Nash Ensemble, H&N, Sat 29/4/19; 10:00pm

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I've only got back from a (damp) break in the Peak District today, so just a quick mention of tonight's H&N, featuring works by Peter Maxwell Davies (1935-2016), Colin Matthews (b1946), Huw Watkins (b1976), Simon Holt (b1958), and Julian Anderson (b1967), all performed by the Nash Ensemble conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Not quite sure what this repertoire is doing in this late-night slot, though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ndm3x

[ahinton]

I've only got back from a (damp) break in the Peak District today, so just a quick mention of tonight's H&N, featuring works by Peter Maxwell Davies (1935-2016), Colin Matthews (b1946), Huw Watkins (b1976), Simon Holt (b1958), and Julian Anderson (b1967), all performed by the Nash Ensemble conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Not quite sure what this repertoire is doing in this late-night slot, though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ndm3x

Well, four of the five are still here and now and the fifth has only been gone since last year, if that's anything by which to go...

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well, four of the five are still here and now and the fifth has only been gone since last year, if tht's anything by which to go...

Yes - but I do wonder why these works weren't featured in the "pre-Watershed", mainstream broadcasting period(s)? Aside from the fact that none of the pieces showed any of the composers at their best, I don't see why they were broadcast at such an obscure time - nor why they were thought suited to the "hard-core" New Music slot.

[Richard Barrett]

nor why they were thought suited to the "hard-core" New Music slot.

If that's what counts as hardcore these days, heaven help us. Having said that I do have a soft spot for Simon Holt's music, he has always struck me as a highly thoughtful and imaginative composer. Has anyone yet heard his new CD on NMC?

[ahinton]

Yes - but I do wonder why these works weren't featured in the "pre-Watershed", mainstream broadcasting period(s)? Aside from the fact that none of the pieces showed any of the composers at their best, I don't see why they were broadcast at such an obscure time - nor why they were thought suited to the "hard-core" New Music slot.

I take your point, of course, but I'm not sure that H&N, irrespective of its timing, has necessarily by definition to be "the "hard-core" New Music slot" and, even if that's what it's intended to be, the siphoning of it off to a place far away from prime time could be seen as unpleasantly suggestive of "specialism" - i.e. the notion tht H&N's for people who want a certain kind of music that's rarely available elsewhere at other times and who don't mind it being relegated to a specialist listening slot, which I'd very much hope is not the case.

[ahinton]

If that's what counts as hardcore these days, heaven help us.

Obviously it isn't, but I'm not sure that this is the point which, in reality, seems to me to be "does H&N of necessity mean hardcore new music mostly by living composers or can it be allowed to represent a much wider conspectus of new music by mostly living composers?"...

[teamsaint]

If that's what counts as hardcore these days, heaven help us. Having said that I do have a soft spot for Simon Holt's music, he has always struck me as a highly thoughtful and imaginative composer. Has anyone yet heard his new CD on NMC?

Just had a listen to " Witness to a Snow Miracle", the Violin Concerto in the Naxos Library.

I'd not heard any of his music before. Very striking, direct, and effective. The story for the source material not for the faint hearted though . I see it has taken a good decade from composition to recording.Enjoyed it, and will certainly revisit and explore further. As ever, would be great to hear live, I'm sure.
Any recommendations for a couple of other works of his?

[jayne lee wilson]

If that's what counts as hardcore these days, heaven help us. Having said that I do have a soft spot for Simon Holt's music, he has always struck me as a highly thoughtful and imaginative composer. Has anyone yet heard his new CD on NMC?

"A TABLE OF NOISES" ?

Yes, I bought the 24/88.2 download from NMC a few weeks ago (after Andrew Clements' review).... but I just can't connect with it at all, either listening purely abstractly or attending to the very precise and colourful programmatic images in the notes, which appear to be closely related to the works themselves....
As for it belonging with "mainstream broadcasting" well !
It isn't often I feel quite this baffled by music, new or otherwise. Yes I should try once more, but.. again. IIRC, David Fanning once described (I think after a broadcast of the piece) his first hearing of Schnittke's 6th as like listening to "fluent Martian" - the sense that, well, something was going on - statements, paragraphs, or.... but not understanding a word of it. So it goes here, with me....

The recording is stunning though - depth and definition to die for.

[Richard Barrett]

It isn't often I feel quite this baffled by music, new or otherwise. Yes I should try once more, but.. again. IIRC, David Fanning once described (I think after a broadcast of the piece) his first hearing of Schnittke's 6th as like listening to "fluent Martian" - the sense that, well, something was going on - statements, paragraphs, or.... but not understanding a word of it.

I'm downloading it as I write. I may have more to say on the subject... although I will say for a start that, with the greatest of respect for Prof Fanning, I'm always somewhat suspicious of the use of this kind of metaphor for music, which really isn't a "language" to be "understood" in that limited sense. I've never thought of SH's music as being baffling, more as a subtler take on some of the kinds of ideas that motivate Birtwistle's work, without being derivative of it; but then again it's some years since I've heard anything new of his so maybe he's moved into more rarefied areas of late. I'm looking forward to finding out.

[Quarky]

I've only got back from a (damp) break in the Peak District today, so just a quick mention of tonight's H&N, featuring works by Peter Maxwell Davies (1935-2016), Colin Matthews (b1946), Huw Watkins (b1976), Simon Holt (b1958), and Julian Anderson (b1967), all performed by the Nash Ensemble conducted by Martyn Brabbins. Not quite sure what this repertoire is doing in this late-night slot, though.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ndm3x

Enjoyed Holt's Bagateleranos. His stated aim was to get outside the skin of Wind Quintets, I think he said, and he achieved his aim. But once accustomed to a different soundscape of tin-whistle sounds and a wailing horn, it was recognisable as in tradition of Classical Wind ensembles.

Not well enough focussed to participate in this discussion, but it seems to me that Hear and Now should confine itself to music originating from the Classical tradition. Otherwise we are into a Late Junction situation (which I'm quite comfortable with).

[Richard Barrett]

but I just can't connect with it at all

I think I can see what you mean. On a first listen I found the final piece Witness to a Snow Miracle the most attractive one, very individual solo writing for the violin and, as in the other pieces, colourful and intricate structures, I haven't yet read the programme notes so I have no idea what all this music is "about". It is still to my ears somewhat reminiscent of Birtwistle, but the early Birtwistle of Punch and Judy in particular, with its grotesque sounds and mosaic-like form. I found A Table of Noises strangely exciting in terms of sound, though some of its sections were a lot more striking than others and I'm not yet sure I have an idea of what its overall identity is, if it's supposed to have one as opposed to being a quasi-random assemblage of "curiosities". So much for first impressions, which leave me sufficiently intrigued to come back for more.

[Beef Oven!]

Something positive that I’d not considered when I took the decision to quit TV and not renew my licence, is that now I shall be in a position to tune in to H&N live, because I will no longer be watching MOTD!

The tendency, I find, is that I don’t often get around to catching up on Radio iPlayer despite the best intentions.

[teamsaint]

Something positive that I’d not considered when I took the decision to quit TV and not renew my licence, is that now I shall be in a position to tune in to H&N live, because I will no longer be watching MOTD!

The tendency, I find, is that I don’t often get around to catching up on Radio iPlayer despite the best intentions.

Oh its not so different,I guess.
You can just complain about the controller of R3's decisions, instead of the referees decisions.

Edit: I mean "one" rather than " you" perhaps ?

[ahinton]

Something positive that I’d not considered when I took the decision to quit TV and not renew my licence, is that now I shall be in a position to tune in to H&N live, because I will no longer be watching MOTD!

The tendency, I find, is that I don’t often get around to catching up on Radio iPlayer despite the best intentions.

Somehow I find it difficult to imagine that many other listeners would have been faced with a choice between H&N and MotD!...