Mord + Musik

First singing session today. Four voices. We had a try out on the song Un-me.

Then I played a movement of Gustav Holst’s The Planets, in a two-piano arrangement made by the composer. It was a great joy to play two-piano music with somebody. I haven’t done that since the day I left the music conservatorium!

I have been to a pocket-sized bookstore called Mord + Musik. I first misread the name as Word and Music until I realized that most of the books were crime novels. But I was deceived by the owner who displayed Big Fish and a couple of T.C. Boyle’s novels on the shelves. I discovered a nice selection of CDs by practically unknown artists beside  Sigur Ros and Ryoji Ikeda!

The guy seemed interested when I asked him whether he would listen to the music I’ve done for W.H.A. To top it all, he also he owns a small recording label. It could be funny to be one of those obscure artists whose records you only find in this one shop at the other end of the world!

Wiener Fluss

Wiener Fluss.

One month now that I’ve been in Vienna. A big bottleful of emptiness and lots of hope. It took me one month to start feeling that something was actually possible in this city, that I wasn’t building castles in the air.

I’m gathering musicians for a first concert in late September, possibly at the Museum Quartier.

The response to my music has been very positive. People see potentials and want to join in.

I can’t wait for the first notes to be played on real instruments, so used now am I to my old little keyboard!

I’m hoping to have a string quartet, a percussion player (oh bliss if he could play the tablas!!!!), a pianist and a harpist.

And of course, an electronic wizard.

The Wiener Fluss looks great today! Normally it’s no more than a little brook, so shallow that even a dwarf poodle could walk accross it without any risk. No one ever pays attention to it. I must be the only one to have grown some kind of fondness to it.

I was in the metro when I had a glance at it. It was glimmering happily, now as big as a river! Certainly due to the melting snow.

Once outside, I took some time to walk along it, and took pleasure and joy hearing it run its course freely and merrily, almost proud!

Nina's Hidden Glass

I’m starting composition on a new piece for Simon, currently entitled Nina’s Hidden glass.

I still don’t know what direction it is taking. I have been playing around with samples from Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C Major, and rhythm loops that I have developed from it. Then I added percussions - bongos and taiko drumsn marimba and layers of weird sounds from outer space.

That’s just the first draft. There’s a definite mesmerizing atmosphere to the music, in spite of the percussions which add a tribal ritual tone. 

Tondbandtest

I have been told about das Mica, an agency that has been set to help musicians who need direction and counselling. They organize a contest called Tonbandtest: artists send their music; they listen to it then pick ten of them who will eventually have their CDs reviewed by journalists. There’s a sum of money given away to help printing cds, as well as an introduction to record labels.

So I have submitted the demos of Circlesong.

I have resumed my singing today.

I usually sing when I feel in a better disposition. It’s a sign of higher spirits, wahrscheinlich...