Being inspired...

Playlist
Various Artists - 2014 Weekly Playlist No 31
Worzischek - Worzischek Konzerte
Various - Deutsche Elektronische Musik
Gentle Giant - The Power and the Glory [Steven Wilson Remix]
Gentle Giant - Giant Steps The First Five Years
Lachenmann - String Quartets
Loudon Wainwright III - Haven't Got The Blues (Yet)
Birtwistle - The Triumph of Time
Alban Berg Quartett - Hommage
Lachenmann - Alegro Sostenuto
Rihm - String Quartets
Bang on a Can - Industry

Up late, at 9 am, having had a not great sleep, due to forgetting to set the alarm on the iPod to have it switch off - consequently, it was playing random music all night...

For some reason of course, every time I woke up, having been brought back to conciousness by some particularly jarring piece, I didn't think to switch it off manually...

Idiot...

On the scales, the number 15 appeared for the first time I can recall since around the summer of 2003...

Onwards and downwards, I hope...

Over to Helen the Podiatrist for 9:30 and toe work successfully carried out...

Back home and this little fellow was spotted at the back door...

Breakfast with Anne as she caught up on the Commy Games...

Then, uploaded the podcast and made my way into a good day of music gathering and listening...

Three albums first of all, a collection of "Deutsche Elektronische Musik", the new album from singer-songwriter and co-creator of Rufus and Martha, Loudon Wainwright III and Steven Wilson's 2014 remix of Gentle Giant's 1974 classic, "The Power and the Glory"...

...which led me also to recreate the mid 70's Gentle Giant compilation "Giant Steps The First Five Years"...

Then, reading the blog of Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson, led me to consider, find and gather in, Harrison Birtwhistle's 1972 piece "The Triumph of Time"...

Meanwhile, spurred on by a link on Sid Smith's twitter feed yesterday to a Youtube film of Tangerine Dream playing in Paris in 1973, I partook of a two and a half hour compilation of pieces from the Tangerine Tree collection issued in the early years of last decade...

The works included span the years 1969 to 1977, the golden era of T Dream for me...

I also collected a dubious 1968 recording which many have subsequently doubted is actually TD, or indeed was actually played in 1968..

I have yet to listen....

Finally, the full work the trio carried out for Michael Mann's 1983 film "The Keep" which was often included in Virgin's release schedule around the time but never actually released (apart for 150 CDs sold by Edgar Froese at a concert in 1997...

It may well be the last really good thing produced under the brand name...

Or maybe that's a bit harsh on Mr Froese...

While these and the Birtwhistle work were all making their way on to the hard drives at Crispycat Towers, I took Anne into town to hook up for lunch and an afternoon of chat with chum Lesley...

Back at my console, while some backing up was being carried out...

...I decided to look into the works we will soon see performed on stage in Berlin...

In particular, those by Helmut Lachenmann were a mystery to me...

Accordingly, a disc each of string quartets and piano works were identified and sucked in...

It seems we're in for a partly atonal time in Deutschland's capital...

An afternoon of difficult listening continued with seeking and finding and partaking of, as many of Wolfgang Rihm's string quartets as I could find...

Coffee was required...

My cup reminded me to look up documenta 14 - things are already under way for what is considered to be the world's largest and most prestigious exhibition of contemporary art...

In 2012, the Exec Producer, Count Brodski, Lady Penny and Mr CBQ, along with the sunshine kids, Jorg and Yvonne, were amongst over 905,000 visitors to documenta 13 in Kassel....

documenta 14 will be held from 10 June to 17 September 2017...

It'll be brilliant...

Inspired by Gerhard Richter's over-painting method, which is my wont at present, another new painting was created...

Speaking of brilliant (re dokumenta, not necessarily my new art work), here's a brilliant (24 minutes though, so I guess no one reading this is going to watch it) performance of Rihm's 13th quartet by the Ardittis...



Swim against the crowd and take twenty four minutes of your day to watch it...

Anne returned just after six and some Tivo'd TV was watched...

The fifth part of what is my favourite thing on telly right now, "The Honourable Woman" was very much enjoyed...

The hokum of "CSI" filled a spot...

More athletics for Anne as I retired to watch this documentary on the so-called "Downtown" music of New York, involving contributions from the artistic directors of Bang on  a Can plus John Cage, Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Brian Eno...

And some excellent music...

Here it is but, it runs for 50 minutes and so, once again, I guess no one reading this is going to watch it...



In fact, I'm wondering, with attention spans being what they are these days, if anyone has actually made it this far down the entry...

Oh well, at least I enjoyed it...

Late on, more difficult music entertained - including a just watched documentary inspired re-evaluation of a long forgotten album by Bang on a Can, "Industry"...

And so a day of being inspired drew to a close...

Highlight of the Day : Being inspired...