The debut concert of ExplorEnsemble is happening tomorrow night in the Parry Room at the Royal College of Music (details at bottom). They’re playing what looks like a fairly killer trans-generational programme. I’m not familiar – yet – with some of the younger names on the programme, but Charlie Sdraulig‘s Hush for cello and harp [...]
All posts by robertdahm
ExplorEnsemble. Sdraulig. Hush.
Posted by robertdahm on April 23, 2012
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/explorensemble-sdraulig-hush/
Richard Haynes/Paul Hübner/Steve Menotti
Get ye to St Paul’s Hall in Huddersfield tonight to see/hear Richard Haynes (clarinets), Paul Hübner (trumpets) and Steve Menotti (trombones) play the shit out of some really bad-ass music. The composers and performers on this programme comprise some of my favourite musicians and human beings in the world. I wish I could be there. [...]
Posted by robertdahm on December 1, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/richard-haynespaul-hubnersteve-menotti/
CeReNeM Journal Issue 2
A little late off the plate, but the second issue of the CeReNeM Journal, which I edited, is available online here. In the issue are a number of interesting reflections, analyses and post-mortems of people’s experiences of summer academies, master-classes and symposia. Submissions for the first part were largely dictated by the participants in the [...]
Posted by robertdahm on November 30, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/cerenem-journal-issue-2/
Events calendars
Hey all, it’s been a while, but here we are with a new theme, and a new Events Calendar! All the usual disclaimers and so forth about work-in-progress and feeling-my-way-through-the-technology apply. But mainly this is something that will continue to take shape over time, as my sources of information diversify, and I get my head [...]
Posted by robertdahm on November 30, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/11/30/events-calendars/
Milton Babbitt, 1916-2011
Milton Babbitt has died, aged 94. A huge figure in american music of the last fifty years, and a much-maligned and misunderstood figure and, by all accounts, a wonderfully warm and generous figure. By sheer coincidence, I was today re-reading his article Who cares if you listen? (typically used by critics who haven’t read it [...]
Posted by robertdahm on January 29, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/01/29/milton-babbitt-1916-2011/
Crrritic II – distance and dialogue
I’d been meaning for a while to write something about music criticism, and the increasing role of bloggers and online communities in its changing face. Completely fortuitously, a bunch of stuff has popped up in the last couple of weeks: Firstly, a chatter post on NewMusicBox by Alexandra Gardner on the merits of newspaper reviews [...]
Posted by robertdahm on January 28, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/crrritic-ii-distance-and-dialogue/
Happy New Year
Happy New Year! This blog has been a little bit dormant for the last little while, largely to do with study and work commitments. The plan is to keep it a bit more active in 2011, though. As part of this, I’m signing up to the Post a Week 2011 project. I often find myself [...]
Posted by robertdahm on January 10, 2011
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/happy-new-year/
“I want to write a book like a cloud that changes as it goes he said”
English composer Ben Isaacs has just added a recording of his new string quartet I want to write a book like a cloud that changes as it goes he said to his website. The piece was premiered in July by Quatuor Diotima at Acanthes. A score is available from this page. I think Ben’s music [...]
Posted by robertdahm on August 9, 2010
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2010/08/09/i-want-to-write-a-book-like-a-cloud-that-changes-as-it-goes-he-said/
New Music Scrapbook
A recent initiative of people associated with the University of Minnesota, New Music Scrapbook provides a series of fascinating composer interviews and accompanying audio of their work. In the words of the Scrappers themselves: Born of desperation and raised by wolves, NEW MUSIC SCRAPBOOK congeals the musical detritus and burnt offerings of the composers beneath, [...]
Posted by robertdahm on July 15, 2010
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/new-music-scrapbook/
Forcing the catastrophe. An interview with Timothy McCormack.
Tim McCormack is a bad-ass. I’d like to come up with something articulate to say about his music, but nothing quite tops Tim Rutherford-Johnson’s introduction to his 10 for ’10 interview with McCormack: Timothy McCormack (b. 1984) writes high resolution music. Music of razor sharp detail, printed on aluminium. No: not that. It is music [...]
Posted by robertdahm on July 9, 2010
http://soundisgrammar.wordpress.com/2010/07/09/forcing-the-catastrophe-an-interview-with-timothy-mccormack/
