Electroacoustic music

[Walt]

Hi everybody! I've noticed a lack of discussion about electroacoustic music here on GMG. Since I'm only begining to discover this kind of music I would like some advices about major composers and works. I must say thanks to loudav and Avantgarde torrent project for their work, lots of really nice stuff there!

Thanks!

[BorisG]

2 major favorites off the top of my head are Stockhausen's Kontakte & Boulez's Repons

Maybe in my next lifetime.

[bhodges]

2 major favorites off the top of my head are Stockhausen's Kontakte & Boulez's Repons

A big "yes" to both of these from me, too, especially the Boulez, which IMHO is one of his best works.  Some other faves:

Jonathan Harvey: Tombeau de Messiaen, for piano and tape
Roberto Gerhard: Symphony No. 3, "Collages," for orchestra and tape
Paul Lansky: Idle Chatter, Smalltalk (both all-electronic; see Lansky's discography here)

And a great one I just heard about a month ago, Polytopia, works for violin and electronics by Mari Kimura (on Bridge, see cover below). 

--Bruce

[some guy]

I'm never sure why people ask for listening advice. "Just explore" would be my first response, followed quickly by "why 'major composers and works'?"

Then, deftly dismounting from my hobby horse, I'd recommend you look for labels. A lot of the old school stuff is on Neuma. They even have a numbered series "Electroacoustic Music I, II, III, IV," and so forth. Wergo has put out a lot of stuff, as has col legno, Cybele, Mode, and Lovely Music. Centaur has a huge selection, mainly American. Metamkine has a huge selection, mainly French. emprientes DIGITALes has a huge selection, largely Canadian. All three are international, though. And speaking of international, the Bourges Festival, now in its 38th year, puts out CDs every year, of the festival and other things. Best way to get these now is directly on their site at imeb.net.

And speaking of sites, the Canadians have a sweet site of electroacoustic concerts for your listening and downloading pleasure. These are mostly the emprientes DIGITALes folks. Perhaps solely. That's at http://iconcerts.rien.qc.ca/.

There are tons of smaller labels that do electroacoustic and live electronics stuff. Ground Fault is one of the bigger of those, but you should have enough now to keep you happy for years. Sonic Circuits is another festival that's documented on CDs. There are maybe eleven or twelve now, I've lost track.

[bhodges]

Excellent suggestions, especially to look for those labels like Wergo and Neuma.

I also forgot about UbuWeb, which has tons of stuff from the 1960s and 1970s in MP3 form (all free).

--Bruce

[BorisG]

Bah.. you only live once Boris, "GO FOR IT". You know you want to.  

Maybe, if I find a very good price on that Boulez. 

[Walt]

Thanks for all sugestions! I've been looking for that Boulez's piece for some time, actually.

I'm never sure why people ask for listening advice. "Just explore" would be my first response, followed quickly by "why 'major composers and works'?"

Believe it or not, but it's my first time asking for advice about music repertoire. The problem is that electroacoustic music is so less known than other "classical" music (at least in god forsaken place i'm living in) that I have trouble exploring in shops. I know some less known artist (mostly local) and not much major ones and that's why I started this topic.   

Cheers!
W

[Lethevich]

Boulez's Répons is like nothing on earth...

[bhodges]

Boulez's Répons is like nothing on earth...

It's just beautiful, isn't it! 

--Bruce

[jochanaan]

Have we defined "electroacoustic music" with any precision?  Because there are some pieces, such as Messiaen's Turangalîla Symphony and Varèse's Ecuatorial, that use only one or two electronic instruments in a mostly acoustic format; others, such as Varèse's Déserts, go back and forth between acoustic and electronic/tape sections; yet others, such as Stockhausen's Gesang der Jugend, use a mix of prerecorded acoustic sounds and pure electronics; and there are probably many other formats that I haven't come across.  Once at a new-music concert at the University of Colorado at Boulder, I heard a trombonist play a piece for trombone synthesizer; the synthesizer was set into the trombone's bell, and the resulting sounds were nothing like a "standard" trombone.

[greg]

my favorites are on this Xenakis disc:

http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Music-Iannis-Xenakis/dp/B00005Y7YP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1210626051&sr=1-1

Hibiki Hana Ma, Orient-Occident, and Diamorphoses. To me, hardly any electroacoustic music comes close to this stuff.

[MN Dave]

I also forgot about UbuWeb, which has tons of stuff from the 1960s and 1970s in MP3 form (all free).

See? They have to give it away.

[BorisG]

See? They have to give it away.

Is that supposed to be Rod Steiger?

[MN Dave]

Is that supposed to be Rod Steiger?

It is Bach's head. See the Avatar thread.

[gomro]

Some very fine suggestions already made, but here's one of my favorite, Desert Island discs: Arthur Krieger's pieces for various instrumental combos and electronic sounds. EXCELLENT work.

http://www.albanyrecords.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=AR&Product_Code=TROY609&Category_Code=VCN&Search=meeting+places&Offset=&filter_cat=&exclude_word=&the_fieldlist=g.SRCH_CODE%7Cg.SRCH_NAME%7Cg.SRCH_PRICE%7Cg.SRCH_COMPOSER%7Cg.SRCH_CONTENTS&range_low=&range_high=&dopowersearch=1&SRCH_CATEGORY_HF=&PowerSearch_Begin_Only=

[bhodges]

Nice that you mentioned Kreiger--might be the first time anyone here has!  I've heard some of the things on that CD live, by the New York New Music Ensemble, and enjoyed them a lot.  He has a real love of, and affinity for, electronic sounds and their beauty.

But I haven't heard this disc, so thanks for mentioning it!

--Bruce

[Walt]

my favorites are on this Xenakis disc:

http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Music-Iannis-Xenakis/dp/B00005Y7YP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1210626051&sr=1-1

Hibiki Hana Ma, Orient-Occident, and Diamorphoses. To me, hardly any electroacoustic music comes close to this stuff.

I love Xenakis electroacoustic music. To these pieces I owe my interest for this kind of music. Pour la Paix and Voyage Absolu des Unari vers Andromede are fantastic too.

[Sean]

Jonty Harrison has done some first rate very artistic stuff if sometimes using traditional structuring; also more long winded efforts by Francois Bayle and, interesting pieces by Westergaard, Smalley and others and Maderna and Schaffer from decades back.

[MDL]

Nono's A Floresta è jovem e cheja de vida, for tape, soprano, clarinet and metal plates, is a beautiful and devastating comment on the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, the DG recording has never been issued on CD. The Mode recording just doesn't have quite the impact, although it's still worth hearing. His Un Volto del Mare is an intense, lyrical blending of electronic sounds and female vocals, which, again, has not emerged on CD as far as I know.

Stockhausen's Hymnen, a montage of anthems and other "found" sounds, is impressive if you've got two hours to spare.

[greg]

I love Xenakis electroacoustic music. To these pieces I owe my interest for this kind of music. Pour la Paix and Voyage Absolu des Unari vers Andromede are fantastic too.

you know, i haven't listened to those two in forever!

i've probably lost the CD, that's why...... 

oh yeah, don't forget La Legende d'Eer! Now that is an electroacoustic masterwork!