Gramophone Contemporary Award 2016

[SimonNZ]

Which of these albums/works - the longlist finalists for this year's Gramophone Contemporary award - do you enjoy/admire most? Which do you dislike, and why?



Abrahamsen let me tell you Barbara Hannigan; BRSO / Andris Nelsons (Winter & Winter)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4lIe4Zv7s&list=PLeLglGr0zMO5mGHVKws55sZz_lzbDc84h



Anderson In Liebliche Bläue, Alleluia etc LPO / Vladimir Jurowski (LPO)



Birtwistle Angel Fighter etc Soloists, London Sinfonietta / David Atherton (NMC)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paMuGcC777U&list=PLEFk4hFWcRkxtWde8ykF_TZ-7q31PWFeJ



Maxwell Davies. Panufnik Symphonies Nos 10 LSO /Sir Antonio Pappano (LSO Live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jPATE-yo0M&list=PLx1aYneGQyQ-LfNu3mDRphPcwVeyv2QDK



Murail Le Partage des eaux, Contes cruels etc BBC SO, Netherlands Radio PO / Pierre-André Valade (Aeon)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo_RyHTnERU&list=PLvcqmUUZpV93VrHI7aICGLfdCpU892Pp8&index=1



Silvestrov To thee we sing Latvian Radio Choir / Sigvards Kļava (Ondine)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywPrOof_jFY&list=PLUSRfoOcUe4axx0C_tvHhdRcHiR_ki-QI

[andolink]

The Murail disc is the only one of these I've gotten familiar with at this point and I certainly stamp that one highly recommended!  All the pieces are first rate examples of orchestral Spectralism.  The performances and sound are exemplary.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I have heard only three of these discs (Birtwistle, Davies and Murail) but I think it may have been the Murail that impressed me the most. Birtwistle is brilliant too though........hard to pick one

[Karl Henning]

Yet another indication that having a name is the first thing.

[Brian]

"Let Me Tell You" has gotten a lot of hype...I do like the beautiful, modestly-scaled choral works by Silvestrov.

[amw]

I can't say I've particularly liked or disliked any of these. Pretty mediocre crop for the award, tbh.

Best contemporary music release of the past 12 months is still Deforce playing Barrett of the ones I've heard.


Also Rădulescu on Mode but he's not contemporary any more unfortunately.

[some guy]

Yet another indication that having a name is the first thing.

Having a name that someone working for Gramophone will recognize, that is.

Of course, Gramophone hasn't the foggiest idea who's doing stuff that people who listen to contemporary music listen to. Even the older people, like Beatriz Ferrerya or Pierre Henry or Yasunao Tone, are unknown to that crew. The middle ground as well. None of them, I am sure, have ever heard of Lionel Marchetti or eRikm or Andrea Neumann. And the younger crowd? Not a frickin' chance. Sure, they'll have heard of Mason Bates, as over-hyped a person as one could ever imagine. But what about somebody doing something really interesting or new, like Emmanuelle Gibello or Mike Boyd or Sandra Gonzalez? Again, not a chance.

This is simply a massive, and predictable, failure by "mass-market" media to keep up with what's actually been going on.

[Brian]

Mason Bates, as over-hyped a person as one could ever imagine

Oh, good, it's not just me.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I know and love Pierre Henry and eRikm.......but who is Mason Bates?

[Mirror Image]

I know and love Pierre Henry and eRikm.......but who is Mason Bates?

Mason Bates is an American composer who blends classical with electronica sounds. The end result, for me, was music that was completely kitschy and, ultimately, pretty insipid.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Mason Bates is an American composer who blends classical with electronica sounds. The end result, for me, was music that was completely kitschy and, ultimately, pretty insipid.

uhhh Pierre Henry has done that too with blending classical and popular styles in an electronic medium but I think his work is marvellous...........

https://www.youtube.com/v/vC1cgcOEErQhttps://www.youtube.com/v/hmx3TKFxQvUhttps://www.youtube.com/v/JhcKao5nDNQ

[Karl Henning]

uhhh Pierre Henry has done that too with blending classical and popular styles in an electronic medium but I think his work is marvellous...........

https://www.youtube.com/v/vC1cgcOEErQhttps://www.youtube.com/v/hmx3TKFxQvUhttps://www.youtube.com/v/JhcKao5nDNQ

An artist and gorilla could employ the same methods, but the result will differ 

[Karl Henning]

Having a name that someone working for Gramophone will recognize, that is.

Aye.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

An artist and gorilla could employ the same methods, but the result will differ 

Harambe > Mason Bates

[Karl Henning]

Mind you, I don't believe I have heard any of Mason Bates' music, so I do not have an opinion  0:)

[Simula]

Symphonies are always fascinating to me, I've never heard Panufnik's 10th. My experience is that there are really not so many great symphonies as one might think. 

[amw]

Mind you, I don't believe I have heard any of Mason Bates' music, so I do not have an opinion  0:)

Here's a video.
https://www.youtube.com/v/VqxyOUp4fx4
I haven't actually heard it because my browser's audio is muted, because I am listening to Mozart. Let me know if it's good or bad >_>

(to be clear: i chose this video at random from google search results, have never knowingly heard any Mason Bates)

[snyprrr]

Here's a video.
https://www.youtube.com/v/VqxyOUp4fx4
I haven't actually heard it because my browser's audio is muted, because I am listening to Mozart. Let me know if it's good or bad >_>

(to be clear: i chose this video at random from google search results, have never knowingly heard any Mason Bates)

1939? or 1949?

about as anonymously classical as one could be at this time in history... BRILLIANT!!!!

If you told me this was Rihm or Salonen or... I Lutoslawksi... I would be very disappointed...












btw- the hot chick wins

[Karl Henning]

Here's a video.

[redacted]

I haven't actually heard it because my browser's audio is muted, because I am listening to Mozart. Let me know if it's good or bad >_>

(to be clear: i chose this video at random from google search results, have never knowingly heard any Mason Bates)

It's kind of you!  Really!  But I think I am going to preserve my Mason Bates innocence a while longer yet.

[Karl Henning]

btw- the hot chick wins

TWU!