With all of these questionnaires coming in, I am re-doubling my enthusiasm for checking out new music. Needless to say, the combination of Itunes and Wikipedia makes for an ever-growing music catalogue.
In the meantime, here are some links that I am finding to be pretty amazing, for a variety of reasons.
Here's a Boulez interview, with some excellent quotes....."History is much like the guillotine. If a composer is not moving in the right direction he will be killed, metaphorically speaking."
Here's the BBC interviewing Elliott Carter
This is probably my favourite clip on youtube
This, this and this is some more great Carter
This Berio anecdote is pretty hilarious. Check out that postscript about John Cage on a gameshow at the bottom!
Here's the first in a series of radio interviews: John Cage interviewing Morton Feldman.
I haven't checked them all out yet.....
last, but certainly not least, some music that is just plain incredible
Enjoy!
Some really interesting and good interviews and clips. The Boulez interview was interesting, even if it confirmed, for me at least, what a jerk he is. He's an amazing musician, but a cold bastard and one who has used his power over funding and commissions etc. to keep anyone down who doesn't conform to his incredibly narrow idea of what constitutes the right artistic path.
ReplyDeleteThe treatment of Henri Dutilleux - a far greater composer than Boulez will ever be in my opinion - in France can largely be traced to Boulez's dismissal of anyone who wasn't writing in the approved style. Boulez's idea of what music is for - the advancement of some political/intellectual agenda - is just so wrong in my opinion. I think what Boulez needs to do is write better music and until then shut the fuck up!
Have you read Alex Ross's 'The Rest is Noise'? Great book on the development of 20th century classical music
That's really interesting Ronan. I really enjoy most of the Boulez I have, and haven't heard Dutilleux: I'll add him to my list. I suppose that just goes to show how much politics has and always will play a major part in the promotion of music.
ReplyDeleteSo many people have recommended that book to me that it would be ridiculous for me not to get a copy soon. Alex Ross has a great blog btw by the same name.