Contemporary composers who've made an impression on you

[petrarch]

"nonsensical" .. was Boulez's final verdict on Cage's music in hindsight.

You understand that is beside the point, right? Which was simply that there are numerous episodes and anecdotes that connect many renowned and apparently "aesthetically incompatible" composers.

[Karl Henning]

John Cage represents a way of thinking about art and its interface with the audience, rather than just another 20th C. composer, to me.  In that regard he was enormously influential and important.  However, his music judged entirely on its own terms, does not capture my long-term interest.

Some dozen-ish of his pieces have done, mine. As ever, of course, YMMV.

[San Antone]

Some dozen-ish of his pieces have done, mine. As ever, of course, YMMV.

I thought of that after I sent that post.  Mostly it's his earlier works, especially the Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra. 

[Karl Henning]

I thought of that after I sent that post.  Mostly it's his earlier works, especially the Concerto for Prepared Piano and Chamber Orchestra.

Aye, that's one.

And in The Big Scheme of Things, I am apt to think, a dozen-ish pieces by Cage, a dozen-ish pieces by Boulez — call it a draw.

[dyn]

John Cage represents a way of thinking about art and its interface with the audience, rather than just another 20th C. composer, to me.  In that regard he was enormously influential and important.  However, his music judged entirely on its own terms, does not capture my long-term interest.

i've personally not found much of interest in Cage before 4'33". i know people who've had the precisely opposite reaction though.

[San Antone]

They [Cage & Stockhausen] are polar opposites in essence .. young Stockhausen was certainly fascinated with some of Cage's ideas early on, probably more than young Boulez. Stockhausen's musicianship/output is wider & farther in range than both.

You may claim they are polar opposites, but each is concerned with extra-musical ideas as part of their process.  This creates a similarity in my mind. 

[San Antone]

i've personally not found much of interest in Cage before 4'33". i know people who've had the precisely opposite reaction though.

I find it interesting that Cage had thought of doing 4'33" at least two years prior to when he actually staged it - and it was only after seeing Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings did he consider that the idea had credibility.

Judging by James'  response, for some people it never did reach that threshold. 

That piece is the perfect example of how Cage exhibited creative thinking about art, environment and audience that I find fascinating.  He has said that the work was in response to the seemingly constant glut of music, or muzak, with which we are deluged and he wished to carve out a small space of silence as a statement of protest. He also was making a important statement about how we think of music - and where we draw the line between noise and music.

[dyn]

Nonart.

listen to some of the late number pieces (i was fortunate enough to hear 103 live a month or two ago), then come back to it

i promise you it'll make a lot more sense

[PaulSC]

listen to some of the late number pieces (i was fortunate enough to hear 103 live a month or two ago), then come back to it

i promise you it'll make a lot more sense

You are assuming an open mind...

[San Antone]

listen to some of the late number pieces (i was fortunate enough to hear 103 live a month or two ago), then come back to it

i promise you it'll make a lot more sense

I like the One After 909 ...

[some guy]

Gosh, remember that thread about contemporary composer's who've made an impression on you?

Whatever happened to that thread?

It was nice, I thought. Neutral. Non-confrontational. Collegial.

I liked it, anyway.

Not so fond of this "contemporary composers who have to pass the quality test of one particular poster before they can be mentioned" thread. Course, it is winter now. And perhaps producing more heat than light has some utility in colder weather.

Still....

[Johnll]

Did anyone else bother to listen to Ann Southam recommended by ChamberNut early in the thread. Alright no tape or bangs on a can (will not say breaks no new ground) but I find her piano music to be very nice. I actually think some might be surprised and sometimes two ears is enough, ChamberNut's. 

[CaughtintheGaze]

i'm all for utilizing & knowing how (& knowing what is acceptable) to use silence, and/or integrating noise, sounds out there in the world with pitched music, traditional musical instruments within the craft of musical composition. i've explored Cage's output quite extensively and have heard that piece .. and seen the Mode dvd of it too in fact, it doesn't change things.

I'm not the hugest fan of Cage, but this is a piece of his I particularly enjoy. It does make extensive use of extended technique for the Double Bass.

http://www.youtube.com/v/P2RQhJb30Zg

[CaughtintheGaze]

Ugh .. tedious unmusical crap. Anyone can do this shit. There is so much more to the beautiful art of music than techniques & "noises".

Well my prior posting indicated that extended technique that I'm interested in, and I did also mention that the Cage piece fit into that camp, so I think I was fairly clear with what you were going to hear.

[CaughtintheGaze]

Yea so you're into "extended" gimmicks .. i mean techniques, is that it? .. but where is the music though? I can plug in my electric guitar and do the same thing, make a bunch of "noises" using a variety of um "techniques" .. doesn't mean it's musical or any good. That YT clip was piss poor stuff and a complete waste of time.

I suppose it could be seen as a gimmick. Although, I wouldn't necessarily classify it as such. For me its simply exploration of an instrument in a different direction. Some like the sounds, some don't.

[CaughtintheGaze]

It's an empty vessel .. and not a musical journey or exploration at all. There is more to music, and it's a much deeper art than just "techniques" & "sounds".

Well I don't agree with your first two statements, and I've never said anything that would cause one to infer the last.

[The new erato]

Gosh, remember that thread about contemporary composer's who've made an impression on you?

Whatever happened to that thread?

It was nice, I thought. Neutral. Non-confrontational. Collegial.

I liked it, anyway.

Not so fond of this "contemporary composers who have to pass the quality test of one particular poster before they can be mentioned" thread. Course, it is winter now. And perhaps producing more heat than light has some utility in colder weather.

Still....

Agree. Though the mention of John Cage on any music board tends to flame up. Which I think is a inevitable result of his fundamental music aesthetic. Just realize that the guy was yanking you around, either you find it amusing or you hate it, and go on.....

[San Antone]

Joseph Bertolozzi (born 1959) is an American composer and musician with works ranging from full symphony orchestra to solo gongs to suspension bridge. With increasingly numerous performances across the US and Europe to his credit, his music is performed by groups ranging from the Grammy-winning Chestnut Brass Company to the Eastman School of Music, and he himself has played at such diverse venues as the Vatican and The US Tennis Open.

Bridge Music

[asin]B0020MSTU4[/asin]

His most well known project is 'Bridge Music': using only the sounds of New York's Mid-Hudson Bridge, Bridge Music allows listeners to hear the bridge played like a musical instrument. The work was created for New York's 400th anniversary observance of Henry Hudson's voyage up the river that now bears his name. Originally intended to be a live performance piece, this "audacious plan" (New York Times) to compose music for a suspension bridge using the bridge itself as the instrument brought Bertolozzi wide international attention.

[San Antone]

I discovered this disc looking for recordings by Sylvie Bodorová - very worthwhile, and there are several other discs in this series.

[asin]B004RCZBT2[/asin]

[Brahmsian]

Did anyone else bother to listen to Ann Southam recommended by ChamberNut early in the thread. Alright no tape or bangs on a can (will not say breaks no new ground) but I find her piano music to be very nice. I actually think some might be surprised and sometimes two ears is enough, ChamberNut's.

Thanks for noticing my recommendation, John!    Yes, this was a gift given to me (her CD for her solo piano piece entitled 'Simple Lines of Enquiry').  Eva Egoyan on the piano.

Requires several listens to really hear all the different nuances of 12 movements.  Upon first listen, one may conclude that they sound the same or quite similar.  Some truth to it, but listen to it several times and you'll hear the intricacies and nuances.

Ann Southam passed away in November 2010.