WEBSITE REVISIT OF THE WEEK-OTHER MINDS MUSIC

Here in the Bay Area, we are fortunate to be in the midst of a myriad of musicians. The music scene here is so plentiful and vibrant it is impossible for me to go out and see so many live performances. One of my favorite local music providers is Other Minds. I encourage you to check out the offerings at their site, especially Radio OM. Radio OM offerings include interviews with some of the most influential composers of our time including Lou Harrison, Brian Eno, John Cage, Laurie Anderson, György Ligeti, and Anthony Braxton. Here are just a few samples of the audio available:

Morning Concert A Concert In Honor of Terry Riley on his 50th Birthday In San Francisco in 1964, the world premiere of Terry Riley’s “In C” spawned a movement that literally changed the face of modern music.

Ben Johnston: Symposium Ben Johnston delivers an autobiographical lecture describing his early music influences, including Harry Partch, as part of a symposium held at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro.

Ode To Gravity A Concert from Pier 2 with Stuart Dempster & Bill Fontana Trombonist virtuoso Stuart Dempster, the master of the sewer pipe didjeridu, performs live from San Francisco’s Fort Mason’s Pier 2.

A Concert in Honor of Gerhard Samuel A concert given in honor of Gerhard Samuel, recorded February 1, 1971 at the Fireman’s Fund Theater in San Francisco.

Speaking of Music Frederic Rzewski, 1989 Recorded on January 9, 1989 as part of the San Francisco Exploratorium’s Speaking of Music series, Charles Amirkhanian interviews Frederic Rzewski, one of the most important American composer/performers of the late 20th century.

Morning Concert The Music of Peter Sculthorpe Peter Sculthorpe (born April 19, 1929, in Launceton, Tasmania) is one of the most renowned composers living in Australia.

Harry Partch: 30 Years of Lyrical and Dramatic Music A selection of songs by Harry Partch utilizing unconventional instruments and unusual musical scales. “Windsong” is an excerpt from the soundtrack for the film of the same name.

Other Minds also sponsors some creative and innovative concerts, like this one coming up in December :

Seance 3

sé·ance n. A meeting of people to receive spiritualistic messages.

OTHER MINDS in association with the Swedenborgian Church

presents A NEW MUSIC SÉANCE

Saturday, December 6, 2008, at 1pm, 4pm and 8pm

Composers of hypnotic, spiritual music to be channeled by Piano and Violin

in three concerts at San Francisco’s Swedenborgian Church

Swedenborgian Church, 2107 Lyon Street, San Francisco

Read about the performers here.

Tickets: brownpapertickets.com, or (800) 838-3006

Complete Program can be viewed here.

CONCERT NO. 1 (full program here.)
1:00 PM
BIRDS IN WARPED TIME
Solo piano works by Luciano Berio, Percy Grainger, Berkeley teen Dylan Mattingly, Meredith Monk, Per Nørgård, Tan Dun, and Lois Vierk, Violin & piano duets by Grazyna Bacewicz, Olivier Messiaen, and Somei Satoh, plus Steed Cowart: Blackberry Winter (world premiere)

CONCERT NO. 2 (full program here.)
4:00 PM
DEEP RIVER DREAMS
Music for violin & piano from 1904 by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, solo piano works by Samuel Barber, Morton Feldman, Mamoru Fujieda, Ingram Marshall (world premiere), and Olivier Messiaen, and selections from Sueos de Chambi by Gabriela Lena Frank

Special Presentation: RUTH CRAWFORD AND HER MILIEU (full program here.)
7:00 PM
Pre-concert Talk with Judith Tick, Northeastern University
Tick discusses the life and achievements of Ruth Crawford, and her place in a resolute group of “ultra-modernist” composers who flourished in the decades between the two World Wars.

CONCERT NO. 3 (full program here.)
8:00 PM
RUTH CRAWFORD AND HER MILIEU
Crawford’s Sonata for Violin and Piano (1924), Study in Mixed Accents (1920) and selections from Nine Preludes (1927-8), plus violin & piano duets by Johanna Beyer and Henry Cowell, and solo piano works of Beyer, Cowell, Dane Rudhyar, Lou Harrison, and Alexander Scriabin

SLIDING SCALE TICKETS (single concert / series):
SEER – $25 / $65
MEDIUM – $40 / $110
PSYCHIC – $60 / $170
Complimentary tonics and libations for all ticket-holders.
Series tickets on the Psychic Level include 6 PM buffet dinner with the artists.

Other Minds also runs a record label which produces CDs by contemporary artists.

And I forgot to mention the radio show!

Many of these artistscan be found here at the Leonard Library.

Lost works, last works [sound recording] / Conlon Nancarrow.

The life and music of George Antheil, 1900-1959 / by Linda Whitesitt.

10 + 2 12 American Text Sound Pieces

Living Room Music / John Cage.

Pangu’s Song / [Sound Recording] / Kui Dong.

Jon Gibson in good company [sound recording]

Repeating ourselves : American minimal music as cultural practice / Robert Fink.

Audio culture : readings in modern music / edited by Christoph Cox and Daniel Warner.

Again, enjoy your musical journey!