recent new listening May 12-31, 2019

Kronos Qt – Lutoslawski: String Quartet
Mathew Rosenblum – Lament/Witches’ Sabbath
Icebreaker – Rogue’s Gallery
Conlon Nancarrow – Studies for Player Piano
Duo Noire – Night Triptych
Frank Zappa – Finer Moments
Elliott Carter – Late Works
Idil Biret – Pierre Boulez – Piano Sonatas 1 – 3
Henry Cow – the Road, Vol. 7 Later and Post-Virgin
Pierre Boulez – The Complete Works, Deutsche Grammophon
Daniel Varsano, Philippe Entremont – Erik Satie: Piano Works
Michael Pisaro and Reinier van Houdt – Shades of Eternal Night
Tom Rogerson & Brian Eno – Finding Shore
Chris Hughes – Shift (From the Music of Steve Reich)
Steffen Schleiermacher – Morton Feldman: Early Piano Works
Kristine Scholz, Mats Persson – Morton Feldman: Complete works for two pianists
American Festival of Microtonal Music – Chamber
American Festival of Microtonal Music – Between the Keys – Microtonal Masterpieces of the 20th Century
Daniel Lentz – On the Leopard Altar
Michael Byron – Music of Nights Without Moon or Pearl
Joseph Kubera – Book of Horizons
Easley Blackwood – Microtonal – Fanfare, Etudes, Suite

….and a lot of Steve Reich

photo: Lucy Smith and Pauline Ranken of the Ladies’ Scottish Climbing Club, Salisbury Crags. c.1908


….by the way, I’m a composer too.

March 18, 1997 – West Meets East: Lou Harrison, Terry Riley and Peter Garland

I was at this concert. I introduced myself to Terry Riley and asked naive questions about the Shri Camel tuning before the show.

The Great Hall at Cooper Union
Tuesday, March 18, 1997
92nd Street V Today’s Composers

6:30 pm Entrance music by Gamelan Son of Lion with guest coordinator Jody Diamond
6:45 pm pre-concert discussion, Mark Swed speaks with Lou Harrison, Terry Riley and Peter Garland
7:30 Entrance music by Gamelan Son of Lion

West Meets East

Henry Cowell (1897-1965) – The Universal Flute (1946) for shakuhachi
Ralph Samuelson, shakuhachi

Colin McPhee (1900-1964) – Balinese Ceremonial Music (1934) transcribed for two pianos
Pemoengkah
Gambangan
Taboeh
Teloe
Michael Barrett and Steven Blier, piano

Lou Harrison (b. 1917) – Song of Badershan (1968) for 2 violins and percussion
transcribed from traditional Music of Afghanistan (East Coast premier)
Eva Gruesser and Mary Rowell, violin
John Kennedy, percussion

John Cage (1912-1992) – Amores (1944) for prepared piano and percussion
Aki Takahashi, piano
Maya Gunji, Eric Kivnick. Charles Wood, percussion

Terry Riley (b. 1935) – Cinco de Mayo (1996) for piano 4 hands (East Coast premiere)
Sarah Cahill and Joseph Kubera, piano

Lou Harrison (b. 1917) – Festival Dance (1951) for 2 pianos (premiere)
Aki Takahashi and Sarah Cahill, piano
Suite for Sangen (1996) (United States premiere)
Akiko Nishigata, sangen

Peter Garland (b. 1952) – Dreaming of Immortality in a Thatched Cottage (1978) for three voices, Anklung ensemble, and harpsichord San Coast premiere)

The temple of the Forest Beneath the Clouds
Dreaming of Immortality in a Thatched Cottage

Charles Wood, Conductor
Aki Takahashi, harpsichord; Karen Burlingame, soprano; Marion Najarian, mezzo-soprano; James Javore, baritone, Joe Gramley, Maya Gunji, Eric Kivnick, James Priess, Ben Ramirez, Bill Trigg, percussion

Henry Cowell – Ostinato Pianissimo (1934) for 7 percussionists
John Kennedy, conductor
Aki Takahashi and Sarah Cahill, piano
Joe Gramley, Maya Gunji, Eric Kivnick, James Priess, Ben Ramirez, Bill Trigg, percussion

 


….by the way, I’m a composer too.

recent new listening April 15-May 11, 2019

the Golden Temple of Jehol

Maki Namekawa – Philip Glass: Mishima
Anton Batagov – Philip Glass: The Hours, Distant Figure
Works Of Igor Stravinsky – Sacred Works, Vol.1&2
Danielsson/Liebman/Christensen/Stenson – Far North
Gloria Cheng-Cochran – Piano music of John Adams and Terry Riley
Roomful of Teeth
Caroline Shaw & Attacca Quartet – Orange
Louis Andriessen – Garden of Eros
Paul A. Epstein – Piano Music
American Contemporary Music Ensemble – Thrive On Routine
London Sinfonietta ‎– Warp Works & Twentieth Century Masters
Ralph van Raat, Maarten van Veen – John Adams: Complete Piano Music
Oliver Coates – John Luther Adams: Canticles of the Sky / Three High Places
Balanescu Quartet – Possessed
Balanescu Quartet – Play Byrne, Moran, Lurie, Torke
Björk: Vespertine A Pop Album as an Opera
Olga Neuwirth – Lost Highway
Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo – Conlon Nancarrow: Studies and Solos
Christopher Warren-Green, London Chamber Orchestra ‎– Adams, Glass, Reich, Heath ‎– Minimalistes