radio show 2010 Feb 23

Brief brief commentary on the pieces I played this week...

The Backyard ---- Robert Ashley ---- Private Parts - The Record

The 1977 or 1978 version that would later show up in the TV opera Private Lives. This one comes with tablas rather than piano, in case that matters
Law of Octaves ---- David Seidel ----

A very amusing moment happened as a listener called to ask if the radio station was broken. "Something's wrong with the tower, I think." Uh, no. That's the drone piece slowly building a chord that resolves in the last 20 seconds of a 9 minute drone. The resolution is incredible, because of the long build-up, but the in-between does kind of sound like there's just electronic noise being broadcast by the tower.

Marimba Phase ---- So Percussion ---- Steve Reich at the Whitney 2006

Steve Reich was at this concert. He commented that he couldn't believe that these guys were playing these pieces live, with no notes. His own ensemble, he says, still needs the notes. The piece is a phase piece (hence the title, duh) in which different marimbas play at different tempos and their note patterns cycle against each other to create new structures out of chaos. It's really incredible to listen to - some days I like the chaotic middle sections better, other days I like the resolution into structured patterns better. But it's all the same thing, that's what fascinates me.

antidepressants2006 ---- Corey Dargel ---- Red White and Blue Pills

Act II ---- Robert Ashley ---- Improvement: Don Leaves Linda

A really long Robert Ashley piece, and I wish I had the full recording. My god, what a weird, weird piece of music. Totally freaking bizarre.

02:14:57 ---- Simultaneous Translation ---- April 15, 2007

Spanish and English spoken word like a field recording, none of it making sense.

Bruma ---- Sepulcrum Spei ---- Algor

What?! a FLUTE??! How could I?!??!??! Ah, well, it's lovely. There's rumbling noise in the background, so the feel good native flute sound is really not as feel good as one would think.