Book Description
Until now, Ferneyhough's writings about music have been scattered, published in various languages and difficult, if not impossible, to find. This present collection brings together the majority of the composer's extant writings, many of them appearing in English for the first time, along with some edited transcripts of informal talks, and a number of important interviews. Although the vast majority of the texts deal with Ferneyhough's compositions, others reflect his activities as a highly influential composition teacher, and some touch on his recent work as a poet. Together, the writings provide a fascinating and engaging means of insight into the workings of the mind of a composer whose output could be regarded as one of the most significant of this century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Enlightening and useful
Brian Ferneyhough is seen by many as the face of the so-called "New Complexity" movement. It is important that one set aside any judgments on this aesthetic style before reading. This collection features a wide range of essays, interviews, analyses, and a nice list of compositions and a discography.

Initially, I wasn't sure what I thought about Ferneyhough. Certainly, as a student of musicology, I was fascinated by his amazingly dense scores - scores that qualify as art in their own right. However, as a musician, I'm not sure that taking the time to actually learn a Ferneyhough work - and learn it well - would be personally worth the effort. That said, reading a selection of these writings helped me understand and appreciate Ferneyhough in a new way. I found the studies of his own works helped me appreciate the musical ideas to a greater extent that was previously possible through my own brief analysis.

After reading a number of the essays this much is clear: Brian Ferneyhough is definitely an intellectual. Whether he is an artist also is up to you. I'm not totally sold on his (perhaps overly) cerebral aesthetics, but I found his writing to be enlightening, not just for his music, but for much late 20th century music. If you're reading this review, you're probably already aware of Ferneyhough's style. If you are fascinated by his originality or difficulty, this will be a rewarding read.

rich, complex-yet-illuminating discourse. . .
Ferneyhough's writings are on music are some of the most rich and fascinating ever.This collection, which consists of articles, lectures, analysi, and interviews [which are exquisite!] give us insight into the views of a profound living composer -- with wonderful little brain tingles along the way!It's a shame that the book costs so much [check local university libraries], but I encourage people to get it any way they can. I cannot say enough about the integrity of these writings. . .

Articulate and as lucid as committment to complexity allows
Contemporary Music Studies, Harwood Academic Publishers have done an admirable job in publishing annual seminal works from a wide spectrum of contemporary musical thought,showing no proclivities. From Eisler, PeterSchat,,Bruno Maderna, Pierre Boulez and neglected Charles Koechlin. HereFerneyhough brings us right to his writing desk and we learn how heconstructs his multi-dimensional musical concoctions. Much of it has beenmaterial provided elsewhere,but who reads it or can recall its source,fromprogram notes and seminal interviews with Paul Griffiths, James Boros andRichard Toop, those who have followed Mr. Ferneyhough's career, and werethere at the birth. Well documented here are the four string Quartet. Andsince the quartet is, or has been considered as special creative preserve,Ferneyhough's thought is well focused, giving us, rendering his aestheticbattle-plans for each. Some like the Third Quartet was more lucid andfacile,greater surface discourse relatively speaking. There are also gristkinds of analysis, of Webern, token objects on the way toward discovery,butanalysis frequently point toward the labyrinth of creativity What you valueone place is sought after in another. We also extend into a life beyondjust placing musical loci, notes on paper, Walter Benjamin is a greatinspiration, and Ferneyhough has followed the intellectual currents ofEurope, philosophic, and cultural to be able to place his creations withinthat discourse. He frequently solicits the visual world of painting for anagenda.Also Musical excerpts abound the pages , and the impeccabledraftsmanship is a sensuous pleasure a gaze almost pornographic in itsseductiveness. ... Read more

Book Description

Shadowtime is an opera based on the work and life of the German philosopher, essayist, and cultural critic Walter Benjamin. The libretto by Bernstein was written for the internationally renowned composer Brian Ferneyhough. The opera had its premier at the Munich Biennale in 2004 and has been performed in Paris and other German cities. In July of 2005, the opera will be performed by The Lincoln Center in New York City, at which time the published libretto will be featured.