Minimal: Glass at 75. Various venues, Glasgow 29th-30th Oct 2011.

[Guest]

I don't know if it's getting any attention on Radio Three, but there's a festival of minimalist and post-minimalist music on in Glasgow this weekend to mark Philip Glass's 75th birthday. http://www.glasgowconcerthalls.com/minimal

As well as lots by Glass himself, there's music by Kevin Volans, Brian Eno, Vivaldi and others.

I was at the first of Bang on a Can's "Latest Sounds from New York" concert at lunchtime yesterday:

• David Lang: sunray
• Julia Wolfe: Big, Beautiful, Dark and Scary
• Michael Gordon: for Madeline
• Evan Ziporyn: ShadowBang

All of them in their different ways short, accessible but contemporary works which don't ignore the existence of music outside the narrow classical genre (although they confirmed my belief that the rock drumkit just doesn't work in a classical context). I'd argue this is the sort of thing Radio Three ought to be including in its breakfast slot if it wants to bring in new listeners. The audience demographic was completely different from that which goes to most conventional orchestral concerts in Glasgow: they were much younger and trendier.

[RobertLeDiable]

That event clashed with the 'Hear and Now' concert by the BBC SSO featuring Cardew's Great Learning, also in Glasgow, and discussed in another thread. Which was a pity, but it's an indication that Glasgow is by far the leading centre for new music performance in Britain outside London.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

That event clashed with the 'Hear and Now' concert by the BBC SSO featuring Cardew's Great Learning, also in Glasgow, and discussed in another thread. Which was a pity, but it's an indication that Glasgow is by far the leading centre for new music performance in Britain outside London.

Why the last two words? In a 10-day Festival, even Huddersfield promotes more in the way of New Music than our poor, benighted capital.