Has Kevin Mayo actually had a Proms commission, GG? Music for Insomniacs had a pre-Proms performance in 1996, but I can't find anything else... If he hasn't, that would appear to make the dissing all the more bitter. I've noted the specific comment re English composers, too: Mr Mayo is a Scot.

"The vast majority of people, be they musically educated, inquisitive or whatever do not like listening to this music. That's a fact.

What are it's merits?
Not musical.
Not artistic.

Cerebral? Perhaps. Is that a desirable quality in music? I don't believe so.

Thankfully, time will eradicate the dross.
But it is sad to see the BBC investing in music which clearly has no long term future."

dear, oh dear , who is this kevin mayo???
this bitter laddie certainly has  personal issues, one of them being intense jealousy.  ok, i haven't heard the piece yet, but am looking forward to once i get the chance. i'd forgotten about this kind of narrow mindedness, to be honest, i've come across it more in current and previous csu & austrian politicians than on the continent. it's the kind of arrogance that 'knows' what music is and what it isn't, preferring music built out of outgrown listening paradigms, or that won't question/reflect on existing ones.

thanks for the 'quote'. yes bad sound. & i thought life was bad enough!

Well Ron, I certainly had a recording or two at some point, so hopefully it's just a matter of finding the right box.

I may be able to play Santa sooner than I had thought...

If only the quality of the recording were actually the problem.

Well, what a shambles that was. 14 minutes of a 25-minute piece. I imagine Sam is gutted - I know I would be. Haven't managed to speak to him yet, but will report on what happened once I have.

I loved what there was - dense, beautifully wrought textures, powerful slow momentum, keeping all registers active all the time (not easy to do without becoming wearing).

It certainly is a 'difficult' piece, in the sense that there are constant multiple/ nested (whatever) tuplets in all parts and instruments are often stretched at their extreme registers, plus highly intricate textures that have to be exactly right to 'work' - become clear, I mean. (I remember Richard talking about what I would imagine to have been a similar experience to that which Sam underwent.) But this is the BBCSO, they are surely used to such challenges by now.

As to how it compares to other SH - for my money, and despite having only heard 3 /5ths of it, it effectively sums up a lot of what he's been doing for the last 12 years or so. Difficult, knarly stuff superbly rendered.

Don't pass the Mayo.

^{just ducking in...}

I enjoyed what I heard, and will reserve judgment until the work is presented in its entirety, but apropos to what martle just penned...


Reminds me of David Rakowski's "Buttstix" -- http://home.earthlink.net/~ziodavino/album1_016.htm

An entertaining read, if very much of its time and place (satirizing prejudices specific to the American university, though sometimes having relevance to other settings)

_{just ducking out...}

Fair point, eru, and I only know about all that nesting from having seen the score. What I meant was that the rhythmic intricacies implied by the notation have to be realised pretty precisely to 'work', or to be effectively apprehended by the listener. If they're inaccurate, the 'soup effect' takes hold!