Monday, 24 November 2008

Feldman

Alex Ross over at Therestisnoise has posted a few moments of Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel. If this doesn't convince you of the joy of modern music, nothing ever will. The first instrument is a viola, that underestimated but noble plank. 

I can't help thinking that in this snippet, it sounds very like the opening theme of Vaughan Williams's Flos Campi, a far more beautiful piece than The Lark Ascending, although perhaps that's because the former hasn't been done to death by Classic FM (soporifically stealing your soul with music from bourgeois commercials: all your M+S favourites). I hate that station. It's the Daily Mail of classical music. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh hello Aidan
Owen put me onto this. Anyway, reading of violas, see if you can get a recording of Boris Pigovat's Holocaust Requiem which I saw the other week at a Kristallnacht commemorative concert. The form is essentially that of a viola concerto. The viola cadenzas are stupendous and the work as a whole is very moving. May be difficult to get hold of as it's a very new piece.

Anonymous said...

Hello Catharine,

My name is Sasha and I'm Boris Pigovat's son. Thank you for taking interest of my dad's music.
You can download his music from his website: www.pigovat.com/recordings.php

There are all 4 parts of Requiem there.

Best Regards,
Sasha Pigovat.

The Plashing Vole said...

Thanks Sasha - I'll have a look and tell Catharine too.
Yours,
Plashing Vole