Stockhausen

[clifford_thornton]

Is that Harmonia Muindi "Fais Voile Vers le Soleil" still in print? I remember liking that one quite a bit... have the LP around here somewhere. The Seven Days cycle has some really nice ones in it. "Goldfarb," "Kommunion" & "Intensitaat," etc.

[jeffcrom]

Is that Harmonia Muindi "Fais Voile Vers le Soleil" still in print? I remember liking that one quite a bit... have the LP around here somewhere. The Seven Days cycle has some really nice ones in it. "Goldfarb," "Kommunion" & "Intensitaat," etc.

Yes, that one is still in print (and pretty cheap). Jeez, "Goldstaub" is strange. For those who don't know, From the Seven Days is a group of texts to guide improvisation. "Goldstaub" starts "live completely alone for four days without food...." And the four musicians who recorded it (Stockhausen was one) did just that. The skeptical part of me wants to dismiss these pieces, but I like the recordings I've heard. I've got two recordings of "Set Sail for the Sun" by very different groups of musicians, and strangely enough (or maybe not so strangely), they came out sounding kind of similar.

And I don't know the details about Stockhausen getting his recordings back from DG.

Edited May 2, 2009 by jeffcrom

[Chalupa]

We do have a Stockhausen student as a board member...

????

[oneofanotherkind]

I am trying to get into Stockhausen ... wondering where to start ... any ideas anyone ?

[flat5]

Try the front door :-)

sorry...

[jeffcrom]

This is a big subject. Many of Stockhausen's recordings are difficult to find, since he took back all of his "official" recordings from Deutsche Grammophon. They are available from stockhausen.org, but they're pretty pricey.

My "desert island" Stockhausen would probably be Hymnen, two LPs worth of electronic music. But thinking about what's readily available, I might recommend trying:

Michaels Reise - a 50-minute instrumental scene from one of his Licht operas, issued on ECM. I think it's out of print, but it's still easy to find.

Kontakte and Refrain seem to end up paired on CDs fairly often. You'll hear where Braxton gets some of his ideas from.

Gruppen for three orchestras; there are several recordings out there.

Mantra for two pianos (sometimes electronically altered) is excellent and has been recorded several times. Some people might find it kind of long at over an hour.

Tierkreis has been recorded many times in various versions. It's one of Stockhausen's most melodic and accessible pieces.

If I was going to recommend a starting place for someone unfamiliar with Stockhausen, and I didn't know anything about their tastes, I'd say get the ECM Michaels Reise. It features incredible trumpet playing by his son Markus.

Edited May 2, 2009 by jeffcrom

[oneofanotherkind]

Hi Jeff , and thanks for the awesome response.

Please, more on Stockhausen taking back his recordings from DG. How was he able to pull this off ?

I just now have "Eotvos Conducts Stockhausen : Gruppen , Punkte" BMC 2006 , which is Westdeutscher Rudfunk, Koln (WDR) conducted by Peter Eotvos ( and also Arturo Tamayo & Jacques Mercier for the other two orchestras on Gruppen ).

I wonder if this WDR orchestra is somehow associated with the WDR Big Band , or just a coincidence ?

Yes , my interest in Stockhausen derives from his influence on Shaw, Braxton, and other members of the avante garde.

Edited May 2, 2009 by oneofanotherkind

[7/4]

Hi Jeff , and thanks for the awesome response.

Please, more on Stockhausen taking back his recordings from DG. How was he able to pull this off ?

My guess is that he owned the rights to them in the first place.

We do have a Stockhausen student as a board member...

[7/4]

We do have a Stockhausen student as a board member...

????

You never knew? He was going over there for a few weeks every Summer, until Stockhausen passed away.

[Niko]

I wonder if this WDR orchestra is somehow associated with the WDR Big Band , or just a coincidence ?

two ensembles financed by the same radio station... i'd guess they get the same pay (and sometimes do projects together - don't know how voluntary that is ), might practice in the same building (and that's about it)

[T.D.]

There's a Stimmung recording on Hyperion that should be relatively easy to find. I think it's interesting, and like the piece musically, but some of the lyrics (e.g. Stockhausen's forays into erotic poetry) are painfully awful.

[B. Clugston]

I was looking to putting in an order to www.stockhausen.org despite all the obstacles to ordering.

Gruppen/Carre is top of my list. If those familiar with Stockhausen had to by one other, what would it be?

[jeffcrom]

I was looking to putting in an order to www.stockhausen.org despite all the obstacles to ordering.

Gruppen/Carre is top of my list. If those familiar with Stockhausen had to by one other, what would it be?

Of the stuff that's only (readily) available from stockhausen.org, I'd go for either:

Mikrophonie I/Mikrophonie II/Telemusik or Ylem.

The first has some of his most "important" and influential electronic music. It's a double CD, and a little pricey. The latter is a fascinating, semi-improvised piece. It's particular interesting if you've read the chapter of Derek Bailey's Improvisation in which clarinetist Antony Pay describes the recording session. The CD includes the "outtake" where the trumpet player "broke the rules" in a way that Stockhausen really liked.

I've ordered from stockhausen.org several times and found them very reliable. You won't hear from them or get an order confirmation, but you will get your CDs.

Edited May 30, 2009 by jeffcrom

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