To Alistair Hinton, the composer

[mephisto]

Are your piano-works written on three and 4 etc staves just like Sorabji`s music? And is it as difficult?

It would be pointless of me to buy any of your scores if they are.

[ahinton]

Are your piano-works written on three and 4 etc staves just like Sorabji`s music? And is it as difficult?

It would be pointless of me to buy any of your scores if they are.

The number of staves on which any piano music is written is not at all an indicator of difficulty. Most of my piano works are written mainly on two staves, but some passages are written on more than that.  My piano music is not, in the main, anything like as difficult as Sorabji's, although most of it is not easy and some parts of it may be regarded by some as difficult to play; such things are, of course, entirely subjective, as what may be hard to one pianist is less so to another. For the record, I would say that the hardest piano pieces I have written are the Fifth Sonata and Sequentia Claviensis, of which the latter is to be premièred in London on 11 November this year.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

of which the latter is to be premièred in London on 11 November this year.

Best,

Alistair

Yeh, and if you go to the premier, you get to meet me as well.

I am also thinking or arranging a massive booze up at "The Mad Hatter" afterwards.

Thal

[ahinton]

Yeh, and if you go to the premier, you get to meet me as well.

I am also thinking or arranging a massive booze up at "The Mad Hatter" afterwards.

Thal

Indeed - a bonus of inestimable value, to be sure! "The Mad Hatter"? Oh, call me any name you like!

As to your recent self-declared inability to deny your love for "Pianistimo", do please tell me - do you propose to bring her to the première as well (following your long-ago planned detour to Clacton-on-Sea)? - or is it simply none of my business to ask?

Best,

Alistair

[debussy symbolism]

Greetings.

Becareful Alistair, knowing Thalbergmad, he will most likely inveigle you into asking Pianistimo for a date. 

[ahinton]

Greetings.

Becareful Alistair, knowing Thalbergmad, he will most likely iveigle you into asking Pianistimo for a date. 

He may be very clever and he certainly has a strong sense of humour, but I don't think that he'll manage that somehow...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Best,

Alistair

Best,

Alistair

Seems like one of us has been on the drink already.

Thal

[mephisto]

I didn`t know brits did anything else

[ahinton]

Seems like one of us has been on the drink already.

Thal

Seems more like two of us to me...

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Seems like one of us has been on the drink already.

Thal

I didn't know brits did anything else

What?! This - from a NORWEGIAN?! I've never been so amazed in my life!

Best,

Alistair

[mephisto]

What?! This - from a NORWEGIAN?! I've never been so amazed in my life!

Best,

Alistair

We only drink in the weekends

[ahinton]

We only drink in the weekends

"We" here presumably meaning you and your partner rather than Norwegians as a whole - at least my own experience of the relationship between Norwegians and alcohol consumption (albeit quite a few years ago) was in many ways typical of the consequences of prohibition in the US, in that the restricted availability and high prices of alcoholic drinks in Norway resulted in the consumption of quite large quantities of the stuff, sometimes distilled with dubious legality (although, again, I should perhaps stress that this was mainly in the north of the country).

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

hic

[ahinton]

hic

transit (now perhaps I should save you the trouble of turning this into an inadvertently escaped substratum of the seemingly interminable word-association thread by adding "gloria" - without the "in excelsis Deo" that usually follows this...)

To return to the context provided by "mephisto", a North Norwegian once told me that the reason that they make moonshine there is that, for so many months of the year, the real moon doesn't shine at all.

Now quite what any of this has to do with the thread topic I know not; even my Grieg Variations do not at any point explore north Nordic alcohol consumption and the nearest that they get to that other digression immediately previous to this one in the present thread is that they end "pianissimo" and the "date" of completion is marked in the score immediately afterwards...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I will just get my dictionary out and reply later.

Thal

[debussy symbolism]

On a sidenote (I am sure that this may have been addressed earlier, but will anyway point out), I grew to like the clips of music I have heard on some site, featuring of course, your composition(s). I would greatly like to listen to your compositions as a whole.

Best.

[ahinton]

On a sidenote (I am sure that this may have been adressed earlier, but will anyway point out), I grew to like the clips of music I have heard on some site, featuring of course, your composition(s). I would greatly like to listen to your compositions as a whole.

Best.

Thank you. I presume that you know the catalogue numbers of the three CD recordings that are out there, should you decide that you want to investigate further. I'm sorry that there aren't more than that at this stage. If you happen to be around London on 11 November this year, I have a première of an 80-or-so-minute piano work played by Jonathan Powell.

Best,

Alistair

[debussy symbolism]

Believe me, I would dearly love to attend, but give the circumstance, can't do so. Which work is premiered, if I may so inquire?

[Etude]

Sequentia Claviensis.

Does Jonathan Powell plan to record the work at some point?

[ahinton]

Sequentia Claviensis.

Does Jonathan Powell plan to record the work at some point?

Yes, he does, but I do not have any details about this yet - sorry.

Best,

Alistair

[ian_j]

Alistair, where in London is this concert taking place?  I might try and palm off my parental responsibilities for a few hours and attend.

[ahinton]

Alistair, where in London is this concert taking place?  I might try and palm off my parental responsibilities for a few hours and attend.

It's at The Warehouse, Theed Street, Waterloo. It commences at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday 11 November 2006. Mr Powell will play Chopin's Polonaise-Fantaisie and Beethoven's Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109 before the interval and my Sequentia Claviensis after it. I hope that you can make it. Admission is by programme on the door.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Sequentia Claviensis.

Does Jonathan Powell plan to record the work at some point?

I will be wired up.

I'll get you a copy.

Thal

[ahinton]

I will be wired up.

I'll get you a copy.

Thal

Er - hang on a minute. Thanks all the same, but The Warehouse doesn't allow that kind of thing and, in any case, an authorised archival recording will be being made by someone else, so I will get a copy and may then be able to let someone else hear it. Furthermore, BBC may record it (although this is uncertain as of this moment). I'm sorry I cannot be more specific about when Jonathan Powell will record the piece, but record it he will, that's for sure.

Best,

Alistair

[dnephi]

Hic Transit Gloria of the World?

[ahinton]

Hic Transit Gloria of the World?

Er - pardon? Care to explain your meaning here?

Thanks in advance.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Er - hang on a minute. Thanks all the same, but The Warehouse doesn't allow that kind of thing and, in any case, an authorised archival recording will be being made by someone else, so I will get a copy and may then be able to let someone else hear it. Furthermore, BBC may record it (although this is uncertain as of this moment). I'm sorry I cannot be more specific about when Jonathan Powell will record the piece, but record it he will, that's for sure.

Best,

Alistair

I was joking.

Anyway, i expect you will have everyone frisked on entry to ensure no illegal recording equipment.

Thal

[ahinton]

I was joking.

Anyway, i expect you will have everyone frisked on entry to ensure no illegal recording equipment.

Thal

OK. Anyway - I won't do any such thing (it ain't my concert hall, for one thing) - someone else might, however...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Why do you often come into the chat room, but never say anything?

Thal