[NewMusic] Lachenmann

[matt]

There's a not-that-exciting review of the Lachenmann concert on SFCV
with a comment and link to Richard Friedman's very-not-excited
blog review underneath.


http://www.sfcv.org/2008/01/29/sounds-like-this/#comment-213


i attempted to write a response which is waiting for moderator approval
so i include it here below. i am not without my own criticism of the  
concert itself,
if i get more incentive i will post  them at some point...

m@


On the contrary, Lachenmann has been constantly developing his own way  
of MAKING music with “extended” instrumental sounds, combining a  
modern, “acousmatic” compositional approach with “classical”  
techniques. Indeed, a good example is “Allegro Sostenuto” — it is  
almost Beethoven-like in that the entire composition is spun out of  
the handful of motives introduced in the first few bars of the piece,  
with timbre being an extra dimension in which these motives can mutate.

Lachenmann (now 72), is definitely not an emerging young composer. But  
the fact that the audience *was* young and enthusiastic is a telling  
sign. Just like young european composers championed Webern and  
Messiaen in the 50’s and the Bang-on-a-Can crowd latched onto  
Andriessen and Reich, it really seems to me that a significant sector  
of today’s young composers are finding their own heros of “extended  
instrumental” composition in the likes of Lachenmann, Sciarrino,  
Grisey, and others.

I should also point out that Lachenmann only has a handful of chamber  
works, “Allegro Sostenuto” and his string quartets being the most  
substantial, and most practical to perform! Apart from a couple  
sfSound concerts, this was the first time the Bay Area was even able  
to hear Lachenmann’s music live.