Considering Ed's video, and the discussion:
Without progress, redefinition, and the stretching the edges where would be be? It started at thirds and I think it probably never ends.
Brining in a bit of the "Orchestral metamorphosis" thread, I'd like to make a mention of the modern orchestra and the relationship to the modern composer
I was reading an article in the
New Yorker last week about composer John Luther Adams. He is a CalArts alum, lives in Fairbanks Alaska, and is considered "one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century" (Alex Ross, New Yorker). He is one of those people stretching the edges of art in today's society. BUT hear what he has to say about the orchestra, and what Alex Ross has to say about John Luther Adams.
Here is the article:
Letter from Alaska: Song of the Earth: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker
There were a few things that were said that perked my attention there.
1. Concerning the tiff of Mahler to Messiaen and presumably Messiaen to folks like Adams: "Adams’s major works have the appearance of being beyond style; they transcend the squabbles of contemporary classical music, the unending arguments over the relative value of Romantic and modernist languages."
2. "Although Adams is content to write for electronics, small ensembles, and percussion groups, he still longs to write for larger forces, and, above all, for orchestra."
3. “I thought, This couldn’t be repeated,” Adams told me. “Wagner kind of caught the perfect wave. But I did wonder what kind of opportunities exist for us, right now.” He sat still for a moment, his blue-gray eyes drifting. I sensed some wordless, high-tech, back-to-the-earth “Parsifal” waiting to be born.
I love that third excerpt. It makes me excited.
Here is one of the most radical composers out there (he takes more influence from visual art than classical music), but he still thinks that the orchestra is a vehicle for incredible expression--beyond other ensembles.
cool
-chris