Two sets from this year's Donaueschingen festival, broadcast by SWR2.
First, Okkyung Lee's septet, which brings the kind of freshness and zest to free music that makes you sit up and think - I haven't heard anything quite like this before, and I want to hear more! Pansori is probably an acquired taste, (but then I did spend about two years of my life listening to little other than Chinese opera), but the music itself is remarkable;
Okkyung Lee - cello
Song Hee Kwon - Pansori-Sängerin (musical storyteller)
Jae Hyo Chang - percussion
John Butcher - saxophone
John Edwards - bass
Lasse Marhaug - electronics
Ches Smith - drums/percussion/vibraphone
"Cheol-Kkot-Sae" (Steel Flower Bird) (38’04”)
Donaueschingen; 15th October 2016
Second, a lyrical and shimmering duo with Fred van Hove and Els Vandeweyer;
Duo (44’45”)
Fred van Hove - piano
Els Vandeweyer - vibraphone
Donaueschingen; 15 October 2016
SWR2 will probably have a video of the concert here, or an a similar page.
ReplyDeleteOkkyung Lee Septet
OL7_1
OL7_2
OL7_3
Fred van Hove & Els Vanderweyer
FHVEL_1
FHVEL_2
FHVEL_3
Wow - thanks for these Donaueschingen concerts.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is visting the festival for two days.
We talked about the then upcoming Okkyung Lee concert.
I expressed my disappointment for not being able to attend the concert....
Now I shall give him a critical review of the event when we meet during the next few days ;-)
Hi Ernst - let us know what you think of the Okkyung Lee, and what your friend thought of the concert, if you have time.
ReplyDeleteI have the other concerts that SWR2 has broadcast, if there is interest, although the focus is more on contemporary classical than free & improvised music.
Thanks a lot, tantris!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for the concerts. It´d be wonderful if you post the other contemporary music concert
ReplyDeleteBIG THX!...
ReplyDeleteI just listened to both of these and they are each beyond incredible. Really highly advanced and creative improvisation. Thanks for posting!
ReplyDeleteThis is why we love you so much! Thank you for bothering to share these excellent musics.
ReplyDeleteMark
Haven´t hear the second part, but first is very beautiful. Thanks Tantris!
ReplyDeletethank you Tantris, the Okkyung Lee part is a jewel, downloading now the second part
ReplyDeleteAfter listening four times to the Okkyung Lee concert I can say I really enjoy the music.
ReplyDeleteThe Korean musicians and the Western ones have a good rapport.
The only - minor - quibble on my side would be the part where the voice is treated heavily with some electronics.
It's from 13:10 to 13:30. Not that I do not like the treatment.
But it seems somewhat "cheap" compared to the music before and after.
I know these effects from my time when I was active in music myself.
It has a certain attraction , off course.
Thanks once more for the music.
Haven't met yet my friend. Shall add his opinion later after meeting him.
thank you very much. -a.v.
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting, Ernst. I listened again this evening - I think the distorted electronic voice is a bridge between quite a sombre, slow introduction, and a much faster, electronic section, where the Pansori voice turns into a series of high frequency electronic pulses. The cello then seems to find a way to allow the Pansori to return. Maybe - perhaps I'll listen again and change my mind.
ReplyDeleteYes it' obvious that the distorted electronic voice functions as a kind of transition between the two parts.
ReplyDeleteBut as mentioned before I've think it's not the most elegant mediator, IMO.
Listened once more to it.
At present my main impression is of a music which manages to create a common space for different musical traditions.
I have a fondness for Pansori since I discovered it some 30 years ago.
It is not Pansori as far as I can tell. But Song Hee Kwon's untreated voice has a strong resemblance to this Korean tradition.
I would like to know wether the lyrics are genuine Pansori tradition or invented by Song Hee Kwon and/or Okkyung Lee.
However - the music's proof how far the genre of "Free Improvisation" (incl. composed material or not etc. etc.)has come.
Maybe it's no wonder as "to improvise" but also "to compose" is a natural human quality.
To me the music sounds quite 'natural' - despite it's highly artificial character. I enjoy the clearly discernible sense of adventure.
While browsing through an old hard disk I just stumbled upon
ReplyDeletethis concert recording that fits in here nicely:
Fred van Hove Ochgot Octet - Live at Jazz Middelheim Festival
in Antwerp, Belgium, on August 15, 2011
with Els Vandeweyer (vibes), Peter Brötzmann, André Goudbeek,
Evan Parker, Ken Vandermark (reeds), Bart Maris (trumpet),
Ivo Vander Borght (drums, perc)
Live stream of Radio Klara, Belgium, in mp3@96 :-(
https://1fichier.com/?r2ckhrbfsh
thanks mew23
ReplyDeleteThanks, mew23 - it does indeed fit in well, and sounds very good.
ReplyDeleteHere's the first of some of the other concerts from this year's Donaueschingen festival. This one was the closing concert for the festival, was one of the more successful (IMHO), and includes;
ReplyDeleteElliott Carter: A symphony of Three orchestras
Franck Bedrossian: Twist für Orchester und Elektronik
Georg Friedrich Haas: Konzert für Posaune und Orchester
SWR Symphonieorchester / IRCAM
Mike Svoboda (trombone)
Conductor: Alejo Pérez
Donau_1
Donau_2
Donau_3
I'll post more as and when time permits. There was one glitch with the first concert that SWR2 broadcast, which was a 5 second drop-out in the middle of the new piece from James Dillon - I wonder if anyone has a clean recording of this?
OK, another offering from Donaueschingen 2016 - this time it is the festival's opening concert on 14th October;
ReplyDeleteJan W. Morthenson:
Omega for orchestra
James Dillon:
The Gates, for string quartet and orchestra
Martin Jaggi:
Caral for orchestra
Klaus Schedl:
Blutrausch for orchestra & electronics
SWR Symphonieorchester
Experimentalstudio des SWR
Arditti String Quartet
Conductor - Pierre-André Valade
Donaueschingen; 14th October 2016
The Dillon - ironically the piece I was most interested in from this year's festival, as he is a composer I've followed for years - has a five second dropout just before the 16' mark, which I have edited out. A bit annoying, but it's a minor blemish. Nevertheless, if anyone has a clean recording of this piece, I'd be very grateful for a copy!
Donau2_1
Donau2_2
Donau2_3
Donau2_4
Donau2_5
thank you all very very much -a.v.
ReplyDeleteQuote: "The Dillon - ironically the piece I was most interested in from this year's festival, as he is a composer I've followed for years - has a five second dropout just before the 16' mark, which I have edited out. A bit annoying, but it's a minor blemish. Nevertheless, if anyone has a clean recording of this piece, I'd be very grateful for a copy!"
ReplyDeleteHere is what i recorded, worst quality i guess, but perhaps complete:
http://www.ulozto.net/!dho0ilqP7J0V/02-james-dillon-the-gates-rar
Zeb - thank you very much - it sounds very good indeed, and is free of the glitch that affected the broadcast I was recording. Great to have a complete version of this piece.
ReplyDeleteCould you re upload this please? The Zippy links are dead.
ReplyDeleteOkkyung Lee's recording from Donaueschingen will be released this May on Tzadik.
ReplyDelete