Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji

I'm listening to "Opus Clavicembalisticum" right now, which is a nearly four hour long piano piece. But it's not long the way the Feldman string quartet is long, or the way Satie's "Vexations" is long. It's crammed full of every kind of complex counterpoint and other forms of piano-hammering that he could come up with. Although it can definitely sound atonal and/or cacophonous, is never exactly sounds modernist; more like an exponential iteration of Liszt and Busoni, plus Bach-like fugues that go on forever and have so many voices you lose track.

It can be kind of hard to take; I've never listened to the whole thing in one sitting, or even in one day. But it can be very satisfying... like Xenakis, it's music whose logic can be difficult to figure out but which nevertheless doesn't sound at all random.

I felt sorry for the lonely Sorabji thread ;_;

Opus clavicembalisticum - Pars Prima 1. I. Introito 3'03
2. II. Preludio-Corale (Nexus) 13'33
3. III. Fuga I quatuor vocibus 12'06
4. IV. Fantasia 5'35
5. V. Fuga II duplex 15'30

CD 2:
Opus clavicembalisticum - Pars Altra 1. VI. Interludium primum (Thema cum XLIX variationibus) 44'44
2. VII. Cadenza I 4'40

CD 3:
1. VIII. Fuga tertia triplex - Dux primus 10'17
2. VIII. Fuga tertia triplex - Dux alter 11'01
3. VIII. Fuga tertia triplex - Dux tretius 12'00

CD 4:
Opus clavicembalisticum - Pars Tertia 1. IX. Interludium alterum - Toccata 5'42
2. IX. Interludium alterum - Adagio 16'17
3. IX. Interludium alterum - Passacaglia cum LXXXI variationibus 35'06
4. X. Cadenza II 3'04

CD 5:
1. XI. Fuga IV quadruplex - Dux primus 8'28
2. XI. Fuga IV quadruplex - Dux alter 7'32
3. XI. Fuga IV quadruplex - Dux tertius 7'23
4. XI. Fuga IV quadruplex - Dux quartus 9'57
5. XII. Coda-Stretta 7'30

Opus clavicembalisticum 6. Applause

He had those glasses for a long time

extensive wikipedia article on Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji

thx for making it onto my lonely thread chinchilla, and also for multiplle answers when you did! yr mention of Sorabji in that other thread means you've surely 'won' that so congrats...i've still not gotten round him but I'd say that, from your description (as well as from the odd review that crops up), his wiki page and having heard Charles Alkan the modernistic composer that comes closest to his brand of pianism might be Michael Finnissy - his works come nowhere near the length except "History of Photography in Sound" is about five hours and yet to make it onto record, but still is someone who has always had an urge to have a "conversation" (vs "conversation with sound" - Feldman vs "conversation" in a Kogan-like manner etc) with the past without necessarily having to directly quote it (although he does so at times) ('piano concerto no4', 'verdi transcriptions', 'jazz'..) (done a thread on him too).

i thought this was going to be a thread for one of the fonal records bands, i swear.

this thread is baffling!

Another good, timely revival - Frederic Rzewski's 'the road' is 8-hours long and was given its premiere just last week. Should've dropped in but couldn't be bothered.