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World’s Longest Piece of Music Performed in London

Colin Oettle — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:48:09 +0000

No One Alive Today Will Hear it End

A 1,000 minute arrangement of The Longplayer, a 1,000-year-long piece of music by Jem Finer, is being performed live at The Roundhouse in London. Until now, the piece had only been generated and performed by computers at The Lighthouse in Trinity Buoy Wharf in London. The piece began December 31st 1999 and will be completed at the end of the year 2999.

This performance takes place in a 20 meter circle where musicians play 1,000 year old Tibetan Singing Bowls arranged in six concentric rings. In 2002, Finer created an arrangement of the piece—he wrote a score for the musicians and dictated the proper arrangement of the instruments. And in case you were wondering, 1,000 minutes is 16.667 hours. That is 1.90132588 x 10^-6 the length of the complete work.

See the BBC article (and video) here.

CNN Top Story: Mozart May Have Died From Strep Throat

Colin Oettle — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:44:12 +0000

Researchers theorize that Mozart may have died as a result of kidney damage caused by strep throat. After analyzing data from the death registry in Vienna, scientists have postulated that “edema,” the listed cause of Mozart’s death, may have come as a result of untreated strep throat. Edema is the wasting away that could have also been associated with diabetes or cancer, however the spike in edema related deaths during the year Mozart died leads researchers to believe there was an epidemic of strep throat during the cold season. Check the full article for more info.

Of course, there is no definitive proof that verifies this theory, but it is nonetheless an interesting reassessment of the mystery Mozart’s death has created over the past 200+ years. Check out the original CNN article here.

Alec Baldwin to Narrate Philadelphia Orchestra at Saratoga

Colin Oettle — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:51:54 +0000

The Philadelphia Orchestra will begin its summer residence at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 5th at 8:00pm with a performance of Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” narrated by Alec Baldwin. As if an appearance by a Baldwin wasn’t enough, check the link to see what else is on the program.

The Philly Orch will also be playing the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Ravel orchestration of Musorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” Yefim Bronfman will play piano.

NY Times: Bard Music Festival to Explore Wagner

Colin Oettle — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 18:24:23 +0000

New York Times Music recently detailed the philosophy behind a Wagner-oriented festival to be held at Bard College. The Bard Music Festival is an annual occurrence at Bard College, and this year they plan to delve into the “Wagner phenomenon.” The festival begins August 14th on the Bard College campus, and the full article can be found here.

Classical World Mourns Loss of Sir Edward Downes and Wife

Colin Oettle — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:50:37 +0000

Renowned conductor Sir Edward Downes passed away simultaneously with his wife at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. Though the practice of euthanasia is heavily criticized in the UK, the media speculates no charges will be brought against the children who accompanied the Downes’ to the clinic. Although his passing has prompted discussion about euthanizing someone who was relatively healthy, I find it more important to simply recognize and honor the legacy of one of Britain’s most accomplished conductors. The telegraph has a very touching obituary I assure is worth the read.

Boston Symphony Opens Tanglewood

Colin Oettle — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:50:26 +0000

Unless You Count Steve Martin Playing Banjo in June

The BSO will open Tanglewood’s summer 2009 season on Friday, July 3, with James Levine leading an all Tchaikovsky—”blockbuster”—program featuring his Symphony No. 6 Pathetique and Piano Concerto No. 1. The full program for the summer is available here, which I would go into detail about if I were not on 56k dialup at the moment.

NY Times: Ancient Flute Offers Clues to Musical Past

Colin Oettle — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 04:52:19 +0000

Predates Band Camp By Thousands of years

The New York Times reported that a flute, at least 35,000 years old, was found in a cave in southwest Germany. The flute was created around the same time as the earliest known sculptures—an indication that the two art forms may have evolved simultaneously. This particular bone flute, archaeologists say, is the most complete they have found, possessing five finger holes. Along with other specimens, this flute suggests music may have been a widespread element of human culture around that time period. Until now, examples of instruments had been too scarce to confirm any suspicion on the matter. The Times speculates about the role of the flute—and music itself at the time—citing German archaeologists who said music “could have contributed to the maintenance of larger social networks, and thereby perhaps have helped facilitate the demographic and territorial expansion of modern humans.” Read the article at nytimes.com.

Two Nights Sold Out—Maazel Conducts Symphony of a Thousand

Colin Oettle — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 05:49:43 +0000

Grammatical Error in Title Goes Unquestioned

Lorin Maazel’s final performances with the New York Philharmonic span the nights of June 24 – June 27. The program is Mahler’s Symphony No. 8—the Symphony of a Thousand. The June 24 and 26 performances are already sold out, so if you’re debating whether to attend, don’t wait too long. Find the event homepage here.

Lorin Maazel Closes NYSE

Colin Oettle — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:44:07 +0000

Finds Gavel Significantly Heavier Than Baton

Lorin Maazel rang the closing bell of the NYSE today in commemoration of his reign over the Philharmonic. You can watch the event take place here.

The Sound Post Set to Settle Into Buzzing Classical World

Colin Oettle — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:01:25 +0000

Some Fine Tuning Still Instrumental in its Performance

The Sound Post opened its doors today, marking the launch of a new blog dedicated to bringing news and information regarding classical music to a global audience. We hope you enjoy your visit, and please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.