Recent Acquisitions, 20080703: Modern Classical

Olivier Messiaen’s (wikipedia)(see also) Complete Bird Music for Piano Solo, performed by Carl-Axel Dominique.  Probably best if I don’t start, I love Messiaen so much.  I’ll just point out that Malcom Ball’s website has a page whereon you can compare the actual birdsongs to OM’s transcriptions, and another page containing midi examples to accompany his manifesto, Technique de mon Langage Musical (see the see also above).

Magick by John Zorn.  Since I’m a drooling bass clarinet fetishist I had to have this for “Sortilege,” a bass clarinet duo by which I was not disappointed.   The accompanying string quartet is also great.  The thing about Zorn is, since he wears his technical limitations as a sax guy on his sleeve, and since he helms alot of high risk endeavors that frequently flop, it’s easy to underestimate both the clarity and potency of his vision, as well as his skill as a composer.  Buy a disc from Tzadik, mp3’s from Amazon.

The Outsider, a BBC doc about Harry Partch.

It’s on YouTube in 6 parts.  Here’s part one.

Direct YT link.

HP dot com.   The American Mavericks site  has some Flash simulations of some of his instruments.  These guys worked with him alot, and care for his instruments in their instrumentarium.  (now is that a word, or what?)

Henry Brant (1913-2008) memorial linkfest.

Website.  Wikipedia.  Interviewed by Charles Amirkanian, August 2001.  Audio interview at American Mavericks.  Buy some records.

Obits: NYT; SF Chronicle;  Arts Journal;  New Music Box;

RoboWebern

WebernUhrWerk is a cute little app by Karlheinz Essl that generates pieces from the row that Anton Webern was working with at the time of his death.

Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) memorial linkfest

Official site

Unofficial site

Wikipedia

Obits: NYT, BBC, WaPo, Bloomberg

YouTube

Informative bloggery: Marginal Revolution, Damin Lanigan (the Telegraph), The Rest Is Noise,

Deutsche Grammophon sells DRM-free MP3’s online…

…at their new DG Webshop.  Including 600 out-of-print titles.

via

Ligeti on YouTube

A post-facto graphic score by Rainer Wehinger for the electronic piece Articulations, synced to the music.

Direct YT link

More under.

I’ve always wondered what an ondes martenot in action looked like…

Now I know.

Direct YouTube link 

(which leads to some very nice Messeian YouTubery: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 )

via

This guy’s playlists look good (modern classical).

Modbit, a radio show on WEFT.

Listening diary: David Soldier - Smut

Available from Mulatta Records (3 samples at link).

This is a great and very unique record which John Zorn put out on his Avant label in 1994. It contains (mostly) arty, vaguely beefheartian, vaguely celtic, substantively pre-baroque rock-band settings of profane and largely homoerotic ancient Latin texts. Then the last two cuts are sort of freaky ethno-concrete beatboxing or something.

More info from the Avant link.

David soldier has worn many hats, even if you think this record sucks you’ll probably dig something else he’s done. Here’s his website. Here he is on Wikipedia. And apparently, he’s also this guy.