Ferneyhough at the Barbican

[french frank]

Full details have now been published of the Brian Ferneyhough Total Immersion event on Saturday 26 February. More details here.

Note also: "The BBC Symphony Orchestra continues its Total Immersion series with days devoted to Unsuk Chin on 9 April and Peter Eötvös on 14 May."

(Yes, where is Ferneyhoughgeliebte?)

[Martin]

That'll be quite a contrast to Mozart total immersion then, won't it?

[Mark Sealey]

Thanks for that, FF; one not to miss!

[Tragoedia]

I heard the piece about this on today's Today programme.

I'm with Ferneyhough on the matter of complexity; unlike him, though, I more or less gave up composing because of performers moaning "Ooh, it's difficult!"

What a shame Naughtie and the other guy had to have a little giggle about it.

[Dave2002]

I heard the piece about this on today's Today programme.

I'm with Ferneyhough on the matter of complexity; unlike him, though, I more or less gave up composing because of performers moaning "Ooh, it's difficult!"

What a shame Naughtie and the other guy had to have a little giggle about it.

Anyone planning to go? I was going to spend the day tidying (!!), looking for submerged objects. I might make the effort to go in the evening, but then ....

I don't know whether it'd be an enjoyable or interesting experience, but the excerpt on R4 this morning sounded OK - ish - I've heard pieces like that before.

Can we assume that most of the day will be broadcast at some time? Not much sign on the day, though the evening concert reappears on Hear and Now at 10.30pm

[3rd Viennese School]

"I heard the piece about this on today's Today programme.

I'm with Ferneyhough on the matter of complexity; unlike him, though, I more or less gave up composing because of performers moaning "Ooh, it's difficult!"

What a shame Naughtie and the other guy had to have a little giggle about it. "



Harrison! I thought you were still writing pieces!

I don't know what Naughty would make of my 12 note pop tunes so I record them on the keyboard.
And if the performers don't like it, tough xxxx.

As you once wrote!
3VS

[Serial_Apologist]

Having not heard much of Ferneyhough's music, I am much looking forward to this broadcast - not least to verify for my own feelings the extent to which this man's notorious reputation for compositional complexity is justified by the end results.

Until then, Ferneyhough comes across as a hark-back to the period of total-serialism of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Most of the composers of that period pretty quickly came to the conclusion that remaining faithful to the principles of idiomatic complexification ensconced in their compositonal procedures involved either compromise, in order to achieve some modicum of accurate performability, or turning to mechanical means of reproduction, with computers involved in speeding up the processes of calculation. Many turned back from ultra-complexity - some drastically choosing to disavow comp;letely their adherence to any modernist creed (post-Schoenberg) - (Cardew, David Bedford) - some following Cage in various guises - some incorporating randomness as an acknowledgement of the problem of the control freak in the Western art/music lineage, indeed the Western mindset - others turning to free improvisation. Ferneyhough seems to have stuck with his obsessions, however, if such they be...

S-A

[3rd Viennese School]

Ive only heard the Etudes Transendals (spelling?). I will hear the show as always. Which ever pub I'm in!
3VS

[bluestateprommer]

Is there the tiniest scintilla of a chance that these Brian Ferneyhough concerts from the Barbican will make it to Po3 / BBC iPlayer, for poor folk like me on the other side of the pond?

[Serial_Apologist]

Afraid I've no idea, BSP: the broadcast was of just one concert, of one and a half hours' duration, with intercommentary on BF and the pieces played.

[Bryn]

Actually it was the content of the evening concert, plus the 2nd String Quartet from an afternoon concert. Whether other items will turn up later is open to question, though the supposed policy at Radio 3 is not to put on works which are not to be broadcast.

[Trudge]

I think the only other work that could be broadcast is the Quatuor Diotima's performance of Sonatas for String Quartet. (And I would very much like to hear that again.) Only two other pieces were played live on the day, both by Guildhall students - Cassandra's Dream Song, as an interlude in a 'meet the composer' between BF and Tom Service, and Lemma-Icon-Epigram, at the start of a short concert of works by Guildhall composers. I don't think the BBC were recording either.

[silvestrione]

Is there the tiniest scintilla of a chance that these Brian Ferneyhough concerts from the Barbican will make it to Po3 / BBC iPlayer, for poor folk like me on the other side of the pond?

The String Quartet 2, and the full evening concert, ARE available on the iplayer: see 'Hear and Now', 10.30 last Saturday.
My favourite was 'Plotzlichkeit', rather than the 'wall of sound' La Terre est un homme' which Tom Service was so keen on.

[Paul Sherratt]

>>>I heard the piece about this on today's Today programme.



Not 'Breakfast' ?

[Nick Armstrong]

My favourite was 'Plotzlichkeit'

Referred to, I happen to know, by the orchestra (none too affectionately) as "Plopshite"....