On Thu, 12 Dec 2002 17:52:52 -0800 (PST) thesubtlebody wrote:

Talk of new recordings by Meredith Monk and Heiner Goebbels has peaked my interest in both composers, though I've heard nothing by them. Are MERCY and EISLERMATERIAL (sic) good places in to their respective soundworlds, ro can I do better elsewhere? Also, I've really enjoyed Giya Kancheli's "Styx" (Deutsche Grammophon, 20/21 Series) and ABII NE VIDEREM / TWO PRAYERS (ECM). What is essential by this composer?

As far as Goebbels is concerned, I recommend strongly the records he made in duo with Alfred Harth. The only problem is that most of them (to my know- ledge) are O.O.P. :-(. At least the live on Victo is still available. For Goebbels my favorite is still the fascinating: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 146 - DER MANN IM FAHRSTUHL/THE MAN IN THE ELEVATOR: Heiner Goebbels, Heiner Muller All music/lyrics by Heiner Goebbels/Heiner Muller, unless indicated Recorded at Sound on Sound Recording Inc., New York in March 1988 German vocals recorded at Schaubuhne, Berlin and Sinus Tonstudio, Berlin Produced by Heiner Goebbels and Manfred Eicher Arto Lindsay: voice, guitar; Ernst Stotzner: voice; Don Cherry: voice, trum- pet, doussn'gouni; Fred Frith: guitar, bass; Charles Hayward: drums, metal; George Lewis: trombone; Ned Rothenberg: saxophones, bass clarinet; Heiner Goebbels: piano, synthesizer, programming; Heiner Muller: the author. 1988 - ECM Records (Germany), ECM 1369 - 837-110-1 (LP) 1988 - ECM Records (Germany), ECM 1369 - 837-110-2 (CD) 1988 (?) - ECM Records, ECM 837 110-4 (CT) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Great lineup, top notch playing and really original musical adaptation of Muller's play. Patrice (still waiting for the Riskant reissues...).

For my money, the essential Kancheli piece remains Vom Winde Beweint (Mourned by the Wind), a magnificent viola concerto recorded by Kim Kashkashian and the Beethovenhalle Orchestra of Bonn for ECM. This was my first introduction to Kancheli and has all of the trademark sounds of his style, the broad, sweeping, neo-Romantic themes interspersed with stark, dramatic whisper-to-a-scream contrasts. It's excellently played and recorded, and paired on this disc with Schnittke's very different Concerto for Viola. The Berkshire Record Outlet being a store that deals primarily in deleted and remaindered titles, it can be a great resource but entirely undependable as to what's available and when. For more mainstream, day-to-day shopping, I recommend www.arkivmusic.com, a full-service classical music retail website run by a handful of former N2K employees. The selection is as wide as you would expect from a Tower or Amazon, the prices are decent (lower than retail and about equal to Amazon) and the site is so efficiently organized that finding exactly what you need is a breeze. Steve Smith ssmith36@sprynet.com NP - Lawrence "Butch" Morris, Conduction #70: TIT for TAT (For 4 Ears)