Marc-André Hamelin has made recordings of a wide variety of composers with the Hyperion label. His recording of Leopold Godowsky's complete Studies on Chopin's Études won the 2000 Gramophone Magazine Instrumental Award. He is well known for his attention to lesser-known composers especially of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (Leo Ornstein, Nikolai Roslavets, Georgy Catoire), and for performing works by … Continue reading Listening : Marc-André Hamelin
Category: Pet Sounds
A place to post about new music which I find especially interesting or noteworthy.
Jazz “A.C.” : After Coltrane
The recordings John Coltrane made in the 1960s with his "classic quartet" (Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner and Jimmy Garrison) were a major landmark in the history of jazz. Jazz was not the same before or after and all jazz players felt an obligation to respond to Coltrane's music. Some chose to pay homage and created … Continue reading Jazz “A.C.” : After Coltrane
Dennis Johnson’s “November” : minimalism before minimalism was cool
Back in 1960 three friends, all students at UCLA, invented minimalism: La Monte Young, Terry Jennings and Dennis Johnson (Terry Riley would soon join them but he was not at UCLA). Of these, Dennis Johnson is credited with writing the very first piece of music that later came to be called Minimalist: his four (to six) hour … Continue reading Dennis Johnson’s “November” : minimalism before minimalism was cool
The Passion of Stephen Sondheim
For years, the standard criticism of Stephen Sondheim went something like this: “Brilliant lyricist, music tends to sound similar. Sondheim is a cerebral composer whose work rarely causes an emotional response from the audience.” While I readily agree that he is a brilliant lyricist, arguably the best to have worked in musical theater, I would … Continue reading The Passion of Stephen Sondheim
Pet Sound : Doina Rotaru
Born in 1951, composer Doina Rotaru has a B.A. and a M.A in composition at the National University of Music in Bucharest. She studied here between 1970 and 1975 with Tiberiu Olah. Since 1996 she has been a professor of composition and, since 2008, the head of the composition department at the same University. She … Continue reading Pet Sound : Doina Rotaru
Celebrate John Adams
And, no, I am not talking about John Adams, the composer of gargantuan inanities such as the opera The Death of Klinghoffer. I am going to write about the other composer named John Adams, more accurately, John Luther Adams: born January 23, 1953; an American composer whose music is inspired by nature, especially the landscapes … Continue reading Celebrate John Adams
Pet Sound: Lawrence English
Website | Soundcloud Lawrence English is media artist, composer and curator based in Australia. Working across an eclectic array of aesthetic investigations, English’s work prompts questions of field, perception and memory. He utilizes a variety of media including live performance, audio/visual environments, found sound/vision to create his work that typifies his interests in creating experiences that create … Continue reading Pet Sound: Lawrence English
Pet Sound: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Taylor Deupree
Isolation, solitude, contemplation. These are the themes that discreetly weave their way through “Disappearance”, the first collaboration album between 12k’s Taylor Deupree and pioneering electronic composer and pianist 坂本龍一. The two began their musical dialogue in 2006 when Deupree was invited to remix a song from Sakamoto’s album “Chasm”. With the convenience of both artists living in New … Continue reading Pet Sound: Ryuichi Sakamoto + Taylor Deupree
Christina Vantzou ~ Brain Fog
Website In the last decade Christina Vantzou has gone from an art student playing around with motion graphics and animations to designing projections for touring musicians, co-founding The Dead Texan with her partner Adam Wiltzie and eventually creating her own solo audiovisual project. The Dead Texan toured extensively in 2005-2006 and in 2007 Christina was … Continue reading Christina Vantzou ~ Brain Fog
Mathias Grassow ~ Tara
Website Mathias Grassow was born in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1963. From the start, music has always been a deep passion. He played drums and guitar in the 1970s and moved on to keyboards in the early 1980s. Mathias became increasingly fascinated with the flexibility and possibility inherent in keyboards and electronics and created experimental electronic … Continue reading Mathias Grassow ~ Tara
Musica Kaleidoskopea 