Giacinto Scelsi's mature music is marked by a supreme concentration on single notes, combined with a masterly sense of form. Scelsi revolutionized the role of sound in western music, and his best known work is the Quattro Pezzi per Orchestra/Four Pieces for Orchestra (1959), each on a single note. These single notes are elaborated through microtonal shadings, harmonic allusions, and variations in timbre and dynamics. It is impossible to express the immense power of this apparently simple music in words - (Todd McComb/ClassicalNet). Hear what Todd McComb is writing about in a performance of Scelsi's Quattro Pezzi by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra with Peter Rundel conducting . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
Hubert Culot (MusicWeb International) writes that, "Isang Yun is undoubtedly the most important composer to have emerged from Korea during the second half of the 20th century. He studied with Boris Blacher who made him aware of modern techniques, such as twelve-tone and serial writing; these Yun adopted without ever strictly adhering to them. His music is rooted in classical Korean music, of which we know very little, whereas its formal framework is often found in 20th century music. Although some of his earlier pieces are more experimental or more overtly "modern", Yun steered clear of strict serial practice, and allowed his deeply rooted lyricism to flower freely". Read more of this CD review and hear excerpts from Capriccio Record's CD of "Chamber Music by Isang Yun" . . . it's our FEATURED RECORDING here at Pytheas.
The film How Green Was My Valley (1941) is one of John Ford's masterpieces of sentimental human drama. It is the melodramatic and nostalgic story, adapted by screenwriter Philip Dunne from Richard Llewellyn's best-selling novel, of a close-knit, hard-working Welsh coal-mining family at the turn of the 20th century as a socio-economic way of life passes and the home-family unit disintegrates. Episodic incidents in everyday life convey the changes, trials, setbacks, and joys of the hard-bitten community as it faces growing unemployment, distressing work conditions, unrest, unionization and labor-capital disputes, and personal tragedy. Domestic life, romance, harsh treatment at school, the departure of two boys to find their fortune in America, unrequited love between the local preacher (Walter Pidgeon) and the only Morgan daughter (beautiful 19 year old Irish actress Maureen O'Hara), and other events are portrayed within this warm, human story. The original musical score by the great Alfred Newman was nominated for an Academy Award. Watch an excerpt from this classic film . . . our current PYTHEAS SIGHTING.
Sergei Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor, written between 1938 and 1946 (and completed two years AFTER the Violin Sonata No. 2), is one of the darkest and most brooding of the composer's works. Prokofiev described the slithering violin scales at the end of the 1st and 4th movements as "wind passing through a graveyard". The work was premiered by violinist David Oistrakh and pianist Lev Oborin, under the personal coaching of the composer. During rehearsals, Oborin played a certain passage, marked forte (loud), too gently for Prokofiev's liking, who insisted it should be more aggressive. Oborin replied that he was afraid of drowning out the violin, but Prokofiev said "It should sound in such a way that people should jump in their seat, and say 'Is he out of his mind?'". Watch a performance of the 4th movement of Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No. 1 by violinist Xenia Akeynikov . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
"The mesmerizing two-part Offrandes (1921) is possibly the most direct statement Edgard Varèse ever made of his tormented inner world. It's that tremor of personal pain, pulsating through all the vividly colored din, that Stravinsky was reacting to when he said that the first harp attack in part two nearly gave him a heart attack. He called it 'the most extraordinary noise in all of Varèse' (All Music Guide)." Watch a performance of this contemporary music classic by soprano Anna Steiger and the Ensemble Intercontemporain, with Pierre Boulez conducting . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
According to composer Alejandro Viñao, "For some years I have listened to the Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He was perhaps the greatest exponent of Qawwali, the music of the sufi mystics. This music in general, and Ali Khan’s singing in particular, are characterised by remarkable rhythmic and melismatic subtlety. The Kahn Variations (2001) are a set of 8 rhythmic variations based on a traditional theme from Qawwali music as sang by Ali Kahn. The basic pulse and ‘feel’ of the music has lingered in my mind ever since I first heard a recording of it in the early 1990’s. I developed each of the 8 variations - which are played as a continuous piece - exploring a different rhythmic and melodic aspect of the original theme. However, from the harmonic point of view the piece is rather static, respecting the lack or harmony - in the western sense - of the original traditional theme. As I look at the score now, I can recognize a range of influences from Conlon Nancarrow, tango music, and my own previous pieces for marimba. All these influences have one thing in common: the articulation of pulse, or multiple simultaneous pulses to create a dramatic musical discourse." Watch a performance of the Kahn Variations by Colin Bunnell . . . our second FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
Karlheinz Stockhausen emerged early on as one of the most influential and unique voices in the post-WWII European musical avant-garde and his prominence continued throughout the rest of the 20th century and into the 21stt. Combining a keen sensitivity to the acoustical realities and possibilities of sound, rigorous and sophisticated compositional methods expanded from integral serialism, innovative theatricality, and a penchant for the mystical, Stockhausen remains one of the most innovative musical personalities to span the turn of this century. Hear Stockhausen talk about his music in an interview with Lawrence Pollard . . . our PYTHEAS COMPOSER PORTRAIT.
Pulitzer Prize winning composer Paul Moravec wrote his Mortal Flesh (2008) for the recorder quartet Quartet New Generation (QNG). Impressed by all the recorder sizes the QNG members play, Moravec composed Mortal Flesh so that 20 instruments are employed, moving from the largest and lowest-sounding to the smallest and highest-sounding, and requiring very quick and tricky instrument changes. It's a terrific piece, well thought out for recorders, and at once serious and witty. Watch a performance of Mortal Flesh by Quartet New Generation . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
According to composer Alejandro Viñao, "For some years I have listened to the Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He was perhaps the greatest exponent of Qawwali, the music of the sufi mystics. This music in general, and Ali Khan’s singing in particular, are characterised by remarkable rhythmic and melismatic subtlety. The Kahn Variations (2001) are a set of 8 rhythmic variations based on a traditional theme from Qawwali music as sang by Ali Kahn. The basic pulse and ‘feel’ of the music has lingered in my mind ever since I first heard a recording of it in the early 1990’s. I developed each of the 8 variations - which are played as a continuous piece - exploring a different rhythmic and melodic aspect of the original theme. However, from the harmonic point of view the piece is rather static, respecting the lack or harmony - in the western sense - of the original traditional theme. As I look at the score now, I can recognize a range of influences from Conlon Nancarrow, tango music, and my own previous pieces for marimba. All these influences have one thing in common: the articulation of pulse, or multiple simultaneous pulses to create a dramatic musical discourse." Watch a performance of the Kahn Variations by Colin Bunnell . . . our second FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
Karlheinz Stockhausen emerged early on as one of the most influential and unique voices in the post-WWII European musical avant-garde and his prominence continued throughout the rest of the 20th century and into the 21stt. Combining a keen sensitivity to the acoustical realities and possibilities of sound, rigorous and sophisticated compositional methods expanded from integral serialism, innovative theatricality, and a penchant for the mystical, Stockhausen remains one of the most innovative musical personalities to span the turn of this century. Hear Stockhausen talk about his music in an interview with Lawrence Pollard . . . our PYTHEAS COMPOSER PORTRAIT.
Pulitzer Prize winning composer Paul Moravec wrote his Mortal Flesh (2008) for the recorder quartet Quartet New Generation (QNG). Impressed by all the recorder sizes the QNG members play, Moravec composed Mortal Flesh so that 20 instruments are employed, moving from the largest and lowest-sounding to the smallest and highest-sounding, and requiring very quick and tricky instrument changes. It's a terrific piece, well thought out for recorders, and at once serious and witty. Watch a performance of Mortal Flesh by Quartet New Generation . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tan Dun is one of the most renowned Chinese contemporary composers in both his home country and abroad. He is a multi-talented musician, whose compositions emanate a unique shamanistic aura. His orchestral pieces combine both traditional Chinese and Western instruments with some unconventional sound sources such as water, paper or teapots. His Zheng Concerto (1999) is written for the zheng, an ancient Chinese plucked instrument, something like a zither and something like a harp, with extraordinary capabilities for bending and quartering tones. Watch a performance with zheng virtuoso Yuan Li and the strings of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln with Tan Dun conducting . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
Bob Briggs, of MusicWeb International writes, "It says much for the strength of Barbara Harbach’s work that she has created vocal music which builds on the two great American composers for the voice – Ned Rorem, who has probably done more for vocal music in the past sixty years than anyone, and Aaron Copland, whose 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson might just be the greatest American composition for voice and piano – yet manages to find her own truly American sound. As I have said before, when I have had the great pleasure to report on the previous four CDs of her music, she has forged a voice which is all her own, yet speaks clearly in the American vernacular. Don’t miss this disk for it is something very, very special". Read more, and hear excerpts from this MSR Recording . . . it's this week's FEATURED RECORDING.
American composer Ernst Bacon's collection Places (1962) consists of 10 short pieces for solo piano. Contemporary and accessible, they are suitable for performing pianists, piano students of varying levels, and piano teachers looking for new music. Many of the compositions included in Places were inspired by Bacon's world travels to lesser known geographic locations. Listen to a performance of one of the "Places" - Gnaw Bone, Indiana - played by pianist Madeline Salocks . . . one of this week's PYTHEAS EARFULS.
Jean Langlais, born in the village of La Fontenelle in 1907, was one of the most important French musicians of the 20th century. An organist and composer of international renown, his music is known and loved throughout the world, and in 2007 his centenary was celebrated in places as far afield as the USA, Estonia, Spain, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom. He composed his Cinq Pièces (Five Pieces) for violin and organ in 1974. Watch a performance of the first of these pieces performed by the Duo Tolkien, Alessio Benvenuti, violin, and Marco Lo Muscioviolinist, organ . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
Bob Briggs, of MusicWeb International writes, "It says much for the strength of Barbara Harbach’s work that she has created vocal music which builds on the two great American composers for the voice – Ned Rorem, who has probably done more for vocal music in the past sixty years than anyone, and Aaron Copland, whose 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson might just be the greatest American composition for voice and piano – yet manages to find her own truly American sound. As I have said before, when I have had the great pleasure to report on the previous four CDs of her music, she has forged a voice which is all her own, yet speaks clearly in the American vernacular. Don’t miss this disk for it is something very, very special". Read more, and hear excerpts from this MSR Recording . . . it's this week's FEATURED RECORDING.
American composer Ernst Bacon's collection Places (1962) consists of 10 short pieces for solo piano. Contemporary and accessible, they are suitable for performing pianists, piano students of varying levels, and piano teachers looking for new music. Many of the compositions included in Places were inspired by Bacon's world travels to lesser known geographic locations. Listen to a performance of one of the "Places" - Gnaw Bone, Indiana - played by pianist Madeline Salocks . . . one of this week's PYTHEAS EARFULS.
Jean Langlais, born in the village of La Fontenelle in 1907, was one of the most important French musicians of the 20th century. An organist and composer of international renown, his music is known and loved throughout the world, and in 2007 his centenary was celebrated in places as far afield as the USA, Estonia, Spain, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom. He composed his Cinq Pièces (Five Pieces) for violin and organ in 1974. Watch a performance of the first of these pieces performed by the Duo Tolkien, Alessio Benvenuti, violin, and Marco Lo Muscioviolinist, organ . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
According to composer Javier Alvarez, the title of his piece for maracas and tape, Temazcal (1984) "stems from the Nahuatl (ancient Aztec) word literally meaning 'water that burns'. The maraca material is drawn from traditional rhythmic patterns found in most Latin American musics, namely those from the Caribbean region, southeastern Mexico, Cuba, Central America and the flatlands of Colombia and Venezuela. In these musics in general, the maracas are used in a purely accompanimental manner as a part of small instrumental ensembles. The only exception is, perhaps, that of the Venezuelan flatlands, where the role of the maracas surpasses that of mere cadence and accenet punctuation to become a soloistic instrument in its own right. It was from this instance that I imagined a piece where the player would have to master short patterns and combine them with great virtuosity to construct larger and complex rhythmic structures which could then be juxtaposed, superimposed and set against similar passages on tape, thus creating a dense polyrhythmic web. This would eventually disintegrate clearing the way for a traditional accompanimental style of playing in a sound world reminiscent of the maracas’ more usual environment. The sound sources on tape include harp, a folk guitar and double bass pizzicatti for the tape’s attacks, the transformation of bamboo rods being struck together for the rhythmic passages and rattling sounds created with the maracas themselves for other gestures." Watch a performance of Alvarez's "Temazcal" by Brad Meyer . . . one of this week's FEATURED NEW MUSIC VIDEOS.
The music of Ástor Piazzolla epitomizes our situation in the modern world, with his fusion of folkloric beauty and contemporary tension. He forged a new music that challenged the traditionalist, and left the adventurous craving more. He took the music of the great tango masters like Garde, ripped it away from the velvet-walled concert hall and the soft-cushion drawing room, and slapped it down on the pavement of Buenos Aires. Reviled by the critics, shunned even by the conservative government, his music spoke to the next generation, and popular performers, jazz musicians and listeners all over the world eventually fell under the spell of his Nuevo Tango. Hear Piazzolla talk about his life and his music with Charles Amirkhanian . . . it's this week's COMPOSER PORTRAIT.
Elena Ruehr has been called a "composer to watch" by Opera News, and her music has been described as "stunning ... beautifully lighted by a canny instinct for knowing when and how to vary key, timbre, and harmony" (The Boston Globe). She has had commissions, awards and residencies with leading ensembles and presenters across the country including the Shanghai, Borromeo and Cypress Quartets, the Washington Chorus, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Opera Boston, the Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival and the Cincinnatti Symphony. Recently, she has written two string quartets for the Cypress String Quartet - her String Quartet No. 4 (2005) was called by The Washington Post "music with heart and ... a forceful sense of character and expression." A natural collaborator across genres, Ruehr has also worked with the Nicola Hawkins Dance Company on critically acclaimed performances in New York and Boston. Watch a Elena Ruehr/Rebecca Rice dance collaboration, Echoes (2004) . . . this week's DANSES PYTHEUSES.
Gerald Finzi's two works for piano and orchestra, the Eclogue (1929) and Grand Fantasia and Toccata (1928/1953), were both conceived for a piano concerto that never materialized. The Grand Fantasia and Toccata is a demanding virtuoso work inspired by Finzi's love of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to Michael Jameson (ClassicsToday.com) it's a piece that can be seen "as a kind of neo-Baroque refraction, more closely associated with the 20th century than the 18th." Watch a beautiful performance of the Grand Fantasia and Toccata with pianist Leon McCawley . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
The music of Ástor Piazzolla epitomizes our situation in the modern world, with his fusion of folkloric beauty and contemporary tension. He forged a new music that challenged the traditionalist, and left the adventurous craving more. He took the music of the great tango masters like Garde, ripped it away from the velvet-walled concert hall and the soft-cushion drawing room, and slapped it down on the pavement of Buenos Aires. Reviled by the critics, shunned even by the conservative government, his music spoke to the next generation, and popular performers, jazz musicians and listeners all over the world eventually fell under the spell of his Nuevo Tango. Hear Piazzolla talk about his life and his music with Charles Amirkhanian . . . it's this week's COMPOSER PORTRAIT.
Elena Ruehr has been called a "composer to watch" by Opera News, and her music has been described as "stunning ... beautifully lighted by a canny instinct for knowing when and how to vary key, timbre, and harmony" (The Boston Globe). She has had commissions, awards and residencies with leading ensembles and presenters across the country including the Shanghai, Borromeo and Cypress Quartets, the Washington Chorus, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Opera Boston, the Metamorphosen Chamber Ensemble, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival and the Cincinnatti Symphony. Recently, she has written two string quartets for the Cypress String Quartet - her String Quartet No. 4 (2005) was called by The Washington Post "music with heart and ... a forceful sense of character and expression." A natural collaborator across genres, Ruehr has also worked with the Nicola Hawkins Dance Company on critically acclaimed performances in New York and Boston. Watch a Elena Ruehr/Rebecca Rice dance collaboration, Echoes (2004) . . . this week's DANSES PYTHEUSES.
Gerald Finzi's two works for piano and orchestra, the Eclogue (1929) and Grand Fantasia and Toccata (1928/1953), were both conceived for a piano concerto that never materialized. The Grand Fantasia and Toccata is a demanding virtuoso work inspired by Finzi's love of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. According to Michael Jameson (ClassicsToday.com) it's a piece that can be seen "as a kind of neo-Baroque refraction, more closely associated with the 20th century than the 18th." Watch a beautiful performance of the Grand Fantasia and Toccata with pianist Leon McCawley . . . this week's FROM THE PYTHEAS ARCHIVES.
Explore, Listen and Enjoy!
Vinny Fuerst
Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music
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