Partch CDs

John Pusey asked about us informing the list about new Partch CDs, and I
realized that nobody (as far as I can remember) has reviewed the Partch
"Enclosure #2" CD set. For those of you who do not know, this is a
collection of Partch tunes, mainly culled from old recordings which have
been previously unavailable commercially.

I will not review this, but with fear of putting my foot in my mouth, I
feel compelled to voice a complaint. Amidst the wonderful pieces which I
had never previously heard, such as "Dark Brother" and "Settings from
Finnegan's Wake", is an amateur reading of "Bitter
Music". The booklet notes disclaim "There is some debate as to whether
"Bitter Music" should still exist, let alone be heard in public". My
complaint is not about whether the manuscript should have been destroyed
(I cherish my book), but I think that we should all be concerned with
setting only QUALITY performances of his music before the public.
Perhaps it was ego-serving to include such a performance in a CD of
"historical" performances. I think that I should not have been included
in CDs at all. Buy the book, find a piano that you haven't retuned yet,
and play it yourself for maximum benefit.

My suggestion, if you have not yet heard the disc, is to order one
immediately, and put all four CDs in yout player. Use the program button
to select all of the tracks EXCEPT for "Bitter Music", and while you're
at it, "Harry's Wake". Although I never met Partch, I like to remember
him without the cognac.

New Partch CDs are not all bitter music, though--Ted Mook and Stephen Kalm
released an excellent CD of "Li Po" this year! Truly a living and
intonationally sensitive performance.

Adam

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