Stockhausen in Belfast, day 2/3
19:30 24/05/04, Whitla Hall, Belfast
Hymnen (Anthems) (1966-1967)
Stockhausen put this piece into the historical context of the Cold War and also of a touring anthropological exhibition of the time. He began to think of himself less as a German and more as an "earthling". He would listen to international stations on his short-wave radio and
around midnight, he would hear the national anthems of various countries being played. It occurred to him to compose using these anthems as found material.
The piece is divided into four "regions" each lasting about half an hour, so its length makes it a demanding listen. The idealism of the work recalls Beethoven's setting of Schiller in his 9th symphony. After much complex development the work resolves into a final world anthem. Whether this was the composer's intention or not, I found myself scared at what form a world power like this might take. Partly because Stockhausen's sheer mastery of sound, on this scale, is a little intimidating.
Two days into the short series, and the next morning I found myself hearing everyday sounds, like the creaking of a banister or the passing of a car, in a overly-receptive way, trying to relate these sounds to one another as if they were in a Stockhausen piece.
Hymnen (Anthems) (1966-1967)
Stockhausen put this piece into the historical context of the Cold War and also of a touring anthropological exhibition of the time. He began to think of himself less as a German and more as an "earthling". He would listen to international stations on his short-wave radio and
around midnight, he would hear the national anthems of various countries being played. It occurred to him to compose using these anthems as found material.
The piece is divided into four "regions" each lasting about half an hour, so its length makes it a demanding listen. The idealism of the work recalls Beethoven's setting of Schiller in his 9th symphony. After much complex development the work resolves into a final world anthem. Whether this was the composer's intention or not, I found myself scared at what form a world power like this might take. Partly because Stockhausen's sheer mastery of sound, on this scale, is a little intimidating.
Two days into the short series, and the next morning I found myself hearing everyday sounds, like the creaking of a banister or the passing of a car, in a overly-receptive way, trying to relate these sounds to one another as if they were in a Stockhausen piece.
posted by Peter at 11:16
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