Topic: Another Side of James Dillon

[Mandryka]

A thread to put any ideas or thoughts you may have about this prominent British composer.

For my part I’m trying to get my little head round the 6th string quartet. I am completely at sea with it, the recording, by The Diotima Quartet, is here - a not unfamiliar feeling with this sort of avant garde, which takes no prisoners.

The CD is extraordinary, because it figures no less than three performances of the same Dillon quartet - Jack, Arditti and Diotima. I guess that’s a sign of how highly the German leading edge take this composer.

[Mandryka]

Apparently James Dillon was inspired to call his three large sets of duos including violin Traumwerk because of a comment of Albert Durer: “whoever wants to do dreamwork, must mix all things together.” There are three sets, the first for two violins, the second for violin and harpsichord and the third for violin and a regular modern piano. I and III have been recorded once, i-v and vii of II has also been recorded.

              


I have derived an enormous amount of pleasure from I and III, the music gives the impression of being extremely acomplished, immediately accessible for me. I had the same feeling of being faced with something mature and expressive when I first started to explore Kurtag's duos.

Up to now I've been less seduced by the charms of Traumwerk II, though whether this is a question of performance or sound (I only have it on spotify) or just what I had for lunch, I can't say.

[Mandryka]

There are 9 James Dillon quartets to date, two of them commercially recorded, I have recordings of 2,3,5,8 and 9, all played by Arditti. The first thing to say is that this is a major cycle, and when, as I am sure it will be, Arditti finally release a Dillon box, it will be a fabulous thing. To be honest I'm starting to rate his quartets as highly as Ferneyhough's, if not higher, Ferneyhough being the obvious point of comparison in the early ones.

But the style's moved on from "New Complexity" and a couple of years ago Arditti played this, his 9th, at Harrogate. He's getting a voice like no other I have heard -- and I think it's wonderful. Great ostinato!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE</a>

[San Antone]

There are 9 James Dillon quartets to date, two of them commercially recorded, I have recordings of 2,3,5,8 and 9, all played by Arditti. The first thing to say is that this is a major cycle, and when, as I am sure it will be, Arditti finally release a Dillon box, it will be a fabulous thing. To be honest I'm starting to rate his quartets as highly as Ferneyhough's, if not higher, Ferneyhough being the obvious point of comparison in the early ones.

But the style's moved on from "New Complexity" and a couple of years ago Arditti played this, his 9th, at Harrogate. He's getting a voice like no other I have heard -- and I think it's wonderful. Great ostinato!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE</a>

In French they say something when they feel a bit of pride in something a French person has done. The say cocorico. I don't thing there's a similar word in English, which is a shame because I'd use it now to say what I feel about these quartets. Here goes. Cock-a-doodle-doo.

If you haven't done so already, you might want to read this article abut his string quartets.  It was written in 2013, before #7, but otherwise it discusses each quartet in some detail.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07494467.2014.975551

[Mandryka]

If you haven't done so already, you might want to read this article abut his string quartets.  It was written in 2013, before #7, but otherwise it discusses each quartet in some detail.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07494467.2014.975551

Fabulous, thanks, I hadn't seen that.

[Mandryka]

Now available on Qobuz, Spotify and for free on soundcloud. Very interesting stuff in it too.

[Mandryka]

There are 9 James Dillon quartets to date, two of them commercially recorded, I have recordings of 2,3,5,8 and 9, all played by Arditti. The first thing to say is that this is a major cycle, and when, as I am sure it will be, Arditti finally release a Dillon box, it will be a fabulous thing. To be honest I'm starting to rate his quartets as highly as Ferneyhough's, if not higher, Ferneyhough being the obvious point of comparison in the early ones.

But the style's moved on from "New Complexity" and a couple of years ago Arditti played this, his 9th, at Harrogate. He's getting a voice like no other I have heard -- and I think it's wonderful. Great ostinato!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/PdNpmxmk7CE</a>

Back to this 9th quartet this afternoon, and I feel as positive as I did last year - it sounds like the most interesting quartet I’ve ever heard.

[T. D.]

Now available on Qobuz, Spotify and for free on soundcloud. Very interesting stuff in it too.

I once owned this, but sold it. Agreed that some pieces are very interesting, I recall in particular liking Spleen for piano. But I sold the disc because Ti.re-ti.ke-dha for solo drummer may be the worst piece I've ever heard on a major recording (the only thing I recall disliking as much was an Arditti/Montaigne Marc Monnet recording whose title I've mercifully forgotten) and I couldn't stand having it around the house. 

Back to this 9th quartet this afternoon, and I feel as positive as I did last year - it sounds like the most interesting quartet I’ve ever heard.

Listening on Youtube, I agree that it's excellent. I no longer have much time for "New Complexity" (though in days gone by I listened more often), but am fond of microtonal compositions. If this is representative of how Dillon's style is moving on, my interest is rekindled.

[Mandryka]

Really enjoying Helle Nacht.


It made me think of Dufourt - Dufourt’s Saturne for example - the same dark heaviness - and indeed I managed to find a note by Dillon where he says that it is kind of spectral. There’s even a climactic moment about two thirds of the way through, like the bit in the Dufourt where (in my imagination at least) Saturn eats his child. Anyway, I think it’s my sort of music for this morning.

https://www.editionpeters.com/works/ignis-noster/127286