Impossible to keep pace with my colleague on here; but I'll keep making a little noise around the edges.
I have been keeping an eye on new videos posted under the maestro's name, hoping to see some of the Theater Experiments material from the Brooklyn shows. Both the theater and the opera company document some of their performances pretty thoroughly, so it's not impossible... it just hasn't happened. Yet.
But that doesn't mean the search has been in vain; it's how I first spotted the Jazz Cafe 1991 sets, and lots of other new and interesting stuff.
Mostly, I this post just collects some recent videos, some of them with link to recent posts from Cent.
So, to start, a few more new (to me) folks interpreting AB compositions.
I'll start with George Kokkinaris, a bassist based in Athens, who says he rediscovered AB's music during the pandemic. He recently posted a video of a trio performing Comp. 94 and has two other videos on his channel featuring performances of AB compositions.
Comp. 94:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgSBdO5GH6o
He mentions that his interest was piqued by a solo bass album by James Ilgenfritz, another name which was unfamiliar to me; a little search reveals that he has recorded an album of solo bass interpretations of Braxton's compositions
https://www.discogs.com/release/3823080-James-Ilgenfritz-Compositions-Braxton-2011
And has performed and recorded with Gerry Hemingway and Angelika Niescier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGuork7Ask0
Back to youtube discoveries; a number of things posted in the last 2 weeks relating to Roland Dahinden; a couple of performances from 2021 and some brand new stuff.
From 2021, Dahinden conducted a performance of Language Musics with the Prague Music Performance Orchestra, in Prague.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JX6DbXnuLpo
From another performance the same day, also just posted within the last month; AB performing a trio with
Adam Matlock, accordion; and Susana Santos Silva, trumpet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhBBkW4IbeU
Side note -- if this were a proper Cent post, it would be a footnote -- the post on youtube identifies that as a Diamond Curtain Wall Trio, but it may be post hoc designated as "Lorraine" music. Lorraine is a designation (first?) used in the notes to Other Minds (duo) 2021; a live recording that took place one week after the Prague concerts. (I watched it at the time, and I don't recall a contemporary use of the "Lorraine" designation.) More recent uses have pointed to a forthcoming multi-disc set
https://avantmusicnews.com/2023/05/25/anthony-braxton-news-2/
First thoughts -- exciting to see new players and new musics; Matlock and Santos Silva are enjoyable in this trio setting. The box set title doesn't specify that the six musicians play together; it may be that the set contains different sized ensembles. If it does have a sextet component, a sextet with 2 bassists would be fun. B does love dueling low-register instruments, after all.
Last of the Dahinden-Prague recent youtube posts, August 1st was the premiere of Braxton's newest opera, Trillium X. It was reviewed the next day by Seth Colter Walls in the New York Times, and earlier this week some bits and pieces started showing up on youtube. For example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUUWn0Y_dRM
The performance features the Prague Music Performance Orchestra; as far as instrumentation, I will note the presence of the contrabass flute which was in the language music performance; 2 pianos (one played by Hildegaard Kleeb), 2 harps, 2 accordions, and what I believe is an Arpeggione.(!?!)
Almost there -- only 2 more things in this roundup (though no further youtube links). Dahinden, Kleeb, and Braxton seem set to release (or may already have done) a 4-disc set of recordings dating from 2013:
Released on the Prague Music Platform label.
And finally, earlier this week Braxton debuted a new music system called Thunder Music at a concert in Darmstadt, in a nonet+7singers (designate that however you like). Nothing further to report at this time; but quite an intriguing lineup and I'm eager to see what gets reported/recorded from that front.
https://tricentricfoundation.org/events
KCBC
McC.
5 comments:
Two performances with Wolf Eyes, coming up in October..? :-O
I think the Arpeggione player is Ian Mikyska. When I attended a PMP performance featuring Roscoe Mitchell last year, the program booklet listed him playing viola da gamba. Here's a photo of that booklet page listing the line-up.
Kai: Thanks for your comment -- very helpful!
It would appear that video of the concert you attended was posted today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6GyCnGiRA8
And I think my earlier identification of the instrument in question as an arpeggione was in error & it is likely a viola da gamba in both instances. My apologies for the error.
(also posted this morning, a 2022 video of the PMP Orchestra with Roland Dahinden performing Braxton's Language Musics; distinct from the 2021 performance posted a month or so ago and linked in this post)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEzrX8jGvtc
Oh yes, great, that's it, and seeing it brings back good memories. The fact that this is not posted on PMP orchestra's Youtube account but on Supraphon's instead bring some hope that this is being prepared for an official album release.
How do you do that, that you immediately notice interesting Youtube videos on different channels? Do you happen to have Supraphon's channel subscribed in addition with PMP's channel, or do you have some other technique to get notice of interesting new videos that are right up our alley?
Yes, we can hope for a release. PMP seems like an interesting outfit -- putting on some interesting concerts, and releasing records as well.
I don't have a broad range of subscriptions, and I don't have any special tricks... just search YouTube for "anthony braxton" pretty regularly, and then narrow the search by date posted to only show recently added videos.
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