24.7.17
beth levin
My review of Beth Levin's new disc of romantic piano music is up at Burning Ambulance. Please check out the rest of the site while you are there.
9.6.17
miranda cuckson
My review of Miranda Cuckson's new recording, Invisible Colors, is up at Burning Ambulance. As always, Phil Freeman does a great job of posting reviews/articles, including videos of some of the music on the album.
7.9.16
#stemmingthetide
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| bird |
Composer Ed Windels, in his NewMusicBox post, “Coming Out as a 5 to 9 Composer”, discusses, among other things, the historical precedents (Charles
Ives, etc.) for composers making their living as something other than a
composer. I’m in the same situation as Mr. Windels, though I’ve thought of
myself more as an “unaffiliated” composer than as a “dayjobber”, the word he
uses.
Mr. Windels also mentions that for years he “succumbed” to
the “long-standing and short-sighted” ideology that held that if you were not a
full-time composer[1],
you are “somehow less serious, less committed, and less worthy”.[2] This
ideology is also behind the pernicious idea that composers writing on spec are
taking opportunities away from the more serious composers, those who get
commissions, who, because of these commissions, are more often full-timers.[3]
At any rate, it’s my belief that there is a qualitative
distinction between being an unaffiliated composer and a dayjobbing composer,
though there is, of course, significant overlap. It may be that that
distinction is more in play after the music is written.[4]
I’ve recently had the feeling that I’m writing better[5]
music than I might have had things gone in other directions. Mr. Windels says
he will discuss that and other aspects of the life of the dayjobbing composer
in his next post. I’ll expand on the issue at that time.
* * * * *
The great Bob Shingleton, in a post called “Music blogging#itsover”, simultaneously discusses and belies the end of music blogging. The
bottom line: “. . . they are not worth reading”. Read the whole thing for
context and elucidation.
The present post is a stab at reviving this blog and
stemming the tide Mr. Shingleton writes about. I have ideas for several series
of posts like the series I wrote to commemorate Carter 100. It’s difficult to
fence off time to do those posts (for reasons related to the first part of this
post), but the Carter series was very valuable for me, and I believe they had
some value for at least a few readers. Here’s hoping that
#itsnotquiteover.
[1] He
includes composers with posts in academia as full-timers. Nope.
[2] In
my arrogance, it never occurred to me that I was less worthy because I wasn’t
full time. Never.
[3] As
Mr. Preston asked, will it go ‘round in circles?
[4]
Then there is the phenomenon of the “disaffiliated” composer, who can’t get
performances in her own hometown, because institutions don’t see what’s in it
for them to play music of unaffiliated locals.
[5]
Was going to put “better” in quotation marks. Fuck that.
28.1.16
watch that space
Earlier this week, I launched a new website devoted to my compositional activities. The site includes an "About" page, which is basically a brief, fairly uninformative biographical statement, a works list, an audio page titled, in an inspired bit of cross promotion, "Listen", a gallery page ("Look"), a contact form, and a blog, called "Read". "Wait a minute", you say. "You never post on this blog, and now you've started another one?"
Yes.
The blog over there will be devoted to items about the website itself and to news about my music. Over here here, I'll continue to post reviews, lists, observations, and reading recommendations.
As always, thanks for listening!
16.9.15
in drones begin responsibilities
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| Anna Thorvaldsdottir |
When I was an undergraduate, the composition faculty issued
an edict that, until further notice, we were not to use ostinatos[1] in
the music we were writing for our lessons. The professors clearly believed that
we were using ostinatos (and other techniques/devices like tone rows[2]
and drones[3]) as
crutches to “automatically” generate stretches of music, some of whose details
fairly set themselves down onto paper[4] by
themselves.
I almost hurt myself rolling my eyes up in my head in
response, but I complied. There is no doubt that these and other techniques can
take over a composers’ music and that comp teachers do have a responsibility to
guide and evaluate the student’s technical abilities. These techniques can, in
addition to generating large numbers of notes, mask a great many compositional “sins”.[5] On
the other hand, if the music works, and that’s a judgement best made by the
composer with the assistance of the teacher, there’s no good reason not to use
them.[6]
I started thinking about this subject when I first heard
some music by Anna Thorvaldsdottir a few months ago, when she was named the New
York Philharmonic Kravis Emerging Composer. Drones are an essential component
of Thorvaldsdottir’s art, and she uses them in surprisingly different ways. On
her new disc, In the Light of Air,[7] the
drones are used in service of a varied and artistically unified expressive
landscape.
The sections of In the
Light of Air each have titles that point to a measurement of physical
condition (“Luminance”), an existential condition (“Existence”), and feeling
states or states of being (“Serenity”, “Remembrance”) that animate the sections
so titled. Over the course of the 45 or so minutes of Light, Thorvaldsdottir deploys her drones in surprising and
expressive contexts, illuminating the idea behind each section clearly and with
style, grounding each piece in rich earth.
Though this is not-quite-a-review of this disc, I also wanted
to say that Transitions (for solo cello, played beautifully here by Michael
Nicolas, for whom it was composed) is a very fine piece. The performance of In the Light of Air, by the powerhouse International Contemporary
Ensemble is expert and expressive, and both the Blu-Ray and CD sound is superb.
[1] A
short melodic fragment repeated throughout a piece or section of a piece. An
ostinato typically remains at the same pitch level and doesn’t vary in other
ways, either.
[2] A
series of notes (actually, pitches abstracted from any register) that govern
the pitch (melody and harmony) of a piece. There are as many ways of doing this
are there are composers doing it. More, probably.
[3] A
continuous, low sound.
[4]
Imagine those professors trying to deal with student composers using
sequencers, music-composing notation software, and the other music-generating tools
available today.
[5] In
much the same way that a great number of footnotes can up the old word count
and mask a possible lack of much to say.
[6] Other
than to make the professor’s job easier.
[7]
Given a much fuller review by Phil Freeman here. Phil’s perspective is very
different from mine, one that will be far more useful to most readers.
18.8.15
here and there
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| Flower |
Carter: Boosey & Hawkes have posted an interview with
noted composer and Elliott Carter scholar John Link, who has some important insight on how
and why the composer developed his “late late” style. In addition, Mr. Link
lives up to his name with several Carter resources:
#musochat: On Sunday evenings at 9 eastern, any interested
party may join in a virtual gathering at twitter under “#musochat” to discuss
contemporary classical music[1]
and related subjects. Even if you can’t participate in the discussions in real
time, the chats are available under the hashtag. Molly Sheridan has more at
newmusicbox.
Quote:
This demure woman . . . declared that "making even one colored mark on a blank piece of newsprint should be an act of moral revolt." More than a revolt: an appeal for grace. All human beings were due a full accounting, but they had to ask for it. Art was a way of asking.
--Richard Powers, Prisoner's Dilemma, p54
[1] It
happens that much of this past Sunday’s (16 Aug 15) discussion centered on what
to call this thing of ours,* whether that matters, and why it probably does.
*The Sopranos reference is intentional, because another art form,
filmed televisual entertainment, often presents its best work on Sunday nights
and I believe that one way for us to engage with the contemporary world is to
engage with other, more popular, art forms.
9.6.15
interview: jason eckardt
7.6.15
second place is the first loser, loser
One of my missions in writing about concert music has been to try to open up the cultural space for our music, especially for new music. This kind of zero-sum cultural game does the opposite--it leaves room only for "winners", whatever that might mean.
Please read all of Mr. Shingleton's post. In it, he talks about how not every piece worth hearing has to be one that you want to listen to again and again. That kind of attitude really does open up the space for more music.
While writing this post, I was reminded of a recent post by the also-always-thoughtful Daniel Wolf, in which he writes in favor of writing the occasional occasional piece--that not every piece a composer writes need be an attempt at a chef-d'oeuvre or even a piece in the composer's "normal" style. It should go without saying, but I'm glad Mr. Wolf said it.
28.5.15
jason eckardt - subject
Burning Ambulance has my review of Jason Eckardt's new CD, Subject, Since BA doesn't include disc details as a heading, here they are:
ECKARDT: Subject; Paths of Resistance; Trespass; Flux;
Tongues. Tony Arnold, soprano; Alice Teyssier, Eric Lamb, flutes; Grace Hong,
oboe; Andrew McCollum Campbell MacDonald, clarinets; Wendy Everett, bassoon;
Danielle Bogacz, horn; Matthew Jenkins, Ross Karre, percussion; Marilyn Nonken,
piano; Jordan Dodson, Daniel Lippel, guitar; Erin Ponto, harp; Christopher
Otto, Ari Streisfeld, Yuncong Zhang, Jeffrey Young, violin; John Pickford
Richards, Hanna Shaw, Wendy Richman, viola; Kevin McFarland, Jay Campbell,
Gabrielle Athayde, cello; Laura Dykes, bass; Timothy Weiss, David Fulmer,
conductors. TZADIK 9006. 70 minutes.
An interview with Mr. Eckardt will appear soon.
24.5.15
just because they say it's music doesn't make it music; but it's not music because i say it's not music!
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Blogger A. C. Douglas not only took exception to the piece itself, but also to Alex posting it as music. I can think of no non-subjective (or extremely prescriptive) definition of music that Mr. Regucera's composition fails to meet, and Mr. Douglas offers no support for his assertion that that it is not in fact music.
As to the piece itself, It's got some very good stuff in it, especially in terms of texture. It may be a little long for what Mr. Regucera wants to say, but that's a quibble, and hardly definitional.
At any rate, a tip of the hat to Mr. Ross for posting the piece and to Mr. Douglas, for making it essential listening.
16.3.15
a thousand flowers
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| Is this one flower or two? Beats me. At any rate, we need at least 998 more. |
Thanks to the good offices of Will Robin, 21st century orchestra music has taken over Facebook and Twitter, under the hashtag #21cOrch. I've listened to a good bit of this music over the last few weeks, and I have to say that I've been impressed with both the wide stylistic diversity of the music and with its quality. Whether I like a given piece or not (which is one of the least important aspects of writing about music), it's great to take note of the vitality in the field.
When I was in school the last thing anyone would do is write an orchestra piece on spec--American orchestras didn't play new music, at least not if you weren't a big name. (I wrote a piece in the 80s and one in the 90s, both for specific occasions and they both got performed once.)
The recent increase in performance of new music by American orchestras is a good thing. I look forward to hearing more.
17.11.14
miranda cuckson - melting the darkness
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| She knows them all; trust me. |
My review of Miranda Cuckson's exciting and challenging new disc, Melting the Darkness, is up at Burning Ambulance.
6.11.14
11.9.14
worth reading, to say the least
This is the first of what will likely be a very occasional series, pointing you to some stuff I thought was, well, worth reading.
Alex Ross on pop culture and power. Key sentence: "Between them, Adorno and Benjamin were pioneers in thinking critically about pop culture—in taking that culture seriously as an object of scrutiny, whether in tones of delight, dismay, or passionate ambivalence."
A conversation with Richard Powers. Key sentence: "You can listen to music for millions of different reasons, and if you consider the fundamental components of music—melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, timbre, form—there are styles of listening that emphasize each of those."
Leonard Pierce on Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. I disagree with an important premise of Leonard's, but his insights are important and his engagement with Anderson and his film vital. Key sentence: "The emotional weight of the film, the tenor of feeling it achieves when it starts throwing roadblocks instead of opportunities in front of its protagonists, is exceptionally well-delivered."
4.7.14
19.5.14
music for one musician
The redesigned Burning Ambulance launches today. One of the new offerings is my review of Rough Fields' recording of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians.
17.5.14
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