I continue to post here, in spite of continuing to question why I do. I am once again listening to Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Requiem. It demands more attention, and a more serious response. In a fan piece about Zimmermann in the Guardian, the writer describes the work as, "A collage, fugues of voices, another gigantic, unclassifiable sonic canvas." For a short, incomplete sentence description, that's not bad. I speak only a scant for words in any other languages, but I think maybe it doesn't particularly matter when I hear the German here.
I noticed on the publisher's website that there were performances of the work as recently as 2020. On CD, it comes off as a hybrid electronic/musique concrète work, switching between various spoken voices (of differing timbres and processing) with organ and electronic sounds in support (with chorus and orchestra blending?), cutting to huge choral voicings and orchestra. The collage element is apparent throughout, particularly the multiple speaking voices occurring simultaneously as the brief free jazz section of the "Ricercar". I can't say they're interacting, the elements sound like they're just happening at the same time.
I'm going to continue to spend time with this work. I've also recently discovered Aribert Reimann's Requiem, a composer previously unfamiliar to me. Reimann's work is more traditional in structure, though like this another example of post-war composition. I tried to secure a copy of that work's score, but nothing came up as loanable. I might try to locate a copy of Zimmermann's work. Ligeti's Requiem however has multiple copies in our public library.
I was taking stock of all the artists featured on this blog so far: George Antheil, Art Ensemble of Chicago, William Basinski, Neils Viggo Bentzon, Beyoncé, Bollywood Psychedelic collection, Boredoms, John Cage, Chris and Cosey, Jacob Druckman, John Eaton, Etron Fou Leloublan, Faust, Morton Feldman (X2), Robert Fripp, Jonathan Harvey, Japanese monster movie collections (X2), Khanate, Jo Kondo, Led Zeppelin, Frank Martin (X2) Microwaves, Minutemen, Bruno Nicolai, Nurse With Wound, The Pyramids, Radiohead, Steve Reich, The Residents (X2), Marc Ribot, George Russell, Erik Satie, Spine Scavenger, Arnold Schoenberg, Sonny Sharrock, Stormy Six, Tape Loop Orchestra, Throbbing Gristle, Twilight Sleep, Frank Zappa, Bernd Alois Zimmermann.
I have other Zimmermann recordings, and intend to hunt down more.
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