Day: July 6, 2011

"Concert halls only rarely enjoy the crowds of yesteryear."

— report to the French Ministry of Cultural Affairs, 1964, quoted in Eric Drott's new book Music and the Elusive Revolution.

— Gesualdo, Madrigals Book 6; Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco (Pan Classics)
— Krenek, Symphony No. 4, Concerto grosso; Alun Francis, NDR Radiophilharmonie (cpo)
— John Adams, Son of Chamber Symphony, String Quartet; ICE, St. Lawrence Quartet (Nonesuch)
— Mozart, Divertimento in E-flat; Henning Kraggerud, Lars Anders Tomter, Christoph Richter (Naxos)

— Schumann, Humoreske, Busoni, Fantasia contrappuntistica; Jacob Greenberg (New Focus)
— Boris Papandopulo, Piano Music; Nicholas Phillips (Albany)
— Mozart, Piano Concertos Nos. 20 and 27; Mitsuko Uchida, Cleveland Orchestra (Decca)
— Cavalli, Artemisia; various soloists, Claudio Cavina conducting La Venexiana (Glossa)

Several people sent me a link to "Atonal Composers Gather for Atony Awards," an attempted satire of modern music at The Onion. Now, I love The Onion as much as any time-wasting American, but this is kind of a fail, as the kids say. I'll let go of the fact that Penderecki's name is mispronounced and the joke doesn't apply to his post-1975 music. But couldn't an intern have gone to Wikipedia and noticed that Stockhausen is dead? Or is this routine recycled from a few years ago? Either way, it doesn't hold a candle to Arnie Schoenberg and His Second Viennese School, never mind Bruno Heinz Jaja.