My reaction on first hearing was negative. After I recorded the stream, enhanced the sound and played it on a decent hi-fi the pipes were much more audible. They're quiet but well recorded and separated in the mix on the far right. If you listen on headphones or computer speakers they're lost.
The same musical doubts remain though - there's little of the Northumbrian tradition and harmonically the piece is foreign to the sound of the pipes. I think Chris hit the right issue - there must be some tuning and harmonics challenges with a just G scale and the other instruments, especially with the 'modern' scales and harmonies. But there are some melodic sections I like and the blend with cor anglais works at times. Instruments out of their métier seldom seem to satisfy ( I play the bassoon and wonder why people try to play jazz on them), but after a few hearings the piece is beginning to grow on me. Simon -----Original Message----- From: Stephen Douglass [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, October 28, 2006 9:02 AM To: nsp@cs.dartmouth.edu Subject: [NSP] Piping Modernism Maxwell Davies comes from the musical influences of modernism, and pieces like Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire.. (some might switch that piece off after 30 seconds) The piping in the composition was unlikely to be expected, resolving or traditionally presented. It still managed to make it to Radio 3 though (and the "play again" button) ..... no publicity is bad publicity...eh? Steve Douglass To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
