Stockhausen's Spaceship

Started by Cato, September 21, 2007, 06:24:19 AM

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snyprrr

Quote from: James on December 07, 2011, 07:24:00 AM
'some' of the issues with the Abbado DG recently touched-on by Jerry Kohl ..

Claudio Abbado? In his notorious DG recording, Abbado has the guitarist perform the cadenza with his
amplifier *off*.
Now, .. an *electric* guitar without amplification sounds like rubber bands stretched over a cigar box. Was anybody paying any attention to the dynamics at all? How many other instruments were substituted or just left out (e.g., the African slit drums, pitched tomtoms and tuned cowbells, 5-octave marimbaphone)?

Abbado, who replaced the (pitched) African slit drums with unpitched woodblocks (sounding some three octaves higher than the log drums), and the tuned tomtoms with untuned low drums plus a pair of bongos. ... in Abbado's case, dynamics have been disregarded entirely.

That's simply bizarre.


Yes, that blurb explains a lot. Interesting.

Karl Henning

Rubber bands stretched over a cigar box. Cool!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

snyprrr

Quote from: James on December 10, 2011, 03:38:25 AM
17.35
Stockhausen: Solo for melody instrument with feedback
(special electro-acoustic apparatus, 4 assistants /
4 x 2 loudsp., mixing console / sound proj.)



Stockhausen's Solo has a fundamentally different character from the three works for trombone already mentioned, although the technical means so far described can also be applied to this piece. Following strictly prescribed musical material and rules of composition, the soloist produces one of six possible versions of Solo, which he adapts to the nature of his instrument as well to his personal interpretative capacities. Playing into a microphone, his performance is recorded, and via a "playback" system the recorded material returns through loudspeakers, after a time lag, superimposed, transformed and where necessary distorted. Still playing  the soloist has to react in various ways to the material when it reappears. (He must either make chords or blocks with the material he hears  or play contrapuntally with it.) The strong impression of tension which is provoked by the procedure of the soloist reacting to himself is obviously lost on a grammophone record. For this reason, as well as to remedy the lack of the atmosphere created by the audience at a live performance, Stockhausen had the idea of providing a commentary on the recording of Solo; this we made together, utilising to this end the second Region of his work Hymnen. In the performance of Hymnen five musicians provide a commentary on the tape reproduced through the loud-speakers. In the present version of Solo the roles are reversed: the soloist's playing is commented on with the help of a tape. - Vinko Globokar



The games that Vinko Globokar's musicians play
TORONTO — From Thursday's Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Dec. 07, 2011 5:00PM EST


[...]

He is, in a way, a maker of games for musicians, though he seldom relaxes the rules to allow extended improvisation, which appears in only three or four of his roughly 120 pieces. Improv only works when people really know how to do it, he says, and even then, it's more fun to impose rules that challenge their performance habits. The improvised part of Friday's double-bill program at the Music Gallery, in which Globokar will play, won't sound like anything heard at a jazz club.

He remains a determined modernist – and a lonely one. The performing groups he formed in the late sixties disbanded long ago; colleagues such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, Gyorgy Ligeti and his former teacher Luciano Berio, are dead. Postmodernism, or "the reinvention of Mahler," as he calls it, holds no attraction for him.

"I was part of a group of friends, an avant-garde that was based on risk," he says. "The idea, collectively, was to find something new. But even if you didn't find this end result, it was still okay, because you were exploring ideas. That kind of collective thinking we did has disappeared."

Now, he has to do the collective thinking by himself, and write it down for other people to discover and inhabit. It's an adventure worth sharing.

[...]

Poor guy. Yea, I sure wouldn't to be the last Avant standing,... what a lonely proposition, especially with such friends as he had, haha! Ahh,... the good 'ole days...

You can count me in that club,... I'm sad too. :(

snyprrr

I've been listening quite a lot to that Eotvos Gruppen/Punkte disc.

There's a point in Punkte (16:30) where there is a trumpet plunger sound that really sticks out for me.

I might be getting a grip on Gruppen.

oh, what's the use?

snyprrr

Quote from: James on December 18, 2011, 09:04:03 AM
Sheer enjoyment, exploration, discovery (self & otherwise) ..

There are 2 DVDs available for deeper insights into Punkte (rehearsal, performance, talk) ..



Stockhausen Films : DVD No. 28
Stockhausen conducts PUNKTE for orchestra ( Archive No. 37 / 1 )
( Colour film by Suzanne Stephens )
Duration: 57 minutes
Contents: Dress rehearsal of PUNKTE for orchestra on February 5th 1993 with the symphony orchestra
of the Hessen Radio, Frankfurt, conducted by Karlheinz Stockhausen )
Language: German



Stockhausen Films : DVD No. 29
Stockhausen conducts PUNKTE for orchestra ( Archive No. 37 / 2 )
(Colour film by Suzanne Stephens )
Duration: 78 minutes
Contents: Two performances of PUNKTE for orchestra on February 5th 1993 with the symphony
orchestra of the Hessen Radio, Frankfurt, conducted by Karlheinz Stockhausen and concert talk by
Stockhausen
Language: German

In the multi-media section they have short clips from these films & others .. (tho the section still needs tweaking)

http://www.stockhausen-verlag.com/



Quote from: toucan on December 18, 2011, 08:52:41 AM
Enjoyment, pleasure, fulfillment. May not seem like much to serious people but it is more than most people ever get from spouses, jobs, life - or serious people

I didn't mean 'what's the use with this music?', but I just didn't know what to make of Punkte. I like it, don't get me wrong, but it's a dark and strange slab of music that I need some help with. I mean, it was revised again only recently.

I'm liking the whole Eotvos disc more and more,... getting used to the particular recording (not saying anything either way)...


snyprrr

I was really impressed with Isherwood in Varese, such a deep voice. I wonder how he sounds here?


Also, I know I haven't been paying particular eagle eye here :-[ :-[ :-[, but since I notice your trawl is quite uniformly solos and duos and such, what might be your favorite 'Late' pieces for a full, and varied, orchestra, like a compliment to that Eotvos disc?

snyprrr

Quote from: James on January 10, 2012, 04:58:55 AM
CD34C - Luzifers Tanz .. its for 3 soloists and huge symphonic band consisting of 10 polyphonic grps.

CD100 .. Zehn Sternzeichen, Jubilee ..

CD73 Hoch-Zeiten for 5 orchestral sections.

CD58 Lichter-Wasser for soprano, tenor, orchestra with synthesizer.

CD64 Stop und Start[/i] for 6 instrumental groups.

CD30B Michael's Reise for trumpet & orchestra.

CD40A Course of the Years for tenor, bass, actor-singer, modern orchestra, tape.

CD47 Hymnen 3rd Region electronic music with orchestra. Mixtur 2003 for 5 instrumental groups, 4 sine-wave generator players, 4 sound mixers with 4 ring modulators, sound projectionist.

CD52 Orchestra Finalists for orchestra & electronic music.

+ Ylem

+ Inori




...thanks...

snyprrr

Quote from: James on February 05, 2012, 06:29:39 AM
snyprrr .. just a heads up on a wonderful opportunity to get the awesome Lucifer's Dance  (& the rest of the opera) for dirt cheap !



Samstag aus Licht, 4 disc set for 14.98.

It says in the description that the cds have "something WEIRD on top of the cds that does not effect play". :o Could it be medicated goo?? ;) Anyway, yes, that is tempting, thanks.

CRCulver

Quote from: snyprrr on February 05, 2012, 06:43:01 AM
It says in the description that the cds have "something WEIRD on top of the cds that does not effect play". :o Could it be medicated goo?? ;)

I suspect I know what he's talking about. Samstag was an early CD release. At that time it was popular for labels to place a piece of foam between the CD and the jewel case. As the years went by, that foam would slightly liquefy and stick to the top of the CD. The copies of Samstag in the Helsinki public library are affected by this.

UB

Thanks for sharing this James. I have always been amazed how well he integrated the sounds of the helicopters into the sound of the quartet playing. It is one of my favorite Stockhausen works.
I am not in the entertainment business. Harrison Birtwistle 2010

John Copeland

It is in German.  Must brush up on my German.
I like the Arditti Quartet.  They are always challenging themselves.  It may be that through them, I come to understand and like Stockhausen.  Thank you for this.  The SQ starts about 65:45 in this documentary.

John Copeland

Thanks James.  I cannot buy it yet as Stockhausen is still a shot in the dark for me, so I have decided to print the translation and watch what looks like a very interesting documentary.  If I am thoroughly interested in Stockhausens creations as a result, I may post in this thread again.  This will be an interesting experiment for me!   :D

Lisztianwagner

I'm not a particular admirer of Karlheinz Stockhausen; his music certainly sounds higly expressive and innovative, but it's quite different from that one I'm used to listen and I still find it rather strange (especially his electronic music).
Klavierstücke, Kontakte and Zyclus are pretty good though, I appreciate them a lot.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

snyprrr

Quote from: James on February 13, 2012, 02:32:58 PM
New Album ..



CD 101
IN FREUNDSCHAFT (IN FRIENDSHIP) Editions
for recorder
for bassoon
for horn
for double bass


Have you heard a variety of instruments for this piece? Is there one that works better than others? I have clarinet (Damiens) and trombone (Lindberg),... I just haven't yet gotten too excited about this piece,... also curious about the best presentation of Scelsi's Maknognan.

snyprrr

I listened to some YT the other day:

Luzifer's Abschlied (sic?; 50 mins.): Honestly? This sounded like KS was jealous for not getting The Exorcist soundtrack, haha! I imagine he totally puts Penderecki to shame here in the utter creepiness department, sounding like KP's 'devil' music (in my 'mind') with infinitely more detail. This might actually qualify as bedtime music (seriously, for me), but I do No, on second thought! :o ;D Still, I'd really need to be in the 'mood' for music of such... dense creepiness (I mean, really, c'mon, it does sound like KS has taken pains to see that no one's... NO ONE'S >:D

... :o...

'adoration of lucifer' :o :o :o would top HIS :o :o :o

I mean, I'm not knockin' the piece, I'm just sayin... I'm not calling it 'devil music' to be provocative,... it IS devil music either way you slice it,... right?... so... it 'sounds', to me ;D,,, and probably...mm... anyone I'd play it for :-*... I just know they'd go, Ooo,.. that's creepy.

I'm just saying that that is what would happen.


Listen, sorry, it's late, and I feel like I'm typing through a tube in my sinus cavity. Night. 8)



Oh, and I listened to the... Heaven's Door(?), for percussion,... which sounds like an actual door is the only instrument being played. Am I right? (Klang, haha) ;D Either way, it makes 'Rebonds' sound like the opposite of the word 'austere', haha! Surely there must have been a visual element missing, for it was a bit long I thought, and didn't seem like it was actually primarily concerned... oh, I'm fading fast here, it's 1:30...zzZZZZzzzz....zzZZZZzzzz....zzzZZuh,...Oh!,...night! 8)

UB

Hi James - it is good to see you keep this thread going because I think Stockhausen needs to be heard and explored.  When I first came upon Stockhausen 30 or so years ago I found some of his music - Mikrophonie I and II for example - completely beyond my comfort zone (and they still are) , while works like Punkte, Kontra-Punkte, and later Gruppen kept me trying more of his music. I think the Helicopter Quartet is probably my favorite of his works but then the very late pieces of Licht also really work for me.

I was wondering what three CDs you would suggest to me today if I was coming new to Stockhausen and was open to giving his music a try. It would be good to know why you chose the particular CDs and works.

Thanks...
I am not in the entertainment business. Harrison Birtwistle 2010

Oclock

Hi!!

I am a Stockhausen (and contemporary music in general) music fan from Spain...

This is my first post and I only want add one date more to Stockhausen's 'Mittwoch' this next summer...

22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th August: London Voices
Stockhausen Mittwoch (Michaelion)
Birmingham Cultural Olympiad

http://www.nicolabeckley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Diary.html

Regards!!!

snyprrr

Quote from: Oclock on March 06, 2012, 09:54:00 AM
Hi!!

I am a Stockhausen (and contemporary music in general) music fan from Spain...

This is my first post and I only want add one date more to Stockhausen's 'Mittwoch' this next summer...

22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th August: London Voices
Stockhausen Mittwoch (Michaelion)
Birmingham Cultural Olympiad

http://www.nicolabeckley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Diary.html

Regards!!!

Welcome! ;)

Oclock

Well....  :o :o

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/mar/13/stockhausen-opera-helicopters-birmingham?newsfeed=true

Stockhausen opera to be staged in full for first time – helicopters and all


Birmingham Opera Company performance of Mittwoch aus Licht for London 2012 festival will have flying soloists and two choirs

It is not the headache of four separate helicopters carrying string quartet performers that is keeping Graham Vick awake at night. It is more, he confessed, the strain of 11 flying string and woodwind soloists that is exercising his mind ahead of the first performance of one of the world's most unusual operas.

Birmingham Opera Company has announced it is to stage one of the most challenging operas ever written, Karlheinz Stockhausen's five-hour epic Mittwoch aus Licht (Wednesday from Light), during the London 2012 festival.

Featuring real helicopters, two choirs, octophonic sound, numerous musicians, the Radio 1 DJ Nihal and requiring two separate performance halls, this will be the first time that all six parts of the opera have been staged together.

Vick, the company's longstanding artistic director, said the project was driven by "the vision that opera must go beyond the opera house and beyond the enclosed existing opera audience".

He said the challenge was exciting and enormous. "Stockhausen's vision is utterly beguiling, seductive, irresistible and fabulous. He is one of the great originals of all time – a dreamer, a visionary, a man who dared to believe that things were possible which I have no idea how to achieve."

The "bewilderingly difficult" piece will be performed four times between 22 and 25 August, starting at 4pm each day at the Argyle Works, a former factory in Digbeth, Birmingham.

Funded by Arts Council England (ACE) and Birmingham city council, it will be a highlight of this summer's London 2012 festival, the showcase finale of the Cultural Olympiad, which aims to present once-in-a-lifetime arts and culture performances.

Wednesday from Light easily ticks the once-in-a-lifetime criteria. Its finale, in which a string quartet perform in separate helicopters – so the whirring blades become part of the music – has been performed in isolation, but never as part of a complete performance. Vick said the DJ Nihal would be part of the helicopter segment in the role Stockhausen intended for himself, as a kind of moderator or commentator.

Vick said the work, with its spiritual themes, exploring concord and co-operation, was ideal for the Olympic year.

Kathinka Pasveer, who worked with Stockhausen for 25 years and helps to look after his legacy as director of the Stockhausen Foundation for music, said the composer had longed to see the entire work performed, right up to his death in 2007. "His vision for Mittwoch is a musical expression of global harmony of love and collaboration in a united humanity. We are delighted and grateful that his dream is now becoming a reality."

There will be much that is strange for any audience, let alone fans of experimental, genre-breaking new music. Vick said the helicopters, which the audience will see on screens, were probably one of the most straightforward elements. "Imaginatively the biggest challenge is the orchestra soloists because each soloist flies; comes closer, goes away and has to be synchronised in a very complex way. It is the thing at the moment that is keeping me most awake."

Birmingham council's leader, Mike Whitby, said the staging was one part of "the compelling and eclectic range of arts, sport and culture which is reverberating within this culturally dynamic city".

The helicopter segment will also be available for all to see through The Space, a new digital arts platform that is a collaboration between ACE and the BBC.



snyprrr

I'm not going to say that an EMP or sumptin' wouldn't turn that concert into a KS worthy event. ;) A great work of art, after all! :o