Product 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

Product Description
Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Rhydian Roberts, Brian Ferneyhough, Mark Gasser, Stephen Mark Barchan, Albert Ketèlbey, Jim Moray, Duncan Honeybourne, John Webb, Fred Thelonious Baker, Dave Cliff, Henry Fairs, Krzysztof Czerwiński, Helen O'hara, Ian Venables, Mike Seal, Steven Lloyd, Jean Rigby. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Rhydian Roberts (born 14 February 1983), popularly known as Rhydian, is a Welsh operatic singer and baritone, recognised as one of the United Kingdom's top crossover artists. He rose to fame following his 2007 appearances on the fourth series of the UK talent show The X Factor in which he was placed second. Since then, he has released two bestselling albums, done a UK tour (2009), and made gala and charity appearances in his native Wales and at the Royal Albert Hall, London. In late 2010, he embarks on a major Europe and UK arena tour of The War of the Worlds - Alive On Stage!. Rhydian Roberts was born in Sennybridge, Powys, Wales and attended the Pontsenni Cylch Meithrin and then went onto Ysgol y Bannau Welsh medium school in Brecon. He represented the school and Powys in the Urdd Gobaith Cymru Eisteddfod from the age of five. He maintained his links with the Urdd whilst at Llandovery College (where he became head boy) and as a university undergraduate. An accomplished sportsman and keen rugby union player, he played rugby union for the Gwernyfed RFC club, near Brecon, as a junior and later for his school, and cricket for Powys County Junior teams. "My plan was to be a professional player for the Swansea RFC Ospreys (rugby team)," he says. "From the age of ten that was all I could think about and I wasn't interested in singing any more." He embarked on a stringent exercise programme and was "a gym fanatic who could bench-press 386lbs at 16." After tea...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=13744568 ... Read more

Product Description
Les achats comprennent une adhésion à l'essai gratuite au club de livres de l'éditeur, dans lequel vous pouvez choisir parmi plus d'un million d'ouvrages, sans frais. Le livre consiste d'articles Wikipedia sur : Neil Back, Frank Whittle, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Brian Ferneyhough, Nigel Hawthorne, Andy Goode, Cyril Connolly, Terry Hall, David Moorcroft, Shane Geraghty, Clint Mansell, Marlon Devonish, Danny Grewcock, Billie Whitelaw, Martin Atkins, Darren Garforth, Kevin Warwick, Graham Alexander, Thomas Stedman Whitwell, Charles Bray, Lee Child, Sam Vesty, Iain Pears, Pauline Black, David Duckham, Thomas Kirk, Luke Mccormick, Lee Dorrian, Angela Bailey, Leon Lloyd, Laura Davies, Billie Myers. Non illustré. Mises à jour gratuites en ligne. Extrait : Neil Antony Back, membre de l'Empire britannique, est un joueur de rugby à XV international anglais né le 16 janvier 1969 à Coventry. Il évolue au poste de troisième ligne aile tant en sélection nationale qu'avec les Leicester Tigers avec qui il effectue la majeure partie de sa carrière en club. Il est nommé entraîneur du club de Leeds Carnegie à l'été 2008. Comme joueur du XV anglais, il réussit le grand chelem dans le tournoi des six nations 2003 et surtout remporte la victoire lors de la coupe du monde 2003 en Australie devant les tenants du titre australiens. Il a également l'honneur de faire partie de la sélection des Lions à trois reprises lors des tournées 1997 en Afrique du Sud, 2001 en Australie et 2005 en Nouvelle-Zélande. Lors de la dernière, il devient le joueur le plus âgé à disputer une tournée avec les Lions. Il annonce sa retraite internationale en 2004 tout en continuant à jouer pour son club des Leicester Tigers avec lesquels il gagne notamment deux coupes d'Europe de rugby en 2001 et 2002 et quatre titres consécutifs de champion d'Angleterre de 1999 à 2002. Il met un terme définitif à sa carrière en club en mai 2005 après la finale du championnat d'Angleterre perdue c...http://booksllc.net/?l=fr ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Best single source for contemporary composers
This is an encyclopedia of Contemporary Composers which politically correctly covers a lot of unbias international composers. (For instances, composers from Taiwan.)It also includes young talented composers. Every composers has good (1) biographical information (2) list of compositions and (3) an article about the composer. If this is only one book that I can get in this subject, I will choose this book, but not this first edition. The second edition was published by a different publisher. If you want to buy this book, you should go for the second edition. ... Read more