere and hear everything, but I'll be posting about everything I do make it out to, and maybe some hear-say from friends at other shows. I'll also try to post some audio and video as I'm able.
Please feel free to post any comments, feedback, etc. or reviews of your own.
If you're curious, you can find out a bit more about me:
www.christienledroit (admittedly a couple months outdated)
www.myspace.com/copyriotspace (my band - be warned, foul language is afoot!)
(this will be the only auto-biographical info in the blog, I promise!)
Bon concert!
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
You see, I need live music to inspire me in my own creations, and lately I've been up to my eyeballs in work (the not-good kind), so I've been low on inspiration. What that means is that my time in the studio becomes less fruitful, and that makes it frustrating. But getting out to a few concerts all of a sudden seems to open up parts of my brain, and all of a sudden my pencil can't keep up with my brain. (yes, I still compose the "old fashioned" way, with pencil, paper, and lots of erasers)
The irony about this whole blog is that I hate blogs. Absolutely detest them. Why? Because 9 times out of 10 they're self-indulgent. So this blog won't be about me, it'll be about the music.
So stay tuned throughout the entire festival, starting tonight. I can't be everywhere and hear everything, but I'll be posting about everything I do make it out to, and maybe some hear-say from friends at other shows. I'll also try to post some audio and video as I'm able.
Please feel free to post any comments, feedback, etc. or reviews of your own.
If you're curious, you can find out a bit more about me:
www.christienledroit (admittedly a couple months outdated)
www.myspace.com/copyriotspace (my band - be warned, foul language is afoot!)
(this will be the only auto-biographical info in the blog, I promise!)
Bon concert!
http://soundaxis.ca/blog_view.php
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