Monday, November 13, 2006

Sonic Arts - an advert

Wednesday 29 November: Ian Tyson and Simon Waters in conversation
Sainsbury Centre Gallery, University of East Anglia, Norwich

Join artist Ian Tyson and musician and composer Simon Waters for an evening of discussion, sculpture viewing, and the opening of Sonic Arts 44: Installation.

18:00 drinks
18:30-20:00 talk and opening of the installation
Tickets: £4, concessions £2.50
Booking advised, telephone 01603 593199 (Tickets may be available on the door)

Ian Tyson has exhibited widely and has work in many public collections. He will be in residence at the Sainsbury Centre in November. Ian was commissioned to make a sculpture outside at the University of East Anglia in memory of Professor Ilham Dilman. The new work, Proximity, is now installed in the grounds.

Simon Waters is a musician with a background in composition for dance, improvisation, performance (not always music) and the visual arts, particularly as these relate to digital technology. He has worked with Ballet Rambert, Adventures in Motion Pictures and Scottish Ballet amongst others. He is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Electro-Acoustic Music Studios at the School of Music, UEA.

Simon's work, Sonic Arts 44: Installation, is a multi-channel sound installation created in response to Proximity, a sculpture by Ian Tyson. The work involves a fixed element within which each audience member moves, carrying their own individual portable component of the overall sound environment.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Je chanterais la joie

Yesterday I was tired from the weekend and did little. Except go into the city with HMB and HMV and Finally and At Last visit Norwich Castle, in between a little shopping.

About 4 years ago in #pubfood (the UEA irc channel, sadly defunct), Karo planned a trip to the Castle, but I never did make it.

The castle looks boring from the outside, because it has a fairly modern shell around it. Inside is quite different: the largest Norman (Will the Conq) motte-and-bailey castle in England, built of Norman stone specially imported. Norwich being not exactly on the way to anywhere, the castle was demoted from royal palace after a while: Henry I did Christmas there in 1121, but after that they didn't bother with it much, and then it spent 400 years as a gaol before being taken over as a museum in late C19, by which time it needed much repair.

We started with the current exhibition of shoes. Not generally my thing, for fairly obvious reasons, but the display and information about Turkish wedding/engagement shoes was lovely and fascinating: shoes of white paper, for men and women, carefully stored in the family treasure chest. After a look at the art galleries we tagged on to a guided tour, which is worth it for the extra information (worth the time, that is, because it's included in the entry price). The upper bit, once the Great Hall and royal apartments, was almost empty so we could look past the Victorian and modern alterations and pretend to be C12 visiting minor nobility - or, in my case a trouvère, of course.

The café there has the most amazing chocolate and carrot cakes.

And then we had a brief wander round M&S while HMB bought a winter coat. Puce. A very C19 colour.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Gig report

The National Railway Museum is a one of the best settings for a gig.

After a hard afternoon's rehearsal with guitarist Scardy (including learning a new song) I was too tired to worry overmuch about singing solo and being on first when the audience was sober and cold.

My programme had started out as trobairitz (ref to a concert of trobairitz music attended last year in York) and acquired pieces about trains - mainly suggested by my gentle readers, thanks :)
I was a bit unsure about the Beatriz de Dia "A chantar" in the context of the rest of the programme (being followed by Monosect and then Modulate!), and it was a culture-shock for the valiant Scardy, but it got a good response and questions from some of the audience afterwards ("Where did you find it?" How do you get hold of that music?"). Perhaps we can encourage a revival ;)

Le train qui siffle - Richard Anthony. I love it. Again a new thing for Scardy, though not as weird a style.

Trains - Andrew Eldritch. This had been requested and I hadn't been able to get a recording, but Scardy had it and persuaded me to try. I was most unsure (it's quite growly and the timing of some of the lines needed a lot of practice) but I was so glad he talked me into doing it. It was hugely improved by the last-minute addition of DJ Echo on drums. One audience comment: "I liked your version better than the original". !!

Night mail - Auden. Read, not sung, over a lovely train-y guitar riff.

Finally the nightmare of Green and Grey. It seemed ok sung along to, but... listening to the CD on decent kit showed that voice and backing diverged muchly. um. Oh well, I thought, Stuart and a few others will sing along and I won't have to worry. But Leila banned him from singing! And it was too slow for him anyway :(

Then I could relax and listen/bounce to Martin and Geoff doing their thing in Monosect and vice versa in Modulate. Good luck wishes to Geoff for his big gig today.

Matt Howden's Sieben was superb. Uses of the violin reminded me of Horses Brawl.