The running order we were all handed on Saturday night showed clear signs of having been cobbled together in haste. For one thing, the order in which the individual performers chose to play some of the shorter pieces was often strikingly different. For another, the Braxton piece was actually announced as “Composition 69J” (although, admittedly, this may have been a case of Worby himself getting the title wrong). And finally, Evil Nigger would indeed have been a truly jaw-dropping achievement coming from the pen of a nine-year-old in the immediate postwar years…
As regards the instrumentation of the last of these, the Baroque-era analogy is a good one, in that the indeterminacy is both liberating and problematical. Given the drastic downturn Eastman’s fortunes took towards the end of his life, his own four-piano recording may well have fallen short of his original intentions (he’d surely have wanted to edit out those panicked-sound yells of “One, two, three, FOUR!”, ushering in each of the early recurrences of the refrain, if nothing else!). Perhaps Opalka’s conception of the piece is closer to the sounds Eastman heard in his head, perhaps it isn’t; however, one clear difference is the greater dynamic contrast in the three-quartets version, but also arguably a certain loss of aggression and drive because we’re not getting that characteristic piano attack. Also, Eastman’s ending is totally different, and even more of a surprise (indeed, I’ve sometimes wondered whether it really fits with the rest of the piece at all).
i don’t know if it was “cobbled together in haste”, but i was surprised at the whole presentation of this year’s mixtape – the mistakes you mentioned were part of it, plus the fact there wasn’t enough music to fill the two-hour live broadcast. Personally, i was disappointed there was so much time given to Camilla Hoitenga, whose playing i found very dull indeed. Weird concert programme too.
Thanks for flagging up the Eastman recording; i haven’t heard that so i’ll definitely be checking it out.
The running order we were all handed on Saturday night showed clear signs of having been cobbled together in haste. For one thing, the order in which the individual performers chose to play some of the shorter pieces was often strikingly different. For another, the Braxton piece was actually announced as “Composition 69J” (although, admittedly, this may have been a case of Worby himself getting the title wrong). And finally, Evil Nigger would indeed have been a truly jaw-dropping achievement coming from the pen of a nine-year-old in the immediate postwar years…
As regards the instrumentation of the last of these, the Baroque-era analogy is a good one, in that the indeterminacy is both liberating and problematical. Given the drastic downturn Eastman’s fortunes took towards the end of his life, his own four-piano recording may well have fallen short of his original intentions (he’d surely have wanted to edit out those panicked-sound yells of “One, two, three, FOUR!”, ushering in each of the early recurrences of the refrain, if nothing else!). Perhaps Opalka’s conception of the piece is closer to the sounds Eastman heard in his head, perhaps it isn’t; however, one clear difference is the greater dynamic contrast in the three-quartets version, but also arguably a certain loss of aggression and drive because we’re not getting that characteristic piano attack. Also, Eastman’s ending is totally different, and even more of a surprise (indeed, I’ve sometimes wondered whether it really fits with the rest of the piece at all).
i don’t know if it was “cobbled together in haste”, but i was surprised at the whole presentation of this year’s mixtape – the mistakes you mentioned were part of it, plus the fact there wasn’t enough music to fill the two-hour live broadcast. Personally, i was disappointed there was so much time given to Camilla Hoitenga, whose playing i found very dull indeed. Weird concert programme too.
Thanks for flagging up the Eastman recording; i haven’t heard that so i’ll definitely be checking it out.