December's Listening Picks

It would be tempting to put a load of Christmas music up this month, but seeing as this has been one of the busiest months for me in terms of listening to and learning about new music, I thought I’d just continue with the trend of including composers and pieces that have been inspiring me as I go!

Anna Þorvaldsdóttir - Aeriality

As part of studying my Masters, I have been having weekly listening sessions with fellow course-mates. This one was recommended by one such course-mate, and I think it’s absolutely fascinating. It’s a great example of the composer layering and building notes as sounds which create an atmosphere and a feeling which moves between different states. As you listen, notice how the pitches, thickness of texture, dynamics and instances where each part comes together or diverges affects your perception of the feelings and colours in the music.

Thomas Adès - Tevot

This one actually has a lot of similarities to the above, and was brought to my intention in a similar way! What I love about this is that looking at the score makes you think there’s going to just be a lot of noise, but in reality what you hear is a very delicately balanced, coloured and articulated texture. The way this develops is huge and exciting, with various elements coming to the fore creating harmonies, perhaps even a genre, you wouldn’t expect - but the seeds had always been there. I’d love to hear what people think of this one.

Nkeiru Okoye - Voices Shouting Out

Okoye’s music really blurs the lines between different musical genres, but always contains the same character. This piece is a clear example of that, and in just five minutes blends lyricism, energy, a level of quirkiness and some really captivating rhythmic patterns. To me, the music feels like it’s outlining something tangible, like a scene or location with various elements and sounds being introduced which contrast and eventually come together.

Tristan Murail - Gondwana

Given the free choice of looking into a technique that composers use, I’ve been looking at how this piece, and pieces like it, are put together. Each note, scientifically, actually contains lots of other smaller, higher notes which form part of what you hear when you hear an instrument play. The reason each instrument sounds different is because these notes appear at different volumes and levels. This piece uses this spectrum of sound and uses these overtones purposefully, writing them in, and then playing about with the way they are presented and whether they actually fit with the notes and rhythms they ‘should’. I think it makes for some really other-worldly listening.

Paul Hindemith - String Quartet No. 3

Judge me if you like, but I actually got a box set of all of Hindemith’s string quartets for my birthday this month, and I’ve been really enjoying them! I was familiar with some of Hindemith’s music, but not these. His music is often really quite complex, but also gives an impression of playfulness and vivacity, while pushing the idea of tonality to its very limit yet still sounding absolutely coherent. This leads to some really interesting textures, and it’s always really satisfying to track the development of small ideas through the music.