Deceptively Simple

ITunes, in what surely must be an early April Fool’s Day joke, is giving away a download of the first movement of John Cage’s 4′33″. To buy the sheet music of the piece, and give its three movements their tacet due, will run you $5.95. More if you wish to perform it in public.
I used to [...]

Valery Gergiev and the London Symphony Orchestra wrapped up their Prokofiev US tour last night in New York (SIX STATES — EIGHT CITIES — SEVEN SYMPHONIES), and for those who missed the Proko-mania, here are the third and fourth movements of the “Classical” Symphony. The driven, well-nigh manic tempo Gergiev chose for the last movement [...]

My post reflecting on Iannis Xenakis has been posted on the mini-site devoted to the composer by the International Contemporary Ensemble. The site is there to promote ICE’s Boston and Chicago all-Xenakis concerts (in April and June) with ace percussionist Steve Schick. (Bonus: Back in the day (2006), Molly Sheridan reviewed Schick’s performance on a [...]

My first post, “Opening Salvo,” is up at the Blogger Book Club. Here’s the opening:
“I want to get behind Lessig’s credo, and make it easier and legal for everyone everywhere to have access to all cultural artifacts and use them as they see fit, for free. If for no other reason than not everyone can [...]

Before we get to the reading, let’s start with the listening.
Recently acquired:
Greetings from Michigan Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty)
Histoire de Melody Nelson Serge Gainsbourg (Philips, rereleased by The Attic Records)
Dark Was the Night Compilation featuring Antony, Arcade Fire, Beirut, Andrew Bird, Cat Power, Grizzly Bear, Feist, Kronos Quartet, and several others
The BBC Sessions Belle and Sebastian [...]