I use to listen to foregin radiostations through my paraboleantenna, which
I have myself upgraded with homemade software and hardware to make the
radiolistening possible.  Some days ago I took in Muenchen, and I was
amazed -not only that the technique still works, but the music I heard
knocked my socks off.

I heard the start of the saison at "Musica Viva", and they started up on
a very high level, and every work was stunningly taken by the orchestra -
Sinfonienorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, which always was the standard
follower at these conceets - under the leadership of Peter Rundels, and the
energetic trombonist Mike Svoboda.

The premiere of the in Praha living 40 year old Martin Smolka composed
"Remix -Redream - Reflight", was followed by "Ttoorkh" by Yannis Xenakis,
and "Le Partage des Eaux" by the French spektralacter Tristan Murail -
two almostclassics of the orchestratechnique a la the 1990ies.  Great
concurrence of course, but Smolkas microtonal soundcanvas, which is rooted
inj the classics, stand out as something original.  He has snapped up some
romantic-classic finalaccords, and set the rest of his material in a
minimalistic pattern developing into those endings.  "Remix, Redream,
Refight" is an abivalent work though, no solid ground here.

Then it was possible to hear that the audience had bigger trouble with
Xenakis virtuoso trombonconcert "Troorkh".  I almost all his pieces Xenakis
starts with a direct, clear soundimpression.  So here also.  The image is
the brass exposing theirself and the response from the orchestra thereto.
To match the 89-headed orchestra the trombonist has much to do to potence
the different clusters.  Harmonically it is more apparent in this work,
than in most others that Xenakis once was in Messiaens school.  But the
energic playing from the orchestra and the reaching of the physician limits
in Swobodas playing intertwined nervously.

Beautiful sounding is then Tristan Mourails "Le Partage des Eaux", in
chrystalclear accords, the water moves in wawes, in thousands of details.
This music don't want to cause pains, not attack psychially.  It wants to
build bridges over all the tones between, and gives a strong feeling of
unity, all the details despite.

All in all, there is a great output out there after all.

Mats Norrman
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