Important new Sorabji recording

[ahinton]

https://www.piano-classics.com/articles/s/sorabji-sequentia-cyclica/

Awaited for some time now, this fabulous recording of a fabulous piece in a fabulous performance is about to become available. Sorabji thought it to be one of his finest piano works and this recording is a must not only for Sorabji enthusiats the world over but for anyone and everyone who cares about the literature of the piano! Go for it!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

The Microwave Background Radiation hiss would be more interesting and you can hear that for free.

Thal

[ahinton]

The Microwave Background Radiation hiss would be more interesting and you can hear that for free.

Er - to what "Microwave Background Radiation hiss" might you seek to refer here? As I do not imagine you to have been given the opportunity to listen to samples of this recording, it is unclear why you appear in the absence of that to assume the recording itself to be sub-standard and, given your respect for Jonathan Powell's playing, I must confess to some surprise at your response here. Perhaps you might care to explain, for the benefit of members here.

Best,

Alistair

[lostinidlewonder]

Hahaha

[ahinton]

Hahaha

Not sure which bit's funny here but I doubt that it matters, really. What does surprise me is the cost of this product; less than £40 for a 7CD boxed set with a large informative booklet seems like the bargain of the decade to me.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

I can get a massage with a happy ending for £40.

[lostinidlewonder]

Not sure which bit's funny here but I doubt that it matters, really. What does surprise me is the cost of this product; less than £40 for a 7CD boxed set with a large informative booklet seems like the bargain of the decade to me.

Best,

Alistair

The funny bit is where you take everything quite serious and are unable to respond in a light hearted manner. Well at least I find it very funny, im sure you will post a response explaining how I am mistaken lol.

I also find it hilarious the interactions between you and thal over the years ^__^

I also find it hilarious anyone would want to use CDs these days too.

[ahinton]

I can get a massage with a happy ending for £40.

So more than the cost of this recording, then! (which I see now occupies position #2 in Amazon's hot picks - something that I would not have expected) - and you can have the recording delivered to your door whereas I imagine such a massage by a visiting masseuse would carry a premium...

That said, one would hardly expect a "happy ending" for a piece whose full title is Sequentia cyclica super Dies Iræ ex missa pro defunctis in clavicembali usum and, indeed, its cataclysmic closure, 503 minutes after its commencement, is indeed the very reverse of a "happy ending"; so be it. I also take leave to doubt that you would have a massage that takes 503 minutes (especially for a mere £40), but I could be wrong about that, I suppose...

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

The funny bit is where you take everything quite serious and are unable to respond in a light hearted manner. Well at least I find it very funny, im sure you will post a response explaining how I am mistaken lol.

But that hadn't happened by then. No, you are neither correct nor mistaken so your apparent anticipation would appear to be misplaced.

I also find it hilarious the interactions between you and thal over the years ^__^

We have had many and varied ones and I hope that we will have more, sometimes on musical topics and other times on other subjects, excellent fellow that he is!

I also find it hilarious anyone would want to use CDs these days too.

You'd have to address that to the record companies who issue them. The problem with streaming, however, is that the audio quality isn't what you'd expect from a well recorded CD and the booklet (a large one in this instance) would have to be obtained separately so, whilst streaming arguably has its advantages, it's no substitute; I expect that this is why record companies continue to issue CDs but, if you are uncertain, I suggest that you ask a few of them.

Best,

Alistair

[lostinidlewonder]

But that hadn't happened by then. No, you are neither correct nor mistaken so your apparent anticipation would appear to be misplaced.

Ahhh and there we have it, "you are mistaken" type response from mr hinton on cue. What hasn't happened by then? You think that thals response was to be taken serious?

I suggest that you ask a few of them.

This takes more time than reversing a midi so I dont think I would bother, certainly such actions are irrelevant to me although you seem to encourage that I seek information from them although I don't think it is worth my time, you may have to encourage me some more to bother about it all. I will still find it hilarious that people would buy CD's which seems a mutually exclusive response to what you are trying to encourage me to pursue.

[thalbergmad]

Unless you have got 950 gigabytes available on your hard drive, you will need to purchase the CD's.
This compostition represents the height of stupidity.
I doubt any sane person could stomach 8 hours of "noise".

[ahinton]

Ahhh and there we have it, "you are mistaken" type response from mr hinton on cue.

Where do we "have it"? I wrote "you are neither correct nor mistaken", which is clearly the very opposite of any kind of ""you are mistaken" type response" - nor, for that matter, was there any "cue" thereto.

This takes more time than reversing a midi so I dont think I would bother, certainly such actions are irrelevant to me although you seem to encourage that I seek information from them although I don't think it is worth my time, you may have to encourage me some more to bother about it all. I will still find it hilarious that people would buy CD's which seems a mutually exclusive response to what you are trying to encourage me to pursue.

I am not "trying to pursue"- nor indeed am I even interested in pursuing - an agenda to encourage you to approach record companies to ascertain their reasons for continuing to issue CDs; I merely pointed out that, should you require to source definitive information as to why they do so, they would be the organisations to ask, for it's not up to me. It makes no difference to me whether or not you do this or how much or little time it would occupy were you to do so.

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Unless you have got 950 gigabytes available on your hard drive, you will need to purchase the CD's.

Many people have at least that much space on their hard drives but, since the recording itself in .wav format (as I have had it for some time) occupies just over 5.2GB, your claim of "950 gigabytes" does seem a tad exaggerated - not that this is to discourage anyone from buying the CDs which, at not much above £30 for a 7-CD boxed set, represent a bargain.

This compostition represents the height of stupidity.

Your statement here is not merely non-factual but not even a personal opinion, since you have yet to listen to any of its half dozen or so performances; its value and credibility therefore speak eloquently for themselves.

I doubt any sane person could stomach 8 hours of "noise".

I don't disagree with you there (although most people tend to depend upon their ears rather than their stomachs when listening).

Never mind - have a Happy Christmas (and perhaps a happy ending as well); I'm sure that you deserve both!...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Your statement here is not merely non-factual but not even a personal opinion, since you have yet to listen to any of its half dozen or so performances

I have listened to some you tube clips which was more than enough. If i have to listen to the whole damned thing before being able to express an opinion, i would rather not have one.

Thal

[ahinton]

I have listened to some you tube clips which was more than enough. If i have to listen to the whole damned thing before being able to express an opinion, i would rather not have one.

Thal

Ok, then don't, but please don't pretend that you do have one!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Bog off

[ahinton]

Bog off

Sorry, but no.

Best,

Alistair

[ronde_des_sylphes]

Bog off

Buy one, get one for free?

...

of the massage, or Sorabji 

[opus10no2]

Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji Net Worth
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & much more details has been updated below. Let's check, How Rich is Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji in 2019?


 
Estimated Net Worth in 2019   $1 Million - $5 Million (Approx.)
Previous Year's Net Worth (2018)   $100,000 - $1 Million


It appears Mr.Hinton's hard work promoting Sorabji is paying off in the profit margins, respect! 

[perfect_pitch]

Alistair... I'm going to ask this as nicely as I can, but why do you promote this when you know practically EVERYONE ELSE in piano street is going to hate it.

You're like the one lone loony who stands outside parking lots shouting that the aliens are coming any day now... or that President Trump is really a lizardman wearing a lifelike suit with green blood.

[lostinidlewonder]

Where do we "have it"? I wrote "you are neither correct nor mistaken", which is clearly the very opposite of any kind of ""you are mistaken" type response" - nor, for that matter, was there any "cue" thereto.

We have it here on pianostreet. You are constantly correcting people, you have a very strong tendency do it, just have a look at your post history, its like 95% correcting people and trying to make them look like they are mistaken lol. Just see you wil respond to this with a "corrective" type response again lol. You just are unable to control yourself.

I am not "trying to pursue"- nor indeed am I even interested in pursuing - an agenda to encourage you to approach record companies to ascertain their reasons for continuing to issue CDs; I merely pointed out that, should you require to source definitive information as to why they do so, they would be the organisations to ask, for it's not up to me. It makes no difference to me whether or not you do this or how much or little time it would occupy were you to do so.

I said buying CDs is hilarious and now you try to make it seem like I should contact the companies to see why they are still selling Cds as if that is going to change my perspective of finding it funny. You just are unable to accept that I find it funny and think that I must somehow need to contact the recording companies and find some information, just let it go and accept people can find things funny and stupid without you having to tell them to try and find information that might help reduce that humor??

[lostinidlewonder]

Estimated Net Worth in 2019   $1 Million - $5 Million (Approx.)
Previous Year's Net Worth (2018)   $100,000 - $1 Million
t appears Mr.Hinton's hard work promoting Sorabji is paying off in the profit margins, respect! 

It also appears that the estimations are some 10x in variation from last year and now 5x value variation, wow so accurate looool

Alistair... I'm going to ask this as nicely as I can, but why do you promote this when you know practically EVERYONE ELSE in piano street is going to hate it.

You're like the one lone loony who stands outside parking lots shouting that the aliens are coming any day now... or that President Trump is really a lizardman wearing a lifelike suit with green blood.

lol you giving him more fire to use his "you are mistaken" type response. You will now see the light PP and see how mistaken you were an indeed EVERYONE on pianostreet is so interested in Sorabji or in fact, it doesn't matter that not everyone like it and those who don't like it are mistaken, in an hinton type way.

[ted]

It has always seemed to me that Alistair is a true music lover with an unselfish devotion to Sorabji's music of the same order as that of Fenby for Delius's. Maybe I am just a hopeless idealist but that is how I see it. Whether I happen to like Sorabji's music myself is largely irrelevant to the larger picture, although I admit I am increasingly drawn to it. 

[lostinidlewonder]

There are moments of greateness but unfortunately it is packaged with much more moments of musical drivel imho. Almost like a junkyard where most of the stuff is pretty useless but you can find some hidden treasures. You can reverse some of his music and it sounds similar to when it is played forwards, that makes me think that he probably wrote music one way and then use themes and patterns again by reversing and changing a few things. I don't really want to prove this by posting recordings and sheet music because that would be a waste of time

[ahinton]

Alistair... I'm going to ask this as nicely as I can, but why do you promote this when you know practically EVERYONE ELSE in piano street is going to hate it.

You're like the one lone loony who stands outside parking lots shouting that the aliens are coming any day now... or that President Trump is really a lizardman wearing a lifelike suit with green blood.

Not my problem.

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

We have it here on pianostreet. You are constantly correcting people, you have a very strong tendency do it, just have a look at your post history, its like 95% correcting people and trying to make them look like they are mistaken lol. Just see you wil respond to this with a "corrective" type response again lol. You just are unable to control yourself.
I said buying CDs is hilarious and now you try to make it seem like I should contact the companies to see why they are still selling Cds as if that is going to change my perspective of finding it funny. You just are unable to accept that I find it funny and think that I must somehow need to contact the recording companies and find some information, just let it go and accept people can find things funny and stupid without you having to tell them to try and find information that might help reduce that humor??

I don't run a record company so it's not up to me. End of.

As to "promoting" Sorabji's work and/or various recordings of it, I have no more idea who might like it here or anywhere else than I or any other composer can have any idea of how one's work might go down with audiences, not least because none of us can ever know who might be in those audiences. I merely tell people that things are there; it's up to anyone to do what they want to about it - including nothing at all. Pianostreet is by no means the only place where I write about such things.

Best,

Alistair

[gep]

Alistair... I'm going to ask this as nicely as I can, but why do you promote this when you know practically EVERYONE ELSE in piano street is going to hate it.

You're like the one lone loony who stands outside parking lots shouting that the aliens are coming any day now... or that President Trump is really a lizardman wearing a lifelike suit with green blood.

Perhaps he is promoting it for the benefit of those who do not "hate" music they never heard and never intend to hear because they have decided beforehand they "hate" it? Perhaps he is promoting it for that fraction of people in Piano Street who actually know and enjoy this music, and would welcome the appearance of its recording? A fraction that might be bigger than you either assume or, perhaps, hope?
For that matter, I do wonder how many 'lone loony's there have been in the history of mankind, including the history of music, who turned out to be not just not loony, but actually quite visionary en exceptional, and how many - indeed many - highly praised people there have been who have turned out to be nothing special whatsoever?

I have had the great pleasure and privilege to attend one of Jonathan Powell's performances of this amazing work and found it quite amazing in every musical aspect imaginable. Mind you, I am absolutely no musician myself, merely enjoy listening to it, so if I, within all limitations, am able to fully enjoy all eight hours it took, how rich it must be for someone far more advanced in music than I am and who is sensitive to its language and invention.

Of course it is perfectly OK if someone has seriously listened to Sorabji's (or any) music and concludes in all honesty that he/she is not 'in tune' with the music. There is a fair amount of music I listened to, and indeed still do listen to (because I want to try to understand it), that I struggle to appreciate. But such is not a fault of the music, neither is it a fault of me. Nobody will be able to appreciate every kind of music or all composers. But simply reject a work and/or a composer you not even have the intention to listen to in any way is not 'taste'. It's not even sensible.

All best,
gep

[ahinton]

Perhaps he is promoting it for the benefit of those who do not "hate" music they never heard and never intend to hear because they have decided beforehand they "hate" it? Perhaps he is promoting it for that fraction of people in Piano Street who actually know and enjoy this music, and would welcome the appearance of its recording? A fraction that might be bigger than you either assume or, perhaps, hope?
For that matter, I do wonder how many 'lone loony's there have been in the history of mankind, including the history of music, who turned out to be not just not loony, but actually quite visionary en exceptional, and how many - indeed many - highly praised people there have been who have turned out to be nothing special whatsoever?

I have had the great pleasure and privilege to attend one of Jonathan Powell's performances of this amazing work and found it quite amazing in every musical aspect imaginable. Mind you, I am absolutely no musician myself, merely enjoy listening to it, so if I, within all limitations, am able to fully enjoy all eight hours it took, how rich it must be for someone far more advanced in music than I am and who is sensitive to its language and invention.

Of course it is perfectly OK if someone has seriously listened to Sorabji's (or any) music and concludes in all honesty that he/she is not 'in tune' with the music. There is a fair amount of music I listened to, and indeed still do listen to (because I want to try to understand it), that I struggle to appreciate. But such is not a fault of the music, neither is it a fault of me. Nobody will be able to appreciate every kind of music or all composers. But simply reject a work and/or a composer you not even have the intention to listen to in any way is not 'taste'. It's not even sensible.

All best,
gep

Loud cheers!

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

The Dutch Hinton has made a rare appearance.

[ahinton]

The Dutch Hinton has made a rare appearance.

And you make a mistaken assumption about the member's name...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

You and Gep must be related.

[gep]

You and Gep must be related.

Related, no; connected, I dare say yes.

[ahinton]

You and Gep must be related.

Gep is Dutch. You are aware of my country of origin. You seem now to be piling one false assumption upon another, for reasons best known to yourself if indeed to anyone...

Best,

Alistair

[gep]

The Dutch Hinton has made a rare appearance.

I will consider this an implied yet unjustified compliment!

Yes, it has been a while, but the soon-to-be release of the biggest Sorabji recording project to date (a 'record' I hope will be broken!) lead me to see if such was mentioned on PS. Of course it was (to my considerable pleasure), and various reactions from known sources were as predictable as I thought.
Not to worry, the immoveably mounted bells will clang as they are wont but the trains pass by nevertheless; this year will see four separate Sorabji CD issues being released, containing no less than 12 CDs in total, and on a personal note I can say there will be a most exciting Sorabji concert in the autumn I hope to visit. A most exciting 2020 awaits!

gep

[thalbergmad]

So on average that is 3 CD's per work.
These must be his shorter works.

Thal

[ahinton]

So on average that is 3 CD's per work.
These must be his shorter works.

Averages are irrelevant here.

1. Sequentia cyclica is a theme and 27 variations of widely differing length with a total duration of just over 500 minutes and whose recording will be spread across 7 CDs.

2. Toccata seconda is a work in nine movements that plays for around 140 minutes and will be issued on 2 CDs.

3. 100 Transcendental Studies will be spread over 7 CDs of which 5 are already released, their respective durations (to the nearest minute) being 71 minutes (nos. 1-25), 76 minutes (nos. 26-43), 80 minutes (nos. 44-62), 79 minutes (nos. 63-71) and 79 minutes (nos. 72-83); I do not yet have the durations of CDs 6 & 7 containing nos. 84-100 but assume that they will between them add up to some 150 minutes. However, each of these studies may be played separately (and indeed have been on many occasions) and they vary in duration from less than 2 minutes upwards.

4. Jonathan Powell's survey of shorter Sorabji pieces will comprise
      - Schluβszene aus Salome von Richard Strauss (1947)
      - 20 frammenti aforistici (1962)
      - Désir éperdu (1917)
      - Passeggiata variata (1981)
      - Fragment: Prelude and Fugue (1926)
      - Sonata no.1 (1919)
      - Le jardin parfumé (1923)
so will be a conspectus of works spanning some 64 years, the total duration of which will be less than 80 minutes.

Since the length of Sorabji's piano works has been called into question and raised in discussion more than once, it is perhaps worth pointing out - especially to those who seem to believe that this composer's music is all about vast durations - that, of the 61 that are known, 37 play for 55 minutes or less (most of them very much less) and so can fit into one half of a conventional length piano recital (as, of course, can all but one of the 100 Transcendental studies) - as indeed they have done on many occasions.

I hope that this puts matters in better perspective.

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

Here's the next one.

https://www.piano-classics.com/articles/s/sorabji-toccata-seconda-per-pianoforte/

Piano Classics in the Netherlands is doing Sorabji proud!

I heard Abel Sánchez-Aguilera play this in Oxford a year ago and it was a truly splendid performance.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Oh Gawd here we go again.
Another few hours of drivel

[ahinton]

Oh Gawd here we go again.
Another few hours of drivel

I'm unsure who "we" are or where "we" are going but it didn't take me anything like that long to read what you wrote here.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

Horse bollox

[ahinton]

Horse bollox

I've heard of "horse box" but never with those extra three letters...

Best,

Alistair

[brogers70]

Oh Gawd here we go again.
Another few hours of drivel

Wait, is there someone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to listen to every Sorabji link that Alistair posts?

[ahinton]

Wait, is there someone holding a gun to your head, forcing you to listen to every Sorabji link that Alistair posts?

In the most unlikely event that there is (and, if so, may I urge the gunperson to put down his/her weapon immediately), I hasten to assure members that it is not me!

Best,

Alistair

[themeandvariation]

Listened to the first piece in Sequentia .  Sumptuous and elegant, with a wonderfully natural approach to the rhythmical asymmetries.  For those that feel 'impressionistically' challenged, they can just hiss, and radiate
 

[gep]

Listened to the first piece in Sinquentia .  Sumptuous and elegant, with a wonderfully natural approach to the rhythmical asymmetries.  For those that feel 'impressionistically' challenged, they can just hiss, and radiate

Well said, well said indeed! Quite interesting what people who do actually listen to this music think of it! May I suggest Variation X, XIII and XIV especially, if we are talking about 'sumptuous' here!

Referring to another - connected - thread, I might add that the first time real cosmic background radiation was detected, it was thought erronously to be just random noise caused by pigeon, err, fertilizer in the reciever. The hiss on the other hiss-dedicated thread I would say did and does come from such a pigeon-holed source... Or, as the composer himself so quite rightly said, “Insects that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sting".

[thalbergmad]

Revisiting the titls of this thread, is there such a thing as an unimportant new Sorabji recording?

[ahinton]

Revisiting the titls of this thread, is there such a thing as an unimportant new Sorabji recording?

I wouldn't say so but, given that
a) the piece to which it refers in the first instance is one of the peaks of the composer's near-70-year output
b) there has been an unfortunate long delay in its release (which is not the fault of the record company now releasing it) and
c) the ways in which Jonathan Powell has met all of the many challenges of so monumental a work have to be heard to be believed,
its importance is not, I submit, to be denied.

I stress that my remarks address not only the piece itself but also the phenomenal pianism which I imagine to be of immense interest in its own right to those who care about great piano playing, whatever their musical preferences might be; indeed, one listener has told me that, although he has never greatly cared for Sorabji's music, he acquired these CDs because, having listened to extracts from the work, he had never heard finer piano playing from anyone.

Best,

Alistair

[ahinton]

as the composer himself so quite rightly said, "Insects that are merely noisome like to think that they can also sting"

Indeed - and as a Sorabji scholar once said to me (thinking of "The Three Tenors" phenomenon that was current at the time), "tenors that are merely noisome like that think that they can also sing"...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

So this garbage represents the "peak" of his output.
God help us.

[ahinton]

So this garbage represents the "peak" of his output.

No. I made no reference to any "garbage". I did, however, make one to "one of" the peaks of his output.

God help us.

I didn't think that you believed in God (but perhaps I am either wrong or out of date on this); that aside, however, with what in particular might you be inviting God to help "us" (whoever "us" are)?

Best,

Alistair