Topic: Stockhausen's Spaceship

[MDL]

Wednesday is my favorite of the Licht cycle, so if I were in the UK I would definitely go.

Hmm, you've got me interested now...

[snyprrr]

Karlheinz Stockhausen - FRIDAY GREETING (OUTER SPACE 1/2)

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/NJfI_wwLbQs" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/NJfI_wwLbQs</a>

The ELECTRONIC MUSIC with sound scenes was realised in 1992 and 1994 in the Studio for Electronic Music of the WDR Cologne realized. Karlheinz Stockhausen (realization and bass voice) Simon Stockhausen (synthesizer, sampler) Kathinka Pasveer (soprano-voice) Volker Müller (sound engineer) Gertrude Melcher (sound technician).

The electronic music of Friday from Light may also be project 8-track by itself without the sound scenes, either uninterrupted (duration 145 minutes) or in two parts with an intermission. It is then entitled Outer Space. The world premiere of Outer Space took place on June 17th 1995 during the Holland Festival, produced by the Ijsbreker at the planetarium in Amsterdam. A second performance followed on June 18th. During the 8-track playback of the electronic music I had the firmament of Amsterdam projected, rotating at the slowest possible speed of one rotation per 12 minutes.

In the context of a complete performance of Friday from Light, the electronic music (without the sound scenes) is played back 8-track in two parts: as Friday Greeting - preceding the two acts - simultaneously in the foyer and - softer - in the auditoriu, and as Friday Farewell - following the two acts - in the foyer only.

[...]

Stockhausen - HEAVEN'S DOOR / http://betsillworkshop.com/door.htm

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/F0WzTcKhTHA" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/F0WzTcKhTHA</a>

Karlheinz Stockhausen's "Himmels-Tur" (Heaven's Door),
the fourth hour of Klang, for percussion.

[...]

Stockhausen - COSMIC PULSES / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_Pulses

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/7rGbHiJnk4I" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/7rGbHiJnk4I</a>

I;m going to voice my displeasure over 'Heaven's Door'. I used to think 'Okho', for three djembes, by Xenakis, was a thorn in my side, but,... 30mins. of someone playing, literally, a large wooden door? And, it's just one person?, so you don't even get the 'multiple' thing (in amount of notes at once).

James, are you seriously going to tell me you looooooooooooooooooove this piece? ahhh...

[snyprrr]

More vids on Stockhausen's last percussion work .. Heaven's Door.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/uuYQI32Le-s" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/uuYQI32Le-s</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/QcW-qTS2488" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/QcW-qTS2488</a>

Other late percussion works include:
Strahlen
Mittwoch-Formel
Komet
Vibra-Elufa
Nasenflügeltanz

Haven't checked the vids yet,... I do admit that the 'concept' of a percussion  work using a door is brilliant, especially 'Heaven's Door'. However, I would have pictured (in mind) a concept where ALL these souls are trying to get in, so the piece starts with a few knockings, and then as more percussionists enter, the knocking sounds multiply to a extraordinarly thick and rich texture (on only one sound). I suppose that's why I'm disappointed in this 'one man' show: there's no way one person can deliver the amount of notes that would reflect this. But,... now that it's been done,... mm,...

I'm gonna pull out 'Klavierstucke X'...

[snyprrr]

Well, I had a 30min. drive, so I took only Kontarsky for 'X'. Either I'm jaded, or the glissandi didn't register this time. The one note I remember comes at right around 7mins., a resonating chord with one high note. I must express that I've always had a very hard time with the coldness of this cd, or the playing, or the music. Sometimes, as it was here today, I felt like I was being hammered by a 'doctrine'. Sure, there are 'fun' things like the glissandi, but, I have to admit, I wanted to put another cd in starting about half way through. For whatever reason. Kontarsky is pretty brutal, which, certainly, is Composer Approved Playing, but,... it's just such a nice country day out there, and the 'X' was like... totally man... incongruous with the 'life' around me.

So, I can listen to Boulez's Sonatas it seems,... well, to be fair, I like disc1 of the Stockhausen much better, though, I'd like to know how I'd feel about the whole KS if the sonics and performer were different? Kontarsky IS pretty 'hard', no? (and, of course, that's not a criticism!)

And, I only hear the joy in Abbado! So there!!

[Brewski]

Excellent piece by Steve Smith (with great photo) on next week's New York Philharmonic performance of Gruppen (and some other fine music, all spatially designed):

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/24/arts/music/stockhausens-gruppen-at-park-avenue-armory.html

I'm going on Friday, the first night, and can't wait.

--Bruce

[MDL]

As a Stockhausen admirer yourself, don't you have the commercial recordings of this stuff .. ? If you did and had absorbed it that way and were familiar with it, you'd probably make up your mind a lot faster on that end of things at least. I can vouch for them positively ..

Wednesday's electronic music is fantastic and will be getting the 5 star treatment/sound projection at this premiere; the choral piece (World Parliament) is one of his best & richest musically .. the Helicopter Quartet has to be seen to be believed (i would think); the soloists of Orchestral Finalists when staged are supposed to be flying through the air above the audience .. the 4th scene (Michaelion) combines many elements musically, absurdist/humorous, very multi-media (as is the whole opera), and ends with a very striking vocal sextet  ..

More details here with regards to staging/scenic aspects : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mittwoch_aus_Licht

I've got the recording of the Helicopter Quartet (obviously) and saw Orchestral Finalists at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in November 2008. Might need to investigate the other pieces soon. Cheers for all the info!

[Brewski]

Lucky you, did you get a central seat (totally surrounded by the 3 orchestras) or a bleacher seat/perspective? ...
an individual concert will house 1700 or so seats for this one, (300 or so central seats, 1400 bleachers) and they are all taken,
SOLD OUT for both the 29th AND 30th.

Since I am reviewing the concert, I imagine they will put us in the middle, but I won't know until Friday.

--Bruce

[Brewski]

For those unable to attend the New York Philharmonic's Philharmonic 360 concerts this weekend with Gruppen, the concert will be streamed on medici.tv and Q2 Music (the contemporary arm of New York's local classical station, WQXR). More info in the press release here.

Medici.tv will stream audio and video for 90 days beginning July 8 (free); Q2 Music will have audio-only on July 11 and 14, and then for 30 days after that.

--Bruce

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Sweet!

[Leon]

I don't think listeners in the US can access medici.tv - the last time I tried it seemed the only countries who had access to the programming were across the pond.  So, I hope Q2 Music is more accommodating.

 

[Brewski]

I don't think listeners in the US can access medici.tv - the last time I tried it seemed the only countries who had access to the programming were across the pond.  So, I hope Q2 Music is more accommodating.

 

Just double-checked and it works fine! (Watching an Andris Nelsons/Berlin Phil/Tchaikovsky concert right now.) The site requires that you register with a password (free) but that seems to be the only small hurdle.

--Bruce

[Leon]

Just double-checked and it works fine! (Watching an Andris Nelsons/Berlin Phil/Tchaikovsky concert right now.) The site requires that you register with a password (free) but that seems to be the only small hurdle.

--Bruce

Good to know! - Maybe I was thinking of something else, thanks for double checking.

 

[Cato]

Mr. James has been most diligent in providing reviews of the "Concert in the Round" by the NY Philarmonic.

Here is a link to the July 3rd Wall Street Journal's review:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304211804577502831660444246.html?mod=WSJ_LifeStyle_Lifestyle_5

An excerpt:

Stockhausen's "Gruppen" ("Groups"), written from 1955 to 1957, is one of the seminal works of Modernism, but had never previously been performed in New York. That may have something to do with its extravagant orchestration for a total of 109 musicians divided into three orchestras, each led by its own conductor. Here Mr. Gilbert teamed up with conductor-composers Magnus Lindberg and Matthias Pintscher. In "Gruppen" it is the conductors who take on the most visibly virtuosic parts, as they have to both lead their respective ensembles and coordinate at given points with their counterparts across the hall. Since the ensembles play in different meters and different tempos much of the time, this requires an extraordinary amount of control and flexibility.

"With Stockhausen, what's fascinating is that there's a total sound picture," Mr. Gilbert said last week, sitting in his office next to scores the size of window shutters. "If you use your eyes, you'll understand how the three orchestras have to occasionally synchronize and feel the same pulse and you can see how sometimes the three orchestras diverge. To me this kind of shifting dynamic between the groups is a philosophical thing. It is about how people interact in time and in life. Sometimes you give in, sometimes you insist: there is this constant flow of modes of interaction."

On Friday night, seated at the center of the three ensembles as the composer intended, the aural experience often resembled that of one trapped in the midst of crossing a six-lane highway with sound whooshing by from unpredictable directions. A single brass chord, passed around the hall at ferocious volume, provided a thrilling if rare moment of unity.

[Brewski]

My Seen and Heard International review of the New York Philharmonic's Philharmonic 360 concert, here.

--Bruce

[snyprrr]

.. another new recording of one of his best ..

Karlheinz Stockhausen - Zeitmasze, op.5
Arnold Schoenberg - Wind Quintet, op.26

That's certainly interesting, on Albany no less. Huh! I wonder what the timing is,... a third, very short work (by whom?,... Kurtag?),... nevermind,...

[snyprrr]

Yamaha DX7-II synthesizer, similar to one of the synthesizers used in producing Stockhausen's Oktophonie.



Kurzweil K2500X, the synthesizer model used in producing Stockhausen's Mittwochs-Gruss.

Woah, you just triggered a 'flashback' haha! diiiiong

[snyprrr]

I'm assuming you have the Arditti set of string music by Roger Reynolds. I listened to the SQ with electronics, Ariadne's Thread, and must say, it reminded me of the more 'attractive' aspects of the Helikopter Quartet. The electronics at times have the same energy as the helicopter blades. Do you know it?

[snyprrr]

Hitler learns that he can't watch the Webstream of Mittwoch Aus Licht

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/yMiWhZ7-whc" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/yMiWhZ7-whc</a>

 
 
 

The irony!

[Brewski]

Mark Berry writes about Mittwoch on his excellent blog, Boulezian:

http://boulezian.blogspot.com/2012/08/mittwoch-birmingham-opera-company-25.html

--Bruce

[petrarch]

Heard this last night:

To my ears it was only mildly interesting. Gone is the magic and delicacy of the original Tierkreis, and in is the breadth and power of the massive new organ of St. Peter's Cathedral in Cologne, which does sound great and awesome, just not with this music (a much better example is the recent release of Rihm's organ works). I'll give it another listen soon, but with the SV CD24 (with the original version for music boxes) and a couple of other versions from the SV for duo and trio also on my shelf I don't expect to grab this CD again for quite a while.