Comments on: West Coast

By: George Halekas

George Halekas — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 17:52:28 +0000

Hi Nico – I had the pleasure of attending all the festival events beginning with Mason Bates’s presentation all the way through to the Feldman concert at Seattle Art Museum. In fact that first day began for me around 4 AM driving to Seattle from Eastern Washington over mountain passes and in between heavy snow storms which eventually led to my home region being declared a disaster area. It was a pilgrimage in many ways to hear and explore contemporary music of our times. There were so many enjoyable highlights which included your conversation with Judd, and hearing your compositions performed. Don’t worry about the fried chicken, I was well nourished by so much fine music and creative energy. George

By: Richard Geldard

Richard Geldard — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 13:58:33 +0000

Great article in the New Yorker. I came to it as a Glass fan and when I spotted Will Serber, thought I would write. When I was Upper School Head at Collegiate, where Will taught Physics, I used to sit with his father, Robert, years before that, waiting for little Will to leave school. I used to talk to him about what it was like to sit in the bomb bay of the Enola Gay astraddle the bomb to arm it just before the drop on Hiroshima and then, much later, what it was like being the first American into the city to examine the effects and how friendly and polite the residents were. These were surreal conversations, but he was so quiet and mellow. Itzhak Perlman would come by too to pick up Noah and sometimes we would talk music and mathematics. I was much taken by your observation about negotiating a relationship with the divine, which is, of course, the deepest design of all forms of language, including music. Thanks for your work. I will watch your career with great interest.

Richard Geldard

By: Patrice Wood

Patrice Wood — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:29:40 +0000

we need a new NBC 10 theme song. can you help?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 08:36:10 +0000

I won’t hold you to your promise of chicken, and consider your session with Judd payment enough. (Incidentally, the two of you should consider having a weekly talk show of some sort.) Anyway, thanks for all the great music and insight, and many thanks for being so supportive and enthusiastic during the other composers sessions. It’s a shame we didn’t get to talk, maybe next time.

patrick

By: Alec Bemis

Alec Bemis — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 04:21:26 +0000

You should see how slow the pace is down here. Their coffee, while good, doesn’t even have caffeine in it. That’s what’s taking me so damn long.

By: Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:06:46 +0000

Yay! Thanks for the link. So yeah, as you know, I tend to value Gann much more highly as an explicator of new-music techniques than as an actual composer (or music historian), but I'm really fond of the two pieces he's put up on his blog lately! (One brand new, one much older.) 1) Sunken City. The notion of a New York classical composer writing a jazzy Katrina memorial set off all kinds of warning bells for me, but this piece actually works! It helps that this performance is seriously gutsy, but he does all these things I love: (a) asymmetrical two-movement form, (b) pairing piano and winds. 2) The Convent at TepoztlÃ¡n. Meanwhile I offered NO resistance to his hommage Ã Nancarrow. If you want me to like a piece, just say the word "Nancarrow" before you play it and I'll melt. I wish that this recording of this piece were half as solid as the other, but it's pretty obvious why it isn't and so we can all forgive him, and anyway I really like the effects he achieves here. (I think he called these effects "Nancarrow moments" in another post, but I'm too lazy to find it. And then I think Nancarrow told him something like, "Yeah, it needs more of those," which is a great punchline.) Enjoy the West Coast! Lord I miss it. Hope you're not bankrupted by all these chicken dinners.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 02:38:02 +0000

I am coming as soon as I get out of school at 12:00 and am definitely staying for the whole thing. I’ve been looking forward to this concert for months.

Nico comments: Thanks!

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:01:25 +0000

Nico,

It’s not everyday Gann, Ross and 9 of some the finest new composers are in the same place at once! So just to let you know, I like my roast chicken free-range, with a bit of rosemary….