Vexations Marathon-Saturday 1 May-Part 6

Group 6- 21:00-00:00

Antoine Francoise, Lukas Filipczak, Matthew Lee Knowles, Alex Wilson, Philip Lawton

Not sure if I’ve ever prepared myself to prepare myself before. Hope I don’t sneeze, its about 9:10pm.

***

Not sure if I’ve ever read about someone not being prepared to be prepared to prepare themselves before- I’m sure they won’t sneeze though! It’s amazing how the music is easy enough that you can drift away, but tricky enough so you don’t fall asleep (just about!). I guess it’s the music equivalent of the lotus position for meditation- which is comfy enough so you can meditate, but not so much so you could fall asleep. Wish this piece was played more often. 

***

I don’t know the time- I am the first in my group to fully prepare, play and count. The waiting was interminable. The playing I forgot (though I know I made mistakes) and during the counting I developed a system of making a dot for each of B,H1,B and H2 in the shape of a tick as they went, then ‘making’ it on completion √.

***

Few comments:“Immobilities serieuses” is the worst way to prepare. It hurts, I’m starting to feel sick, you keep thinking that they’ll forget to cue you…Playing’s the best part. I try to keep it as unemotional as possible…but what do the other players think, I think so much when they play, do I change tempo, do I put unexpected accents? The first line always surprises me after playing the second, I don’t know why, my fingers don’t want to go there. Counting is easy, because you’re the only one who really know what’s going on? I draw silly faces in the boxes.

***

One stint down, one to go. It’s the most serious joke I know, fantastically hilarious and macabre. Satie wants you to get it wrong, but is perfectly happy when you get it right. I try not to get too enchanted when playing; I’m perhaps slightly more emotional than I want to be, I will try to put less of myself in it this next time. The trickiest past for me is the end of the theme, the repeated e- the gap inbetween can be very telling-I experiment with pedal. I was wondering if the same thing could work successfully with text-I might try it… [my ticks were a bit shaky]

***

23:15 Down to 3 in the audience, I think everyone has gone home to bed now. Even the snoring lady on the bean bag has gone. Never mind… I am sure plenty of audience will come for the end. I’ve finished playing now, shame. Could’ve carried on for longer. Once the trance sets in the time flies by. Gorgeous stuff, slightly awkward to keep smooth without too much pedal, did my best though. And as for keeping with the metronome! Someone else just came in and stole the beanbag I was going to claim, dammit! Goodnight all. Oh and thanks very much, was great fun!

***

Sorry Alex, it was me… the beanbag I mean. Forgot to say, I started playing with no soft pedal and suddenly realised I put it down in the middle, I don’t remember when…small fact. All day I thought, someone in London is playing Vexations. Every minute of the day. And now I’ll finish the piece in 40 mins…seems like no time. Audience=1 (he’s asleep and groaning in his dreams…)

***

This entry started with the last performer. I intend to write (slowly) for as long as he plays. I suspect it will get difficult. Already I am trying not to write too fast, simply to make is easier. I didn’t mean to, but had to take a break after my first go. But I came back and haven’t left since. The audience numbers seven or eight. The view from this corner is bad. What with a Stein in the way. I looked through the counting tables when I counted. Pages of ticks. The last page gets interesting; there is my dots method. Then people have started their own methods. Drawings. I left a message for the last counter. I didn’t think it was right for me to do something to the last box, but I hope Matt will end with something suitable. The different playing styles have irked me. Obviously one wouldn’t want it played by a disklavier or some such, but there is obviously a conscious, effort on the parts of some to phrase, dynamic and so on the short piece. I think such nuances should be accidental. A slight slip might cause a note to be louder for example. Matthew’s playing is like his composition. I admire it, but could not see my way ever trying to emulate it. My hand is cramping (I write left handedly, with a kind of claw).  There was the expectation that the room would fill towards the end (this bothered me, what’s the point in watching the last 10 mins of an 18 hour piece?) but my fears were groundless. The audience is minimal. I understand this book is to be transcribed.  I’ve only just remembered that. To the transcriber: Sorry for such a long entry-I hope it is not to unpleasant a task- I owe you a drink. The lights flickered (from outside) we must be nearing the end (?). I have made the decision to neither count (which is impossible without paying attention) nor watch from the hand signals we have been using to show 3,2, 1 to go. I regret making Matt smile with mine- I don’t know how seriously he was taking the immobility. Overall: the most difficult part: NOT playing, counting or waiting, but waiting to wait. The ‘rest’ periods. I listened, mostly. Some wandered around. I guess earlier in the day people could have gone and hung around upstairs with crowds. There must be a reception happening somewhere, staff in the audience have had wine glasses. A success? How does one judge? An achievement?-of course! I noticed several times that I was not bored listening to the piece. But I have been taking part, and only for a short time. No one has been here continuously from start to finish so no one can say. I must ask my friend how he felt when he peformed it solo at uni. Before my time otherwise I would have watched!  Hope I would anyway. I have written down which repetitions I played (715-278 + 785-798)- unremarkable numbers, but perhaps something can be done with them (I’m a composer, not a pianist, hence my mistakes during performance), I…

IT’S OVER. SILENCE BUT FOR THE CLICKING OF MY PEN ON PAPER.

Vexations Marathon- Saturday 1 May- Part 5

Group 5 18:00-21:00

Hannah Gill, Laonikos, Christine Stevenson, Temirzhan Yerzhanov, Anna Serra

Interesting to have to get to know the piano ‘en route’ before exploring its sonorities etc… Breaks between shifts means we can wander into the foyer to the amazing 6 marimbas. What a perfect venue for such events- audience on all levels and travelling on escalators as the sound wafts through the building.

***

I didn’t believe this music could put a performer in a state of meditation as it proved. Whether it is a joke or serious matter, Vexations makes a lot happening on your mind while playing. Interesting experience!

***

Great Experience! Thanks for the chance to take part on this project. It was a challenge for keeping the concentration.

Vexations Marathon-Saturday 1 May-Part 4

Group 4 15:00-18:00

John Constable, Claire Jones, Jennifer Carter, Jason Preece, Aglaia Tarantino

Extraordinary to walk in from 6 marimbas outside to this amazing calmness and prepare for a second 14 performances. 

***

Audience of 14-not including gently snoring lady on a beanbag.

***

 I also saw the sleeping woman on the beanbag, she awoke suddenly whiles I was counting, yawned, stretched and left. An absolutely fantastic experience, Thank you London Sinfonietta. Did anyone else get lost between the first and second Variation?……I did.

Vexations Marathon-Saturday 1 May- Part 3

Group 3 13:00-15:00

Fiona Harvey, Yoon Chung, Amanda Heish, Gabriela Georgieva, Alice Pinto

Worried about doing the same harmonisation twice in a row! Most of the audience currently have their eyes closed though so not sure anyone would mind…

***

12.00- The most different performance ever. Thank you very much for the adventure.

***

Cocoon like set up is rather therapeutic and comforting. I wan to be in my PJs

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1.30-Initial apprehensions left as the music took over; ‘ambience in the room is encouraging, therapeutic and quite comforting.

***

V.363 I feel like the music is a ‘heartbeat’- it has been going on inside for ever…Quite possessive about it and reluctant to pass it on.It means a different thing every time: your heartbeat goes on yet you can be angry, sad, etc…The time playing feels about half that of the counting! I was so wrapped up playing I would have forgotten to count had the sheet and pen not been thrust at me! Glad I don’t have to count again!

***

All done (for me, at least). Just counted for Gabi, whose playing was arrestingly beautiful. Now, time for lunch!Audience: 12 highest number yet?

***

3.00pm? It’s only very rarely that one feels such timelessness, so with much gratitude to Papa Satie.

***

What an amazing experience and thank you London Sinfonietta for inviting us to take part in a unique performance. Alice, I loved your different interpretations- it made counting so so much quicker, thank you!

***

3.00pm The second time IS more tough! I don’t doubt this line (melody) will continue well past midnight, into eternity…?

Vexations Marathon- Saturday 1 May- Part 2

Group 2 9:00-12:00

Peter Jackson, Karla Chaloupka, Adam Johnson, Diego García Rodríguez

 9.20 Funny you should say that about counting. Something about the music seems to disable methodical thought. Fascinating hearing how different players approach it entirely differently.

Only way I could keep count was by half ticks /, then full ticks √

9.30 Audience: 1

9.31 It’s very interesting how we have become a team of 4. An hour ago we had never met, and now we are completely focused on a joint effort.

9.35 A feature of the piece is how very ‘in the middle’ it is. Bottom note F below middle C. Top note A. A sort of mezzo soprano range.

29 half tones, and only one not played.

How must G#/A flat feel for the whole 18hours?

c.10:30 Variation 210- ¼ o0f the way

10.50 In first four cycles the tempo was hard to keep, we are too fast, but after a bit you get into a groove.

Audience has swelled to 7.

11.05 Audience has swelled to 11-double figures

11.20 It is extraordinary how, after a while, something as daft as this seems a perfectly normal thing to be doing

***

11.25 Finished my part some minutes ago. It never got boring and I wouldn’t mind to go on. No Vexations, listening becomes like a dream, yes every single move is noted. Interesting experience. Glad I could join. Thank you

***

11.35 Starting out I liked the 1^st variation best, but now I’m not sure the 2^nd isn’t deeper

11.37 I kept singing “1,1,1,1,1…” in the bass line + “2,2,2,2…”- otherwise I was LOST!

Phrases and dynamic variations are the key!

***

11.50 GREAT EXPERIENCE! Thank you very much London Sinfonietta, paraphrasing Ms. Satie: Je me retine!!

***

12.00 1/3 way through. What a pleasure to have carried the tune a small part of its journey

Vexations Marathon- Saturday 1 May Part 1

On Saturday 1 May as part of our Experiment! Festival at Kings Place, London Sinfonietta are performing Eric Satie’s extraordinary piano Vexations. This is a short piece of piano music which the composer suggests should be played 840 times.

The day has been split into 6 shifts of 3 hours and during each shift, the performers  are keeping a diary of their thoughts. We’re going to be live blogging the diary throughout the day.

Group 1  6:00am-9:00am

Andrew Burke, Jon Bunker,  Alex Metcalfe

840 repetitions in 18 hours

46 per hour= 138 per 3 hours

7:02 We are going slightly too fast, not that it matters a lot mind you- although we could end up too far ahead.

I’m going to get the projector turned off. Its too noisy, although the air con has come on- which is a hell of a racket as well.

Its strange- I went through a whole range of feelings and thoughts in that one. Mainly…BLIMEY!! I’ve got to concentrate. Why is playing in time so hard?! Why am I such a poor pianist?

7.25 It’s bloomin freezing in here…

8.00 ….brass monkeys! This is much harder than I thought. Perhaps because it’s so early in the morning. I definitely had waves of feelings/emotions- at times I felt my fingers were like huge and awkward but later on I found it easier. I thought it would go much quicker.

8:31 I enjoyed that round- it felt easier to stay in time as if the tempo had sunk into me. Still had ‘arrghh’ moments when I thought I would lose it.

That quaver rest at the end of each line…..I became obsessed about observing it.

Anyway- actually wish I could do more of it.

8.50 Doors to the room locked themselves which was interesting…. J and A may have been stuck for the whole 13 hours

9.00 Much easier that time- maybe I’m more awake or just getting into it. Feel like I don’t want to stop.

9.05 ditto that about the second stint being easier. I didn’t get at all bored of the theme the whole time. Counting was the hardest job. Felt a bit like sitting for a portrait.

Micachu and the Shapes- Part 1

I’ve never worked for an orchestra before, and don’t have a remotely musical background, so I didn’t have many preconceptions before I joined London Sinfonietta. One of the perks of the job is that I sometimes get to sit in on rehearsals, which is completely fascinating – it’s great to sneak in at the back of the hall and watch everything coming together, without having to be the one panicking about whether everyone’s remembered their woolly hats for the Alpine piece, or the right obscure instrument has arrived from Holland on time.. etc!

What is fantastic though, and what always surprises me about working here, is that I’m not the only one in the room who doesn’t know what to expect – there’s something about working on a new piece of music, no matter how unflappable the players are, how experienced the conductor is, how sure the composer is about what he wants: there’s a playfulness, and an openness to experiment and push things right up until the moment of the first performance, that is really exciting.

On Thursday 25, Mica Levi and her band Micachu & the Shapes met some of the LS players for the first time to start bringing together their performance at next month’s Experiment! Festival. I had a jammy excuse to be there – looking after a photographer, who’s worked with us loads of times and knows what shots we’re after better than we do!

The Academy of Ancient Music were in the rehearsal room opposite, which made it even more of an unlikely situation, but after 5 minutes the LS players are jumping straight in, finding their way around Mica’s scores, questions – discussions – chatting – joking – curiosity – throwing ideas around. It’s fun to listen in, and intriguing to see how Mica’s ideas are translated and evolve, even in the one hour I’m there.

A taste of the unexpected:

• A mix of textures and soundworlds, with crisp pop cutting in at various points throughout – provisional concert title: Chopped & Screwed .
• The concert will be performed like a playlist, with samples and loops linking individual pieces together like the gentle, rhythmic white noise between tracks on an LP
• Home-made instruments (possibly called a chukka & a zimmer! But I don’t trust that I heard these right…)*, with beats tapped out on half-full beer bottles and tin cans
• A piece based on speech patterns from slowed down hip-hop records
• Looped vibrato violins – players suffer for their art: after 10 minutes rehearsing, there were hand cramps and dead fingers all round!
• Otherworldly tapping on the strings interspersed with sliding notes on the piccolo – all unplugged but sounding eerily electronic! Like an odd mix of dial-up modem, space invaders, hammer horror..  and something further out ..
• Mica supplies the vocals along with live radio samples – the whole first piece is an tribute to rambling time..

No promises though – the thing that would surprise me most is if none of this changed by the time the pieces are performed… which is 1^st May, 7.30pm. Just so you know, I’m in marketing 

 Ali – Marketing & Development Assistant, London Sinfonietta

 * They’re actually playing a Chopper and a Zither – thanks Mica!

Adelaide Festival- Part 2

Here is another update on the second half of our current tour to the Adelaide Festival in Australia:

“Well, I’m writing this on Monday – the day after our two concerts at the Adelaide Festival. 

After our two days of rehearsals, the first concert on Saturday was a classic Sinfonietta programme.  Nancarrow’s Player Piano Study No.7 is a fantastic piece to not only show off the virtuosity of the players, but a great concert opener, instantly engaging the audience.  That and the Revueltas Ocho por Radio set up Unsuk Chin’s Double Concerto.  We met the amazing pianist Lisa Moore in Adelaide and rehearsed with her here, as one of the soloists sharing the front of the stage with percussionist Owen Gunnell.  Both did a fantastic job – and the piece went down really well.  The second hall started with Cage’s Credo in US and finished with John Adams’ Son of Chamber Symphony.

Then onto the Sunday concert – and the experimental collaborations.  Scott Tinkler brought his amazing musicianship onto stage with our players, and together held the audience captive.  John Rodger’s score for the London Sinfonietta carefully left space for Tinkler to improvise in his extraordinarily way. I’ve not heard playing like it – and chatting to Scott over breakfast it’s clear how dedicated he is to exploring the possibilities of improvisation, and has spent years developing his technique for playing and how to create structures in music with the language of sounds he develops for each piece.  He had his supporters in the audience – but I would say everyone in the hall, on stage and in the audience, was a fan by the end. 

 The Sinfonietta performed works by Tansy Davies (the rhythmic and quirky neon), Gavin Bryars (the haunting The Sinking of the Titanic) and Brett Dean (his beautiful Dream Sequence).  The concert ended with a new piece by Erkki Veltheim that brought the London Sinfonietta together with the Young Wagilak Group, a quartet of Aboriginal songmen.  The score for the London Sinfonietta provided a bedrock of sound upon which the singers performed – an extraordinary and unusual combination of ancient song tradition with contemporary music.  I sensed the collaboration was a hugely significant moment – the Young Wagilak Group have been performing often with the Australian Art Orchestra, but Erkki told me today that they had not performed before with such a large number of musicians in a concert quite like last night.  A truly one-off experience for the London Sinfonietta, and another new project to add to a long line of past collaborations.  Brad Lubman did a fantastic job for us across this project as conductor, dealing with a huge range of repertoire and steering all the musicians through some very unusual collaborations.

We were all really pleased with the response to the performances – what a fantastic audience Adelaide has.   It seems to be a feature of the festival that they come out in great numbers to experience many performances of things that are new, different and unusual. They seemed so genuinely excited by the music we performed, and so open to the huge range of music and ideas in our programmes.  We were told that Adelaide audiences very rarely give standing ovations – but that’s what happened. 

It’s been a real honour to be part of this festival.  Many great musical memories for everyone.  For me our performances of course, and then a fantastic Saturday night when I went onto a performance by recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey in her new installation project ‘en masse’, followed by a brilliant set by the Grabowsky Washington project – festival director Paul Grabowsky with singer Megan Washington and band.  Washington has a fabulous voice and has a great songwriting talent, and Paul is a demon pianist and songwriter too, so together they kept the packed Spiegeltent venue captivated until 1 in the morning.  One of those nights of music making that comes around rarely – and only possible at a fantastic festival like this one.

Great friends made here – Paul, Sarah, Lesley, Kate, Ali, Scott, John, Erkki, Lisa, Ben and the Songmen and all the festival production team who helped with our concerts.  I hope we’ve made some friends too in the Adelaide audience.  We all hope we will be back someday.  Great part of the world – and a great great festival.”  

London Sinfonietta at Adelaide Festival

The ensemble are currently on tour in Australia performing 2 nights at the prestigious Adelaide Festival. Here’s an update and some pictures on the first few days from Andrew Burke, our Chief Executive:

So, we are here at last – at the Adelaide Festival.  Coming to Australia seemed such an extraordinary proposition in the planning.  Such an exciting idea – and such a long way to travel! 

Everyone enjoyed (and needed) the rest day yesterday. The jet lag hits you like nothing I’ve experienced before.  You think you are fine, and then mid afternoon your body just shuts down and you have no absolutely no choice but to sleep.  Apart from learning about that side of coming to Australia, I can also report that the water really does drain clockwise down the plughole.  It’s true!

I’m writing this on Thursday 25 Feb, and I’m sitting now in the first rehearsal in Adelaide Town Hall.  Improvising trumpeter Scott Tinkler is playing through with us the new work by John Rodgers for the second concert which happens on Sunday.  We are all blown away by Scott’s playing - he makes an extraordinary sound on the instrument, bending notes, singing and growling down the trumpet. A crazy range too – notes off the scale.  Virtuosic stuff.  And not a note of music in sight.

There are giant inflatable space men and women all over town (some of them climbing up the side of buildings) advertising the Fringe Festival which is already underway.  The town is winding up to the weekend when the main festival will start.  We’re looking forward to the opening night party on Friday and the fireworks, which are meant to be very special.

We are all very endebted to Paul Grabowsky and the great team at the Adelaide Festival for inviting us out here, with the help of the British Council Australia.  More news soon as this fantastic trip for the London Sinfonietta unfolds….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Q and A with George Benjamin

Ahead of his birthday concert on 7 February 2010 George Benjamin gives us an insight into his life through a quick fire Q and A. For more information on the concert please visit the event page.

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What – or where – is perfection?

Vermeer’s Woman in Blue Reading a Letter

Who is your favourite hero from fiction (book/comic/film/opera)?

Lok, the endearing, though deeply tragic, central character in William Golding’s The Inheritors

What’s your favourite ritual?

A concert

Which living person do you most admire?

Dr. Nazeer, my parents’ incomparable NHS GP

Which mobile number do you call the most?

I prefer texting

What do you fear the most?

Things too obvious to state

What other talent or skill would you like to possess?

To play the viola

Tell us about a special memory you have of Southbank Centre (Royal Festival Hall/Queen Elizabeth Hall/Purcell Room/Hayward Gallery)?

The Festival Hall concert Pierre Boulez conducted with the BBC SO in 1987, which included the world premiere of his revised Le Visage Nuptial, Schoenberg’s orchestral variations, Messiaen’s Chronochromie (with the composer present) and my own Ringed by the Flat Horizon

What’s your favourite website?

Ultra slow-motion videos of lightning on ztresearch .com

If you could programme your ideal Southbank Centre show, which artists (living or dead) would you bring together?

Living: my great friends pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard and composer/conductor Oliver Knussen. Dead: to see Mahler conduct Beethoven

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

To try to listen

What is the most played piece of music on your MP3 player or in your CD collection?

In recent weeks the cd of the very strange and striking Schnee, a 55 minute ensemble work written by the contemporary Danish composer Hans Abrahamsen

George Benjamin