Achim Breiling <[log in to unmask]> replies to Jocelyn Wang:

>>Does anyone-- anyone-- in his right mind, regardless of his view of atonal
>>"music," actually believe that such an experience would have been enjoyed
>>by a single one of those kids?
>
>Yes I certainly do, and as I understand from other postings concerning this
>subject ...  also others on this list do.  Gawain has an interesting story,
>full of knights, kings and fays...I would guess thats quite appalling to
>children.  Secondly Birtwistle is *not* an atonal composer!  He belongs to
>the same school as Maxwell-Davis, Goehr or Colin Matthews who compose
>complex but mostly tonal music ...

I don't know whether Jocelyn has heard any of Flash 'arry's music; but i
certainly have.  The story of Sir Gawain - in its original version - is
certainly fascinating; but very little of that incident was permitted in
the opera's book, which is a poor excuse for a theatrical entertainment
even by opera's often sorry standards.

(This is one of those opera where people spend most of their time singing
at each other in lovingly (& often irrelevantly) crafted lyric; making one
wish that (apart from just abusing his music) opera composers would spend
a little time studying ALW's stagings to learn why they're so successful)

The only staging event worthy of note in the entire production was a rather
gruesome - again:  only by opera standards - beheading; which the producer
apparently added to the score to keep the punters from falling asleep (i
assume that the kids would love it; although whether thair parents would
approve is a very different keetle of guignol).  It couldn't stop a group
of aethestically uncompromised listeners from booing the thing a few years
back, though; thereby causing all kinds of self righteous tuttutting by the
powers that pretend.

Musically, A. is completely correct, of course:  HB is not an atonal
composer in the conventional sense of the word.  His use of dissonance is
nothing to frighten a hardcore Metallica fan (or Searle, if you prefer a
marginally more reputable eg); but people often misrep him as a hardcore
atonalist because he shares the most annoying characteristic of the breed:
a complete lack of understanding of the principle of dynamic contrast.

When Birtwhistle thinks that something is dramatic, he marks it fff...
the rest tends to end up getting marked f or ff; creating something loud,
unrelieved, & ultimately refreshingly dull.  This problem is exaggerated
by Birtwhistle's tendency to write scores which are texturally rather
cluttered; so they come across loud & messy, rather like a less disciplined
Babbitt.  What the composer really needs is a Beecham to remark his scores
in the hope of making them sound as good as they sometimes appear.

If you want to introduce students to the tougher side of contemporary
music, one can think of plenty of better egs that Flash 'arry's flabby
noise:  Searle's Hamlet, for one, has stronger music, a magnificent text
(of course) & a better thought out staging.  But if one wants to students
to actually listen to CM, there are plenty of Ralph Vaughan Williams operas
waiting for a ROH staging....

(PS:  I once heard a local clarinetist perform a couple of B's pieces; &
their glorious freedom from anything resembling an interesting musical idea
(despite the fact, i gather, that the clarinet is actually Birtwhistle's
home instrument), made me ask why she bothered playing them.  Knowing of my
interest in Searle's tough Sonata & glorious Cat Variations, they admitted
a distinct preference for both; but with a couple of Birtwhistle alumini in
the school staff & none having studied with Searle....

(Which is no doubt why Steve S. considers me a complete Diogensian on these
matters....

(To be fair, though, this was also one of the few local musicians to bring
a piece by Hovhaness into their repetroire.  I assume they felt that one
war for one musician at one time was quite sufficient, thank you very
much...)

All the best,
Robert Clements <[log in to unmask]>