Even if you have a pathological fear of 'classical music' (in fact, especially if you have one) have a listen to radio 3 at 10 tonight (or you could iplayer the fecker) for Harrison Birtwistle's Silbury Air. High-modernist but not entirely opaque, I think it sounds a bit like watching an impenetrable ritual procession where not everyone does the same thing. Maybe a bit Mummer-oid or Obby Oss-esque. But then you might hate it. I'd be interested to hear TMAers' views...
Here's some sleeve notes (which don't credit an author or have any copyright mentioned):
"In Silbury Air the relationship between the objects is regulated by the use of the 'pulse labyrinth' with which the score is prefaced... In the course of the piece the music threads its way three times through the labyrinth...Silbury Hill is a famous and mysterious archaeological site in south-west England, a prehistoric man-made mound imposed upon the landscape. Birtwistle has frequently refered to his music as 'imaginary landscapes' through which the listener must journey, to be confronted with its recurrent features from ever-changing perspectives. Silbury Hill offers just such an artificial landscape, and one which carries with it an aura of magic."
 Reply | with quote | Posted by UncleRob
4th August 2009ce
19:50 |
Silbury Air (UncleRob, Aug 04, 2009, 19:50) |
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