The musikFabrik-built Harry Partch instruments throw up an interesting conundrum. I recall when the HP originals came over to London in about 1999 (?); there was much made then of 1) their fragility (presumably true) and 2) their irreplaceability (an assertion that played into the hands of their curators, but which now appears untrue). Not for the first time, there’s a knotty story about ownership and legacy to be told, I think.
That’s true, & furthermore there are questions that it may be worth raising in terms of authenticity, both in terms of performance practice as well as the instruments’ basic timbral qualities. i was discussing this with Lukas Hellermann after the concert, as he expressed concerns that these replicas may somehow be missing something from the originals. It’s early days, though, & there are still a few instruments left to be made; presumably a few years down the line, when musikFabrik actually starts recording these pieces, there may by then have been time to get greater certainty about it.
[…] come & festivals go, & Cheltenham—just like Bristol New Music a few months back—imaginatively opted to end not with a bang but on a high. It came courtesy of Norway, with the […]
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The musikFabrik-built Harry Partch instruments throw up an interesting conundrum. I recall when the HP originals came over to London in about 1999 (?); there was much made then of 1) their fragility (presumably true) and 2) their irreplaceability (an assertion that played into the hands of their curators, but which now appears untrue). Not for the first time, there’s a knotty story about ownership and legacy to be told, I think.
That’s true, & furthermore there are questions that it may be worth raising in terms of authenticity, both in terms of performance practice as well as the instruments’ basic timbral qualities. i was discussing this with Lukas Hellermann after the concert, as he expressed concerns that these replicas may somehow be missing something from the originals. It’s early days, though, & there are still a few instruments left to be made; presumably a few years down the line, when musikFabrik actually starts recording these pieces, there may by then have been time to get greater certainty about it.
[…] come & festivals go, & Cheltenham—just like Bristol New Music a few months back—imaginatively opted to end not with a bang but on a high. It came courtesy of Norway, with the […]
[…] work from Elliott Sharp called Sylva Sylvarum; his wonderful rendition of Sharp’s Foliage at Bristol New Music earlier this year makes this an unmissable performance. Apartment House will be performing Brian […]
[…] Sylvarum. A continuation of the idea that led to his earlier work Foliage (performed by Davis at Bristol New Music in February), Sylva Sylvarum features an ever-changing sequence of images—based on progressive manipulated […]
[…] in conjunction with its sibling work Foliage, which Davis performed at last year’s Bristol New Music festival. We also discuss at length Davis’ career, including his musical origins, the choice and […]