
The Rambler
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Blogging about modern composition and the music that others won't tell you about.
The Rambler
5M ago
Researching another piece of writing, I discovered today with great sadness that the American composer and instrument builder Chas Smith died earlier this year, on 13 May. I can’t say that I knew a huge amount about Smith’s life before today – although he found success in Hollywood, particularly through his work on Dune, he ..read more
The Rambler
5M ago
First of all, I loved it. This being the end of a busy and challenging summer, I came to Hind’s opera with little foreknowledge. Beyond knowing most of the players involved, and some of Hind’s music (although not so much recently), I also came with few expectations. Often that’s a problem if you’re trying to ..read more
The Rambler
9M ago
In the last couple of years I’ve found myself writing more and more sleevenote essays. I’ve said in the past that this is one of my favourite mediums for writing: 1500 words or so is a lovely length – long enough to explore an idea; short enough to contain in one breath. And while there ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
A fabulous concert at Kings Place last night by Riot Ensemble, crowned by a coda in memory of composer, singer and guitarist Alastair Putt. Putt’s Quincunx was commissioned by Riot in 2019 but because of the pandemic was only getting its premiere tonight, two months after Putt’s death. It is a really beautiful piece: intricate ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
It is remarkable that Rebecca Saunders – by any measure one of the UK’s leading and most admired composers – has not yet been recorded by this country’s primary new music label, NMC (although her music has appeared on three discs by HCR, which are distributed through NMC). So the announcement of a first release this ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
The third and last post in my short series of offcuts from The Music of Liza Lim, comes from the final chapter, ‘Music for the stage’. Lim’s second opera, Yuè Lìng Jié (Moon Spirit Feasting) is very high on my fantasy list of revivals. Its complexity makes that unlikely, and the particulars of its staging ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
The second piece in my short series of bonus Liza Lim content is Burning House for singing koto player. This is a good example of Lim’s practice of working with the histories and ergonomics of individual instruments in her practice, and of her way of working with non-Western instruments. It’s a particularly interesting example, because ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
For reasons of space, a small number of work analyses had to be cut from the printed version of The Music of Liza Lim. I’m very happy, however, to be able to publish these online as sort of DVD extras. First up is The Weaver’s Knot. Although this is a short piece, I wanted to ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
In April 2020, I received an email from Brian Howard, director of the Australian publisher Wildbird Music. Wildbird wanted to produce a monograph on Liza Lim’s music to add to their Australian Composers series. Liza had recommended my name to him; would I like to write it? This was just three weeks into the first ..read more
The Rambler
2y ago
Anthony Braxton: Composition 255, Composition 358, Composition 193, Composition 264 Kobe Van Cauwenberghe, guitars, synths, voice; Frederik Sakham, bass, voice; Elisa Medinilla, piano; Niels Van Heertum, euphonium, trumpet; Steven Delannoye, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet; Anna Jalving, violin; and Teun Verbruggen, drums, percussion. El Negocito Records ENR105 Beginning with this playlist, compiled deep in locked-down 2020 ..read more