Olga Neuwirth

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Tonight's Hear & Now focusses on new works by a composer whose earlier works I greatly admired, but whose recent work (since after Lost Highway and her move from Ricordi to Boosey & Hawkes) I haven't found as fascinating. So I shall be listening with great hope.

And Music by Nono: his gritty, glowing Al Gran Sole Carico d'Amore is under discussion in the H&N50 slot. A pity the whole work couldn't be programmed somewhere on the schedules, but the chat might be worth hearing.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Anyone hear this? It did nothing, alas, to make me revise my opinion of Neuwirth's recent work: Miromondo was a general, all-purpose, been here before Trumpet & Ensemble piece, the Miniatures had some of the "old" fire, and the Songs some attractive ideas - but some of these were from other composers! Nothing terrible, but nothing I could enthuse about on first hearing. Shall Listen Again later today.

BUT, for a 90min "special", we were given less than 44mins of her Music! The introductory chatter was superficial and seemed rather apologetic. As for our "reading rather than hearing" Neuwirth's Music, well that's partly the fault of the Beeb itself! When Lost Highway received its UK premiere some years ago, there was a Music Matters feature on the rehearsals, but no broadcast of the event itself! (And some of us, thanks to Huddersfield and KAIROS, actually have heard quite a bit of her Music!)

Still, a good talk about the Nono. Left me wanting to hear the whole work - good job I have the CDs!

[heliocentric]

Anyone hear this? It did nothing, alas, to make me revise my opinion of Neuwirth's recent work

Nor me. The trouble with the way the "usual suspects"-based commissioning system works is that it often puts pressure on composers to produce more new work than they have new ideas for. Nobody really benefits from this.

[Roehre]

I haven't listened and haven't planned to do so either, as unfortunately Neuwirth is a composer who succeeds in leaving me disappointed time and again. I don't know what it is, but listening to her works -certainly the more recent ones- I increasingly get the feeling either of "much about nothing", or "I have heard this before".

[3rd Viennese School]

I heard it but can't remember it (I was in the pub!)

I think there was there lots of tonal singing in the last item?

3VS

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I heard it but can't remember it (I was in the pub!)

That's one helluva Karaoke system in your Local, 3VS!

I think there was there lots of tonal singing in the last item?

Yes: a lot of it by Purcell! (I wondered if the "pop song" was largely quotation, too?)

[3rd Viennese School]

Quote. "Yes: a lot of it by Purcell!"


Wot, the last Hear and Now item?

Hear and Now on the pub karaoke! Thats given me a new idea for a new work!

3VS

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes; the last of the four songs was a re-writing of Purcell's Dido's Lament!

[3rd Viennese School]

says here the last work was Hommage Klaus Nomi. Was it that one?

(when you're in a pub one work blends into another one!)

3VS

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

says here the last work was Hommage Klaus Nomi. Was it that one?

... well, four songs from a larger work with that title. (Bleeding Chunks on H&N!)