Eye Music Revives a Memento of 1960s Openness

by Michael Schell Seattle’s Eye Music ensemble is a collection of ten-odd musicians specializing in the performance of graphic scores. Their new album on Edition Wandelweiser is a 50-minute traversal of Toshi Ichiyanagi’s Sapporo, a 1963 composition that hails from a … Continue reading

Phill Niblock at 85: Austere, Unpopular, Astounding Minimalism

by Michael Schell As a throng of third generation minimalist composers rides the movement’s most fashionable waves, an intrepid handful of the genre’s pioneers continue to sustain it in its original, unalloyed and uncompromising form. Phill Niblock, who turns 85 today, … Continue reading

Oliver Knussen (1952–2018): Music of New Epiphanies

by Michael Schell Oliver Knussen’s recent passing occasioned an outpouring of tributes to this much-loved British conductor and composer. His most iconic compositions are two one-act operas based on the Maurice Sendak children’s books Where the Wild Things Are and Higglety … Continue reading

Scott Johnson: Mind Out of Matter, Music Out of Speech

by Michael Schell Musicians of every stripe have spent centuries exploring the range of vocal expression from straight speaking to pure singing. The development of recording technology has added a few new possibilities to the mix, and one of them, called … Continue reading