Sorabji's Sandcastle

[Harry]

I should find some Sorabji recordings. What little I have heard have been promising. But here in China, unless Sir Richardo Clyderman plays them, good luck finding anything!

[Dax]

There are some on Jonathan Powell's website
http://jonathanpowell.wordpress.com/recordings/

A few of us witnessed Jonathan play through the entire Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Irae ex Missa Pro Defunctis (1948-9) yesterday in preparation for the first complete performance which he's giving on Friday in Glasgow. An extraordinary experience. At 7 hours, it's not something you'll get to hear that often.

[springrite]

There are some on Jonathan Powell's website
http://jonathanpowell.wordpress.com/recordings/

A few of us witnessed Jonathan play through the entire Sequentia Cyclica super Dies Irae ex Missa Pro Defunctis (1948-9) yesterday in preparation for the first complete performance which he's giving on Friday in Glasgow. An extraordinary experience. At 7 hours, it's not something you'll get to hear that often.

Perfect for listening on a flight then!

[Kontrapunctus]

I have just got The 5th sonata OPUS ARCHIMAGICUM, and Symphonic nocturne as a copy of the manuscript. Very difficult to read! In the 5th sonata there are up to 7 staffs pr line. I just played the beginning of all the movements, and I was so moved by all of it!  This is like the tradition of Liszt, Chopin, Scriabin, brought directly and perfectly into the atonal!

Tomorrow morning, the first thing I will do after break first is to start learning first mvt of the 5th sonata! 

There's a recording of it on the horizon, but he hasn't updated his site in months...

http://www.opusarchimagicum.com/main.html

[Lethevich]

Hmm... the Symphony No.5 for solo piano 'Symphonia brevis' is being released on Altarus soon. It's nice how much of his music is being recorded, some almost as fast as it is being typeset (this will presumably also be the case for the 5th piano sonata), but I had to giggle especially when I saw this two hour work described as startlingly compressed.

[karlhenning]

Hmm, could be a rabbithole (caution, Karl, caution) . . . .

[springrite]

I am ordering the Ogdon recording of the mega opus when I return to Beijing in two weeks. I have just one Sorabji CD and that needs to be corrected!

[karlhenning]

I almost get the sense that none of his music would fit onto only one disc . . . .

[springrite]

I almost get the sense that none of his music would fit onto only one disc . . . .

A few do, but those are for powdercake wusses.

[karlhenning]

Bring that hammer down, Paul!

[karlhenning]

To the everlasting glory of those few men blessed and sanctified in the curses and execrations of those many whose praise is eternal damnation.

Pretty trippy.

Or is it just misanthropic? ; )

[karlhenning]

I am ordering the Ogdon recording of the mega opus when I return to Beijing in two weeks. . . .

I think that may be just a matter of time for myself, too, Paul . . . .

[Luke]

Found a beautiful first edition of Sorabji's book of musings (mostly misanthropic ones, as Karl suggests!) mi Contra Fa the other week. A real treasure. He's a fascinating figure in many many ways.

[Sequentia]

It has recently come to my attention that the Dutch independent Internet radio broadcaster "De Concertzender" (http://www.concertzender.nl/) has plans to broadcast (in two parts) Sorabji's over 8 hours long Second Organ Symphony (1929-1932). This is a work that has been performed complete only two times in history (in the summer of 2010) and never been broadcast nor released commercially.

The performance of this piece is that of Kevin Bowyer, who spent some 20 years working on this piece on and off. Given the difficulties involved in preparing a performance of a work as complex and long as this one, Mr Bowyer has requested that the broadcasts be mixed; hence the 1st movement (about 80 minutes) will come from a partial performance given in York, the 2nd movement (some 270 minutes) will be taken from the world premiere of the work in Glasgow, and the 3rd movement (roughly 180 minutes) will also be taken from the Glasgow performance, but its third section will be replaced with a partial performance that took place in Berlin.

While each of the broadcasts will be repeated once (as well as available for later listening), the key dates are 11 May and 25 May. Each of them will start at midnight (in the Netherlands), and the first will include movements 1 and 2, while the second will include the 3rd movement. In addition to that, both broadcasts will include Mr Bowyer's recordings of various works by Alkan, and the second will also include his 1988 recording of Sorabji's 1st Organ Symphony.

For the full details about the background and realisation of this event see http://sorabji-archive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=469.0.

I hope this piques the interest of at least some of you!

[Karl Henning]

Sacrée vache!

[Sequentia]

Sacrée vache!

Just out of curiosity, does this mean you won't be listening?

[Karl Henning]

Just out of curiosity, does this mean you won't be listening?

No, doesn't mean that at all.

At that link, I am not finding any intuitive path to the relevant information; do you mind summarizing here?

[Sequentia]

At that link, I am not finding any intuitive path to the relevant information; do you mind summarizing here?

The first broadcast is mentioned at http://www.concertzender.nl/programmagids.php?month=1&date=2012-05-10. All broadcasts start at midnight (Dutch time), and will take place on 11 May, 18 May (repeat), 25 May, and 1 June (repeat of 25/5). The remaining details can be found at http://sorabji-archive.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=469.0. Hopefully there is no confusion now!

[Madiel]

At this instant, I am 11 minutes into listening to Ogdon's recording of Opus Clavicembalisticum on Youtube.

Urk.  That is quite enough.

*pulls plug at 12 minutes*

[Sequentia]

At this instant, I am 11 minutes into listening to Ogdon's recording of Opus Clavicembalisticum on Youtube.

Urk.  That is quite enough.

*pulls plug at 12 minutes*

Very briefly (as I'm busy now and will be even more in the future): Ogdon's recording sucks (as does Madge's). If you don't like Sorabji, then fine, but please refrain from judging his music on the basis of those two recordings.