Ottevanger's Omphaloskeptic Outpost

[Maciek]

And a bit odd too...

we also enjoyed a Russian Christmas Prayer

[lukeottevanger]

What can I say? 

That was a reading by a Russian girl at the school, and we enjoyed it (actually, it was my favourite bit, though my 6 year old leaned over to the headmaster and whispered 'I don't understand this!'  0:) ), so I guess strictly speaking, this is an accurate piece of reportage.

[greg]

....minor mention on the school's website...

oh, so you really do exist! cool 

[lukeottevanger]

No, this is just all one of your famous dreams.....

Watch out for that pink bunny on a speedboat behind you...

[greg]

No, this is just all one of your famous dreams.....

Watch out for that pink bunny on a speedboat behind you...

hm.... how'd you know? Oh well, the pink bunny is on the speedboat because he's trying to get it started, except he's too dumb to figure it out. There's no gas inside, and it's on carpet. What a weird dream...

[karlhenning]

Curious.  It isn't often I think of pink bunnies, but they are invariably cruising on speedboats . . . .

[lukeottevanger]

Do you have these fellas in America?



Greg has something of the Duracell bunny about him, though I can't put my finger on what it is....

[greg]

Greg has something of the Duracell bunny about him, though I can't put my finger on what it is....

wait..... what?! Duracell bunny? didn't know there was one!

[Guido]

Have you got any recorded examples of your superlative orchestration? I don't think I've heard any piecs by you for large forces...

[lukeottevanger]

Have you got any recorded examples of your superlative orchestration? I don't think I've heard any piecs by you for large forces...

'Superlative'? - I can dream! Short answer is no - the closest is The Chant of Carnus, but the orchestra is only 14 + small string section and trumpet solo. And the recording doesn't show it at its best, though there are moments when it lets rip a little....

[Guido]

Shame. Superlative just referring to the other thread where you claimed that it was the one thing that you knew that you could do - since you're a pretty modest kind of guy I thought I'd push the boat out with the adjective.

[greg]

too bad you don't know anyone who'd be willing to help you out getting an orchestral piece or something performed...

[lukeottevanger]

It's not exactly that - in fact I have a possible avenue at the moment which is in some respects tempting to explore further. But my mind doesn't really run along orchestral lines at the moment, I'd have some difficulty forcing it to.

FWIW, here are a couple of pages from my two large orchestral works - dating from 1996 and 1997. They seem a very long time ago and a very distant kind of music to that which I have gradually been able to focus in upon. Which is another way of saying, don't judge me by them - I am 95% a different composer now!

The first one is from Ophruoeis, which is a piece for alto flute and orchestra, with some good pages and no doubt dozens of poor ones

[lukeottevanger]

....and the second one is from Processional, written a year later, and scored for solo piano, five solo voices (optionally pre-recorded) and orchestra. At this point, about three quarters of the way through, some of the score becomes semi-graphic, with indefinite noteheads and suggestive notation.

[greg]

beautiful!

[Guido]

Have either of these pieces been performed?

[lukeottevanger]

Of course not! The first one is the one which 'won' (or whatever) the CUMS competition competition in 1996 (judged by Holloway), but as we established on the old thread, it didn't really win, not officially. Robin told me informally that it would have won, but because the forces were too big for CUMS, whose performance of the winning piece is the prize, no winner was officially selected that year. (I hadn't written the piece with any thought of entering it for a competition, hence the unreasonable demands!)

Looking back, though, I'm rather glad it didn't win. I don't think I could have coped with the stress and the inevitable rewrites which would have been necessary, in copious amounts!

[Guido]

haha fair enough. I remember you talking about this actually. I know that you are not very forth coming with your compositions, but have you ever sent any of your works to any chamber groups and/or pianists?

[lukeottevanger]

Not without being asked to first. And I don't think it is likely to happen, either.

[karlhenning]

Well, I'm neither a chamber group, nor a pianist, but I'm asking for your Canticle Sonata to be finished in a foreseeable future, Luke!