embarrassing story

So a slightly embarrassing story...

Having decided to stop work for a coffee break the other day, I wandered away from my computer into the kitchen. Before going I hit the play button to stream one of Julian Day's interviews on New Music Uplate. As I stood listening to my little espresso maker work its magic, my house began literally shaking with the vibrations of an incessant clatter. It sounded like a record player skipping over and over the same scratch on a record. Or as though a train was bombarding my living room. I'd left my computer plugged into my speakers and they were really really loud!

Assuming something was wrong with the streaming at Julian's end, I emailed him the next day and moaned that it wasn't working - the interview was freezing. He replied with a puzzled email: he'd just been listening to it himself. Weird. I sent him an email laughing about how embarrassing it would be if it turned out to actually be a piece of music... I tried again today. And guess what? It was! Eek... I'm never going to live this one down!

But I swear at the decibels that I heard the opening of this piece, even Anthony Pateras himself (it was one of his prepared piano works) wouldn't have recognised it! I am humbly ashamed...
but amused all the same.

Anyway, Pateras's stuff is fascinating - prepared piano and explorations into tempo and rhythm. He marks Ligeti as a huge influence. Check out the interview here. JD also talks to David Chisholm about his recent show: the beginning and end of the snow...