Listening Journal: November 23-29, 2009

Olivier Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jésus (1944) for piano
   XVIII. Regard de l'onction terrible
   XIX. Je dors, mais mon couer veille
   XX. Regard de l'Église d'amour
Gyorgy Ligeti - San Francisco Polyphony (1973) for orchestra

Einojuhani Rautavaara - A Requiem in Our Time - Complete Works for Brass - CD
A Requiem in Our Time (1953) for four horns, four trumpets, three trombones, baritone horn, tuba and percussion
Playgrounds for Angels (1981) for brass quintet
Tarantará (1976) for trumpet
Independence Fanfare (1992) for three trumpets and trombone
A Soldier's Mass (1968) for large chamber wind and percussion ensemble
Octet for Winds (1962) for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, two horns and trombone
Hymnus (1998) for trumpet and organ

CD Review: Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos

About a month ago I listened to the recording of Hilary Hahn performing the Schoenberg and Sibelius Violin Concertos.  This CD is in my top three favorites of hers.  I would have to say that the CD of the Bach Violin Concertos is my favorite.  Since this listening I have gone back and reread my review of this CD that I posted on New Music Forum on October 4, 2008.  I have included the first part of the review below.  The complete review can be found here: Hahn Review.

Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Review by Brian Bice
October 4, 2008

Hilary Hahn’s latest recording is one that is not to be missed.  The Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen joins her on this recording.  Ms. Hahn makes a seemingly unlikely pairing of two concertos by two major composers of the early 20th Century.  Arnold Schoenberg and Jean Sibelius.  They are two of the more diametrically opposed composers from the first half of the 20th Century.  However, upon listening to these works and learning more about how these pieces came to be, the pairing may actually be a logical choice.

    Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) was born in Germany, fathered the serialist movement and later immigrated to the United States as the Nazi regime came into power.  Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) was born in Finland, and began his musical life as a concert violinist.  While in college he began studying composition.  The allure of composing caused him to set aside his violin.

    So why put these two composers, much less these compositions on the same recording?  (For more of the review click here: Hahn Review)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My warmest wishes go out to everyone this Thanksgiving Day.  Today I will be spending the day with my wife, my mom and my cat, Fozzie.  We will be keeping it low key, just the way I like it.  As a special treat I have uploaded the recording of Visions of a Landscape for woodwind quintet to my website: www.newmusicforum.com.  The recording will be featured on the main page as well as the info page for the quintet (in my personal site).  Feel free to have a listen to the piece and send me your comments.  I am always interested to know what you think.

Rethinking the website

As many of my friends and family know I run a website dedicated to the promotion of contemporary classical music: New Music Forum, www.newmusicforum.com.  This has been a pet project of mine for years.  However, I have not been able to devote the time and resources necessary to take the site to the next level (whatever that is).  My work on the site would come in fits and starts.

One great thing that has come out of New Music Forum is the annual Festival of Contemporary Music.  This concert series was born out of the overall concept of New Music Forum.  This is truly a project that I am proud of and amazed each year at how much the concert series has grown.

I am currently in the process of rethinking my goals for New Music Forum.  Let me make one thing clear: New Music Forum is not going away.  I want to retool the site so that it becomes more of an information resource where multiple people contribute.

A good friend of mine, who is also the website host, has recently turned me on to Word Press.  He has setup a prototype site in New Music Forum for me to mess around with and learn how to use Word Press.  If this is successful, in other words if I like what I see, then is would be easy for me to migrate New Music Forum to a Word Press site.

Right now I do not know what I want to do.  I will be spending time over the next couple of weeks playing with the Word Press version of New Music Forum.  I will give updates about my progress with the website as it is an important project to me.

Listening Journal: November 16-22, 2009

Luciano Berio - Chemins II (su "sequenza VI") (1967) - for viola and chamber ensemble
Tristan Murail - Allégories (1990) - for six instruments and electronics
Arnold Schoenberg - Five Piano Pieces, op. 23 (1923)
Anton Webern - Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, op. 9 (1913)
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 5, op. 67 (1808) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 6, op. 68 "Pastorale" (1808) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Composing Session: November 18, 2009

A few weeks ago I had created a timeline which outlined my plan for finishing Dream Cycle.  I had planned on being done with the draft of Mutability by last week.  Well, yesterday was the first day in which I have composed since I created that timeline.  So basically I can throw it out the window.

With all that said I did have a productive composing session yesterday.  I spent sometime developing the accompaniment for the second stanza.  Basically, I sat at the keyboard and played around with the initial material that I had.  I tried to steer myself away from the repetitive nature of the accompaniment of the first stanza.  I will be using repetition on some level because the accompaniment needs to be fluid from stanza to stanza.  This will create a more cohesive sound instead of sounding like four different pieces (one for each stanza).

Right now I have eight measures sketched out.  I do not think that this sketch I created last night will be the "final" version.  I will need to spend more time fleshing out the material.  Some of the motives and thematic ideas could be explored a little bit more.  This could possibly provide more material for development in later stanzas.  After I work on this a little more, I will begin working on the vocal sketch.

Listening Journal: November 9-15, 2009

Kaija Saariaho - Du Cristal (1990) for orchestra
Kaija Saariaho - ...à la fumée (1990) for alto flute, cello and orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 4, op. 60 (1806) Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

Demondrae Thurman - Soliloquies - CD
Patrick Schulz - Concerto for Euphonium and Wind Ensemble (2000)
John Stevens - Soliloquies (2000) for euphonium
Doug Bristol - Fantasy for Euphonium and Orchestra (2002)
Patrick Schulz - Constellation (1999) for euphonium
Frederic Goossen - Sinfonia Concertante (1994) for euphonium and wind ensemble

Iannis Xenakis - Kyania (1990) for orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Krinoïdi (1991) for orchestra
Iannia Xenakis - Herma (1961) for piano

Listening Focus

As I mentioned in a previous listening journal I have shifted my focus of listening more towards orchestral music... at least for a while.  I did this in part for no other reason than to give myself some parameters in choosing what to listen to.  I have also decided that I need to include more pre-20th century music in my listening repertoire.  I have noticed that the majority of my listening tends towards contemporary music.  I have nothing against pre-20th century music.  I enjoy listening to Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and their contemporaries.  I just do not think about those composers when it comes time to listen to something.

Now I will be making more of a conscious effort to include the music of these eras in my listening.  I will say that this decision does stem from my listening to the Beethoven Symphonies.  I started to listen to these symphonies again on a whim when I decided to focus more on orchestral music.  I have been enjoying them, especially the 1st and 2nd symphonies since I am less familiar with them.

I do believe that it will be more beneficial for me to include pre-20th century music in my listening.  After all, these are the pieces that early-20th century composers had to listen to.

Bill Champlin: Bichin Tour

Friday night November 13, 2009 my wife and I went to see Bill Champlin perform live at Hutchins Street Square in Lodi, CA.  In a word the concert was Awesome!  Bill and his band played with a raw energy that electrified the crowd.

This tour is in support of Bill's new album No Place Left to Fall.  First off I must say that this album is amazing and it is hands down my favorite album of the year.  Bill and his band performed nine of the thirteen songs from this album that night.  I was excited to hear so many songs from this album performed live.  In addition they performed various songs from Bill's other albums.  There were even a few surprises in the set list including Please Hold On from Chicago 17 and Tamara (Bill's wife) singing You Won't Get to Heaven Alive from her 1995 solo album.

Bill Champlin is an amazing musician.  During a few of the songs he would transition from keyboards to guitar and no miss a beat.  He is very personable not only with the members of his band, but with the audience as well.  Bill would give credit where credit is due.  All of the band members were given their chance to shine.  It was fun to see Bill stand just off-stage during the drum and bass solos.  I could see him as he watched in amazement as Rochon (bass) and Eddie (drums) rocked out.

Aside from the music I really enjoyed and appreciated the fact that Bill and his band had no where else they would rather be.  One unfortunate thing about the show was that only half of the seats sold.  At one point Bill made a comment about this.  He said that some groups/artists would whine about this fact, but he did not care because they were there to play.  This says a lot about the band.

I have been a big fan of Bill Champlin for a long time.  His albums Burn Down the Night and Through It All have spent countless hours in my CD player.  Now No Place Left to Fall is in constant rotation in my CD player.  Seeing him perform live with a renewed energy is a real thrill.  True to form Bill came out front to the lobby after the show to greet some of his loyal fans and sign autographs.  My wife and I hung out and got to meet Bill.  Both Bill and his wife Tamara signed my copy of the No Place Left to Fall CD.  The picture above is a scan of that CD cover.

I really wish I could see his show again on this tour.  However, I do not have the time or money to head up to Oregon or Washington.  If you have been considering seeing his show, do it!  It is well worth the money.

Bill, thank you for a great show!  The CD is awesome.  I'm glad to see that you are enjoying yourself on stage.  I look forward to seeing you again next year!

Band Lineup:
Bill Champlin - lead vocals, keyboards and guitar
Tamara Champlin - vocals (lead vocal on You Won't Get to Heaven Alive)
Jerry Lopez - guitar and vocals  (lead vocal on Lovers Tonight)
Jamie Hosmer - keyboards, guitar and vocals
Rochon Westmoreland - bass and vocals
Eddie Garcia - drums

Understanding Xenakis

First off I need to clarify: I am not an expert on the music of Iannis Xenakis.  I have not studied his scores nor have I read his book Formalized Music.  Though I do wish to read this book one day.  I have listened to a large portion of Xenakis's music that is available in recorded form.  I really enjoy his music.  What I am offering here is my perspective on how to listen to the music of Xenakis.

Most people, when they listen to music, listen for the melody.  The melody is like the lead actor in a play.  It stands out front and commands your attention whenever it is present.  Europeans in the 18th and 19th centuries (and probably even today) would judge the success of a piece based on whether or not the melody is memorable.  During the early to mid-19th century, the motif and motivic development became the norm.  The motif commands the audience's attention the same way the melody does.

Listeners are familiar with the melody and motif.  These are basic principles that are learned no matter what kind of music you enjoy.  Cursory listening of Xenakis reveals a lack of both melody and motif.  I am not suggesting that these principles do not exist in Xenakis's music as attention grabbing devices.  However, upon continued listening one does get a sense of the use of color and texture as recurring thematic devices.

I remember a couple of months back I had the desire to hear something gritty and bombastic.  I really wanted to hear one of the most dissonant things I owned.  Of course I immediately thought of Xenakis.  I listened to Aïs for orchestra.  About halfway through the piece my wife, Melissa, comes out to the living room and says, "I don't mean to be rude, but what are you listening to?"  My response was simply, "Music."  I explained to her that it was a piece by Iannis Xenakis and I had the desire to hear something dissonant.

When I talk to friends and colleagues about the music of Xenakis I hear a lot of negative reactions to his music.  I understand that point of view because when I first heard some of his music I thought it was unorganized noise.  Now that I have read a bit about him and listened to a large portion of his music I know that is not the case.  After all, his book about his compositional techniques is titled Formalized Music implying a structure and plan within the music.

What I am offering here is a way to listen to the music of Xenakis that has helped me make sense of is and more importantly enjoy his music.  First and foremost push aside the concepts of melody and harmony in your mind.  These are aspects of music that exist in Xenakis's compositions, but they are more difficult to find.  One of the keys to his music is timbre.  His use of various instrumental combinations and sounds shape and color the music.

It took me a while, but after I listened to six to eight pieces by Xenakis I was able to listen to the coloristic aspects of his music and focus on how he used timbre to create forward motion.  The case could be made that Xenakis's music uses a timbral progression rather than harmonic progression to drive the piece.

Another key aspect is formal structure.  It seems to me that Xenakis is very deliberate in his form and the way in which the sections develop.  Listening to form and structure requires yet another level of listening skill.  While the mind and ear want to latch on to what is happening at that moment, it is important to take note of section beginnings so that the larger picture can develop in the listener's mind.

After having a better understanding of the timbral/coloristic aspects of Xenakis's music the formal structure and development become easier to hear.  Being more in tune with with the timbre I was able to hear repeated occurrences of these devices and the larger picture became clearer to me.

Unlike Mozart, Beethoven or really most other composers, the music of Xenakis is very difficult the listen to at first.  The music is very dense and there is little for the ear to grab on to such as melody and harmony.  I feel that repeated listening to a singular piece is valuable, but with Xenakis it is better to listen to multiple pieces before attempting repeated listening of one piece.  By listening to multiple pieces I was able to hear different ways in which Xenakis would use and develop timbre.  All of this listening has helped in my understanding and enjoyment of Xenakis's music.

I really do encourage people to listen to Xenakis's music.  He was a gifted composer who deserves more performance time.  I highly recommend keeping an open mind and listening to this music in terms of color and timbre above all else.  In doing so I believe that sound world will draw you in and allow you to have a better understanding and enjoyment.  Happy listening!

Listening Journal: November 2-8, 2009

Iannis Xenakis - Roáï (1991) for orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 2, op. 36 (1803) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Kaija Saariaho - Lichtbogen (1986) for nine musicians and live electronics
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 3, op. 55, "Eroica" (1804) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan
Kaija Saariaho - Monkey Fingers, Velvet Hand (1991) for piano

A better understanding

Here's a simple fact: there is a lot of great music out there.  Of course there is a lot more bad music than great music.  Music is a very personal thing.  Not just composing music, but listening and playing as well.  Our likes and dislikes stem from personal aesthetic choice.  I know that there is a lot of music that I like that others do not.

As students we are encouraged to expose ourselves to new things.  Different composers, different aesthetics.  Our instructors encourage us day after day to challenge ourselves and play with the unfamiliar, because you never know what you are going to like.  I am now about three years removed from being a student and I still try to embrace this basic principle.  I do get stuck from time to time in doing and listening to the "same old thing."  There is nothing wrong with that, embracing the familiar is almost as important as playing with the unfamiliar.  My whole approach to music is about discovery.  It is a very personal journey for me.

Lately it seems as if my activities have been about stretching myself and playing with the unfamiliar.  The song cycle I am composing is one way I am stretching myself.  I am also starting to explore music and composers with which I am unfamiliar.  I recently started listening to the music of Gyorgy Kurtag.  I have to say that I am impressed with his music.  I have only listened to a handful of pieces, but there is something about it that I really like.

When I was a student I did not appreciate the principle of expanding my musical knowledge.  This was probably because I was so busy studying and working that I thought I did not have time to listen to new things.  Now that I am out of school and doing things for myself I can say that I have a better understanding of what my instructors were trying to tell me.

Listening Journal: October 26-November 1, 2009

This week I focused my listening on orchestral music.  Which is why all of the pieces except for one are written for orchestra.  Also, in the Beethoven listing I included orchestra and conductor.  I feel that for major works where there are numerous recordings, I would identify the recording to which I listened.

Karol Szymanowski - Symphony No. 4 (1932)

Hilary Hahn - Schoenberg and Sibleius Violin Concertos - CD
Arnold Schoenberg - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 36 (1936)
Jean Sibelius - Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, op. 47 (1905)

Pascal Dusapin - Apex (1995) for orchestra
Olivier Messiaen - Un Sourire (1989) for orchestra
Iannis Xenakis - Dikhthas (1979) for violin and piano
Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphony No. 1 (1800) - Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan