Sorabji

[JohnOgdon]

This is a composer I am very interested in, after eharing Opus Clavicembalisticum by Jonathan powell in the purcell room. I am trying to find out more about him and his music. Anybody else interested in this music?

[allchopin]

The Opus Clavicembalisticum got you interested?  That's a piece of garbage that lasts 4 hours- I listenend to the 3rd movement and could hardly restrain myself from Shift+Deleting it- it sounds like random notes and chords with no direction.  I've never heard any of his other pieces, but I'm not sure I want to anymore.

[eddie92099]

I was considering going to that Purcell room recital as well, but didn't get round to sorting tickets out in time etc. I am very interested in Sorabji although I have heard literally only 20 seconds of his music. Maybe I will purchase the Ogdon recording...
Ed

[JohnOgdon]

Good luck trying to get hold of the ogdon recording! I have been trying for 1 year!

[eddie92099]

...good point,
Ed

[comme_le_vent]

The only music i have heard by Kaokhosru Shapurji Sorabji   is on marc-andre hamelin's 'The Composer-Pianists' cd. Its called "Pastiche on the Hindu Merchant's Song from 'Sadko' by Rimsky-Korsakov", its a beautiful arrangement of the simple sad tune, but with absolutely sumptios and delicious harmonic additions. It sounds nothing like descriptions ive heard of his other music, its not disgusting or nonsensical, sure its fairly dissonant, but its all very tastefully done and it preserves the same mood as the original.

[comme_le_vent]

What a name! the last post had a typo, its actually - Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji.....
And guess what he is!!........English!!!!
funny haha

[eddie92099]

Or British even...
Ed

[ravel]

i heard the same piece, pastiche on a hindu merchant's song  ,i didnt like it that much though, i mean it was ood, nothign great, however i am still intersted in his mu sic, unfortunately its hard to find his music,

[luda888]

anyone have a recording of ANY of his songs?

[dlu]

Ok, one of my top 5 favorite composers is Schoenberg and well to say the least I don't much care for Sorabji, I can sit through Pierrot Lunaire or his Piano Concerto but the opus cllavilisticljkashdjkflhajkl or whatever it's called just doesn't appeal to me. I think it would be a great accomplishment on your part if you could conquer that piece (4 hours!!!!!!!!) so good luck!

[DarkWind]

anyone have a recording of ANY of his songs?

Thank God I didn't send you Opus Clavicembalisticum, because I really don't want to now.

[Spatula]

wow that was so big I couldn't read it, so I'll keep bumping for bumping sake.

HI DARKWIND! (waves a silly hand in his direction)

[DarkWind]

wow that was so big I couldn't read it, so I'll keep bumping for bumping sake.

HI DARKWIND! (waves a silly hand in his direction)

Why hello there!

[luda888]

that was stupid.............

[.COM]

I couldn't have said it better.

[luda888]

yea

[luda888]

I NEED THE OC!!!!!!!!!!1

[Brian Healey]

There's a link to Madge's recording of the OC in another thread. Just search for it and you should be able to find it. It's pretty big download though. Took me like two hours.

I happen to enjoy Sorabji's music. Granted, I sometimes need to be in a particular mood to enjoy it, since it's not exactly something you can hum to (actually some of it is). I find Sorabji's music to be much more emotionally powerful than Schoenberg. To me, Schoenberg sounds like he's just using random notes (cause he sort of is, in a way). I actually hear compositional logic in Sorabji's music, but I guess it's not for everyone. I also find the OC to be a stunning piece of work, however I'll be the first to say that sitting through it for four and a half hours would be a challenge (let alone playing it!). But then again, I'd have a hard time sitting through ANYONE's music for four and a half hours, no matter who it is. That's a long time.

[Baadshah]

to the person poking fun at his name (admittedly it was last year), id like to explain that his mother was spanish and father (whence the magnificent name) was a Parsi from India, a minute Zorastrian community (population 70,000!) which fled the Islamic conquest of Persia in eighth or ninth century and settled in west India. this tiny community has also bestowed to the music world such greats as Farokh Balsara (aka Freddy Mercury) and Zubin Mehta.

As for his music, i used to have (no longer, alas) a recording of "the enchanted garden", or is it the perfumed garden, cant remember - its the iranian equivalent of the kama sutra! for someone with an appreciation for the scriabin-style aesthetic, after a few listenings, the music revealed its colours and originality. it is also impressively difficult, though difficult to know if the pianist played any wrong notes!!

[Brian Healey]

it is also impressively difficult, though difficult to know if the pianist played any wrong notes!!

I find that much of Sorabji's work is gestural, and that "right" and "wrong" notes are not a main concern. I think much of Sorabji's work deals with contours of sound. For instance, in sections of the OC where there is just a mess of chords all the place, I don't think each individual chord is of any importance. What's important is the overall contour of the resulting "collage" of sound. It's like in certain modern scores where the composer writes out only target notes and connects them with a black line. The black line means basically to just fill in with notes. The actual notes aren't important, so the composer doesn't write them. It's just a sound gesture. Sorabji's music is like this, except he writes out the notes. That's what it sounds like to me. Hitting wrong notes doesn't matter if the proper sound is conveyed.

[julie391]

still, i wonder how hamelin would record it

he is a stickler for accuracy

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

it is also impressively difficult, though difficult to know if the pianist played any wrong notes!!

I find that much of Sorabji's work is gestural, and that "right" and "wrong" notes are not a main concern. I think much of Sorabji's work deals with contours of sound. For instance, in sections of the OC where there is just a mess of chords all the place, I don't think each individual chord is of any importance. What's important is the overall contour of the resulting "collage" of sound. It's like in certain modern scores where the composer writes out only target notes and connects them with a black line. The black line means basically to just fill in with notes. The actual notes aren't important, so the composer doesn't write them. It's just a sound gesture. Sorabji's music is like this, except he writes out the notes. That's what it sounds like to me. Hitting wrong notes doesn't matter if the proper sound is conveyed.

This is the same thing I said on another thread. I could sit down and play the Opus Clavicembalisticum for an audience without ever seeing the music, and I'm sure most of them wouldn't know the difference.

-Ludwig Van Rachabji

[Op. 1 No. 2]

it is also impressively difficult, though difficult to know if the pianist played any wrong notes!!

I find that much of Sorabji's work is gestural, and that "right" and "wrong" notes are not a main concern. I think much of Sorabji's work deals with contours of sound. For instance, in sections of the OC where there is just a mess of chords all the place, I don't think each individual chord is of any importance. What's important is the overall contour of the resulting "collage" of sound. It's like in certain modern scores where the composer writes out only target notes and connects them with a black line. The black line means basically to just fill in with notes. The actual notes aren't important, so the composer doesn't write them. It's just a sound gesture. Sorabji's music is like this, except he writes out the notes. That's what it sounds like to me. Hitting wrong notes doesn't matter if the proper sound is conveyed.

I don't think that applies to the fugues, and a few other works in the Opus Clavicembalisticum. But in certain parts that's definately true.

[julie391]

still, what would hamelin do with it?

[Op. 1 No. 2]

still, what would hamelin do with it?

I hope we'll live to see the day. 

[mtmccarthy]

This is the same thing I said on another thread. I could sit down and play the Opus Clavicembalisticum for an audience without ever seeing the music, and I'm sure most of them wouldn't know the difference.

-Ludwig Van Rachabji

Then, when you finish four or five hours later, you would have people lining up to tell you how utterly astounding your performance was.

[Ludwig Van Rachabji]

This is the same thing I said on another thread. I could sit down and play the Opus Clavicembalisticum for an audience without ever seeing the music, and I'm sure most of them wouldn't know the difference.

-Ludwig Van Rachabji

Then, when you finish four or five hours later, you would have people lining up to tell you how utterly astounding your performance was.

That is, if they are still awake. 

- Ludwig Van Rachabji