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2012 a good year for modern classical music?

imho [Edit] [Delete] 22 replies 16:29 December 5th, 2012

I think it’s been a great year for the modern classical genre and thought I’d share my highlights.

Quite a few of the better known names have released albums.

Nils Frahm – Screws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymxL-GgxID0

Olafur Arnalds – Another Happy Day Soundtrack
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OX1erWQO_FY

Max Richter – Vivaldi recomposed
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MYmjJjMnb8

Sylvain Chaveau – Simple:rare and unreleased pieces
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgTLdpnHW8w

Greg Haines (2 albums) Digressions / Moments Eluding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l50rxRzqPUY

There’s been some stunning debut’s

Brambles – Charcoal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrmumHbqZQE

Made in the Dark – Made in the Dark
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FST1xPtvs_s

Carlos Cipa – The Monarch and the Viceroy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjvMmF1-UG8

Poppy Ackroyd – Escapement (out in December)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUGadC3yf80

and some great new collaborations.

Black Elk – Sparks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpRaurFwenc

The Alvaret Ensemble – S/T (out in December)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoT6eN1QhXU

As always there’s been amazing stuff from Japan.

Kashiwa Daisuke – Re:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feShpPLivK0

Anoice – Black Rain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVWfPhDq1CY

and there’s been grand little EPs.

Danny Norbury – Bluebeard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKTIpB41SGw

Michael Price – A Stillness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYOnxnl-LNM

Clem Leek – Rest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxN2JUDc_dM

And many more brilliant albums.

Olan Mill – (2 albums) Paths / Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE2Jb1jDSKY

Ryan Teague – Field Drawings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j5tTDcFOHk

Tiago Benzinho – Roses of Time 1 and 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiBi-hPv8bo

Sophie Hutchings – Night Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3TL4_7L0bA

Library Tapes – Sun Peeking Through
http://librarytapes.bandcamp.com/album/sun-
peeking-through

And there’s been some brilliant stuff on the outskirts of modern classical Orcas and A Whisper in the Noise my two favourite’s incorporating modern classical elements in completely different ways.

And also Will Duta/Ghost & Tape/From the Mouth of the Sun/Cello & Laptop.

Anything I should add/what else has it been a good year for?

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i liek all this sort of stuff so will check some of thses out

think i've missed nearly all of them

chris-budget | 5 Dec '12, 16:31 | X | ^ This | Reply

Lililololaure this'd this
- fuck off dis
  
  what about winged victory for the sullen? tyhat was this year yeah>?
  
  chris-budget @chris-budget | 5 Dec '12, 16:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - latter half of last year, great none-the-less.
    
    imho @chris-budget | 5 Dec '12, 16:44 | X | ^ This | Reply
Great summary there, top work.

A few things in there to investigate I think...

Greg Haines, The Olan Mill and Moon ate the Dark albums are particularly lovely.

Only thing I would add is the Insa Donja Kai album:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsvnHFKfnEE
Fantastic melodic dueling cellos

valenci | 5 Dec '12, 17:05 | X | ^ This | Reply
- nice bit of cello - i will definitely check that one out, cheers
  
  imho @valenci | 5 Dec '12, 17:19 | X | ^ This | Reply
Jacaszek - Glimmer

has been my personal highlight. Really beautiful stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bwPjYo8zT8

ethricdouble | 5 Dec '12, 17:07 | X | ^ This | Reply
- oh maybe that was late '11
  
  too bad, what are you gonna do about it?
  
  ethricdouble @ethricdouble | 5 Dec '12, 17:08 | X | ^ This | Reply
  - cry
    
    nice it sounds good, like the dark touches.
    
    I'll get round to sending you that names mix at some point
    
    imho @ethricdouble | 5 Dec '12, 17:14 | X | ^ This | Reply
    - yeah def, do
      
      just do us an upload or soundcloud if you can't be arsed with a CD, look forward to it
      
      ethricdouble @imho | 5 Dec '12, 17:40 | X | ^ This | Reply
I shall be bookmarking this page and working my way through that list

Cheers! I enjoyed Nils Frahm's latest offering but have been pretty neglectful of the genre this year.

jeff_panda | 5 Dec '12, 17:30 | X | ^ This | Reply
I've been enjoying some of the Bedroom Community stuff this year

Namely these two:

Valgeir Sigurðsson - Architecture Of Loss - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-sIc6zKzzw

Nico Muhly - Drones - http://nicomuhly.bandcamp.com/track/part-ii-material-in-a-handsome-stack-3

lyserge | 5 Dec '12, 17:53 | X | ^ This | Reply
- really like the crumbling there, will check out more..
  
  I often find Muhly clashes a little with my (picky)tastes but i like that track sounds more subtle and lo-fi than what i've listened to previously.
  
  imho @lyserge | 5 Dec '12, 18:17 | X | ^ This | Reply
You have covered an awful lot

Black Elk and Max Richter have been personal favourites of mine...but I haven't found anything quite as good as either AWVFTS or Felt from 2011. What are your highlights from the above list?

wonton | 5 Dec '12, 17:54 | X | ^ This | Reply
- Like them all but if pushed to pick a small handfull...
  
  Brambles (quite similar to Black Elk), Olan Mill - Paths, which is modern classical/ambient (and a nice Vinyl if your in to that kinda thing), Kashiwa for the electronic bite, Carlos Cipa if you want just great proper piano tracks.
  
  And i've heard 85% of both Poppy Ackroyd (possibly the closest thing to Felt) and Alvaret Ensemble which is Greg haines and others and they both sound excellent. (both mastered by Frahm as well).
  
  imho @wonton | 5 Dec '12, 18:10 | X | ^ This | Reply
that brambles track is lovely

will work through some of these

ethricdouble | 5 Dec '12, 18:20 | X | ^ This | Reply
really happy you mentioned Daisuke!

Jordan_229_2 | 5 Dec '12, 18:24 | X | ^ This | Reply
He's from more of a jazz background

But is anyone a fan of Matthew Bourne's ‘Montauk Variations’? Great stuff; fits in right alongside some of the above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGpquJyI7Yk
http://drownedinsound.com/releases/16793/reviews/4144452

scleeve | 6 Dec '12, 10:32 | X | ^ This | Reply
Can't recommend this enough for folks into modern classical/ambient/experimental

$10 for an 87 track compilation featuring several of the artists i listed at the top - all money goes to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy.

imho | 19 Dec '12, 11:09 | X | ^ This | Reply
- *sorry here's the link
  
  http://headphonecommute.bandcamp.com/album/and-darkness-came
  
  imho @imho | 19 Dec '12, 11:18 | X | ^ This | Reply
Really great effort.

Some very decent picks there.

The problem i have with modern classical stuff is that there's an endless supply of "nice" stuff, but very little instantly appeals to me like, say, Danny Norbury's 'Light in August', Max Richter's 'Blue Notebooks', Olafur Arnalds 'Variations of Static', or even 'Departures' by Message To Bears did.

When i heard them records once i knew i'd always love them, whereas with lots of other stuff, even more recent releases by those artists, i like it, it's very good, etc, but it doesn't blow me away at all. Same goes for, say, Hammock, Goldmund, Nils Frahm, Johann Johansson, Philip Glass, etc, etc.

What are your all time favourite modern classical albums, EPs and tracks, or ones you consider to be standards, just so i can investigate some more stuff?

Thanks.

forzaborza | 28 Dec '12, 15:31 | X | ^ This | Reply
- mototo faam - and waterfalls
  
  trackwise; no9's Again & Again, anoice's seven year glitch and yasushi yoshida's little grace are three favourites.
  
  i have a mix online somewhere i'll hunt out.
  
  Jordan_229_2 @forzaborza | 28 Dec '12, 16:28 | X | ^ This | Reply
Amazing thread.

Some of those are on my records of the year list...I even got the Another Happy Day Soundtrack for my Ma for Christmas I was so blown away by it.

Ichor | 28 Dec '12, 16:56 | X | ^ This | Reply

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2012 a good year for modern classical music?

i liek all this sort of stuff so will check some of thses out

fuck off dis

latter half of last year, great none-the-less.

Great summary there, top work.

nice bit of cello - i will definitely check that one out, cheers

Jacaszek - Glimmer

oh maybe that was late '11

cry

yeah def, do

I shall be bookmarking this page and working my way through that list

I've been enjoying some of the Bedroom Community stuff this year

really like the crumbling there, will check out more..

You have covered an awful lot

Like them all but if pushed to pick a small handfull...

that brambles track is lovely

really happy you mentioned Daisuke!

He's from more of a jazz background

Can't recommend this enough for folks into modern classical/ambient/experimental

*sorry here's the link

Really great effort.

mototo faam - and waterfalls

Amazing thread.

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