Tag Archives: contemporary music

Anders Hagberg and Johannes Landgren’s Of Air

Anders Hagberg and Johannes Landgren are both alumni of and teachers at the School of Music and Music Education of Göteborg University (Sweden). This recordingc is part of a series by the students and faculty of the School. The range … Continue reading

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Morton Feldman’s The Viola In My Life

I remarked once upon a time that Morton Feldman’s music fills space. Listening to the sections of The Viola In My Life, I realize that Feldman does rather more than fill space: he shapes it, gives it duration and form, … Continue reading

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Michael Nyman’s Noises, Sounds & Sweet Airs

Michael Nyman’s Noises, Sounds and Sweet Airs was the result of one of those “six degrees” sorts of things, coupled with a couple years of intense focus on William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. During 1990-91, Nyman was working on the score … Continue reading

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Gavin Bryars’ The Fifth Century

English composer Gavin Bryars was born in Yorkshire in 1943. He studied philosophy at Sheffield University and, as might be expected, became a jazz bassist during his time there. He’s worked in a number of different idioms and styles, from … Continue reading

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Steve Reich’s The ECM Recordings

It was with some misgivings that I undertook to review this collection of the music of Steve Reich, which includes Music for 18 Musicians (1976), Violin Phase (1967), Music for a Large Ensemble (1978), Octet (1979), and Tehillim (1981). It’s … Continue reading

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And Did Those Feet’s Forgetting the Shadows of History

The group And Did Those Feet was founded in 1992 by composer/performer Richard Ellin to showcase his own compositions. He was joined by vocalists Ina Williams, who has won many awards in singing contests in Wales and abroad, and Celia … Continue reading

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Arvo Pärt’s The Deer’s Cry

I first ran across the music of Arvo Pärt many years ago, in a coffee shop owned by a man whose taste in music was as eclectic as my own. It was the Passio, and I was intrigued enough that … Continue reading

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Arvo Pärt’s Passio

Arvo Pärt’s Passio was the first recording of his music that I owned. It may very well have been the first available in the U.S. For one entire summer it was my beach music — I tended to go to … Continue reading

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Daniel Lanois’ Goodbye to Language

Daniel Lanois’ name has become synonymous with sonic exploration. From his early electronic music collaborations with Brian Eno through his legendary production work with Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, U2 and more, to his own recordings, the Canadian-born musician has delved … Continue reading

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Frode Haltli’s Air

I discovered fairly recently that, when you get into the contemporary music of Northern Europe, “accordion music” is not at all what we think it’s going to be. Which leads me to this recently released collection by Norwegian accordionist Frode … Continue reading

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