Jazz pianist and composer Julian Joseph is at the Southbank Centre’s The Rest Is Noise festival to speak about the fascination of jazz and black music for composers such as Stravinsky. Here he talks to the Guardian’s Imogen Tilden about the Russian composer’s visionary classical work The Rite of Spring.
(Source: Guardian)
Kicking off tonight at Turner Sims in Southampton and continuing at London’s Southbank Centre is London Sinfonietta’s Landmarks, a series of concerts which explores some of the most important moments of twentieth century music. The concerts are presented in collaboration with Netia Jones/Lightmap, whose video projections between and alongside the music will map and uncover the context in which each work was conceived.
Olivier Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time
The first concert in the series looks at Olivier Messiaen and his Quartet for the End of Time, premiered in 1941 at Stalag VIII-A prisoner of war camp where the composer was incarcerated.
Olivier Messiaen: La Colombe; Plainte Calme; Theme and Variations; Quartet for the End of Time.
Webern and the Second Viennese School
The composers of the second Viennese School, and not least Anton Webern, influenced many of the composers of the second half of the 20th century championed by the London Sinfonietta today.
Anton Webern: 3 Lieder; Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 6; Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 10; Three Traditional Rhymes, Op. 17; Symphony, Op. 21; Three Small Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 11; Concerto for Nine Instruments, Op. 24.
Arnold Schoenberg: Five Pieces for Orchestra, Op. 16.
Alban Berg: Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5.
Repeating Patterns: The Start of US Minimalism
An introduction to the world of minimalism, tracing its origins in 1960s New York loft apartments and art galleries to a cult musical movement in the 70s and beyond.
La Monte Young: Composition 1960 #7; X for Henry Flynt.
Terry Riley: In C.
Steve Reich: It’s Gonna Rain; Clapping Music; Violin Phase.
Philip Glass: 1+1; Knee Play 2.
More details at the Landmarks page on the London Sinfonietta website.
Check out some images of designer Matt Willey’s beautiful promotional brochure for JazzFM on Eye magazine’s blog.
Happy Days is the first annual festival to celebrate the work and influence of Nobel Prize-winning writer Samuel Beckett, It will take place in the Irish island town of Enniskillen, in the heart of the Fermanagh lake district, where Beckett spent his formative years.
Events scheduled include: the first opportunity for UK and Irish audiences to see Joseph Kosuth’s installation ‘Texts (Waiting for-) for Nothing’ Samuel Beckett, in play; Dublin’s Pan Pan Theatre’s production All That Fall, Robert Wilson, directing and performing in Krapp’s Last Tape; Antony Gormley’s specially-commissioned Godot Tree; and a performance of The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars and Ensemble. There will also be several literary events, with appearances from the likes of John Banville, Antonia Fraser, Paul Muldoon, Edna O’Brien and Will Self.
Happy Days Enniskillen International Beckett Festival runs from 23rd–27th August 2012.
Find out more at the festival website.
Fact magazine picks 10 of their favourite sleeve designs from the 21 years of the Rephlex label’s existence.
Very clever idea, riffing on the logo of Philadelphia International Records, for a release marking the 40th anniversary of the legendary soul label.
(Source: demonmusicgroup.co.uk)
Currently showing at Peckham Space is The South London Black Music Archive, an exhibition by artist Barby Asante that aims to celebrate, preserve and investigate South Londoners’ personal relationships with moments in black music history.
The venue is transformed into an ‘open archive’ mapping objects which represent and explore the personal stories which comprise the fascinating history of the influence and evolution of black music in South London. Welcoming contributions from the public, this archive includes items such as books, magazines, concert tickets, posters, stories, records and CDs gathered and displayed with the reverence of museum pieces. Asante’s selected objects highlighting seminal moments in this history share the same platform as visitors’ objects and stories depicting their own experiences through music and memorabilia.
Barby Asante said: “The influence of black music on the development on popular music is often overlooked. Black music has also played a significant role in the development of British culture from the 1950s and this is a great opportunity to provide a platform for people to consider the significance of this cultural activity on their lives.”
To coincide with the exhibition, the design collective Åbäke has designed a limited edition 12” single, Legacy Tunes
The exhibition runs until 24 March 2012
The South London Black Music Archive
Peckham Space
University of the Arts, London
89 Peckham High Street
London
SE15 5RS
www.peckhamspace.com
(Source: hardformat.org)
The Jazz Scene, 1961 by Francis Newton (Penguin), cover designed by Alan Fletcher. As posted on Shawn Hazen’s great blog of 1950s–70s publishing design, Bookworship.
