Since I often add contemporary music to the regular WAYLTL threads,
and I'm not sure how well it fits with many entries there, I thought
that maybe I'd break it out into a different thread....

Maybe there's some further continuity that can thus develop with
time....

Maybe others will even have some 21st century listening to report....

Most recently in WAYLTL January, I noted albums devoted to new works
by Frey & Wolff:

https://collectionqb.bandcamp.com/album/j-rg-frey-string-quartet-no-4
https://idischidiangelica.bandcamp.com/album/sveglia

Less known is Jean Derome of Quebec, but I enjoyed his new album
today... reminds me of Wolff, perhaps:

https://jeanderome.bandcamp.com/album/la-chaleur-de-la-pens-e

Regarding other sources for this music, at least the Derome & Frey
are on Qobuz, so probably other streaming options.... Not yet for
the Wolff, from what I've found....

On Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 1:32:23 PM UTC-8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> Since I often add contemporary music to the regular WAYLTL threads,
> and I'm not sure how well it fits with many entries there, I thought
> that maybe I'd break it out into a different thread....
>
> Maybe there's some further continuity that can thus develop with
> time....
>
> Maybe others will even have some 21st century listening to report....
>
> Most recently in WAYLTL January, I noted albums devoted to new works
> by Frey & Wolff:
>
> https://collectionqb.bandcamp.com/album/j-rg-frey-string-quartet-no-4
> https://idischidiangelica.bandcamp.com/album/sveglia
>
> Less known is Jean Derome of Quebec, but I enjoyed his new album
> today... reminds me of Wolff, perhaps:
>
> https://jeanderome.bandcamp.com/album/la-chaleur-de-la-pens-e
>
> Regarding other sources for this music, at least the Derome & Frey
> are on Qobuz, so probably other streaming options.... Not yet for
> the Wolff, from what I've found....

Too late! I already listen to 22nd century music! ;-)

Cheers

Another "piece" that I've been listening to lately -- listening
through... -- is the gigantic _Even to this day..._ by Southern
California multi-wind player Vinny Golia.

Two movements of this work have been released so far:

https://vinnygoliamusic.bandcamp.com/album/even-to-this-day-movement-one-inoculations-music-for-orchestra-and-soloists

https://vinnygoliamusic.bandcamp.com/album/even-to-this-day-music-for-orchestra-and-soloists-movement-two-syncretism-for-the-draw

Each is over 11 hours, so we're not talking about an ordinary
listening experience. I'm not really sure what's intended.... And
while I'm sure notation is involved for many sections, that may
only be in background to the "real release" in sound. Golia is,
after all, a jazz & improvised music player.

Golia (b.1946) is also a very skilled player on many wind instruments
himself, and that degree of control & precision is generally
maintained in this sprawling work. Technique is very good, including
in the more classical sections.

And there're a variety of genre invocations... some classical, jazz,
improvisation, even some rock....

So I don't know what the point of wrapping all this together into
one work really is, but it's quite a survey of contemporary
music-making. It's almost like an oratorio, except the singing
isn't especially frequent... but far bigger than most anyone puts
out. More like an encyclopedia. (As if a Mahler symphony fits in
the corner....)

There is supposed to be a third movement.

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 4:29:05 AM UTC, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> Another "piece" that I've been listening to lately -- listening
> through... -- is the gigantic _Even to this day..._ by Southern
> California multi-wind player Vinny Golia.
>
> Two movements of this work have been released so far:
>
> https://vinnygoliamusic.bandcamp.com/album/even-to-this-day-movement-one-inoculations-music-for-orchestra-and-soloists
>
> https://vinnygoliamusic.bandcamp.com/album/even-to-this-day-music-for-orchestra-and-soloists-movement-two-syncretism-for-the-draw
>
> Each is over 11 hours, so we're not talking about an ordinary
> listening experience. I'm not really sure what's intended.... And
> while I'm sure notation is involved for many sections, that may
> only be in background to the "real release" in sound. Golia is,
> after all, a jazz & improvised music player.
>
> Golia (b.1946) is also a very skilled player on many wind instruments
> himself, and that degree of control & precision is generally
> maintained in this sprawling work. Technique is very good, including
> in the more classical sections.
>
> And there're a variety of genre invocations... some classical, jazz,
> improvisation, even some rock....
>
> So I don't know what the point of wrapping all this together into
> one work really is, but it's quite a survey of contemporary
> music-making. It's almost like an oratorio, except the singing
> isn't especially frequent... but far bigger than most anyone puts
> out. More like an encyclopedia. (As if a Mahler symphony fits in
> the corner....)
> There is supposed to be a third movement.

James Clarke's string quartets - he's got a "new complexity" vibe and I like it - Arditti playing.

https://soundcloud.com/james-clarke-01

On 23 Jan 2024 Todd M. McComb wrote:

> Maybe others will even have some 21st century listening to report....

21st century music? Saint Saëns, Bruch, Dvorák, Fauré, Janácek, Elgar,
Puccini, Mahler, R. Strauss, Debussy, Nielsen, Sibelius...
Some great stuff there.

Chris

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 1:40:04 PM UTC+8, Mandryka wrote:
> James Clarke's string quartets - he's got a "new complexity" vibe and I like it - Arditti playing.
>
> https://soundcloud.com/james-clarke-01

Quartet No.6 on this page held my attention for its entire duration, I especially liked the TV-static horror-movie type of scraping - the way that texture was used, its appearance and disappearance. I guess this is sort of an obvious thing to say and could be said probably about most 21st-century string quartets, but this feels like taking ideas developed as experiment in the last century, and making use of them as compositional/expressive language - in service of other goals.

As far as 'affect', is it fair to say most 21st-century 'art music' emphasizes either extreme repose or extreme agitation?

On Wednesday, January 24, 2024 at 12:29:05 PM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> Another "piece" that I've been listening to lately -- listening
> through... -- is the gigantic _Even to this day..._ by Southern
> California multi-wind player Vinny Golia.
>

Do you put this on in the background for a whole day??

In article <2535752b-0ebb-4c73-a4ef-f97f8096d00fn@googlegroups.com>,
cheregi <elirkerry@gmail.com> wrote:
>As far as 'affect', is it fair to say most 21st-century 'art music'
>emphasizes either extreme repose or extreme agitation?

I don't think so, but those are probably the easiest things to
notice.

>Do you put this on in the background for a whole day??

I try to focus & listen, so I've made it through about 5 hours at
once in one sitting.... Mostly an hour or two at a time. I pause
it when I need to do something else, and come back later. This is
taking me a couple of weeks -- and partly because releases were
slow in general the first half of the month.... I wouldn't always
have the time.

"With her extraordinary debut album, Prelude, young Slovenian pianist
Rebeka Rusjan Zajc (now residing in Amsterdam), announces herself
as a precocious new talent, already forging her own distinctive art
language, navigating the bountiful margins between non-idiomatic
improvisation, jazz and classical music."

https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/prelude

"Across this disc's sole extended piece, _Illusion_, she marshals
a dynamic carnival of boundless extemporisation, full of instinctive
runs and dramatically tumbling rubato, vivid constellations initiated
in the imagination hyperdrive of her striking real-time composition.
Passages of impish scherzo conjure fantastical images of surreal
painted bestiaries, while converging notes rush like snaking rapids
across the clashing rocks of atonalism. Evocative and oozing energy,
this beguiling music clamours for allegory, voraciously fuelling
fictional chimeras on its virtuosic feasts."

Some of this reminds me of slow movements from Sorabji... it's that
kind of orchestral solo piano, perfumed garden....

McComb: I enjoy yr 21st C. posts and occasionally fire up the Bandcamp and listen to them. Proceed. As you were . . .

On Saturday, January 27, 2024 at 7:16:33 AM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> "With her extraordinary debut album, Prelude, young Slovenian pianist
> Rebeka Rusjan Zajc (now residing in Amsterdam), announces herself
> as a precocious new talent, already forging her own distinctive art
> language, navigating the bountiful margins between non-idiomatic
> improvisation, jazz and classical music."
>
> https://cleanfeedrecords.bandcamp.com/album/prelude
>
> "Across this disc's sole extended piece, _Illusion_, she marshals
> a dynamic carnival of boundless extemporisation, full of instinctive
> runs and dramatically tumbling rubato, vivid constellations initiated
> in the imagination hyperdrive of her striking real-time composition.
> Passages of impish scherzo conjure fantastical images of surreal
> painted bestiaries, while converging notes rush like snaking rapids
> across the clashing rocks of atonalism. Evocative and oozing energy,
> this beguiling music clamours for allegory, voraciously fuelling
> fictional chimeras on its virtuosic feasts."
>
> Some of this reminds me of slow movements from Sorabji... it's that
> kind of orchestral solo piano, perfumed garden....

Thank you, this is great!

Feels to me like the 'writing'(?) is not quite as 'deep' as Sorabji, but on the other hand there's a degree of nuance in timing/rhythm which I haven't heard in any Sorabji recordings. Of course it's its own thing and there's no reason at all to compare - other than how rare it is for this comparison even to feel possible...

In article <80fdff0a-9c5f-464a-8d86-cf9236699d3cn@googlegroups.com>,
Oscar <oscaredwardwilliamson@gmail.com> wrote:
>I enjoy yr 21st C. posts and occasionally fire up the Bandcamp
>and listen to them. Proceed. As you were . . .

Thanks for the remarks.

In article <940b2e97-6567-4036-95d1-8ac5cbcb4e86n@googlegroups.com>,
cheregi <elirkerry@gmail.com> wrote:
>Thank you, this is great!

I enjoyed it.

There seems to be a new generation of improvising pianists emerging
in Europe, playing a wide variety of personal styles -- not necessarily
jazz-based at all. I'm not sure how the personnel overlaps or not
with e.g. the classical piano contests beloved of some posters here,
but I imagine that young musicians are choosing between these
scenes....

A sort of niche label I've been following for a little while now
is Bastille Musique, mostly WDR & related performers.... Actually,
I first learned of this label here on RMCR, with their Berio set
released in 2019....

Most recent set is devoted to Hugues Dufourt (b.1943), another
French spectral composer. (I believe the previous release I noted
here was that for Grisey. In both cases, most of the material has
already appeared on record, but these sets have ample notes & a
quality approach across a broader program.) And what "spectral"
basically means is that the music uses the overtone spectrum, i.e.
pure ratios.

https://bastillemusique.bandcamp.com/album/hugues-dufourt-surgir

As with Grisey, Dufourt also uses the piano heavily, such that these
pure spectra are wedded to chromatic scales. As noted, I'm kind
of ready to move past the piano.... And the Dufourt collection
goes on to include pieces based on electric guitars as well... with
no piano, sort of shimmering waves. These pieces are less like
"classical music" but more intriguing to me. The "classical" pieces
are appealing enough too.

On Monday, January 29, 2024 at 7:31:32 PM UTC, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> A sort of niche label I've been following for a little while now
> is Bastille Musique, mostly WDR & related performers.... Actually,
> I first learned of this label here on RMCR, with their Berio set
> released in 2019....
>
> Most recent set is devoted to Hugues Dufourt (b.1943), another
> French spectral composer. (I believe the previous release I noted
> here was that for Grisey. In both cases, most of the material has
> already appeared on record, but these sets have ample notes & a
> quality approach across a broader program.) And what "spectral"
> basically means is that the music uses the overtone spectrum, i.e.
> pure ratios.
>
> https://bastillemusique.bandcamp.com/album/hugues-dufourt-surgir
>
> As with Grisey, Dufourt also uses the piano heavily, such that these
> pure spectra are wedded to chromatic scales. As noted, I'm kind
> of ready to move past the piano.... And the Dufourt collection
> goes on to include pieces based on electric guitars as well... with
> no piano, sort of shimmering waves. These pieces are less like
> "classical music" but more intriguing to me. The "classical" pieces
> are appealing enough too.

Yes La Cité des Saules is a nice piece of music. I quite like Dufourt - but sometimes I find what he does sounds a bit too heavy for me.

In article <788d62e0-e8a1-4843-8203-b6872a79208cn@googlegroups.com>,
Mandryka <howie.stone01@gmail.com> wrote:
>James Clarke's string quartets - he's got a "new complexity" vibe
>and I like it - Arditti playing.
>https://soundcloud.com/james-clarke-01

Listening today, I agree these are worth hearing. (I listened only
to String Quartets Nos. 1 & 4-6 from that page, although the other
pieces are probably worth hearing too....) While addressing a
variety of contemporary musical materials (incl. e.g. Scelsi in
#5), these also have a real "string quartet" feel as chamber music
that some other current music in the format doesn't necessarily
seem to have.... The pitch-bending effects opening #6 (which I
heard last...) are also striking....

Considering how sophisticated his writing is, it sure doesn't seem
as though Clarke (b.1957, London) has much presence online. E.g.
his own web site has lapsed.

On Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 3:31:32 AM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> A sort of niche label I've been following for a little while now
> is Bastille Musique, mostly WDR & related performers.... Actually,
> I first learned of this label here on RMCR, with their Berio set
> released in 2019....
>
> Most recent set is devoted to Hugues Dufourt (b.1943), another
> French spectral composer. (I believe the previous release I noted
> here was that for Grisey. In both cases, most of the material has
> already appeared on record, but these sets have ample notes & a
> quality approach across a broader program.) And what "spectral"
> basically means is that the music uses the overtone spectrum, i.e.
> pure ratios.
>
> https://bastillemusique.bandcamp.com/album/hugues-dufourt-surgir
>
> As with Grisey, Dufourt also uses the piano heavily, such that these
> pure spectra are wedded to chromatic scales. As noted, I'm kind
> of ready to move past the piano.... And the Dufourt collection
> goes on to include pieces based on electric guitars as well... with
> no piano, sort of shimmering waves. These pieces are less like
> "classical music" but more intriguing to me. The "classical" pieces
> are appealing enough too.

I listened through "L'Origine du monde". I'd be curious to compare it to the million other 'origin of the world' compositions from 20th century and earlier. This one pulled off an interesting gamelan-like superimposition of doubletime/halftime rhythms in its last third, which did something interesting to my sense of time, in a way that makes sense for a physics-oriented 'origin of the world'.

Partially inspired by this thread, I've re-started delving into François Bayle's late works, those made at his private studio since leaving GRM in 1996. The two most important multi-sectional works are probably "La forme du temps est un cercle" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-du-temps-est-un-cercle ) and "La forme de l'esprit est un papillon" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-de-lesprit-est-un-papillon ). The sound palette at first still seems to have that midcentury-electronic kitschiness, but the attention to detail here as well as structure I find extremely engaging, and I continue to be really attracted to the philosophy of working totally and 'directly' with 'sound itself'. In 1999 Bayle wrote a piece dedicated to Grisey, which I guess connects Bayle and the GRM world a bit more strongly than I had thought to other contemporary currents.

On Friday, February 2, 2024 at 3:37:29 AM UTC, cheregi wrote:
> On Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 3:31:32 AM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> > A sort of niche label I've been following for a little while now
> > is Bastille Musique, mostly WDR & related performers.... Actually,
> > I first learned of this label here on RMCR, with their Berio set
> > released in 2019....
> >
> > Most recent set is devoted to Hugues Dufourt (b.1943), another
> > French spectral composer. (I believe the previous release I noted
> > here was that for Grisey. In both cases, most of the material has
> > already appeared on record, but these sets have ample notes & a
> > quality approach across a broader program.) And what "spectral"
> > basically means is that the music uses the overtone spectrum, i.e.
> > pure ratios.
> >
> > https://bastillemusique.bandcamp.com/album/hugues-dufourt-surgir
> >
> > As with Grisey, Dufourt also uses the piano heavily, such that these
> > pure spectra are wedded to chromatic scales. As noted, I'm kind
> > of ready to move past the piano.... And the Dufourt collection
> > goes on to include pieces based on electric guitars as well... with
> > no piano, sort of shimmering waves. These pieces are less like
> > "classical music" but more intriguing to me. The "classical" pieces
> > are appealing enough too.
> I listened through "L'Origine du monde". I'd be curious to compare it to the million other 'origin of the world' compositions from 20th century and earlier. This one pulled off an interesting gamelan-like superimposition of doubletime/halftime rhythms in its last third, which did something interesting to my sense of time, in a way that makes sense for a physics-oriented 'origin of the world'.
>
> Partially inspired by this thread, I've re-started delving into François Bayle's late works, those made at his private studio since leaving GRM in 1996. The two most important multi-sectional works are probably "La forme du temps est un cercle" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-du-temps-est-un-cercle ) and "La forme de l'esprit est un papillon" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-de-lesprit-est-un-papillon ). The sound palette at first still seems to have that midcentury-electronic kitschiness, but the attention to detail here as well as structure I find extremely engaging, and I continue to be really attracted to the philosophy of working totally and 'directly' with 'sound itself'. In 1999 Bayle wrote a piece dedicated to Grisey, which I guess connects Bayle and the GRM world a bit more strongly than I had thought to other contemporary currents.

I like La toupie dans le ciel from Erosphère.

The L'origine du monde is somehow inspired by the Courbet I think - I've got a book of Dufourt's writings and I'll check what he has to say about it later.

On Friday, February 2, 2024 at 6:38:00 AM UTC, Mandryka wrote:
> On Friday, February 2, 2024 at 3:37:29 AM UTC, cheregi wrote:
> > On Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 3:31:32 AM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> > > A sort of niche label I've been following for a little while now
> > > is Bastille Musique, mostly WDR & related performers.... Actually,
> > > I first learned of this label here on RMCR, with their Berio set
> > > released in 2019....
> > >
> > > Most recent set is devoted to Hugues Dufourt (b.1943), another
> > > French spectral composer. (I believe the previous release I noted
> > > here was that for Grisey. In both cases, most of the material has
> > > already appeared on record, but these sets have ample notes & a
> > > quality approach across a broader program.) And what "spectral"
> > > basically means is that the music uses the overtone spectrum, i.e.
> > > pure ratios.
> > >
> > > https://bastillemusique.bandcamp.com/album/hugues-dufourt-surgir
> > >
> > > As with Grisey, Dufourt also uses the piano heavily, such that these
> > > pure spectra are wedded to chromatic scales. As noted, I'm kind
> > > of ready to move past the piano.... And the Dufourt collection
> > > goes on to include pieces based on electric guitars as well... with
> > > no piano, sort of shimmering waves. These pieces are less like
> > > "classical music" but more intriguing to me. The "classical" pieces
> > > are appealing enough too.
> > I listened through "L'Origine du monde". I'd be curious to compare it to the million other 'origin of the world' compositions from 20th century and earlier. This one pulled off an interesting gamelan-like superimposition of doubletime/halftime rhythms in its last third, which did something interesting to my sense of time, in a way that makes sense for a physics-oriented 'origin of the world'.
> >
> > Partially inspired by this thread, I've re-started delving into François Bayle's late works, those made at his private studio since leaving GRM in 1996. The two most important multi-sectional works are probably "La forme du temps est un cercle" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-du-temps-est-un-cercle ) and "La forme de l'esprit est un papillon" ( https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-de-lesprit-est-un-papillon ). The sound palette at first still seems to have that midcentury-electronic kitschiness, but the attention to detail here as well as structure I find extremely engaging, and I continue to be really attracted to the philosophy of working totally and 'directly' with 'sound itself'. In 1999 Bayle wrote a piece dedicated to Grisey, which I guess connects Bayle and the GRM world a bit more strongly than I had thought to other contemporary currents.
> I like La toupie dans le ciel from Erosphère.
>
> The L'origine du monde is somehow inspired by the Courbet I think - I've got a book of Dufourt's writings and I'll check what he has to say about it later.

Enjoying the Sharespace violin piece here, composer is Roger Reynolds.The music is spatialised I think but it sounds OK in stereo.

https://rogerreynolds.bandcamp.com/album/for-a-reason

I'd love to see what the score of this looks like.

Roger Reynolds's website could be interesting

https://www.rogerreynolds.com/works/program_notes_brief.html

In article <4f99880b-ef87-435a-9e0b-69acaabeb3f1n@googlegroups.com>,
Andrew Clarke <andrewclarke437@gmail.com> wrote:
>Joerg Widmann. Viola Concerto (2015). Antoine Tamestit, members
>of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Daniel Harding. A recent
>live performance can be seen on the Digital Concert Hall.

I finally had a listen to the Harmonia mundi recording (from 2018)
this afternoon. Enjoyable piece... another to emphasize movement
& space (pace the most recent post else-thread...), generally
maintains (but not 100% of the time) a light texture for the orchestra
& the feel of improvisation.... But sentimental by the end.

In article <b9849247-c2f1-4607-a539-60a65ae01b61n@googlegroups.com>,
cheregi <elirkerry@gmail.com> wrote:
>Partially inspired by this thread, I've re-started delving into
>François Bayle's late works, those made at his private studio since
>leaving GRM in 1996. The two most important multi-sectional works
>are probably "La forme du temps est un cercle" (
>https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-du-temps-est-un-cercle
>) and "La forme de l'esprit est un papillon" (
>https://francois-bayle.bandcamp.com/album/la-forme-de-lesprit-est-un-papillon
>). The sound palette at first still seems to have that
>midcentury-electronic kitschiness, but the attention to detail
>here as well as structure I find extremely engaging, and I continue
>to be really attracted to the philosophy of working totally and
>'directly' with 'sound itself'.

I'm finally getting to these. I don't think Bayle had really
registered with me before as a composer, but I found _La forme du
temps est un cercle_ to be engaging in multi-faceted ways, and
intend to hear _La forme de l'esprit est un papillon_ soon.

(This is also music straddling 20th/21st centuries, if that matters.)

Clearly I should've paid more attention at some point, but I confess
to being put off by purely electronic music until relatively recently,
and then basically forcing myself to listen. But I've become more
receptive. It's still strange to me to think of fiddling with
command lines & dials as "working directly with sound itself"
though.... (I think of it more as working directly with wires &
plastic.)

On Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at 11:21:46 AM UTC+8, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> I'm finally getting to these. I don't think Bayle had really
> registered with me before as a composer, but I found _La forme du
> temps est un cercle_ to be engaging in multi-faceted ways, and
> intend to hear _La forme de l'esprit est un papillon_ soon.
>
> (This is also music straddling 20th/21st centuries, if that matters.)
>
> Clearly I should've paid more attention at some point, but I confess
> to being put off by purely electronic music until relatively recently,
> and then basically forcing myself to listen. But I've become more
> receptive. It's still strange to me to think of fiddling with
> command lines & dials as "working directly with sound itself"
> though.... (I think of it more as working directly with wires &
> plastic.)

Glad to hear it!

It's funny, I was pretty much put off by non-electronic music (or I guess more accurately, any music purporting to be 'a recording of a performance', as opposed to clearly being assembled from disparate bits of audio) up until a few years ago, and similarly had to force myself to listen to any of the classical or traditional music that now takes up most of my attention. Initially out of an interest in context and history...

Even now, what seems intuitive to me is either treating 'the track' entirely as a canvas for editing, manipulating, and recombining sound, per Bayle et al, OR treating 'the track' as: pressing 'record', and capturing one-take live audio from a performer. Anything in between, like a pop song with the impression of being 'a performance' but undoubtedly assembled from many sources, tends to seem arbitrary or disingenuous, even manipulative, at least initially. It's taken me a long time to accept classical solo piano recordings, for example, as a performer kind of self-directedly and retrospectively assembling takes towards an intellectual conception of a piece... or something like that

In article <c208714c-e596-4bd9-b0b8-07accda4a649n@googlegroups.com>,
cheregi <elirkerry@gmail.com> wrote:
>Even now, what seems intuitive to me is either treating 'the track'
>entirely as a canvas for editing, manipulating, and recombining
>sound, per Bayle et al, OR treating 'the track' as: pressing
>'record', and capturing one-take live audio from a performer.
>Anything in between, like a pop song with the impression of being
>'a performance' but undoubtedly assembled from many sources, tends
>to seem arbitrary or disingenuous, even manipulative, at least
>initially.

Yes.... I found purely electronic music off-putting in terms of
how to evaluate it, the choices involved, starting with creating
one's own sounds & timbres.... And although I've reviewed some
relatively heavily edited music in the general post-jazz space, I
also feel at least somewhat uncomfortable with anything that doesn't
seem like a "straight" recording.... This is ultimately all about
positioning the human element.

On Thursday, February 8, 2024 at 8:19:50 AM UTC, Todd M. McComb wrote:
> In article <c208714c-e596-4bd9...@googlegroups.com>,
> cheregi <elir...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >Even now, what seems intuitive to me is either treating 'the track'
> >entirely as a canvas for editing, manipulating, and recombining
> >sound, per Bayle et al, OR treating 'the track' as: pressing
> >'record', and capturing one-take live audio from a performer.
> >Anything in between, like a pop song with the impression of being
> >'a performance' but undoubtedly assembled from many sources, tends
> >to seem arbitrary or disingenuous, even manipulative, at least
> >initially.
> Yes.... I found purely electronic music off-putting in terms of
> how to evaluate it, the choices involved, starting with creating
> one's own sounds & timbres.... And although I've reviewed some
> relatively heavily edited music in the general post-jazz space, I
> also feel at least somewhat uncomfortable with anything that doesn't
> seem like a "straight" recording.... This is ultimately all about
> positioning the human element.

Electronic music gives the composer control over the instrument. The composer defines and creates the instrument. In a sense it's an extension of total serialism, where the composer specifies timbre, rhythm, pitch, duration etc.

Belatedly listening to a few things from Phil Niblock (1933-2024)
after his death last month....

E.g.
https://moderecords.bandcamp.com/album/brazil-84-audio
https://unsounds.bandcamp.com/album/looking-for-daniel

Niblock was a mentor for one of my favorite younger composers,
Catherine Lamb (who I've mentioned here a few times...).

I just started listening to a Chicago Symphony Orchestra recording;
“Contemporary American Composers,” conducted by Ricardo Muti. Composers
highlighted are Jessie Montgomery, Max Raimi (member of the CSO string
section) and Philip Glass.

—
Paul Goodman