| Hi Philippe,
Nice to see you here.
Your "is this piece a viable addition to the repertoire?" comment opens a door to me for a broader comment...
David Atherton (wonderful conductor and founder of the London Sinfonietta) once suggested to me that 90% of new compositions over the years haven't deserved a second hearing. . . and of the remaining 10%, we're lucky if one is the Rite of Spring.
One of the most daunting challenges to those of us who appreciate art is sorting the wheat from the chaff. Any art historian will confirm that most of the paintings lining the galleries at the Metropolitan, Uffizzi, Louvre, etc., serve little purpose other than to place their acclaimed masterpieces into some sort of context. These masterpieces, however, have changed the way our cultures perceive things. Powerful stuff.
That said, it's clear that we must continue to commission, beg for, and search for, new pieces to play if music is to remain a viable art form. I don't know Yan Maresz (the composer) or Mettalics (the piece), but it seems to have performances at IRCAM (anything presented in Boulez' house must be interesting) and a recording. I happen to LOVE the pairing of trumpet (soulful, filled with symbolism) and electronics (colorful, can be louder than a freight train) and suggest that you check it out!
Lemmieno what you find, okay?
Anyone else?
Best,
EC (constantly in search mode) |