Went to the Concertgebouw on saturday afternoon to hear the new composition … ci tace of the Dutch composer Eric Verbugt. I hadn’t been to the Concertgebouw since ages, I actually said to F. — who joined me — that it was probably 20 years ago since I’d been there, which is I think exaggerated, but still. I’m used to go to all kind of small places to hear new music — and now a full Concertgebouw. Quite a difference. Also for my ears: used to listen to electro-acoustic music in small places (no not loud), my own band in a rehearsal space (often too loud), or to mp3s coming from bad headphones or tiny computerloudspeakers, I now heard the music acoustic, from a distance, but with lots more coloring.

Well, it was certainly worth the price, since it turned out to be probably the longest programme of the year, almost 4 hours of music. 2 pieces for choir by Ligeti, Kindertotenlieder by Mahler, then 3/4 hours of Eric’s piece, followed by a new composition by Klaas de Vries and, to finish off, a bit of Stravinsky. The reviews today all touched upon the enormous lenght of this matinee. All works with an important role for text.

This was the programme: http://www.concertgebouw.nl/cgb/live/ConcertInfo.jsp?concert_id=13423.

I realized again why I much rather go to hear music performed live than buy a cd (euh, I mean download mp3s at Rapidshare): it is so great to hear how music is always ‘in the making’, that you can hear the process, the creation, the moulding of the clay, the material. even when it’s already composed — you hear that the composing was a ‘doing’.

Even when I would not have known Eric Verbugt personally, still his piece — for orchestra (of to be more precise 2 large ensembles), voice, oboe and choir — would’ve been my favorite. His way of writing totally comes from the classic tradition — a tradition of pushing the boundaries — it is a progression of that tradition (say, from Mahler via Ligeti and Nono to Lachenmann — well, here my knowledge is not thorough enough), with the result that, to my ears, it sounds as ‘beauty’ as beauty should be, in music, however ‘harsh’ it my sound sometimes. The writing for the ensembles is maybe stronger than the solo-pieces — though the oboe-solo, totally written-out, is very very virtuoso, with glissandi, multiphonics etc. It is virtuoso in a way one normally only gets to hear in free improv or free jazz (and that even made me think of how afro-american composers who came out of free jazz wrote for large orchestra).

To my 20th & 21st ears Mahler sounded, well, very nice, but a bit bland in comparision. (I know, that’s unfair to Mahler). The Ligeti pieces were breathtaking — but that was no surprise. Strawinsky was a first timer for me, believe it or not, I’d never heard any of his 12-tone pieces. The new composition by Klaas de Vries was nice but sounded a bit outdated due to the fairly simple, or even primitive use of tape. Would’ve been so much better if he’d processed the sound of the choir as well…

Btw, how I met Eric Verbugt is a nice story. Years ago he was googling his favorite writers — Joyce, Finnegans Wake, Arno Schmidt, Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow; and every time my homepage was amongst the results. So he sent me an e-mail….

Eric Verbugt: http://www.ericverbugt.nl/.

14 – 16 november: another chance to follow the RFID-workshop at Mediamatic in Amsterdam: http://www.mediamatic.net/artefact-11944-en.html — it’s not booked-out yet & it’s a chance, as well, to hear the opinions of & about the projects of Timo Arnall and Julian Bleecker (http://research.techkwondo.com/); as well as Rob van Kranenburg (http://robvankranenburgs.wordpress.com/, and, yes, me.

Good reader online too: http://www.mediamatic.net/article-9691-en.html.

Btw at the public library in Amsterdam the RFID-system is installed and working & I must say, the first few times one borrows books now, it feels truly like magic. Scan your library card. Put books in two stacks on the lending table. Table ‘says’: “Are there indeed 8 books on the table?”. If the number is correct, push ‘Yes”. Books are lent to you. Takes less than 30, well, 20 seconds.

Jan van Eyck goes Second Life — led (& initiated) by Hinrich Sachs, on Friday 27th October, 5 euro entrance, 21.30 – 3.00. http://www.janvaneyck.nl/0_2_3_events_info/arc_06_galanightofthecannibals.html

Een week lang fiks verkouden en vandaag voor het eerst weer een ritje, al ben ik nog snotterig. Heerlijk oktoberweer, erg zacht, wel een harde zuidenwind maar als de zon door de wolken komt (soms) is het bijna zomers. Kanne – Eben – Halembaye – Haccourt – Hermalle ss Argenteau – Wixhou – Richelle – Feneur – Dalhem – Warsage – Gravensvoeren – Moelingen – Lixhe – Lanaye – Kanne

Just now read Jodi Dean’s paper on blogging for Hyperpolis. Very good, makes quite a few points I would’ve liked to make. I hope it’s allright with her that I already ‘reblog’ & pick some quotes (btw, these quotes do not capture her main point really):

“To be sure, words beyond control are a noted feature of writing. Academics, journalists, and bookwriters have long been familiar with the ways our words take on a life of their own. Blogging accentuates this new life. It makes more people aware of the ways that their words are not theirs.”

“Bloggers imagine communities. In part, they mark this imagining with their link lists. Yet, these lists are as (if not more) changing, uncertain, and porous as any other border.”

“My experience with blogs is that they allow for slower reflection, the emergence of spaces of affinity through specialized writing, and the experience of a presentation and cultivation of a self. These three attributes of blogs—reflection, affinity, self-cultivation—necessarily traverse the old liberal division of the world into public and private spheres.”

“A critical theory of blogging cannot extend out of presumptions of journalism, punditry, and relations to mainstream media. Instead, it has to begin from the communicative practices specific to blogging, practices that install confrontations with difference, with otherness.”

From Jodi Dean, Blogging Difference, 2006, paper for Hyperpolis, see http://jdeanicite.typepad.com/i_cite/2006/10/blogging_differ.html.

With regard to the last point I cite here — basically Jodi Dean’s conclusion — I agree in principle that yes, a critical theory of blogging should start with looking at communicative practices that are specific to blogging. But there are various types of blogs: some are focussed on conversations, some (like that of Jodi Dean) are indeed confrontations with the other (but isn’t all talk, and all writing in a sense a confrontation with otherness?) And then there are also the blogs, (notably some early ones) that are not conversational at all, that do not even want the confrontation, or who prefer to not even look at comments, if there are any. (Hey, why do I write this here and not in the comments of Jodi Dean’s blog? That characterizes me…. — supposing that trackbacking does the job?). Two extremes: there’s the blog as ‘my turf’, ‘my voice’ — and there’s the blog as an invitation to chat. And on a lot of blogs there’s not much ‘otherness’ of ‘confrontation’ going on… I should say that Jodi Dean tackles this issue as well in her paper (and looks at how a blog is also ‘me talking’), yet she emphasises the confrontation with otherness where I’d put more emphasis on the ‘publish for no public’-aspect.

Weer een schitterende oktoberdag, zon en 24 graden: korte mouwenweer. Te mooi om geen halve vakantiedag te nemen en nog een keer in het Hertogenwoud te gaan kijken. 12.30 – 18.15. Kanne – Lanaye – Moelingen – Gravensvoeren – St. Martensvoeren – Veurs – Veursbos – La Clouse – Clermont – Limbourg – Goe – Herbiester – La Gileppe – Limbourg – Henri- Chapelle – Hombourg – Remersdael – Mabroek – Reesberg – St. Pietersvoeren – St. Martensvoeren – Gravensvoeren – Moelingen – Lanaye – Kanne

23 graden, weinig wind, zon. Zomer in oktober. 15.30 – 18.15. Rustig-aan-rondje. Kanne – Eben – Halembaye – Loen – Haccourt – kanaal – Hermalle ss Argenteau – Richelle – Dalhem – Mortroux – Bois de Mauhin – Houliquette – Val Dieu – Aubel – De Plank – Ulvend – St. Martensvoeren – Moelingen – Lixhe – Lanaye – Kanne

Prachtig weer, mijn favoriete weer: oktober gouden zon, 18 graden, (eerst wat ochtendkoelte, later iets warmer, na afloop zelfs nog in de tuin gezeten), beetje zuidenwind. 11.00 – 16.45. De hele dag in de zon door de Hesbaye gereden en zelfs nog een stel niet eerder gereden klims gedaan (bij Jehay en Engins en bij Glons (!)). Paar keer wat zitten dwalen en bijvoorbeeld bij Flone afgedaald, omgekeerd & weer omhoog. Kanne – Eben – Halembaye – Heure L’Romaine – Fexhe – Juprelle – Xhendremael – Hognoul – Fooz – Voroux-Goreux – Lexhy – Awirs – Engins – Stockay – St Georges Sur Meuse – Jehay – Flone (v.v.) – Stockay – St. Georges – Sur le Bois – Awirs – Lexhy – Fexhe les Clochers – Freloux – Kemexhe – Odeur – Villers “Eveque – Othee – Wihoigne – Paifve – Glons – Bassenge – Eben – Kanne.

Wat een rijkdom, zelfs als je maar een uurtje hebt (voor donker), kun je een mooi rondje maken met drie klims en verschillende uitzichten op de ondergaande zon, en — aan het einde — de opkomende volle maan. 18.25 – 19-25. Kanne – Zusserdel – Zussen – Eben – St. Pierre – sluis – Casino Slavante – Zonneberg – Pietersberg – Kanne

Monday at DNK, Amsterdam: No-Input-Night, with a.o. Lucio Capece — Toshimaru (Toshio) Nakamura: http://www.dnk-amsterdam.com/.

Yours truly still has to come up with a bit of publicity text … Though I like the mention that the no-input mixer is such a hip instrument that it doesn’t have a page on wikipedia.

Listening now to a duo of Capece and Yannis Kyriakides; free download here:
http://www.audiotong.net/audio/releases/tng3005-en.html
http://www.audiotong.net/audio/releases/tng1010-en.html.