[silence] Mode Bulletin 7.08

[Brian Brandt]

  Welcome to Mode's Seventh Bulletin of 2008. It has been some time 
since our last Bulletin. This is because of a computer crash which 
caused a loss of Mode's database, much of which has now been restored. 
Our apologies to anyone who receives multiple Bulletins or had asked to 
be removed from our mailing list. Please contact us and we will try to 
fix any problems.

Because of the delay in Bulletins, we have four new releases to announce 
(please scroll down for more details):
. *Lou HARRISON:* Por Gitaro: Suites for Tuned Guitars (mode 195,CD)
. *Iannis XENAKIS: *Kraanerg (mode 196, CD or surround sound DVD)
. *THE REVENGE OF THE DEAD INDIANS: IN MEMORIAM JOHN CAGE*,  a composed 
film by Henning Lohner with an all-star cast (mode 197, DVD only)
. *Frank DENYER: *silenced voices (mode 198, CD)
*
*


  *NEW ON MODE FOR JUNE: * 


Mode 195
*LOU HARRISON: Por Gitaro: *Suites for Tuned Guitars
http://moderecords.com/catalog/195harrison.html

    *Serenade  *(1978)
    *Suite No.1*  (1978-92)
    *Suite for National Steel Guitar * (1952/92)
    *Suite No.2*  (1978-99)
    *Ditone Set * (1978-2002)   first recording of reconstructed guitar 
version
plus BONUS TRACKS:
    I*nterview with Harrison and Schneider* on the guitar from 1981
    *In Honor of the Divine Mr. Handel* (1991) first recording of 
version for just-intonation guitar & just-intonation gamelan
    with the HMC American Gamelan, Bill Alves, director

John Schneider, /guitars
with /Just Strings: T.J. Troy, Gene Sterling and Erin Barnes, /percussion/


. Even though Lou Harrison rhapsodized about the "dulcet tones"of the 
guitar, for much of his career he refused to write for it. The problem 
was that the guitar's straight, fixed frets resulted in the tuning 
system known as equal temperament, while Harrison preferred the 
crystalline purity of harmony found in the types of tuning known as just 
intonation. In the 1970s, Harrison learned of a guitar with removable 
fingerboards, allowing the player to simply swap out fingerboards 
refretted with different tunings.
. Energized by this innovation, Harrison completed the first works for 
just-intoned guitar: the Serenade for Guitar and Optional Percussion in 
1978.
. He began the next work in the series, the Ditone Suite, but grew 
impatient trying to acquire the necessary fingerboards. Two and a half 
movements into the suite, he reluctantly turned away from his ambitious 
guitar project, adapting the Ditone Suite movements for his String 
Quartet Set.
. In 1981, the guitarist John Schneider met with Harrison and played his 
first arrangements of his harp works for just intonation guitar. With 
Harrison's authorization and encouragement, Schneider began adapting 
some of Harrison's other works into suites.
. This is the first complete recording of the reconstructed Suites and 
of the Ditone Set.
. The first recording of In Honor of the Divine Mister Handel in the 
version for guitar and gamelan.
. The recordings were made in Harrison's straw bale house in Joshua 
Tree, California, where the house's main hall was intended for musical 
performances.
. Latin Grammy^(TM) nominated guitarist, composer, author and 
broadcaster John Schneider is a specialist in contemporary music, and 
Director of the ensembles Just Strings, Partch, and founding artistic 
director of MicroFest. His weekly radio program The Global Village can 
be heard at www.kpfk.org.
. Liner notes by Bill Alves.

*Also by Lou HARRISON on mode records:*
*Marriage at the Eiffel Tower; Mass to St. Anthony; Easter Cantata; 
other works* --- California Parallèle Ensemble, Nicole Paiement, 
conductor.  (MOD-CD-122)
http://moderecords.com/catalog/122harrison.html
*For Strings* -- Suite No. 2 for Strings; Suite for Symphonic Strings; 
Concerto for Pipa with String Orchestra; Bits and Pieces. Wu Man, pipa; 
The New Professionals Orchestra, London; Rebecca Miller, conductor.  
(MOD-CD-140)
http://moderecords.com/catalog/140harrison.html


Mode 196  Xenakis Edition Volume 8 *
** Iannis Xenakis: KRAANERG (1968)*
/for 23 instruments and 4-channel tape
/Available as CD and surround-sound video DVD (mode 196).

Callithumpian Consort
Stephen Drury, conductor

*/First recording with restored analog tape/*

/"It is a wonderful piece of music, enthralling, and one that grips the 
mind and the heart... (it) is one of the major ballet scores of the 
century".
--- Clive Barnes, New York Times, 1968/

Kraanerg is one of Xenakis' most popular --- and infamous --- works. A 
visceral and highly charged score for woodwinds, brass, and strings 
along with quadrophonic tape. The title, Kraanerg, is a composite of two 
Greek words: "kraan", meaning to perfect, to accomplish; and "erg", 
signifying energy.
. Commissioned for the gala opening of the National Arts Centre (NAC) in 
Ottawa, Canada in 1968, Kraanerg originally was the score to a ballet 
choreographed by Roland Petit with "op-art" sets by Victor Vasarely.
. According to Xenakis' program notes, the title also referred to the 
"current youth movements" --- 1968 was a significant year in modern 
social history --- and to his utopian vision of the upcoming "biological 
struggle between generations unfurling all over the planet, destroying 
existing political, social, urban, scientific, artistic and ideological 
frameworks on a scale never before attempted by humanity." This powerful 
statement can be felt in the music.
. The dramatic 4-channel tape is derived from a recording of the 
orchestra, where it is transformed and distorted. Its sonic textures 
kaleidoscopically expand the range of expression while at the same time 
remaining connected to the instrumental material.
. The 4-channel tape has been restored for this release from 
high-resolution transfers of the analog masters, revealing greater 
details in the texture and a wider dynamic range than previously heard 
on any Kraanerg recording. 
. 96khz/24-bit high resolution recording.
. Liner notes by composer James Harley.

*SPECIAL DVD FEATURES*
. First surround-sound release of Kraanerg.
. Presented with full video of the performance interpolated with 
abstract interpretations created by filmmaker Tim Chu.
. Mode returned to the 4-track analog tapes and remastered them for this 
release --- revealing previously unheard detail, clarity and extended 
low-end frequencies.
. First recording to strictly respect the silences indicated in Xenakis' 
score.
. *Interview* on Kraanerg's history featuring Xenakis expert James 
Harley with Gerard Pape (director of Xenakis' CCMIX studio 1991-2008), 
Françoise Xenakis (the composer's wife, author and media personality), 
and Veronica Tennant (a lead dancer in the ballet's premiere). [26 minutes]
. *Additional documentary on Kraanerg's tape* with German electronic 
composer Daniel Teige, with musical examples. [12 minutes]

*Also on Mode's Xenakis Edition:*
*. Ensemble Music 1* -- STX Ensemble/Bornstein (mode 53)  
http://moderecords.com/catalog/053xenakis.html
. *Ensemble Music 2* -- STX Ensemble/Bornstein (mode 56)  
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/056xenakis.html
. *XENAKIS:* Dämmerschein; Persephassa; La Déesse Athéna; *VARESE:* 
Amerique -- Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic/Izquierdo (mode 58)
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/058xenakis.html
. *Complete Works for Piano* -- Aki Takahashi (mode 80)  
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/080xenakis.html
. *La Légende d'Eer* (mode 148, CD or surround DVD)  
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/148xenakis.html
. *Music for Strings* -- Ensemble Resonanz (mode 152)  
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/152xenakis.html
. *Works for Percussion *-- redfishbluefish, directed by Steve Schick 
(mode 171/73, 3-CDs)  http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/171_173xenakis.html


Mode 197 DVD
* The Revenge of the Dead Indians: In Memoriam John Cage *(1993)
a composed film directed by Henning Lohner   

*FEATURING *(in alphabetical order):
Gary Burton
John Cage
Noam Chomsky
Merce Cunningham
William Forsythe
Betty Freeman
Frank Gehry
Murray Gell-Mann
Matt Groening
Rutger Hauer
Dennis Hopper
Ellsworth Kelly
Alison Knowles
Raymond Kurzweil
Edward Lorenz
Benoît Mandelbrot
Yehudi Menuhin
Marvin Minsky
Heiner Müller
Jean Nouvel
Yoko Ono    
Tomaso Poggio
Richard Serra
Shankar
Giorgio Strehler
Iannis Xenakis
Frank Zappa
John Zorn
...and others

And musical appearances by:
Frank Almond
Irvine Arditti
Stephen Drury
Margaret Leng Tan
Isao Nakamura
Percussion Group Cincinnati
Joshua Pierce
Marianne Schroeder
Frances-Marie Uitti
...and others


Director Henning Lohner worked with John Cage during his later years, 
including collaborating with Cage on his only film, *One11*. During that 
time, Lohner filmed interviews and footage with Cage, and after Cage's 
death decided to assemble some of it into this unique "composed film" 
based on musical principles --- a tribute to Cage, his thoughts, music 
and influence.
. The film also features 42 personalities -- from the well known 
(actors, architects, artists, choreographers, composers, theoreticians, 
writers) to the unknown (like street cleaners and market vendors) -- in 
"virtual" conversation with each other. The result is an unexpected and 
fascinating combination of intellectual thought, viewpoints and opinions.
. Revealing and unique interview footage with John Cage.
. Originally aired on German television, "The Revenge of the Dead 
Indians" receives its first commercial release here.
. "The Revenge of the Dead Indians" is neither documentary nor feature 
film. The thematic story development is a combination of "found" video 
and audio landscapes along with theatrically directed readings and 
interviews. Each scene of the film is complete in itself as its own 
narrative entity, yet simultaneously contributes to the linear 
progression of the story line.
. Lohner's goal was to honor the creative credo of composer John Cage, 
to whom the film is dedicated. Attention is paid to "forgotten" 
landscapes: places we overlook because they are the everyday and the 
ordinary.
. Concert performances incorporated in the film were recorded live 
during the "Musicircus" homage at Symphony Space in New York, November 
1, 1992, and at the John Cage music festival at the "Akademie der 
Schönen Künste" in East Berlin, August 1, 1990.
. This sound and visual material was edited to more than 1200 cuts 
before the final film length of 130 minutes was reached. The shortest 
scene has the duration of exactly one frame, the longest scene has the 
duration of exactly 4 minutes, 33 seconds.
. This newly recut version has been transferred direct from the 
digitally edited master.
 
*ADDITIONAL FEATURES*:
*. The film incorporates a complete video performance of Cage's infamous 
silent piece 4'33", created in Berlin by Cage and Lohner.*
. *Henning Lohner and Van Carlson in Conversation: *created especially 
for this DVD. The director and cinematographer speak about their 
collaboration on this film, along with a commentary track (approx. 20 
minutes).
*
ALSO BY HENNING LOHNER ON MODE RECORDS:
JOHN CAGE: One11 with 103:* a film without subject by John Cage, 
produced and directed by Henning Lohner.  Mode 174
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/174cage.html


Mode 198
*FRANK DENYER
Silenced Voices *

The Barton Workshop & others
Frank Denyer & James Fulkerson, music directors
   
*Woman, Viola and Crow*  (2004) 
*Two Beacons*  (2005) 
*Tentative Thoughts, Silenced Voices*  (2002-3) 
*Ghosts Again*  (2004-5) 

. Frank Denyer's music doesn't adhere to any easily-defined aesthetic 
prescripts, and the four recent works on this disc resist categorization 
and ready comparison to the work of other composers.
. The music on this CD is far from abstract, and the titles of the four 
works suggest as much --- being rich in imagery and association and yet 
resistant to simple narrative interpretation. 
. Sonically, the four works share a common sense of intimacy. They 
inhabit an extremely quiet sound world. They place as great an 
importance on the level of nuance --- in the strange quality of a 
particular microtonal interval, or a delicate shading of timbre, or a 
novel combination of instrumental and vocal sound --- as they do on long 
melodic lines or large-scale formal structures.
. In these pieces there are resonances (both sonic and associational) of 
sounds from the real world, or perhaps from dreams: breathing sounds 
(sometimes calm, sometimes sharp and disturbing intakes of breath); 
footsteps; knocking sounds; a crow call. These sounds exist on a kind of 
threshold, not immediately registering as music, and they subtly 
dislodge our listening from its familiar habits. The conventional 
instruments used here --- violin, viola, flute, clarinet --- hardly ever 
sound as they normally do, largely because the sounds they make are so 
soft, so disembodied, that they seem like voices of a post-holocaust 
civilization. Occasional fragments of melody drift past, seeming at 
times like imperfectly remembered snatches of something familiar.
. All four works present combinations of instruments that have rarely if 
ever been heard together before, offering totally fresh sonic images.
. Liner notes by Bob Gilmore.

*Also by Frank Denyer on Mode Records:
Faint Traces* -- with The Barton Workshop (mode 151)  
http://www.moderecords.com/catalog/151denyer.html


*CDS  *$14.99
*DVDS * $19.99

*SHIPPING RATES*:

*DOMESTIC:*
1 CD/DVD - $4 (First Class Mail)
each additional $1 per disc (First Class Mail)
*Delivery Confirmation* available for an additional 75 cents.
*_/with exception of Mode 189/192 - $10 per set./_

Insurance* available upon request:*
$2.25 up to the first $100 insurance, $2.75 up to $200, $4.60 up to 
$300. For insurance above $300, please ask for quote.
Express service available on request (Fedex, Express Mail, etc.). Please 
inquire for quotes.


      *INTERNATIONAL (excluding Canada & Mexico):*

*Number of CDs/DVDs * 	*First Class International Mail** 	*Priority 
International Mail* 	*Priority International Mail Flat Rate envelopes*
*1 * 	$7 	$24
	$13
*2 * 	$11 	$24 	$13
*3* 	$13 	$24 	$13
*4-5 * 	$15 	$24 	$13
*6-7* 	$17 	$27 	N/A
*8-10* 	$20 	$29
	N/A
*11-12* 	$26 	$30
	N/A
*13-14* 	$27 	$33
	N/A
*15-17* 	$28 	$35
	N/A


for more than 17 discs, please ask for rates.

** First Class Airmail* is not insured. Mode cannot be responsible for 
any loss or damage unless you request *Registered Mail (add $10* for 
Registered Mail to shipping charges listed).
With *Priority Mail*, insurance is included.
Other shipping methods available (Global Priority, Fedex, etc.). Please 
inquire for quotes.


      *CANADA & MEXICO:*

1 CD/DVD - $4 (Air Mail)
each additional $2 per disc (Air Mail)
As an option, you can request up to 30 CDs or 20 DVDs (or combination of 
both) with the Flat-Rate Box (insurance is included) for $27
*Insurance* available upon request:*
insurance: $1.60 for the first $50 insurance, $2.60 up to $100, $3.60 up 
to $200.
For insurance above $200, please ask for quote.
Other shipping methods available (Global Priority, Fedex, etc.).
Please inquire for quotes.
*
*


      * Please ask for rates on LPs.*

If you do not wish to receive future email bulletins from Mode, please 
contact us and you will be removed from our mailing list with our 
apologies.

Brian Brandt
mode records 



-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.mail.virginia.edu/pipermail/silence/attachments/20080615/e2a0ed16/attachment-0001.html