Tuesday, April 12, 2016
New Stuff: Wide Angle
I used to have a subscription of this "Quarterly Journal of Film History, Theory & Criticism" and I really loved its form and contents, but later donated my copies to the library of our local film club (actually I had founded and supplied that library). Now I felt some nostalghia and got me an old copy from an online used book store.
The Dead Girl (2006)
The clues to a young woman's death come together as the lives of seemingly unrelated people begin to intersect.
Intense, complex and harrowing study of the various lives involved or affected by a horrific crime; direction is speckless and the cast is superb.
Maltin***: "Intriguing if downbeat vignettes are linked by an overall rumination about violence toward women in our society. Writer-director Moncrieff offers her actors a superior showcase, and they're all terrific."
New Stuff: Henryk Górecki
Of course, with Colin Stetson's version of the symphony I had to get the origibal. To date, it has sold more than a million copies, vastly exceeding the expected lifetime sales of a typical symphonic recording by a 20th-century composer.
New Stuff: Colin Stetson
In Colin Stetson's own words:
"We all have those moments when we experience a piece of music that transforms us, and this was one of those moments for me. Over the years, I went on to listen to this record countless times, always determined to absorb every instance of it, to know it throughout and fully. And this dedication to a thorough knowledge of the piece eventually gave way to a need to perform it.
The concept was simple, and true to the original score. I haven’t changed existing notation, but rather have worked with altering instrumentation, utilizing a group consisting heavily of woodwinds, synthesizers, and electric guitars, as well as retaining an element of the orchestral in a string section of violins and cellos, which features prominent and decorated Canadian musicians Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire, Bell Orchestre) and Rebecca Foon (Saltland, Esmerine).
My approach was “additive”, in that I imagined certain sounds or parts, though not present in the original, were (to me) extensions of the emotional core of the piece. For example, the instrumentation is rounded out by the most extreme of those sonic/timbral/musical additions, the drum set. Performed inimitably here by NYC drummer/percussionist, Greg Fox (Liturgy, Guardian Alien, Z’s). My background and education in classical concert music is here, as well as a focus on group improvisation. The arrangement draws heavily from the world of black metal, early electronic music, and from my own body of solo saxophone music.
The result is an intact rendition of Henryk Górecki’s 3rd Symphony, though one which has been filtered through the lens of my particular musical aesthetic and experience."
New Stuff: Charles Bobuck
"Chuck", or "Charles Bobuck" was the primary songwriter for the group and released a series of solo albums (or "contraptions") under this name during the "Randy, Chuck and Bob" era. The member known as Chuck would later retire from live performance due to ill health in 2015, and ultimately would retire from The Residents altogether following the release of the Theory of Obscurity documentary film.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Posts
