WEEK OF 080616: PHILIP JECK // R.STRAUSS // BEETHOVEN
Philip Jeck: Sand
I haven't listened to any experimental music in a while. I don't really know much about this person. I think the drones he makes are more electronic-based, but he apparently is indeed doing knob-twiddling and looping. I just wonder how much of it is analog. Maybe it doesn't really matter. These are nice shimmering soundscapes, not too sleepy, even a bit melodic at times. They are even dynamic enough to keep you interested, were you to sit and listen to them in an active way, unlike the passive way I tend to use drone music. They really struck an emotion in me during the week in rotation because of the heatwave we encountered late in the week. These pieces made me feel as though the air was thick and there was some sort of majesty to the Earth's extreme environments.
R. Strauss: Don Quixote, Op.35
I haven't listened to anything by Strauss prior to this, mainly because everyone says he was complicit with the Nazis, and that weighs in on my Holocaust-surviving heritage. But music is only what we make of it, and I must admit that I'm intrigued to hear what other non-opera music was made by the composer of the well-known "Also Sprach Zarathustra" tone poem. This tone poem about Don Quixote, a set of variations, is from around the period he wrote the famous "2001" piece. In high school I was obsessed with Don Quixote and the symbol of individuality; I wrote about him in my college entrance essay, in fact. But to be honest, I really don't enjoy the musical programs that get attached to wordless pieces of music; it's a bit limiting to the experience of the music. I don't think the program gets in the way of this piece. There are some fine moments, but unfortunately they are too brief, and are mixed in with a lot of ordinary music that likely has been a strong influence on film scores -- boring. I also don't see how these pieces are variations. There are definitely themes that come back, but the work as a whole is very scattered. I think it will be a while before I try another piece by R.Strauss.
Beethoven: Kakadu Variations, Op.121a
I'm trying to fit in a short piece by Beethoven each week, just because I love him so much. But in searching for the piece this week, I realized that his happy major-key pieces are representative of the high society that was supporting him. The Beethoven that most people know (regarding his frantic slashes, or desperate low and slow movements) is quite a different category than the music that I enjoy most. These variations sound great, but are not as arousing as the Eroica Variations nor as circuitous as the Diabelli Variations. I was tempted to remove the fluffy variations, but I think they serve as a nice contrast to the poles of grandeur and depression from which Beethoven vacillated.