Monthly Archives: September 2006

View from Olympus

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Tonight was the launch of John Psathas’ new CD View from Olympus featuring three concerti recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra with Pedro Carneiro (Percussion), Michael Houstoun (Piano) and Joshua Redman (Saxophone). Of course I had to get a CD straight away. Included is a DVD called Creating View from Olympus. WOW WOW WOW. I’m very familiar with the View from Olympus concerto and reasonably familiar with the others, but listening to this recording is as if they are new works. The standard is incredible. It is the biggest recording project ever undertaken here in New Zealand, and is absolutely amazing.

View from Olympus Album Cover

If there is one CD you have to get, it is this one. It is put out by Rattle Records, also available through SOUNZ, and for any more info I VERY VERY VERY STRONGLY RECCOMMEND you to go to www.viewfromolympus.com.

MySpace

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Flipping heck! MySpace is amazing. I’ve always heard about it, and maybe about a year ago I signed up for the normal MySpace, but didn’t do anything to it. Then maybe a month or so ago I changed to MySpace Music and started getting friends, and put bio up, and just doing everything you do. And lol, its wicked. I’m hooked. Have been getting emails from all sorts of exciting people. Anyway soon I’ll get some music up and things will continue to grow which is awesome.

SO VISIT www.myspace.com/ryanyouens AND BECOME A FRIEND.

NZSM Composers Competition 2006

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Well last night was this years NZSM Composers Competition Concert. It was … very interesting. I suppose I should start with my piece “No Ordinary Sun” – it was fantastic (of course I’d say that though). It was an extremely hard piece to put together for the performers, and it sounded great considering the amount of time that we had to put it together in. So they did extremely well. It was performed by far the best it ever has been, so I really couldn’t have asked for more. I think the complexity of the piece really paid off in portraying its nature and creating quite a unique sound world which I was pleased about. Had tonnes of great comments and feedback from various people afterwards, especially about the colours and stylistic elements of the piece, as well as the effectiveness of the percussion writing, so overall it was a good night. Anyway perhaps I shouldn’t say anything about the rest of the concert, except that Alexandra Hay’s piece was absolutely fantastic, I loved it, and it was the very well deserved and clear winner.

Orchestral Workshops

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I’ve been thinking about a few things to do with orchestral workshops. Firstly, some pieces make the orchestra do silly, cheesy or comical things which are musically totally unnessary. This is not saying things need to be “serious serious” … of course, but the ideas need to be set within a “real” musical context. I’ve heard a few things lately in pieces, but they just cheapen the music so much. Personally, I don’t feel as though its a joke to be getting the NZSO … for example … to do stupid things. I may be wrong … let me know.

Secondly, the lack of respect for the players has been driving me nuts. There have been numerous examples of composers during rehearsals talking condescendingly and with no respent towards the orchestra. This drives the players crazy. I was talking to a player in the Auckland Philharmonia, and they as well have had some examples of this lately.

I don’t know, I mean, these are professional orchestras, and it costs a HECK of a lot of money to have them operating. Also the players are often rehearsing for many hours on end. I guess I’m just wondering how necessary it is for the presence of these two elements. I just think that composers should fully respect any professional performers they are working with and they should treat orchestral workshops as a rare and an extreme privilege.

NZSO/TODD Readings

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Well well well. The latest NZSO/TODD young composer readings were great. They were on 7th and 8th September at Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington. The event opened with a dinner with the sponsers and also representatives from SOUNZ, Concert FM and the NZSO. This was fantastic to catch up with other composers who flew in from out of town for the workshops, but also of course to talk with people from the various organisations.

So … the workshops. There were some really outstanding pieces. Of course there is never enough time to properly rehearse the pieces, but most came out sounding really great. My piece was … good. It was a really hard piece, and I was really pleased how some bits were sounding, but disappointed about other parts. I’m happy with how the parts were written, it was more about having enough time to tighten things up with the orchestra. Anyway it should be a reasonable recording I get back from it so fingers crossed. It was commended at the end of the workshops so am pleased with that.

The workshop was brilliantly organised once again by Penny Miles. The new additions this year, sessions with instrumentalists and and the NZSO librarian were great. It was a great few days and I look forward until next year.

John Williams’ Original Film Scores

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OH MY GOSH!! John Williams’ ORIGINAL film scores are being published by Hal Leonard. Not arrangements or toned down versions, but the original ENTIRE scores as recorded for the films. So you can see his original compositions in their entirety. ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!!

I guess the catch is that they are costing between about US$380 – $500 EACH. Ahh well. If anyone knows any libraries stocking the scores (probably in America) let me know and I’ll see if I can get an interloan or something.

Thats got to be the best thing I’ve heard in a long time.