I'm hanging on here and continuing to write, though more and more I'm questioning exactly why I'm doing this. Rather than detailed comments on individual records, here's a number of things I've had on in the past two-three days:
Lenox Quartet plays Arnold Schoenberg (Desto)
I never claimed to be a big Schoenberg fan, but I have found myself buying a number of recordings of his works recently. This is due in no small part to the Duquesne University vinyl collection being sold to Jerry's, who have resold each mostly for $3 each. This one seemed like an oddity: the "Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra (After the Concerto Gross Op. 6, No. 7 by G.F.. Handel)". It's a reorchestration of a Handel work, with the instrumentation not sounding Baroque at all. May I sound petty? There was a lot of hard downbowing on the part of the quartet, especially later in the piece, I found to be annoying after a while.
Second side is Schoenberg's "Trio", Op. 45. It's a more typical Schoenberg piece, not strictly twelve tone but still using some method of pitch organization. Not bad.
Peter Maxwell Davies: O Magnum Mysterium (Argo)
Another Duquesne buy. First side is the work, a series of pieces for youth choir and orchestra. Unsurprisingly, it has a vaguely Renaissance feel, though the harmonies (not to mention use of percussion) finds itself back in the 20th century. The second side is "Organ Fantasia on O Magnum Mysterium". It's more dramatically chromatic, it's an extension rather than simple rearrangement of the namesake work. Even in more modern lit, I find it difficult (and it may not have been the intention here) of the sound escaping the feeling of being churchy.
Thomas Brinkmann: A 1000 Keys (Editions Mego)
This caught my attention in the used stacks at the Government Center reading that it was dedicated to Conlon Nancarrow. This piqued my interest. It also means, if you're going to reference Nancarrow, you better bring your A game.
I hope it's unnecessary for me to explain who Nancarrow was in this forum, and if it is, that's what Wikipedia is for. What's sometimes miraculous about his player piano studies is how clear the pieces are to the ear. When there are canonical melodies playing at different tempi, you can hear it. There one piece where the top notes are played fast and the low slow, and the two voices both move in opposite directions and ritardando/accelerando.
Because Nancarrow is referenced, it's impossible for me to think about this music without thinking of the dedicatee. And....I'm sorry, it falls flat for me. There are patterned sequenced pieces, first on drum sounds, later for piano clusters or electronic tones. What I find so much less interesting in Brinkmann's music is his uninteresting use of rhythm and tempo. Everything is very metrical and highly regular. There are different patterns, different groupings, but everything plays with a constant eighth note pulse.
Darkthrone: A Blaze in the Northern Sky (Peaceville)
I've found this quarter of teaching to be very frustrating. I've never dealt with so much class skipping, students insisting they can do things on their own (their being foolish), students texting during class, and a general apathy and lack of any response to questions. After Wednesday's classes, I wanted to put on something loud and obnoxious and even depressing.
I've had some interest or even fascination with Norwegian Black Metal since reading Michael Moynihan's Lords of Chaos. Obviously I can't get behind the murders, racism, or even the church burnings. (I hope that is self-evident.) I am attracted to the idea of attempting to make the most evil sounding music ever.
Some bands in the sub-sub-genre have their moments, much of this so-called evil music sounds fairly conventional to me. This popped up in the used bins at The Attic, and I thought, why not? For this type of metal, you probably won't find a better example. Hard fast constantly fast strumming trebly guitars, very little bass, driving drums, distant growled/screeched vocals, all the BM signatures. But apart from the qualities of this recording, I wasn't feeling it that day. Which leads me too...
Throbbing Gristle: Funeral in Berlin (Zensor)
I just finished reading Cosey Fanni Tutti's memoirs, Art Sex Music. It's a book that was written, in part, to "set the record straight" about claims made by her former lover Genesis P-Orridge. I think she makes a compelling case about the abuse that she suffered from him. The inequities in the relationship were even as basic as expecting her to do the laundry and cook the meals for them, despite speaking of the equality.
On the positive side, I think there is little question the book is in her voice. It's even things as simple as "proper" grammar: she often writes things such as, "Me and Chris went down to..." where the proper English would have been "Chris and I." It is an insider's view of her life and mutual work with COUM and TG, I appreciate that.
On the negative side, it's entirely too long. A LOT of space is devoted to her youth, one of several sections that would have benefitted from a good chunk of editing. It also plays out as a dish book, a tell-all about her and Gen. There's a good deal of space devoted to her (still) beloved husband (? I don't remember if they technically ever got married) Chris Carter, but it's Gen and his shittiness that drives the much of the narrative.
So...feeling tired and depressed, put on some TG. This sounds like it was an exciting show, playing at their best. It's still rather murky and at times truncated. The end of side two weirdly has a long edit of people applauding and whistling, and I don't understand it.
I might have to put more on soon.
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