Posted by Sam Zelitch »
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The Northwestern University Bienen School of Music’s Side by Side music festival featured an impressive lineup of unorthodox musical partnerships, none more idiosyncratic than the electromagnetic combination of the self-desribed post-classical string quartet ETHEL and 70s pop/rock icon Todd Rundgren. “Sorry, I got a little carried away with myself,” said Rundgren from the bench of his grand piano, trying to start a tune without blundering. The song Compassion, which he restarted twice, is one of his lesser known singles, yet his audience at Pick-Staiger Hall on the Northwestern campus in Suburban Chicago on Friday, April 2, 2013, sat in rapt attention even as he interrupted his own singing with occasional self-deprecating giggles.
Singer/songwriter Todd Rundgren (photo credit: toddfan.com)
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Posted by Daniel Emmerson »
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Having been appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for Culture by the incumbent pope, Arvo Pärt’s decision to remain firmly on the path of sacramental music, particularly in the religious choral tradition, comes as little surprise. Adam’s Lament is a testament to the unthinkable remorse and destitution that the first man on earth experienced after being banished from the Garden of Eden by his omnipotent creator. In accordance with the devotional themes that run through the heart of Pärt’s back-catalog, the famed Estonian composer has pulled inspiration on this occasion from the writings of Silouan the Athonite, a Russian Orthodox monk writing in the late 19th and early 20th Century. A thought-provoking character, Silouan left his homeland to become an ascetic in Greece, where he wrote on a number of devout subjects. Perhaps most notably is his take on Adam’s unequivocal despair and his incarnation as a symbol for humanity’s fall from grace, which Pärt, in accordance with the Catholic doctrine, interprets as a representation of both mankind as a whole and Adam as an individual.
Arvo Pärt – Photo by Peeter Langovits
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Posted by Andrew Lee »
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Minimalist music seems a natural fit for setting texts of the Orthodox and Catholic churches. Both have long traditions of contemplation and deliberately repetitive prayers, e.g. litanies, the rosary, and the Jesus prayer. The nature of their liturgies, with their fixed structure and seasonal cycles, also invite worshipers to step outside the sometimes oppressively linear time of modern society and experience a sacred temporality. Moreover, chant and early polyphony seem aesthetically akin to some types of minimalist music.
Enter Arvo Pärt.
Arvo Pärt – Photograph by K. Kikkas
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Posted by Elias Blumm »
Add Comment »“They will not let me off till I go with them, respond to them…”
In the poem “I Sing the Body Electric” from his masterpiece Leaves of Grass, Walt Whitman ruminates on humanity, the love he consents to accept, and the love he is willing to give. In the context of Duo Orfeo’s newest record, I sing the body electric, the meaning of those words broadens to include an artistic longing, one that drove two musicians to apply an inspired spark of originality to “go with” and “respond to” music that called to them but had hitherto been evasive and inadequate on their chosen instruments. For Joe Ricker and Jamie Balmer, two of a crop of young, classically trained guitarists who are finding new means of expression through finely honed technique, I sing the body electric is a milestone record that encompasses their pedigree and their passion in a completely original and captivating way.
Duo Orfeo (Joseph Ricker and Jamie Balmer) - Photo by Tristan Chambers
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Posted by Thomas Deneuville »
Add Comment »I am very pleased to announce that the Summer 2012 Mixtape is out! It is completely free and just a click away (alright… two clicks away). It features Duo Orfeo performing Arvo Pärt‘s Spiegel im Spiegel for electric guitars, William Britelle‘s opening track of Loving the Chambered Nautilus, a great track from Goodbye the Band‘s album Let’s Skip The Apocalypse And Just Fix Shit Instead (oh how I like this title), a highly melodic tune by the amazing and ubiquitous You Bred Raptors?, plus more and more…
I Care if You Listen - Summer 2012 Mixtape
Click away, download, listen, buy the albums you like, follow the artists on Facebook, and let your friends know that there is some rad music for free on I CARE IF YOU LISTEN…
Posted by Thomas Deneuville »
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It is not everyday that an American icon turns 75. Of course, Elliott Carter turned 103 last December and that’s probably a bigger deal, but still, how exciting to be able to attend the US premiere of Philip Glass’ latest symphony on his 75th birthday? Now how could Carnegie make it even more special? They added some Pärt! According to Denis Russell Davies who brought them together (see our video interview) they have had a mutual admiration society for many years and it made sense to have them share the bill on that special night…
Philip Glass – Photo by Steve Pyke
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