Faustus and other music

Cleaning up stuff, I found a couple of CD-Rs which I thought were lost. Actually, I thought these disks were supposed to be rotting away.

One of those disks sticks out: it’s a backup of all of my old mp3s, most of them classical, jazz and contemporary Raging Thirties music. Essential and highly personal stuff, handpicked because of the special meaning most of them have.

Take for example the first movement of Eisler’s ‘Faustus – symphony’: it’s an eleven minute rollercoaster with so many ups and downs and tempo changes that it could have been a summary of the past 4-5 years.

Kurt Weill’s music (particularly the instrumentals from ‘Die Dreigroschenoper’ and ‘Aufstieg und Fall’) was primarily a jumpboard to more experimental music like the one that’s now on repeat in my media player: a piece performed by the Ebony Band1. I’m pretty sure it’s from a Hungarian composer who probably died an obscure death during the IInd World War.

Not to mention works from Milhaud, Antheil, Revueltas and Schoenberg (Verklarte Nacht/Transfigured Night). And Raymond Scott, naturally.

Music and memories go along fine together. It’s like chocolate cookies with a glass of milk. Or peanut butter with chocolate sprinkles.

1. That would have been a piece from Alois Haba, who happens to be a Czech.

ed1. Note: I was a regular contributor to Everything 2. More links inside.
ed (03/27/05) : Alfons correctly noticed that it wasn’t Haba.

Note: I was a regular contributor to Everything 2. More links inside.

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9 Responses to Faustus and other music

  1. alfons says:

    You forgot Ebony Band link (Dutch only).
    Which reminds me that you really need to listen to Ebony Band performing a piece by Rodolfo Halffter, from this CD.

  2. alfons says:

    Take your Everything2 things to wikipedia? Your copyright, right?

  3. Arthur says:

    You forgot Ebony Band link (Dutch only).

    Added. Merci.

  4. Arthur says:

    Take your Everything2 things to wikipedia? Your copyright, right?

    I think so yes.

  5. Alan says:

    I just figured out that I was supposed to click-though from the old site three weeks ago. I am so bright.

  6. alfons says:

    Oh, it can’t be Haba if you refer to Ebony Band music on CD. I am pretty sure we heard Haba’s music on the occasion of Ebony Band’s 10 year anniversary.
    That was also the concert with “freebie” CDs with recordings of Ebony Band concerts – and I think you’re referring to music on that CD.
    So my guess would be that the composer you mean is the Hungarian obscure avantgardist Tibor Harsanyi. And the work would be Le Tourbillon Mecanique, an excellent modern work; even comfortable to listen to!
    (Harsanyi made name because he set works by James Joyce to music.)

  7. alfons says:

    The freebie CD I referred to.
    Also includes my first exposure to Revueltas’ music.

  8. Arthur says:

    I just figured out that I was supposed to click-though from the old site three weeks ago. I am so bright.

    I silently moved URLs, just to confuse people :-)

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