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Finally I have found the 1965 production in its entirety.
Who doesn’t enjoy a good Azeri musical?

I thought it would be pertinent to share this clip I stumbled across.
I was unaware until recently that a film was ever made of this magnum opus, and even then, until seeing it I couldn’t have imagined how captivating it would be on film. The version in question is Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet’s 1975 attempt at handling Schoenberg’s unfinished mammoth, Moses und Aron. Watch all the excerpts you can find online, and when you’re ready, begin the search for a copy online. I have no idea where to suggest looking as I am still without success in tracking one down. I did however manage to find a rather interesting 1975 review of the film by Richard Eder from the New York Times, and what a riot it was to partake in his editorializing. Perhaps it’s just his bemusing take on the so-called ‘experimentalism’ of the film that seems so cliche, but it more likely was a result of his bellicose remarks like:

In his latest film—it can’t be called a movie because virtually nothing moves, neither the camera nor what it is photographing — Mr. Straub has come close to purging the screen of anything to see. At the same time, he will come close to purging the movie theater of anybody to watch.¹

Enjoy.

I couldn’t resist this:
Last night a few of us got to talking about television shows from our youth, and I couldn’t help but bring up the detective series from the 70s that were my bread and butter growing up. Doing a brief google search I discovered some of the themes were available on youtube and I’ve posted a few of those below the fold. I can’t help but feel that there was a particular style of television composition that doesn’t exist anymore (perhaps not necessarily a bad thing)- an odd sort of blend comprising jazz-esque elements with an of old-world compositional sense.
Weird shit man.

I stumbled across this for no good reason, and happen to think it’s great, most certainly because it displays that he is more than just Pacific 231.
Don’t like the ‘staging’? Go to hell, it’s amazing.

I must come clean:
I have been avoiding my blog because I have been feeling incredibly depressed at the state of my surrounding socio-politicaL atmosphere (yes- again).
It was this same feeling that kept me from blogging regularly for several years, not coming out of the shadows until the Obama inauguration really. Unfortunately, here I am with those same pangs of abject despair tugging at my heart.

I was really starting to think that for once in my life I would see the wheels of justice begin to turn again, having all but rusted in state from years of hideous abuse and distortion. Such, it would appear, will not be the case. President Obama appears to be taking a chilling centrist approach on seemingly everything, and worst of all has AGAIN been using this phrase “looking backwards” as a mechanism for doing gornisht.
What in fuck’s name is going on? Cheney is continually on television, we are hearing about endless atrocities with no justice in sight, American Idol is still more culturally valuable than my entire field, affordable health care is off the table, and Pelosi is the Antichrist- Is it still 2007?

On the upside, I have developed a plan for the summer. I creating a reading list for myself (please leave me suggestions), I have a few lessons lined up, and I will be watching a plethora of documentaries courtesy of Netflix. The downside is that most of the aforementioned activities will, with all likelihood, only worsen my depressive state. Hot damn.
I’m going to be taking a long overdue vacation to the great city of Montreal in a few weeks, and I fear that it’s going to take every ounce of will to drag my sorry ass back here. How about some Vaughan to forget our troubles.

I attended the American premiere of the Free Radicals program put together by Bernhard Zachhuber and Bady Minck with Klangforum Wien. I was salivating the entire time at being immersed in such brilliant new music (as per usuall), but dismayed by the audience’s total lack of respect and most basic education around said brilliant new music (as per usual). I am sad to say I live in a world where I cannot imagine for one god damn second that an American institution would EVER sign off on such a program. Scelsi, Xenakis, Feldman, Stockhausen on the same line-up? It would be easier for me to find a corroborating element in the four gospels. The new works present are equally enthralling, particularly the David Horne, Georges Aperghis and Theo Verbey works. There are so many other points that I would love to orate about, but for the time being, I have posted some video of the opening of the the show. Imagine this being done with live ensemble- the effect is totally captivating, despite maybe being a little on the nose.

note: the video in the below selections were created by Bady Minck

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I am so appalled that this is the output Tan Dun mustered for this glorious internet farce. This is the exact kind of pseudo-romantic, garishly tonal, ‘filmic’ nonsense that inspires young musicians everywhere to shit on intellectualism and craft, and drink instead from the poppy orchestral writing kool-aid trough. Seriously, how much jerking off to the Call of the Champions recording did Tan Dun have to do to pull this out of his ass? Oh well, I’m confounded by every aspect of this youtube symphony orchestra project anyways. I don’t really see how this is artistically valuable- but who the fuck am I anyways?

I thought it would be a nice idea to set up a weekly (or more frequent) post around some music that I’ve been able to find online worth sharing. A few weeks ago, as I was reading about Louis Andriessen’s upcoming residency at Carnegie Hall, I found myself listening to the excerpt i linked in the picture (embedding not possible unfortunately). Originally a piece to accompany choreography, De Trap, I think this is just as interesting a piece on its own (granted, i have not seen it with the Bianca van Dillen choreography- I could be full of shit). Linked below is the entire piece, with what appears to be a slightly enlarged string section than the original score.

Movement I.
Movement II.
Movement III.
Movement IV.