Contemporary (i.e. still living) Composers...

[thalbergmad]

The string quintet by me old mate Alistair Hinton is worth a listen if you have a few spare days.

He was alive about 2 hours ago, so hopefully he is still kicking.

Thal

[Pengelli]

Maybe? Sounds intriguing,but unfortunately a little too expensive to justify the plunge! (He's curator of the Sorabji archive,isn't he?) Or what about the Opus Clavicembalisticum'?  Incidentally,just out of interest. Has anyone on this message board actually listened to that work all the way through? (And lived to tell the story!).

[thalbergmad]

I have listened to it and survived to tell the tale, but not in one sitting. It is too much for my early romantic miniturist earholes.

However, I have felt closer to death when trying to educate myself with some "New Complexity" composers such as Finnissy, Ferneyhough & Barrett. They create sounds like a terrorist attack on a Steinway factory.

My cat on an badly judged attempt to reach the goldfish bowl on top of my piano created a more pleasing sound.

Thal

[Pengelli]

I remember my sister telling us about a concert she went to. The bloke was sitting on the stage in front of a piano. She watched in astonishment as he pushed the piano through a wall. I think everone applauded then. Of course it wasn't an actual stone or brick wall,as he would have had to be Superman. Mind you,if it had been a stone or brick wall, I think even I would have applauded him.
Any suggestions here as to what the music might have been called,or who the composer was? (I know there was a genre known as 'music concrete',but this is ridiculous!)

[Pengelli]

I remember our cat being fascinated by the far out guitar sounds coming from  my vinyl LP set of Jimmy Hendrix's 'Electric Ladyland'! They're both dead now,sadly!

[thalbergmad]

Any suggestions here as to what the music might have been called

I have a few suggestions as to what it should be called, but none as to what it was actually called.

The same goes for this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LIw8ykSmGU

Thal

[thalbergmad]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musique_concr%C3%A8te

I thought i had found the answer, but it appears not.

Thal

[chill319]

One of my favorite true stories concerns a Performance Work of the 1970s that included a movement entitled "Interval," the score for which instructed the performers to find John Cage in the lobby and cut his necktie in half with their instrument (scissors). JC was not amused.

[JimL]

One of my favorite true stories concerns a Performance Work of the 1970s that included a movement entitled "Interval," the score for which instructed the performers to find John Cage in the lobby and cut his necktie in half with their instrument (scissors). JC was not amused.

Horizontally or vertically?

[Amphissa]

 
Well, my new favorite is Nikolai Kapustin (born 1937). I had never heard of him until just recently. Then I ran across some videos on YouTube. I love his music, which incorporates jazz and blues style music into classical form. It is highly rhythmic, totally melodic, and a whole lot of fun to listen to.

You can find a number of videos on YouTube of Kaputsin playing his own music, but I'm especially fond of these two clips by classical pianist Shan-Shan Sun.

Concert Etude No. 8 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92X-JlUMrxo

Toccatina - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1VbN3Nlrxk

[JimL]

Thanks for turning me onto him, Dave.  I wonder if he has composed any orchestral music?  I'd love to hear a concerto or symphony in that idiom.  It incorporates jazz styles more contemporary than used by Gershwin, as well as other the other elements you mentioned.

[Marcus]

Kapustin has writen a number of concertos  for various instruments. A violin concerto is on the drawing board. He also has written a Chamber Symphony & a Sinfonietta, but as far as I know, none of these works have made the recording catalogue yet.
Marcus.

[John Hudock]

Thanks for turning me onto him, Dave.  I wonder if he has composed any orchestral music?  I'd love to hear a concerto or symphony in that idiom.  It incorporates jazz styles more contemporary than used by Gershwin, as well as other the other elements you mentioned.

There is a recording of his 2nd piano concerto with Kapustin at the piano and Oleg Lundstrem leading the Oleg Lundstrem Jazz Orchestra. There are also recordings of several short orchestral works by the same ensemble (and is the same group found on the youtube videos).  I think it is a bootleg.

http://www12.atpages.jp/pinkystake/cdartist/albums/kapustin2

But there are many fine recordings of his piano music (which is quite good) by Hamelin, Kapustin, Osborne and others. I especially recommend the 24 Preludes in Jazz Style, the Preludes and Fugues and his sonatas.

[ahinton]

The string quintet by me old mate Alistair Hinton is worth a listen if you have a few spare days.

He was alive about 2 hours ago, so hopefully he is still kicking.

He thinks that he agrees (as far as he can tell) - and he seems to be sufficiently alive to wonder why "a few spare days" would be required in order to listen to a piece that plays for only 2 hours 50 minutes.

That said, he has been exquisitely "sung" in the recording of that work, actually...

Best,

Alistair

[Pengelli]

oops!