playlist - "off the cuff" wzbc - May 2, 2008

George ""off the cuff"" (NCP) May 2nd 2008, 7.00PM to 10.00PM

Played Artist Song Disk Year Label Note

7:04PM Arbol you travelled my heart inside out you travelled my heart inside out 2008 Lejos Discos
7:11PM Rothko Zurich Trains Bucolique Vol. 01 Arbouse
7:19PM Dorit Chrysler Sweden Monika Barchen: Songs for Bruno, Knut & Tom Monika Enterprise URL EMAIL
7:20PM The Radio Dept It's Personal Pet Grief 2006 Labrador
7:23PM Gas 1 Nah und Fern (Disk 1) 2008 Kompakt URL from 1996 first album
7:33PM Our Sleepless Forest Nomads The Wire Tapper 19 2008 Wire
7:38PM Snorkel The Conversation (Edit) The Wire Tapper 19
7:41PM Opto 5.10 am 2nd 2004 hobby industries
7:46PM David Kristian + Ryosuke Aioke 10 ghost storeys 2006 Cocosolidciti
7:58PM The Field over the ice From Here We Go Sublime 2007 Kompakt
8:14PM Gas 5 Nah und Fern (Disk 2) "Zauberberg" 2008 Kompakt from 1997 second album
8:15PM Mark Van Hoen Canyon of Descent Canyon of Descent unreleased mix
8:18PM Markus Guentner Altocomulus Opacus Pop Ambient 2007 Kompakt
8:27PM Main Maelstrom (K-RAA-K)3 Festival 2002 2002 (K-RAA-K)3
8:33PM Wim Mertens Shot One Shot and Echo 1992 Les Disques Du Crepuscule
8:38PM Les Hurleurs Il y a des jours Blottie 2003
8:41PM July Skies The Weather Clock The Weather Clock (EP) 2008 make mine music
8:47PM Lawrence Weiner Where it came from Fruit of the Original Sin (Expanded Edition) 1981 LTM
8:51PM Milenasong Streicheln Monika Barchen: Songs for Bruno, Knut & Tom 2008 Monika Enterprise
8:57PM Ghislain Poirier It's a War War War No Ground Under 2007 Ninja Tune
9:01PM Howie B Five Days Freezone 3 1996 SSR
9:07PM Gas 6 Nah und Fern (Disk 3) Konigtsforst 2008 Kompakt from 1998 third album
9:17PM Harold Budd Little Heart Avalon Sutra 2004 samadhisound
9:25PM Nine Horses birds sing for their lives Money For All 2006 samadhisound
9:32PM Gas 7 Nah und Fern (Disk 4) POP 2008 Kompakt from 2000 forth album
9:48PM The Berg Sans Nipple Melt Catalogue 2002 2002 Catalogue Records
9:56PM Richard Pinhas Iceland So Young But So Cold 2004 Tigersushi

playlist - April 11, 2008

George ""off the cuff"" (NCP) Apr 11th 2008, 7.00PM to 10.00PM

Played Artist Song Disk Year Label Note

7:02PM Drexciya Powers of the Deep Grava 4 2002 Clone
7:08PM David Kristian + Ryosuke Aioke 10 ghost storeys 2006 Cocosolidciti URL
7:23PM Lars Akerlund Volt (Extract) The Wire Tapper 19
7:29PM Mark Van Hoen vessel of light the last flowers from the darkness 1997 Touch URL EMAIL
7:33PM The Field over the ice From Here We Go Sublime 2007 Kompakt URL
7:37PM Tangtype Blank, Lackluster Eyes... Data Takes Over (Wire edit) The Wire Tapper 19 2008 Wire URL
7:45PM Obscure Celebrities Everest (Neue Mischung von KG) Gooom Tracks Vol. 2.5 2004 Gooom Disques URL
7:49PM Virna Lindt The Windmills of your Mind Moving Soundtracks 2008 LTM URL re-issue of Les Disques Du Crepuscule compilation
7:51PM Dorit Chrysler Sweden Monika Barchen: Songs for Bruno, Knut & Tom Monika Enterprise URL EMAIL
7:54PM Opto 5.10 a.m. 2nd 2004 hobby industries URL
8:08PM Arbol you travelled my heart inside out you travelled my heart inside out 2008 Lejos Discos
8:08PM Arbol nomi you travelled my heart inside out 2008 Lejos Discos
8:12PM Michael Rother Erlkoenig Fernwaerme 1981
8:19PM Band Apart O My Beautiful Song EP 1982 Crammed Discs URL
8:27PM Cosy Corner You Only Live Twice Moving Soundtracks LTM URL
8:31PM Barbara Morgenstern Wilderness Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom
8:36PM Yann Tiersen La Rupture Tout Est Calme 1999 Labels URL
8:38PM July Skies The Weather Clock The Weather Clock (EP) 2008 make mine music
8:44PM Penguin Cafe Orchestra the sound of someone you love who's going away and it just doesn't matter music from the penguin cafe 1976 EG Records
8:58PM The Durutti Column A Beautiful Thought (Pt 1) Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL
9:02PM The Durutti Column The Mothers and The Fathers Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL
9:07PM The Durutti Column A Wolf of the Steppes Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL
9:12PM The Durutti Column Interlude Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL
9:16PM The Durutti Column The Title On The Cover Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL
9:20PM Jay-jay Johanson Escape Poison 2004 Labels URL
9:24PM Aaron Martin & Machinefabriek Cello Recycling Cello Recycling/Cello Drowning 2007 Type URL EMAIL
9:36PM Ryuichi Sakamoto War & Peace Chasm 2005 KA'+B
9:41PM Unrecognizable Now between words In a cave or a coma 2008 perhlabel
9:46PM The Durutti Column Lullaby (Live) Treatise on the Steppenwolf 2008 LTM URL

Pelle Carlberg - "I love you, you imbecile!"

I love you, you imbecile!

Its Springtime and this song makes me happy.

recent articles of interest

Highly Recommended article in the new Vanity Fair about Monsanto and Milk Production as described in Sign and Sight:
"In a report that is bursting its sides with information, Donald L. Barlett und James B. Steele describe how the chemical giant Monsanto is using genetically altered seeds and ruthless legal action to bring the American grain market under its control. Now the company has moved on to milk. The company is using legal action and campaigns to fight all farmers who label their milk as free of the Monsanto-owned growth hormone rBGH. "On this issue, the tide may be shifting against Monsanto. Organic dairy products, which don't involve rBGH, are soaring in popularity. Supermarket chains such as Kroger, Publix, and Safeway are embracing them. Some other companies have turned away from rBGH products, including Starbucks, which has banned all milk products from cows treated with rBGH." (related: Organic Valley's FAQ)

Also of note:
Stanley Fish's recent blog entry on the soon to be published book about French Theory in America. (the comments alone range from the ridiculous to the sublime)

Elif Batumann writes in the London Review of Books about the Graphic Novel.

A good article in the Boston Globe about Helmut Lachenmann's music.

And last but not least, Beppe Grillo's blog.

until next time

Absolute Body Control / Wolf Eyes/ Martial Canterel / Carlos Griffoni - April 4th 2008

from the e-mail:
"This Friday, come on out to see a long WIERD evening of frozen cold electronics!!!

WIERD Records NYC and No Fun Fest Productions Present:

Absolute Body Control(1st ever show in the US!) : http://www.dirkivens.com/ , http://www.myspace.com/absolutebodycontrolbelgium
Wolf Eyes(Detroit) : http://www.wolfeyes.net/ , http://www.myspace.com/3801568
Martial Canterel(NYC) : http://www.mcanterel.net/ , http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=312255378
Carlos Giffoni(No Fun Fest/NYC) : http://www.carlosgiffoni.com/ , http://www.myspace.com/carlosgiffoni
DJ Pieter from Wierd Records

Friday April 4th, 2008
The Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St., Brooklyn, NY
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com
Doors 9pm, Show at 10pm, 18+
Tickets available at the Mercury Lounge and Music Hall Of Williamsburg Box Offices, Other Music, and all Ticketmaster locations."

***********************
Wierd Records

WZBC - Playlist - March 28 2008 - "Off the Cuff"

"off the cuff" (NCP) with George 03.28.2008 07:00PM to 10:00PM

07:00PM The Field "over the ice" from "From Here We Go Sublime" (CD) on Kompakt
07:04PM Air Liquide "if there was no gravity" from "Red" (CD) on sm:)e records
07:08PM Bertuf "Nebulon Number 3 (remixed by Margo)" from "Goom Tracks Vol 2" on Gooom Disques
07:12PM Arbol "01_29" from "you travelled my heart inside out" on Lejos Discos
07:13PM Arbol "my life is full of rivers and mountains" from "you travelled my heart inside out" on Lejos Discos
07:22PM Cluster "avanti" from "Grosses Wasser" (LP) on Sky
07:23PM David Sylvian "Pollen Path" from "Dead Bees on A Cake" (CD) on Virgin
07:29PM Our Sleepless Forest "Nomads" from "The Wire Tapper 19" on Wire
07:33PM DDamage "Boggle" from "Active Suspension vs Clapping Music"
07:36PM Eglantine Gouzy & Landini "L.A." from "Monika Barchen: Songs for Bruno, Knut & Tom" on Monika Enterprise
07:40PM Snorkel "The Conversation (Edit)" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
07:43PM Ghislain Poirier "It's a War War War" from "No Ground Under" (CD) on Ninja Tune
07:48PM Adrian Sherwood "two versions of the future" from "becoming a cliche" on Real World
07:52PM Desormais "broken images and packets of light" from "Iambrokenandremadeiambroken..." (CD) on intr_version
07:57PM Nico Muhly "Mothertongue - Section 2" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
08:04PM Robert Lippok "The heart of Nuut picked by the Crows of Neu Koeln" from "Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom" on Monika Enterprise
08:08PM Robert Wyatt "A Beautiful Peace" from "Comicopera" (CD) on Domino
08:09PM Dislocation Dance "San Michelle" from "Midnight Shift"
08:14PM Kaffe Matthews "Man Being Butterflies (extract)" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
08:17PM Gabrielle Lazure "Children's Tale" from "From Brussels With Love" on Les Disques Du Crepuscule
08:20PM Dorit Chrysler "Sweden" from "Monika Barchen: Songs for Bruno, Knut & Tom" on Monika Enterprise
08:24PM Illusion of Safety "Wherewithall (For Lauren)" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
08:37PM Arbol "you travelled my heart inside out" from "you travelled my heart inside out" on Lejos Discos
08:38PM Alexei Borisov & Anton Nikkila "Engineer Strepetov's Curve (live excerpt)" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
08:39PM Gudrun Gut "Monika in Polen" from "Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom" on Monika Enterprise
08:44PM Signal "wismut" from "Robotron" (CD) on Raster-noton
08:50PM Funkstorung "I want some fun (w Jay-Jay Johanson)" from "ViceVersa" on !K7
08:57PM Mark Van Hoen "Dark Roads" from "the warmth inside you" on Very Friendly
09:02PM Arbol "nomi" from "you travelled my heart inside out" on Lejos Discos
09:07PM July Skies "Branch Line Summers Fade" from "The Weather Clock" (CD)
09:12PM July Skies "Girl on the Hill" from "The Weather Clock" (CD)
09:16PM July Skies "See Britain By Train" from "The Weather Clock" (CD)
09:19PM Lars Akerlund "Volt (Extract)" from "The Wire Tapper 19"
09:22PM Martial Canterel "Listener Dead" from "Refuge Underneath" on Wierd Records
09:29PM Cluster "Grosses Wasser" from "Grosses Wasser" (LP) on Sky
09:48PM Harold Budd & Robin Guthrie "Snowfall" from "Music from the Film Mysterious Skin"
09:54PM Murmur "Description of the Between" from "Fermata" (CD) on Backporch Revolution

playlist for absent friends (wzbc - March 21 2008)

Fri Mar 21st 2008 7.00pm–10.00pm
R=listener request. N=music new at the station. L=local music.
Like everything else, times are approximate. Spinitron and this station are not liable for errors or omissions.
7:06PM Biosphere “Spring Fever” from Touch 25 CD COMP (Touch www.touchmusic.org.uk)
7:10PM Arbol “you travelled my heart inside out” (Lejos Discos 2008)
7:17PM Luke Haines “Rock 'n' roll communique No 1” from The Oliver Twist Manifesto
7:19PM Luke Haines “Oliver Twist” from The Oliver Twist Manifesto
7:22PM Luke Haines “Death of Sarah Lucas” from The Oliver Twist Manifesto
7:26PM Luke Haines “never work” from The Oliver Twist Manifesto
7:27PM Pan Sonic “Slovakian Rauta” from Touch 25 CD COMP (Touch www.touchmusic.org.uk 2006)
7:33PM The Durutti Column “Woman” from Someone Else's Party (Artful www.beggars.com)
7:41PM Robert Lippok “The Heart of Nuut picked by the Crows of New Koeln” from Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom (Monika Enterprise www.m-enterprise.de)
7:49PM Arthur Russell “Keeping Up” from Another Thought (Point Music)
7:51PM Ghislain Poirier “Diaspora” from No Ground Under CD ALBUM (Ninja Tune)
7:55PM Adrian Sherwood “two versions of the future” from becoming a cliche (Real World 2006)
7:57PM Brian Eno “This” from Another Day on Earth CD ALBUM
8:04PM Gudrun Gut “Monika in Polen” from Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom (Monika Enterprise www.m-enterprise.de 2007)
8:08PM David Fenech “le bruit des grenouilles” from Compilation BLOKHITON (UBIK)
8:14PM David Grubbs “show me who to love (live)” from (K-RAA-K)3 Festival 2002 CD COMP ((K-RAA-K)3 www.kraak.net 2002)
8:17PM July Skies “Branch Line Summers Fade” from The Weather Clock CD ALBUM
8:18PM July Skies “Girl On The Hill” from The Weather Clock CD ALBUM
8:22PM July Skies “See Britain By Train” from The Weather Clock CD ALBUM
8:27PM Purple Confusion “Return to Nassau” from the sound of the atom splitting CD ALBUM (Gooom www.gooomdisques.com 2002)

8:30PM Martial Canterel “Vichy Girls” from Views Beyond The City Walls (Tarantulla 2007)
8:33PM Vitesse “the saddest day” from A Certain Hostility (Parasol 1999)

8:37PM Arbol “nomi” from you travelled my heart inside out (Lejos Discos 2008)
8:41PM Infantjoy “Ghosts” from With (2006)
8:44PM Gnac “The Arrival of the Fog” (LTM www.ltmpub.freeserve.co.uk/ltmhome.html 2007)
8:50PM Tuxedomoon “Litebulb Overkill” from Desire CD ALBUM (Ralph 1981)
8:53PM Barbara Morgenstern “Wilderness” from Monika Barchen: songs for bruno, knut & tom
8:59PM Robert Wyatt “Stay Tuned” from Comicopera CD ALBUM (Domino www.dominorecordco.com 2007)
9:02PM Food “red algae” from Molecular Gastronomy CD ALBUM (Rune Grammofon www.runegrammofon.com 2008)
9:15PM Tara Jane O'Neil “This Morning” from in the sun lines CD ALBUM (Quarterstick 2001)
9:18PM The Durutti Column “Please Let Me Sleep” from IDIOT SAVANTS (fullfill 2007)
9:24PM Nine Horses “birds sing for their lives” from Money For All (samadhisound www.samadhisound.com 2006)
9:31PM Mark Van Hoen “Real Love” from Playing with Time CD ALBUM (Apollo 1998)
9:39PM Wim Mertens “multiple 12” from The Fruit of The Original Sin (Crepescule)
9:48PM Desormais “broken images and packets of light” from Iambrokenandremadeiambroken... CD ALBUM (intr_version www.intr-version.com 2003)
9:53PM Dissolve “Sunflower Search Engine” from Third Album for the Sun CD ALBUM (Kranky www.kranky.net 1997)

Steve Is Not Happy --

with respect to Scott McLemee's post.

off for a day of film in Cambridge

On this blustery day I intend to go for a walk about.

From noon on the Boston Underground Film Festival takes over Harvard Square.
I hope to see a large portion of today's films.

I'll let you know.

Tim Haslett RIP

Tim was one of the most knowledgeable and passionate people I have known. He was a very friendly guy, never pretentious and consistently hilarious. He will be missed deeply.

David Day's piece on Tim in the Weekly Dig.
From MSU State News -- Obituary.
A good post at moodmat, one on mudd up!, sQuare Productions, there is also a tribute as detailed on wayneandwax at the Enormous Room.

"Monday night, March 24, 9pm-1am, music in the spirit of Tim.
If you’re a local DJ type who knew him, come on out and bring a few rekkids Tim woulda liked.
Beat Research
Mondays at the Enormous Room with residents DJ Flack and Wayne and Wax
567 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA
9pm to 1am, 21 plus, Free"


A few of Tim's Pazz and Jop lists on the Village Voice site from 2000 , 2002, 2003, 2004
I'd nearly forgotten how much he loved the Pernice Brothers.

There will be a memorial service Friday, March 21st at the Friends Meeting, 5 Long Fellow Park (off Brattle, near Harvard Square) at 3PM.

There has been too much death about lately. I wish it would stop.

UPDATE:
audio tributes start tonight after 5pm on wzbc and Brian Coleman is coming in to do a special show on wzbc from 5-7pm this coming Monday, March 24, 2008.

UPDATE: Benny Blanco's blog has some Hardwired shows archived in his entry about Tim.

the greatest threat to music today

What's the greatest threat to music today?

Radio. Stations only play a tiny fraction of the music that's out there. If they would just open their doors and let all DJs choose their own records, it would encourage musicians to be more inventive.

-- Gary Numan, as interviewed by Laura Barnett in the Guardian UK yesterday.

100% agreement on this one-- luckily i have a show at one of the few radio stations in the United States that lets the DJs do just that. Non Commercial Radio is the only way to go.

new Durutti Column album "sunlight to blue...blue to blackness"

I just noticed Dave Simpson's piece in the Guardian UK's music blogs. Further down in the comments is this link to Hello Citizen blog featuring the attached artwork of the new Durutti Column album. I'd heard about it about a month ago but haven't seen the artwork until now. I think its brilliant, reminiscent of some of Ralph Gibson's work, real high contrast black and white photography. That said, i can't wait to hear the new album. A preview of the tracklisting can be found on the Kooky Disc site.

July Skies - radio - tomorrow night

Tomorrow night from 7-10pm EST (19:00 - 22:00), I finally get my radio show back after a month's absence.

I will devote the second hour of my show to the work of July Skies, especially the new album, The Weather Clock, and The Weather Clock (EP).

Stay Tuned.

the gift she gave to me

the gift she gave to me - its often difficult for me to think of something harder, something explicit and concrete, anyone who has followed my whereabouts for any period of time is all too aware of this. its all sight, all touch, all sense-impressions mixed with abstract thought-- the love of the idea over the reality. the manner in which one frames an event, no matter how ridiculous. as long as it has an over arching purpose, or is explicitly the opposite, strangely all surface, it somehow keeps my interest, it goes beyond any kind of rational inquiry. oh, how i wish it would warm up a bit, so i could go for a long walk without freezing, so i wouldn't feel so housebound all the time. the inquiry continues: i answer with my petty troubles, my upset, my sweet discontent. i keep my body within a certain degree of control, that is my ambition anyway- it probably is as far from the truth as possible. my mind goes away again dreaming. a few moments ago, as I was walking home, i wondered about nostalgia, and whether it is by definition somewhat sugar coated, my inclination is to say no, that would be too sentimental, too kitsch. nostalgia can have an endearing harsher edge. i try to remember the good times, but too often sadness is mixed with joy, too often what i wish for nearly comes true. i can sense when something isn't entirely right, or when it will meet my expectations up to a point. i know i shouldn't force the issue but there are times when, well times when i feel i need to push it just to get answers, just to learn, how to plan my next move, when to persist and when to sit and wait. i am reminded of the silent, color 8mm bits of Alain Tanner's "Dans la ville blanche" (In the white city)-- what a beautiful film.

Rainy Days in New England

I've been listening to the brilliance that is the new July Skies album, The Weather Clock, for the past week and a half. This isn't really a proper review by any means, as I have some work to attend to but can't do much of anything until the disc is over-- its too compelling somehow. At the moment, I could listen to the track "the Girl on the Hill" over and over and over again. It comes at the right point in the album (being track three) it is quite a gift to the listener. As I haven't been doing radio for the past month, I've been lucky enough to see some good friends occasionally. In the meantime, I've spent it reading, listening to music and watching some British tv. Programs I grew up with, like Death of an Expert Witness, the PD James story, with Roy Marsden as Adam Dalgliesh.

The disc is over now. I have to run some errands before the rain starts again.

parle moi...j'ai des choses a te dire

and so i wait and i wonder what might happen next. the feeling of distance overwhelms me. i make time by reading and exploring media-- its no excuse for pure experience. i am encouraged by this somewhat, considering the snow outside, the presence of words, the way she crafts a sentence or a tilt of her head. perhaps i finish books too fast-- i have to start another-- this inbetween time, when i'm not reading or focussing on something is too dangerous. i stop to wonder and think-- blurring the lines of common sense. letting my essence go for once-- out there, in the sunlight, taking a walk wondering when she might arrive again. current projects, apart from music reviews, include finishing "watching wildlife" by Cynthia Chris, starting "rogue male" by Geoffrey Household, starting a viewing of "Life on Earth" by David Attenborough, reconnecting with the world again. there are so few people i really want to see now-- and those i do live away from here.

the girl on the hill

Its already warming up out there. To the ones i think about every day- the ones who are filled with a bright light in their eyes. I wish things weren't so crowded here. I live in more of a a warehouse than a room at the moment-- at least that's what it feels like. I've got to run off now, walking to my next destination. The struggle for pleasure continues.


***************
Also of note:

I'll talk more about these soon-- as I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment;

ARBOL "You travelled my heart inside out" (lejos discos)

and this just in:

JULY SKIES - "The Weather Clock" along with "The Weather Clock (EP)" both on (Make Mine Music)

keeping up

i'm looking at a set of books, some i've purchased recently some that have been here for a while. i'm working my way through them one (sometimes two) by one. lately, i've been keeping myself informed on more topical things before delving into the specific. I heard the Berlin Film Festival wasn't all that hot. I've made a note about Suzie Templeton's animated version of Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf" appearing on PBS. I suppose I've been content to watch various world cinema at home and read. Its not that the cold has been excessively prohibitive, its more that I have been less motivated to go out and see people (with a few special exceptions). What does the future hold? More travel probably, less clutter, more open space.

(this is the best i can do without a good cup of strong coffee)

the music of Karheinz Stockhausen this Friday Night on WZBC from 6-10pm

This Friday night I am not doing my radio show.

That said, my friend, John Straub, is using this opportunity to provide you with
FOUR HOURS OF KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN

From John's e-mail:

Howdy,

I will be programming a 4-hour radio special on the music of Karlheinz
Stockhausen.

I can't really see very many people wanting to listen to this many
different Stockhausen pieces in a row for 4 straight hours. I am
sending this program so people can "pick their battles" if interested.

I'm concentrating on his recordings from the 1960's, with just a
couple earlier pieces from the '50's and one later piece from the
1990's.

6:00: I'm going to start with a 23-minute excerpt from Kurzwellen,
recorded in 1969. This is a personal favorite. Stockhausen's own
liner notes for the recording also put the piece into context by
looking back at a few of his earlier pieces that I'll also be
featuring, so I thought I'd read some of those notes as an
introduction.

~6:30: Gesang der Junglinge (1956) An early classic mixing synthetic
sounds with the recording of a boy's voice singing a Biblical passage,
"Chant of the Adolescents in the Fiery Furnace"

~6:45: Kontakte (1958-1960) - piano & percussion playing along with
pre-recorded sounds on tape. I'll play the 1st 12 minutes.

~7:00: Momente (1962-1964) Side 1 of the mid-60's vinyl release on
Nonesuch. A cantata for soprano, choir, brass, percussion and
electric organs. A lot of commentators emphasize how this piece was
about "existence in the moment and ignoring the past," which is seen
as a hallmark of Stockhausen's most famous work.

~7:30: Mixture (1964): Electronics with Orchestra. I'll play the 2nd
half of this piece which is a mirror image of itself.

Stockhausen spent a lot of time in Japan in 1966, which had a big
influence on his late '60's work. The next few things tend to be less
complex and seem to be striving towards some kind of electronic world
music.

~8:00: Telemusik (1966)

~8:20: Hymnen (1966-1967) - Electronic stew of various national anthems.

~8:30: Holger Czukay's "Boat Woman Song". This was my introduction to
Stockhausen. Czukay was a student of Stockhausen's in the early 60's
before he co-founded Can in 1968. This early solo recording from 1968
mixes shortwave radio signals from all over the world and recordings
of traditional Vietnamese and Cambodian singing. Obviously influenced
by Stockhausen's "electronic world music" especially Kurzwellen (Short
Waves). My interest in Can led me to this beautiful solo recording,
which led me to Stockhausen's Kurzwellen.

~8:40 Kurzwellen (1968) Here I'm going to play an excerpt from the 2nd
half of a 1968 recording. I will open the show at 6:00 with the first
half of a 1969 recording of the same piece. Performance of the piece
involves musicians responding to random short wave radio broadcasts.
The same timpani motif (a BBC station ID) happened to come over the
shortwaves during these two different performances. The different
reactions by the musicians to that identical stimulus is something
that intrigued Stockhausen about these two recordings of Kurzwellen.

~9:05: Helicopter String Quartet (1995) - Beginning in 1977,
Stockhausen spent most the rest of his life working on a 7-part
operatic opus called Licht. The 7 parts corresponded to the 7 days of
the week. Wednesday was one of the last pieces he completed in the
mid-1990's. His Helicopter String Quartet is part of that piece of
Licht. The Helicopter String Quartet involves each member of a string
quartet playing in a different helicopter with independent flight
paths. The musicians stay synchronized by wearing headphones in which
they all hear the same click track. The 1995 premier was performed by
the Arditti String Quartet. Here's a YouTube clip of a 2003
performance:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th_FUqsbaxo

~9:35: Talk about Stockhausen's controversial quote on September 16,
2001. The excerpt from the quote that stirred up the controversy was
that the 9/11 attacks were, "... the greatest work of art that exists
for the whole Cosmos."

I will read the full quote and discuss the context.

~9:45: I will sign off and play an excerpt of the new recording of
Stimung (1968).

Paul Hockenos on Joschka Fischer at CES Tonight - 5pm

Tonight at the Center for European Studies at Harvard University

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

5:00 PM - 6:45 PM, Guido Goldman Room

"Back to the Barricades: Germany's Raging Debate About 1968"

Paul Hockenos, Political Analyst and Author of "Joschka Fischer and the Making of the Berlin Republic: An Alternative History of Postwar Germany" (recently published by Oxford University Press) (reviewed by Anson Rabinbach in the Nation here.)
Paul Hockenos' piece: "Left Behind: Romanticizing Germany's urban guerillas" in November/December 2007 issue of Boston Review here.

CES Special Event, co-sponsored by the American Council on Germany


Reception to follow.

Contact: Jason Beerman
Email: beerman@fas.harvard.edu