Hear and Now 8th October 2011

[Quarky]

The Hear and Now Fifty:
Pierre Boulez: Le Marteau sans maitre Elizabeth Laurence (mezzo) Ensemble InterContemporain Pierre Boulez (conductor).

Might one say an updated version of Pierrot Lunaire?

[DracoM]

Wasn't that Boulez wonderfully refreshing to the palate? Articulate, disciplined, and very precise. Wonderful.

[Bryn]

If they had to play a recording off the shelf, at least they could have regurgitated the original Invitation Concert performance directed by John Carewe, and for which occasion Cornelius Cardew taught himself the guitar. Still, that broadcast is my favourite among the commercial recordings I know.

[Lateralthinking1]

I wanted to follow the Hear and Now 50 from beginning to end. Regrettably, this one was the first programme I had heard. Can't speak at all with expertise. I expected to find it challenging and did so. While I thought "Le Marteau sans maitre" by Boulez went on a bit, I found that I could listen to it but preferred the earlier parts, ie before the poetry came fully into it.

Birtwistle's commentary certainly helped me. The strata of instrumentation he described made some sense to me along with the world influence - the wooden sounds of Africa, the metallic sounds of the Far East.

The other pieces on the programme were interesting enough - "Spaces of Blank" by van der Aa and Soler's "Plain-Chant".

I feel confused about the concept of the Hear and Now 50. I realise that only one of the pieces each week is in that category - fair enough - but what is this about the podcast? I saw someone saying it was annoying that it was only available on podcast in the UK. But we had the piece by Boulez on the programme and the commentary so what am I not understanding? What is missing?

Finally, the programme is scheduled oddly. It doesn't strike me as the obvious stuff of late on Saturday night.

[Boilk]

I wouldn't take the Hear and Now 50 with a pinch of salt, more a tablespoon. These shortlists / longlists are hugely subjective, and like every other poll, reflect the prejudices of the time.

"Nominated by 50 figures from the worlds of new music and the arts" - well that's okay then.