Sorabji's trascendental etudes

[iumonito]

I have never heard this music.  How long are the individual etudes?  Does each etude address a technical concept?  Do they have poetic or extramusical connections?

Does Jonathan Powell play this music?

What's the approximate duration of the entire set of 100 etudes?  How are they organized? Several sub-sets?

Full of questions today, ah?

[iumonito]

here, to get things started:

https://www.fredrikullen.com/sorabji.htm

[ahinton]

I have never heard this music.  How long are the individual etudes?  Does each etude address a technical concept?  Do they have poetic or extramusical connections?

Does Jonathan Powell play this music?

What's the approximate duration of the entire set of 100 etudes?  How are they organized? Several sub-sets?

Full of questions today, ah?

The length of the individual studies varies immensely - from well less than one minute (study 2) to almost an hour (probably - it's not yet been performed) (study 100). Quite a few of them address a specific technical concept. We are unaware of any poetic or extramusical connections. Jonathan Powell has so far played two of them, including one world première. Some of them have been played variously by the Italian pianists Carlo Grante, Giampolo Nuti and Nicola Ventrella, as well as by Yonty Solomon, Andrew Ball, Michael Habermann, Jean-Jacques Schmid and Alexander Abercrombie, the last-named of whom has edited 80 of them (the others having been edited by Marc-André Hamelin - 1-18 - and Simon Abrahams - 19 & 21); by far the most substantial contribution to performance of this music hasm, of course, been made by Swedish pianist Fredrik Ullén and, as another contributor to this site has wisely recommended, Mr Ullén's own website gives more information about them. He is to record the entire cycle for BIS, volume 1 appearing (hopefully) in about two months' time; we don't yet now when recording of the entire cycle will be completed and we cannot yet be sure of its duration, although it is anticipated to be spread over 7 CDs and probably exceeds 7 hours (we will have to wait and see!).

Best,

Alistair