New Music on Record Review; Sat 8/7/17

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Starting around 10:50 am, Sara Mohr-Pietsche "discusses" recent releases of New Music with Andrew McGregor (translation: SM-P presents the new releases, AMcG chunters amiably). There's a couple of NMC discs, Barenboim's double CD album on DG of recordings of Music by his late friend, Pierre Boulez, a disc (FLAC download or vinyl only - no CD available) of Music by Micachu - and, for me the most interesting, a recording on HCR of the concert from last year's Huddersfield Festival which consisted of Liza Lim's How Forests Think and Aaron Cassidy's The Wreck of Former Boundaries, both played by ensemble ELISION, conducted by Carl Rosman. I've already got my coy of this - it was one of those unforgettable events, and as soon as I saw the CD on sale in Leeds last weekend, I bought it. It will be interesting to hear SM-P's comments on this CD in particular - not only was she attending the concert, she also led the pre-concert talk with Lim.

"Flux: New Music – new dance"

BOWDEN: Airs No Oceans Keep
FRANCES-HOAD: The Madness Industry
HIGGINS: Atomic Cafe
QUINTA: Themistocles is Captured
WHITLEY: Duo for Violin and Viola
Fidelio Trio, Onyx Brass, Rambert Orchestra, Paul Hoskins, Quinta (violin, electronics), Eloisa-Fleur Thom (violin), Asher Zaccardelli (viola)
NMC NMCD232 (CD)


"Bracing Change"

DENNEHY: The weather of it
GILBERT: Haven of Mysteries
HOLT: String Quartet No. 3

Doric String Quartet, Guy Johnston (cello), Carducci String Quartet, JACK Quartet
NMC NMCD216 (CD)

"Hommage a Boulez"

BOULEZ: Derive II; Dialogue de L'Ombre Double; Memoriale; Le Marteau sans maitre; Anthemes 2; Messagesquisse
Daniel Barenboim (conductor), Pierre Boulez (conductor), West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Guy Eshed (flute)
DG 4797160 (2CD)


CASSIDY: The Wreck of Former Boundaries
LIM: How Forests Think
Elision Ensemble, Wu Wei (37-pipe sheng),Carl Rosman (conductor), Peter Evans, Tristram Williams (trpts), Aaron Cassidy (electronics)
HUDDERSFIELD CONTEMPORARY RECORDS (HCR) HCR13CD


MICACHU: Peace (Oliver Coates, cello); Riding Through Drinking Harpo Dine (Eliza McCarthy, piano)
FOOM (independent London record label) – FLAC download / vinyl only

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The inclusion of New Music on RR is a very welcome development, and one I have long hoped for: moving such discussion/reviews to the late-night Hear & Now slot kept such releases reserved for the already-enthusiastic. Putting them back into the "mainstream" programme means that a wider audience is kept at the very least aware of how at least some of the more recent composers and ensembles are working. (And, for me at any rate, with my antipathy towards both downloads and vinyl, this will be the only way I get to hear the Micachu works.)

[Serial_Apologist]

Thanks for the heads-up for this one, ferney. Just in time for my coffee break, too!

Edit: Like a lot of recent stuff I've been hearing, for me some of the above was interesting if rather too lightweight and easy to get to know in one listening. The Elision, from what I could make out, consisted mainly of the kind of freak-out stuff in which emoting is more important than the goings-on around that I left behind a coupla decades ago. It was lovely to hear Boulez's very Debussyish Mémoriale, and the excerpt from towards the end of Le marteau, the latter, especially, played so beautifully; but for me the choice would have to be the Doric String Quartet trio of works, investing an act of faith in the Anthony Gilbert, whose work we did not hear, but who has always been a favourite composer of mine ever since first hearing some of his music in the mid-'60s.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It was, I thought, and entertaining discussion - and AMcG actually contributed quite well (my apologies to him). I'm still continuing to be impressed by the ELISION disc - more and more degrees of subtlety coming across each time I listen, without losing the excitement of the Cassidy, or the gentle clarity of the Lim. But what did surprise me was how much I enjoyed the NMC Dance excerpts - I agree with S_A's "lightweight", but plenty of ear-tickling material to keep my attention. I would, too, have liked to have heard something of the Gilbert - but I was astonished to be so attracted to the Holt: a composer whose I've always found to be depressingly grey in the past. And I quite liked the cut of the Dennahy's jib - whether it would keep its attraction on the fifth listening or after ... (But I think I'd enjoy finding out.)

The Boulez, of course, is its own recommendation.

[Richard Tarleton]

It was, I thought, and entertaining discussion - and AMcG actually contributed quite well (my apologies to him)

I was intrigued to hear him say "I could dance to that " to "Themistocles is Captured" - I tried to picture what he would actually be doing, then gave up. SMP picked up on that, didn't quite follow what she was saying but I guess they were talking about the sort of dance I glimpse as I pass the half-open door of Minsky's in Cardiff on my way from St David's Hall back to the Dumfries Place car park, an Ecstasy-fuelled throbbing mass of people. A generational thing, I guess. I was listening in the car, and one particular repeated note in this piece had me looking at my dashboard as it was precisely the sound of my tyre pressure warning alarm. Not bad, though.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I was intrigued to hear him say "I could dance to that " to "Themistocles is Captured" - I tried to picture what he would actually be doing, then gave up. SMP picked up on that ...

No - I didn't hear SM-P's reply; mainly because I was thinking "Please don't - the world has not yet stopped reeling from Ed Balls". But it was at least a pertinent remark; if a disc uses the word "Dance" in its title, then it's not unreasonable for listeners to question if they themselves can actually dance to what they're hearing, even if (as in this instance) the works were written for a professional dance company.

[Richard Tarleton]

No - I didn't hear SM-P's reply; mainly because I was thinking "Please don't - the world has not yet stopped reeling from Ed Balls". But it was at least a pertinent remark; if a disc uses the word "Dance" in its title, then it's not unreasonable for listeners to question if they themselves can actually dance to what they're hearing, even if (as in this instance) the works were written for a professional dance company.

I must say SM-P has really carved out a most creditable niche for herself on R3, one way and another