Food experience in Budapest

Of course, i can not go to a country without even trying to taste the local food ! Specially when it comes from my father country !

Unfortunately i totally forgot the name of each plate, forgive me for that !

But it was delicious !!

Dynamo: one of the most incredible exhibit i ever seen

Yes I love to go to see exhibit whenever i have time, or possible.

 6 months ago i went to a really incredible one : Dynamo at the Paris' Grand Palais

Normally i don't take many pictures during exhibit, but this one was so incredible that i could not resist (ha yes i must confess my sins, i am a huge lover or Optical Art !)

Since i don't think i am too much skilled to make interesting art comments, this is a (big) selection of works. There were also some Optical Vidéos, but i don't think i can put them on youtube (as i am not the owner of the sculptures)

Hope you will enjoy my selection !

Treatise - harshnoise version: finally a review !!

You might guess, why on earth should i bother about this album when my Christus was so well received. Only for a simple reason: i love all my release. Otherwise i would never do them.

Electroaoustic / ambient - noise music is also a huge part of my musician life. For a decade I released things under a scene name and with this Treatise release i finally took the courage to release everything under my real name!

You would also wonder why i did not used my real name long ago, reason was quite simple, i was still a piano student at this time, and my beloved piano teacher (the incredible Germaine Deveze) always said that a pianist must do only piano, otherwise it is not serious enough. So as the terrible child i am (enfant terrible we would say in french) i hide everything.

Anyway enough pointless talk, let s return to the review. It is in german and ... Google trad is really my friend ;) Hope you will enjoy the reading !

This is the complete review :
http://kulturterrorismus.de/rezensionen/nicolas-horvath-cornelius-cardew-treatise.html

NICOLAS HORVATH – Cornelius Cardew Treatise

By

RaF

– 8. November 2013Posted in: NEUVORSTELLUNGEN November 2013, Rezensionen

CORNELIS CARDEW (1936 – 1981), seines Zeichens Assistent von KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN (1928 – 2007), schrieb diverse mathematische Musik(?) für klassische Instrumente, wozu auch eines seiner bekanntesten Werke “Treatise” zählt, das der Franzose (Woher auch sonst?) NICOLAS HORVATH in derbe Power Electronics transformierte.
“Cornelius Cardew Treatise” von NICOLAS HORVAT veröffentlichte der japanische Verlag SUBLIME RECAPITULATION MUSIC (ehemals SABBATHID RECORDS), der das extreme Hörerlebnis als CD im Jewelcase (inklusive schlichtem schwarzweiß Cover, aber mit viel Hintergrundinformationen im Booklet) herausgibt.

Bei NICOLAS HORVATH handelt es sich um einen ausgebildeten Musiker, welcher als Pianist & Komponist auf internationale Erfolge zurückschaut. Neben der klassischen, verfügt der Franzose auch über ein Faible für kontemporäre Musik wie sie CORNELIUS CARDEV (teilweise im Geiste von KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN) erschuf, der innerhalb “Treatise” 193 (Noten-) Spuren, Symbole und diverse geometrische wie abstrakte Formen verarbeitete. Eben dieses “Monstrum” “Treatise” transferierte NICOLAS HORVATH in rein elektronische Sphären, die teilweise aufgrund ihrer Höhe in den Ohren klingeln. Wessen Herz für Loops, pures wie abstraktes Geschredder und Hochtonnoise schlägt, sollte diese harsche Interpretation von CORNELIUS CARDEV‘s “Treatise” unbedingt antesten, zu der ein Begleitvideo existiert, in dem (neben dem Sound) alle verwendeten Noten(?) einzusehen sind.



Gerade eingefleischte Noise-/ Power Electronics Fetischisten, die japanische Interpreten wie MASONNA, MERZBOW & Co schätzen, könnte NICOLAS HORVATH‘s “Cornelius Cardew Treatise” zusagen, dessen Strukturen neben der Intensität oftmals durch totale Abstraktheit überzeugen. Insgesamt eine derbe Vorstellung von NICOLAS HORVATH, die ausschließlich Kenner(-inn)en vorbehalten beleibt!


Fazit:

Egal ob aus der Perspektive CORNELIUS CRADEV/ KARLHEINZ STOCKAUSEN oder Noise/ Power Electroncis betrachtet, dürfte “Cornelius Cardew Treatise” von NICOLAS HORVATH ein spannender Leckerbissen sein – meine absolute Empfehlung! PS: Individuen, die mit Hochtonnoise oder Abstraktheit (in kleinsten Dosen) nicht um können, lassen von NICOLAS HORVATH’s “Cornelius Cardew Treatise” defacto die Finger!

NICOLAS HORVATH – Cornelius Cardew Treatise

Tracklisting: 01. NICOLAS HORVATH – Cornelius Cardew Treatise

VÖ: 2013 Label: SUBLIME RECAPITULATION MUSIC

Genre: Noise, Power Electronics Format: CD

Frederick MARTIN (b1958) piano music introduced by the composer himself!

Today another composer important to me : Frederick Martin.
A great french composer, a truly iconoclast who let his inspiration going where it needs to go and not being contained by some useless compositionnal trends.
He has a gigantic compositional corpus, and his music really needs to be more publicly known, has the public really enjoy his music.

Since i really have the feeling that this composer is really under exposed, and his great music has really to be discovered, i asked the composer himself to introduce to everybody his own piano music.
So ... for futur musicologist or sudents , what is going to come are "words from the composer" !

Frédérick MARTIN piano music (by Frédérick Martin)

Op.18: Fil Aimé I (1992) 12’

My first official piano score carries like scars all the post-serial gimmicks I had fed myself on the 15 former years. I’ll rewrite it someday to simplify it.
 

Op.69: Seize Petits Préludes (2002-2013) 20’

Here, on the other hand, we have 16 short pieces intended for young players practicing. Each piece wears a name, almost telling a tale.

Op.74: Première Sonate (2003-2012) 13’40’’

Things become serious here. I pay tribute to the classical three movements form, though perverting it, as the sonata form appears in the last part only. The second movement is a long elegy which always catches the listener’s feelings. The 1^st and 3^rd movements have been composed three times before satisfaction.

2nd movement

Op.85: Deuxième Sonate (2005-2013) 12’50”

Cast in one movement, the 2^nd sonata explores directions I hadn’t yet taken. It’s the most unpredictable music for piano I ever wrote, full of twists.

Op.86: Le Cinéma Muet (2005) 4’50’’

A short homage to the young Shostakovich, who used to improvise for silent movies to earn his life during the 20s of the past century. It ends with a “spectral fugue”.

Op.101: Les Préludes Enlacés (2007-2013) 12’45’’

These three preludes use the same material, growing up in complexity, musically and instrumentally speaking.

Op.113: Sonatine (2009-2013) 10’

Some “simple” music. Quite appealing from the start and loaded with tunes.

Op.119: Troisième Sonate (2009-2013) 14’10”

The most abstract one. Its two movements seem like two totally opposed brothers, one short and dreamy and introspective, the other one tall and showing off but not so sure of himself.

Op.121: Quatrième Sonate (2010-2013) 22’

Four movements this time, opening on a “latina” ambiance to pour its energy into a suspended interrogation, followed by a mad toccata, and ending to an almost 10’ long track using the piano as a huge resonator.

Op.129: Cinquième Sonate (2011) 20’

The 5^th sonata was the first part of my homage to Liszt. I built it in several continuous sequences as Liszt did in his own sonata, even including a fake fugue as Liszt wrote one, but at the same proportional moment as my elder did, which is sort of a “tour de force”.

Op.133: Sixième Sonate (2011) 21’

Second part of my homage to Liszt, I dedicated this one to Nicolas Horvath. Its consonant harmonies counterbalance moments of wild bursts, demanding all 20 fingers of the pianist…

Op.143: Toccata (2012) 7’

A toccata indeed, like a boxing champion invading your ears and mind, not stopping before everyone’s knocked out.

Op.144: Septième Sonate (2012) 30’

I had always asked myself what would be like some music of mine if I were a repetitive music composer. So I took up the challenge and drew a 30’ evolving line, which suppresses the notion of time. This work I dedicated to the beloved memory of Hans Werner Henze.

Op.150: 24 Préludes (2010-2013) 55’

Throughout nearly four years, I have been giving birth to this huge cycle with one thought in mind : to equal Chopin’s and Debussy’s own attempt in the genre. I like to think I haven’t totally failed. 

How i discovered Frédérick Martin music:

I pretty forgot how i discovered him. For sure it was more than 10 years ago, when i was not doing concerts yet, and long before i was even thinking about compétitions.

I think at this time, there was a trend about Frank Martin, and i came out totally by accident on Frédérick. I was stuck about his "wired taste" for a composer (but from me it is not an insult, as my tastes are also very wired).
But no recording and very few infos...
There was available at this time his 1st Sonata. I ordered and got a HUGE score (A3 format), i was very annoyed as it was pretty hard to travel with it. But on the other hand it was nice because it was a facsimile !

I remembered that i was shocked about the difficulty of the 3rd movement, but ... the 2nd was really incredible.

My master at this time, did not want me to learn it, as "i should play more known composers" ...

Anyway, years after when i did my first Contemporary Marathon in Prague, i was free to perform anything i wanted, so i finally performed this wonderful 2nd movement !

After Frédérick saw my vidéo (we have some common friends, and specially one i like a lot, Judicaël, the kind of personn you can listen talking for hours without feeling bored, and i guess this is him that shared the link, not sure...), i was able to meet the maestro, and what a wonderful conversation we had!
Again, i was learning tons of things concerning music (he also intrduced me to Jean Catoire), art, compositions ...

You can find some biography in the IRCAM database, but ... since there are no more infos after 1996, we can say that it is really outdated!

 

You can also to listen to more music :

 

Ustvolst by Trio polycordes

Le Talisman des Voïvodes by Ensemble MG21

 

ps: sorry for those links, but for an unknown reason, it is no more possible to get it well shaped...

entering a time capsule

We all experienced that someday, this wired feeling of being sucked back in time, or being in a place that does not belong to its present time.
I still remember those wonderful stories of found appartment who were never opened from almost a century. The idea is romantic, until it happens to you...

As my very close relative noticed me, i was already pretty weakened, at the very same period i learnt the terrible cancer status of a close friend (i won't post the name of this friend), the suicide of another one, and now that a cherished one will never come back in Wien after a very long (and won) struggle.
I know that before going in Wien there was the deathmass of this friend, and it helped me to "begining to figure out" why such an extreme gesture, i felt i was ready to go for the last time in this Wien appartment where almost a year ago everything was perfect.

But as i opened the door, i saw that it was frozen in time, almost everything was in the very same position that i left last december, even the calendar near the piano !
The only thing i was able to do was to come on the piano and perform some Glass music, opening, orphée, etudes, metamorphosis, dreaming awake... As Musset used to say, the more painfull is not the sadness itself, it is the fadded memories of wonderful moments within those period of sadness, and this huge feeling of time lost...
My duty, as i promised, was to throw almost everything away, to cut all contracts such as rental, cellphone, internet... well i guess you got the point.
Also since 2/3 had to be throw away, all those memories that months ago you belived would stay forever (anyway 80 kg of cloths in perfect condition and still in trend were returned to her 'other part of the globe' coutry), i finished some very good dry food, and even since there was tons of candles, organised a "romantic bath" for me alone.



I must confess that, when i prepared it, i felt that it was surely the stupidest idea ever, but ... curiously i really enjoyed it, as the candle light is less agressive and more relaxing than our electric lights.


I am very glad that i had a long phone call with my mum at this very time, and to see that some friends took their time to send me some support message and even not to care and call me internationally. Yes i was very sad, the pain was stronger that i could imagine. But i am dedicating this blog post to you who were here when i was in need !

Also very curiously, when i came back in Paris, the "fingers allergy" that i had for months and belived came from my new "aluminium" computer totally disapeared.

When i came back in Paris, guess who was waiting for me ?

ps : i wanted first to do some nicer posts with Wien pictures, but i felt it was a little bit meaningless, you can find easily pictures of this wonderful city anywhere on internet

Now i am back on tracks with some great forthcoming projects, you will soon read about them ;)