The rite of spring

I wake up each day with a piece in my head and wonder what motive lurks behind its selection. "You just used a reduction proof to show that a problem which was clearly not a linear program is Np -Complete. "and thus could not be solved by the Simplex Method. "and thus could not be formulated as a linear program. "You're proud of yourself, aren't you. The Sitar And The Orchestra World Music Is A current Fixation Of Classical Music, with many especially younger classical musicians signing with world music/classical fusion groups. But before there was the Silk Road, and before the Kronos Quartet was performing Near- and Far- eastern inspired music, there was a (now little-known) release by Angel: Ravi Shankar's Concerto For Sitar And Orchestra. Some nice labels to try for this sort of thing include Nimbus, CRI, and ECM New Series. Nonesuch and Naxos probably have a few choice items as well. and it's this new approach to an old idea that strikes Me as characteristic of the recent movement. because they are elements which, if emphasized, can spoil or even destroy the R?.ga Bh?.va. The orchestration, which isn't so much orchestration as it is orchestral accompaniment, is sparse and quite unimportant, particularly in the first movement. Following a brief introduction, establishing D major, strums of the Harp introduce the Sitar, which spends most of its time playing alone. The third movement begins with a kind of Summer-Pastoral theme that could pass for some early student works of Bax or Moeran. This short movement is full of rhythmic drive and lyrical Indian variations on the main R?.ga. The final movement finally brings a brass instrument to the fore: The Horn Sets The Initial Mood And Key. The recording has been re -released on EMI, and can be found. (Ravi Shankar, aside from being a composer, is a tremendous musician, and the CD is probably worth buying for the musicality and virtuosity of its performances). But, the trend in the fusion of Western and World music seems now to be one in which, as in this Sitar concerto, Western idiom bows out. Does this make it a bad piece of music. It's quite nice, and the orchestra does enhance the voice of the Sitar. But what it isn't is a true confrontation, it's not East meeting West as some musicians or composers might lead you to believe. And I Suppose It Does, insofar as playing Mozart's Turkish Rondo on makes the Rondo "Modern Music. Now, you May want to read about Philip Glass ' position that World Music is the new Classical. and if you're interested in far-Eastern takes on Western music, have I got the blog for you. Kurt Magnus Atterberg, born in gq.teborg on December 12, 1887, is perhaps the greatest composer you've never heard of. (Yes, that ends in a preposition, because it sounds better than "of whom you've never heard.") By the time he died, he had composed five operas, nine symphonies, eight suites, five concerti, two ballets, and numerous chamber works. Three weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of broadcasting nearly all of his recorded works (which is but a fraction of those he wrote). But one can imagine that an audience attending a concert nowadays might be mesmerized by. That's just the exposition of the second symphony. Yet the one I find myself coming back to again and again is his ninth: the choral symphony (go figure). The theme here isn't a long melody, but a downward chromatic scale, and a leap of either a fourth or fifth, presented in the mezzo's entrance Jag Jd.tterna Minns ("I have the giants in mind"). It's very Wagnerian: the theme that opened the narration, the creation of Midge.rd, becomes the theme of its destruction. It's a tremendous experience to listen to this symphony, especially with the libretto in front of you. Now, about the performances from the cpo compact discs. Ari Rasilainen Does A very Fine Job With The Music, eliciting from the orchestras he directs the music's great power and majesty. But, on the whole, these are very good performances, and I think very much worth exploring. It would be fantastic to see one of these symphonies performed, but until more people have made my discovery, I will content myself with these recordings. The Atterberg Orgy Went Well. I didn't get as much feedback as i'd have liked, but then again people often take broadcasts like that for granted. I just hope those who listened enjoyed the music as much as I did. Truly, it got better and better as it went along, and it's a darn shame that his music, especially the ninth symphony, is never performed. I was toying with the idea of putting the script of it online, that is until my hard drive crashed. Luckily everything work- and school- related has been salvaged, and I have most of my music on an external drive as well. A huge set of composers to cover in only nine one-hour sessions. This brings Me to some interesting upcoming pieces. William Alwyn's Second Symphony Is Playing Next Tuesday, the 12th, at around 5:30. A few other items to point out next week are: Martinu: Concerto for Double String Orchestra, Piano, and Timpani: Monday at around 2:45 bartok: Divertimento for String Orchestra, Sz. Hopefully I'm not the only one enjoying what's playing right now: The Glagolitic Mass Of Leos Janacek. (and no, I'm not going to take the time to write in all the marks). Student, musician, and serious listener. I can be contacted via lovewarcoffee at gmail period com The Sitar and the Orchestra