Nico Muhly

Started by uffeviking, February 15, 2008, 07:10:39 PM

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uffeviking

Finished reading a lengthy article in this week's The New Yorker about this young and gifted composer and was captured by his appealing combination of visions he captures in his music. Listen to examples, courtesy of The New Yorker and then tell us what you think of him.

http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/02/11/080211on_audio_muhly

Lis

bhodges

Just found this quite good piece Muhly wrote about Peter Grimes.  Not knowing much about him, I was surprised at the maturity of his writing. 

--Bruce

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: bhodges on March 11, 2008, 02:23:44 PM
Just found this quite good piece Muhly wrote about Peter Grimes.  Not knowing much about him, I was surprised at the maturity of his writing. 

--Bruce

He seems to be the current Hot Young Thing, but I'm not ready to commit myself one way or t'other. The only music I've yet heard of his has been a ballet score he wrote for Christopher Wheeldon's new Morphoses company, but I didn't hear much to write home about.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

bhodges

Quote from: Sforzando on March 14, 2008, 11:16:41 AM
He seems to be the current Hot Young Thing, but I'm not ready to commit myself one way or t'other. The only music I've yet heard of his has been a ballet score he wrote for Christopher Wheeldon's new Morphoses company, but I didn't hear much to write home about.

I haven't heard any of his music.  Just realized I meant to listen to the samples Lis mentioned above--about 25 minutes of music--but it slipped my mind.  Will remedy maybe over the weekend. 

--Bruce

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: bhodges on March 14, 2008, 11:23:02 AM
I haven't heard any of his music.  Just realized I meant to listen to the samples Lis mentioned above--about 25 minutes of music--but it slipped my mind.  Will remedy maybe over the weekend. 

--Bruce

I'll probably buy his CD (used! - I expect it'll turn up easily at Amazon or Academy) to see what the fuss is all about. He's obviously very precocious and bright, but whether he can really deliver the goods is up in the air for me for now. Two things make me a bit suspicious: one is his association with Philip Glass, whose work I abhor; the other is the way everything I've seen about him reads like a kind of puff piece treating him as a newborn Mozart. "I found the music to be so charming and simple and bright," gushes one blogger. "How is it that everything Nico Muhly touches is covered in genius?" On Amazon.com, the one negative review of his CD was given very low marks for "helpfulness"; one apparently has to watch one's step when saying less than favorable things about the Wunderkind.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

bhodges

Quote from: Sforzando on March 14, 2008, 12:52:36 PM
I'll probably buy his CD (used! - I expect it'll turn up easily at Amazon or Academy) to see what the fuss is all about. He's obviously very precocious and bright, but whether he can really deliver the goods is up in the air for me for now. Two things make me a bit suspicious: one is his association with Philip Glass, whose work I abhor; the other is the way everything I've seen about him reads like a kind of puff piece treating him as a newborn Mozart. "I found the music to be so charming and simple and bright," gushes one blogger. "How is it that everything Nico Muhly touches is covered in genius?" On Amazon.com, the one negative review of his CD was given very low marks for "helpfulness"; one apparently has to watch one's step when saying less than favorable things about the Wunderkind.

Yes, I'm a little wary of the hype, too.  (And not a Glass fan, either.)  That "genius" comment is a little too much, certainly.  (I just heard some of Helmut Lachenmann's work last night...now there is genius, IMHO.)

Anyway, I am curious just to see what he's about.  (Yikes, just read those Amazon reviews..."one of the great minds of contemporary classical"...hm...)

--Bruce

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: Brewski on March 14, 2008, 01:04:15 PM
Yes, I'm a little wary of the hype, too.  (And not a Glass fan, either.)  That "genius" comment is a little too much, certainly.  (I just heard some of Helmut Lachenmann's work last night...now there is genius, IMHO.)

Anyway, I am curious just to see what he's about.  (Yikes, just read those Amazon reviews..."one of the great minds of contemporary classical"...hm...)

--Bruce

I don't know why I thought of this guy just now, but any other reactions?
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on October 10, 2015, 12:53:29 PM
I don't know why I thought of this guy just now, but any other reactions?

You mentioned above you were thinking about buying a CD of his (used). Did you ever do it?  When this thread came out was the only time I ever heard his name... :-\

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

(poco) Sforzando

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on October 10, 2015, 12:56:15 PM
You mentioned above you were thinking about buying a CD of his (used). Did you ever do it?  When this thread came out was the only time I ever heard his name... :-\

8)

I did, and I was distinctly unimpressed. Yet he's had an opera (which I didn't see) done at the Met, a distinctly self-promoting blog (http://nicomuhly.com/), and apparently a legion of fans.
"I don't know what sforzando means, though it clearly means something."

Gurn Blanston

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on October 10, 2015, 01:14:04 PM
I did, and I was distinctly unimpressed. Yet he's had an opera (which I didn't see) done at the Met, a distinctly self-promoting blog (http://nicomuhly.com/), and apparently a legion of fans.

Well, just goes to show you, I reckon. Legion, eh?  Well, hell... :-\

8)
Visit my Haydn blog: HaydnSeek

Haydn: that genius of vulgar music who induces an inordinate thirst for beer - Mily Balakirev (1860)

SimonNZ

Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on October 10, 2015, 12:53:29 PM
I don't know why I thought of this guy just now, but any other reactions?

I played a selection of things a few years back, but none of it has stuck in the memory or left me wanting to seek out more, though on the other hand I don't remember strongly disliking it.

His soundtrack for the film The Reader serviced the needs of the film perfectly well, but didn't seem in any way fresh or original.

He does one of the compositions for Hilary Hahn's In 27 Pieces, though I don't remember his standing out for me, but I've been wanting to play that set again, so I'll pay extra attention next time.

Hahn did web interviews with most of the participants - here's Muhly's one if anyone hasn't seen it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IBk_U6b2Hw

And looking at his Wikipedia page suggests he's written quite a large amount of works that haven't seen a recording yet.