Comments for Stuart Estell http://stuartestell.co.uk Piano player Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:27:46 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 Comment on Getting to grips with Carter, part 1 by Stuart Estell http://stuartestell.co.uk/2010/01/22/getting-to-grips-with-carter-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-2259 Stuart Estell Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:27:46 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=289#comment-2259 Thanks for both your comments, Joe. Good to know that even Oppens isn't superhuman enough to play Caténaires twice! I did realise that the long chords in the first Diversion were in a steady pulse but hadn't done the maths to know what that pulse was! Given that Carter is so fond of providing preambles to his own scores it's rather a pity that he didn't go into that level of detail with the Diversions' foreword. I think I'm going to have to count it as written to work out the relationships and to get the hang of how it should sound, and then play it - rhythmically at least - by ear. Thanks for both your comments, Joe. Good to know that even Oppens isn’t superhuman enough to play Caténaires twice!

I did realise that the long chords in the first Diversion were in a steady pulse but hadn’t done the maths to know what that pulse was! Given that Carter is so fond of providing preambles to his own scores it’s rather a pity that he didn’t go into that level of detail with the Diversions’ foreword. I think I’m going to have to count it as written to work out the relationships and to get the hang of how it should sound, and then play it – rhythmically at least – by ear.

]]> Comment on Getting to grips with Carter, part 1 by Joe http://stuartestell.co.uk/2010/01/22/getting-to-grips-with-carter-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-2257 Joe Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:10:36 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=289#comment-2257 Stuart: Just saw your tweet about needing two brains for the Diversions. As for No. 1, just keep in mind that the basic pulse is 40. You don't need to count all the tied quintuplets and such. Just keep to 40 and work all the other stuff around it. Eg., on the first page, the half thr hslf note is given as 64. Multiply by five (for the quintuplets) and you get 320. Now divide that by eight (since he's tying the quintuplets together in groups of eight), and you get (ta-da!) 40 again. It works that way througout the piece. Forgive me if you already know this. It's one of the few bits of mathematics I've ever figured out in a Carter score. Stuart: Just saw your tweet about needing two brains for the Diversions. As for No. 1, just keep in mind that the basic pulse is 40. You don’t need to count all the tied quintuplets and such. Just keep to 40 and work all the other stuff around it. Eg., on the first page, the half thr hslf note is given as 64. Multiply by five (for the quintuplets) and you get 320. Now divide that by eight (since he’s tying the quintuplets together in groups of eight), and you get (ta-da!) 40 again. It works that way througout the piece. Forgive me if you already know this. It’s one of the few bits of mathematics I’ve ever figured out in a Carter score.

]]> Comment on Getting to grips with Carter, part 1 by Joe Barron http://stuartestell.co.uk/2010/01/22/getting-to-grips-with-carter-part-1/comment-page-1/#comment-2241 Joe Barron Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:13:50 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=289#comment-2241 >>there’s something unquantifiably and wonderfully right about Carter’s music. It might be fiendish, but it fizzes with energy and fun. Hurrah! Wonderful to know there's another fan out there who is "getting" Mr. Carter's music in the right spirit. To give you some encouragement: I saw Ursula Oppens perform Catenaires live at Symphony Space, NYC, in January 2008. It was the last piece on the program, and she performed brilliantly, of course. The audience gave her a standing ovation, and we weren't letting her go. It was obvious we wanted an encore. As I had been sitting in the front row, I caught her eye, pointed to the piano and mouthed the words, "Do it again." She shook her head at me and mouthed back, "No, it's too hard." >>there’s something unquantifiably and wonderfully right about Carter’s music. It might be fiendish, but it fizzes with energy and fun.

Hurrah! Wonderful to know there’s another fan out there who is “getting” Mr. Carter’s music in the right spirit.

To give you some encouragement: I saw Ursula Oppens perform Catenaires live at Symphony Space, NYC, in January 2008. It was the last piece on the program, and she performed brilliantly, of course. The audience gave her a standing ovation, and we weren’t letting her go. It was obvious we wanted an encore. As I had been sitting in the front row, I caught her eye, pointed to the piano and mouthed the words, “Do it again.”

She shook her head at me and mouthed back, “No, it’s too hard.”

]]> Comment on Honk by Stuart Estell http://stuartestell.co.uk/2009/11/09/honk/comment-page-1/#comment-2238 Stuart Estell Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:58:28 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=278#comment-2238 Thanks for such a thoughtful response - sorry it's taken me so long to reply to it. Yes, I think you're right - and am still quite enthused by the idea of ordinary bassoons plus a handful of contras. I'm going to have to write the thing, aren't I? A couple of months after I posted this, I'm still haunted by the spectral sound of big wooden tubes honking away antiphonally. Thanks for such a thoughtful response – sorry it’s taken me so long to reply to it. Yes, I think you’re right – and am still quite enthused by the idea of ordinary bassoons plus a handful of contras. I’m going to have to write the thing, aren’t I? A couple of months after I posted this, I’m still haunted by the spectral sound of big wooden tubes honking away antiphonally.

]]> Comment on Honk by CrazyComposer http://stuartestell.co.uk/2009/11/09/honk/comment-page-1/#comment-2119 CrazyComposer Fri, 18 Dec 2009 17:38:37 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=278#comment-2119 I'm glad you mentioned the logistical challenge of finding 20 contrabassonists to perform any composition or arrangement. Such a feat might encompass every bassoonist with an extra instrument (most contrabassoonists in orchestras being the second bassoonist ... or the one who happens to have the instrument if the orchestra isn't providing one) from across Europe (or the United States and Canada - depending on where the concert is) in order to fill the needs of the ensemble. That would be quite the logistical nightmare ... not to mention the reed-preparation party that would take place before (and after) the rehearsal. Speaking as one who HAS composed for unaccompanied bassoon I can say - with a fair amount of confidence - that your idea is not entirely impossible. Like the Villa-Lobos 'Bachianas Brasilianas No. 5 which is scored for a dozen cellists, an ensemble of sixteen bassoons and four contrabassoons would be far easier to fill (with players) than twenty contrabassoonists (I doubt if even New York has that many in the city ... why would they?). Four, on the other hand, seems reasonable, and would add a range of sound (no pun intended) to the other 16 bassoons that no other instrument would be capable of doing ... not even the tuba. Never turn down visitations from the muse; you'll grow impatient of the time between her visits soon enough. I’m glad you mentioned the logistical challenge of finding 20 contrabassonists to perform any composition or arrangement. Such a feat might encompass every bassoonist with an extra instrument (most contrabassoonists in orchestras being the second bassoonist … or the one who happens to have the instrument if the orchestra isn’t providing one) from across Europe (or the United States and Canada – depending on where the concert is) in order to fill the needs of the ensemble.

That would be quite the logistical nightmare … not to mention the reed-preparation party that would take place before (and after) the rehearsal.

Speaking as one who HAS composed for unaccompanied bassoon I can say – with a fair amount of confidence – that your idea is not entirely impossible. Like the Villa-Lobos ‘Bachianas Brasilianas No. 5 which is scored for a dozen cellists, an ensemble of sixteen bassoons and four contrabassoons would be far easier to fill (with players) than twenty contrabassoonists (I doubt if even New York has that many in the city … why would they?). Four, on the other hand, seems reasonable, and would add a range of sound (no pun intended) to the other 16 bassoons that no other instrument would be capable of doing … not even the tuba.

Never turn down visitations from the muse; you’ll grow impatient of the time between her visits soon enough.

]]> Comment on Listening In: Rach 2 etc by David Wake http://stuartestell.co.uk/2009/09/01/listening-in-rach-2-etc/comment-page-1/#comment-1612 David Wake Mon, 14 Sep 2009 06:18:25 +0000 http://stuartestell.co.uk/?p=186#comment-1612 Hi Stuart. Quite a coincidence bumping into you online after so many years! I was just randomly searching and came on your site. Anyway, you ask about better recordings of Rach's second symphony. A good one to start with, probably fairly easy to get, is Ormandy/Philadelphia on RCA. I just checked: it's on iTunes for $3.99. I'm glad to see you're still doing a lot of music of all kinds. Best, David Hi Stuart.

Quite a coincidence bumping into you online after so many years! I was just randomly searching and came on your site. Anyway, you ask about better recordings of Rach’s second symphony. A good one to start with, probably fairly easy to get, is Ormandy/Philadelphia on RCA. I just checked: it’s on iTunes for $3.99. I’m glad to see you’re still doing a lot of music of all kinds.

Best,

David

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