Minimalism unwrapped

[Quarky]

There were one or two threads on the subject of minimalism recently, but can't trace them anywhere.

Anyhow, just to draw attention to Kings Place, who throughout 2015 will be presenting various minimalism concerts. starting January with In C:

http://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on-book-tickets/curated-weeks/minimalism-unwrapped#.VFFLFPmsW73

[Bryn]

I booked a saver ticket for this one some time ago. Must book the pre-concert chat too.

[teamsaint]

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?11524-Minimalism-favourite-works&highlight=minimalism

[ahinton]

I kinda prefer it wrapped, meself...

[Serial_Apologist]

I kinda prefer it wrapped, meself...

Without hesitation or deviation for one minute.

[MrGongGong]

I booked a saver ticket for this one some time ago. Must book the pre-concert chat too.

Some really great stuff in this series
(and a rather off typo ?)

[ahinton]

Without hesitation or deviation for one minute.

Yes, I guess that would do for starters...

[Richard Barrett]

Some really great stuff in this series
(and a rather off typo ?)

And some hair-raisingly awful blurbage apart from the typo(s). And, despite the series being so extensive, a rather limited view of what minimalism is and was.

[Don Petter]

... a rather limited view of what minimalism is and was.

Perhaps this is appropriate.

[Richard Barrett]

Perhaps this is appropriate.

Joking aside, it misses out on most of the more interesting and radical aspects of minimalism, concentrating instead on the "sounds like classical music but much more repetitive" type.

[Boilk]

Joking aside, it misses out on most of the more interesting and radical aspects of minimalism, concentrating instead on the "sounds like classical music but much more repetitive" type.

The real problem here is how all-encompassing the term Minimalism has become. With regard to frequency of musical events, it supposedly includes everything from near-eventless audio wallpaper to hyperactive tapestries of modal ostinati (funny how they're almost never atonal). I'm not saying it's a two-dimensional continuum, (there are other things that could be measured) but it makes one ponder as to what really defines Minimalism that apparently legitimises inclusion of everything from Feldman to Fitkin, via Part or Adams. It's got to be the most generic pigeon hole in modern music.

[Serial_Apologist]

(funny how they're almost never atonal)

I think there's so-to-speak an intrinsic problem with repetitively phrase-structured music, in that the repetition inputes the sense of tonal grounding that some of the original advocates (before it got to be called Minimalism) felt at home with after forsaking atonalism and all they felt it stood for.

But there isn't much that's tonal about Feldman's music, is there?