Daistallia 2104
10-03-2008, 19:36
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09mccallsmith.html?em&ex=1205294400&en=2577a894a7e814e3&ei=5087%0A
Opinions on the Really Terrible Orchestra?
Nanatsu no Tsuki
10-03-2008, 19:51
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/09mccallsmith.html?em&ex=1205294400&en=2577a894a7e814e3&ei=5087%0A
Opinions on the Really Terrible Orchestra?
:eek:
Awful! This kinda reminded me of hearing Yoko Ono singing.:(
Mad hatters in jeans
10-03-2008, 19:51
That is a brilliant idea.
Poliwanacraca
10-03-2008, 19:52
I find that idea rather charming. I wouldn't voluntarily listen to them, but I'm glad they exist, and I hope they spawn similar orchestras.
(Who on earth buys their CDs, though? Craaaaaaaazy....)
Korarchaeota
10-03-2008, 19:57
So, is being first chair a good thing? You're the best at being not so good?
Extreme Ironing
10-03-2008, 19:59
Lol. That's all I can say really.
Daistallia 2104
11-03-2008, 05:09
My brother, the composer, said this reminded him of this:
The Portsmouth Sinfonia was a real orchestra founded by a group of students at Portsmouth School of Art in Portsmouth, England, in 1970—however, the Sinfonia had an unusual entrance requirement. Players had to be either non-musicians, or if a musician, play an instrument that was entirely new to them. Among the founding members was one of their teachers, English composer Gavin Bryars. The orchestra started as a one-off, tongue-in-cheek performance art ensemble but became a cultural phenomenon over the following ten years, with concerts, record albums, a film and a hit single. The impact of the Portsmouth Sinfonia was considerable, and though the ensemble has not performed publicly in the UK since 1979, the name and reputation has endured.
Bryars was interested more in experimenting with the nature of music than forming a traditional orchestra. Instead of picking the most competent musicians he could find, he encouraged anyone to join, regardless of talent, ability and experience. The only rules were that everyone had to come for rehearsals and that people should try their best to get it right and not intentionally try to play badly. The first recording made by the Sinfonia was a floppy 45rpm disc of Rossini's William Tell Overture, which was sent out as the invitation for the degree show that year.
The early repertoire of the Sinfonia was drawn from standard classical repertoire ("The Blue Danube" waltz, "Also Sprach Zarathustra", etc), so that most orchestra members had a rough idea of what the piece, or at least famous parts of it, should sound like; even if they could not play their chosen instrument accurately, they would at least have an idea that they should be going higher at one part then lower at another, and so on. The end result was the musical ensemble producing not only the correct note but several notes nearby, 'clouds of sound' that gave an average impression of the piece.
Many modern composers and musicians found this to be interesting and even profound; the comedic aspects of the music were merely a bonus, though it was used extensively for marketing purposes. Brian Eno was interested enough to join the orchestra, playing clarinet, and subsequently producing their first two albums.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portsmouth_Sinfonia