May 26, 2006

Video from Springkoncert in Gjeddegaarden

From Gjeddegaarden here is a from a videotechnical point view rather cruel video with one of Mozart's piano concerts recorded at the Spring concert 6 April 2006:

http://mimertalks.unicast.org/Foraarskoncert%20Gjeddegaarden%20(06-04-2006).mov

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 06:35 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2006

Brian Eno on collaborating with Paul Simon on Surprise


Quite honest interview with Brian Eno on working with Paul Simon on his new album Surprise.

Guardian Unlimited Arts | | 'Working with someone is like dating'


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Paul Simon - Surprise

Beautiful music and lyrics.

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 12:20 PM | Comments (0)

April 24, 2006

Nibelungen Ring

Tomorrow is the day I start 5 days of 4 evenings in the new Danish Opera house watching and listening to Kasper Bech Holten's Der Ring des Nibelungen Ring by Richard Wagner.

I have got some great seats in the opera house so I think am in for a thrilling yet exhausting experience. In fact, my biggest worry is whether I for 3-4 hours can stay awake considering that this week is a normal busy work week.

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 06:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 15, 2006

The art of Muzak

Those of you who has visited Copenhagen might have heard the piano playing of Yul Anderson while strolling up and down Koebmagergade on a Saturday. I have lived in that area for at least 20 years of my life. And for as long as I remember, Yul Anderson has sat there Saturdays playing his improvisational style on his old upright piano.

I am sad to say, his music really annoys me. I think he is just a pale imitator of Keith Jarrett when Jarrett is doing his Køln Concert, Vienna Concert thing. Yul Anderson's music reminds of the background music that you hear in supermarkets and fine restaurants in american 70-80's soaps like Dallas and Dynasty. That is muzak and consumer music. But then again musical taste is as subjective as any and who am I to declare something for art and other things for not-art!

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 03:19 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2006

Frank Jæger


My friend Ole Gulløv has composed 12 beautiful melodies to lyrics by the Danish poet Frank Jæger and with a group of excellent he has recorded a CD with the titel "Refleksioner ved mit rosenbed" (Reflections by my rosebed).

The CD was presented with a small intimate concert today at Admiral Gjeddes Gaard.

Contact Ole Gulløv at sleep_tight @ hotmail.com to buy the CD.

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 03:18 PM | Comments (0)

January 01, 2006

Coldplay's new CD has rules: No MP3s, no DVD players, no car stereos

I never understood why anyone would care for the Coldplay flavour of "white guys crying through a full CD" music, but this surely underscores the hypocrisy and contradiction of intimate artistic expression packaged and sold for profit as any other supermarket good for mass consumption.

Coldplay's new CD has rules: No MP3s, no DVD players, no car stereos: "Cory Doctorow:


Coldplay's new CD comes with an insert that discloses all the rules enforced by the DRM they included on the disc. Of course, these rules are only visible after you've paid for the CD and brought it home, and as the disc's rules say, 'Except for manufacturing problems, we do not accept product exchange, return or refund,' so if you don't like the rules, that's tough.

What are the other rules? Here are some gems: 'This CD can't be burnt onto a CD or hard disc, nor can it be converted to an MP3' and 'This CD may not play in DVD players, car stereos, portable players, game players, all PCs and Macintosh PCs.' Best of all, the insert explains that this is all 'in order for you to enjoy a high quality music experience.' Now, that's quality.

I wonder how Coldplay feels about their fans getting all these rules set down for them by the music label? I wonder if most fans who read these rules will be wise enough to blame corporate, or whether they'll just decide to dig up a band whose label treats them like customers, not crooks? It's amazing how the labels always seem to come up with new ways of screwing artists: if they're not cheating them out of royalties, they're systematically alienating their fan-base. Link (via Digg)

"

(Via Boing Boing.)

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 12:39 PM | Comments (0)

October 05, 2005

Mario Coppola at Villa Rufolo

Lousy photo from a good recital by Italian pianist Mario Coppola - whom I never had heard about before - at the Villa Rufolo in Ravello.

Wonderful program with piano music by Beethoven, Liszt and Schumann.

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 05:20 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Vilhelm playing the piano

Vilhelm has started taking piano lessons. His is being taught using the methods and principles promoted by Shinichi Suzuki which basically say that the child should learn how to play music the way that it learned to peak its mother tongue. Truly fascinating and Vilhelm seems to enjoy it a lot.

Currently playing in iTunes: The More I See You by Brad Mehldau

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Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 05:55 PM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2005

Søren Rastogi at Rundetaarn

This evening another great recital by young promising pianist Søren Rastogi at Rundetaarn.

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2005

Concert with Søren Rastogi

9 February 2005, My father, Jeanne and I attended a very beautiful debut concert with young pianist Søren Rastogi at on the concert hall of the Royal Danish Library.

In particular, I enjoyed the SONATA No. 1 OP. 22 (1952) by Argentinean composer Alberto Ginastera. Really great modern piano music with a jazzy rhythm.

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 03:40 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2003

Great talent!

The last Piano Evening at the Lynnerup house in Hillerød featured Kristoffer Nyholm Hyldig at the piano. This was actually some kind of revelation. Kristoffer is an extremely talented and very young artist. His playing of 3 piano pieces by Carl Nielsen, Robert Schumann's Carneval and in particular the 3rd movement of Sergei Prokofiev's Sonate nr. 7 stunned all in the audience.

Posted by mblog at 02:31 AM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2003

Klaveraften nr. 3: Uki Ovaskainen

What a wonderful evening! The third Klaveraften (Pianonight) featured the Finish pianist Uki Ovaskainen playing Franz Schubert's Wanderer Fantasy, Schubert's Kinderscenen, excerpts from Bach's Goldberg Variations and Beethoven's Piano sonata no. 30.

Posted by mblog at 10:27 PM | Comments (0)

August 11, 2003

Maria Raszwetaeva

This extremely hot afternoon - Sunday 10 August 2003 - I spent in Sorgenfri Kirke, where my mother served as priest some ten years ago - at a wonderful koncert with the Russian/Austrian pianist Maria Raszwetaeva. The program was Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Skriabin. Fantastic music and performer!

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 12:41 AM | Comments (0)

July 05, 2003

Pet Sugar feat. Zaccho and Asingh at Studenterhuset

My (grand) nephew - Andreas Asingh - is a young talented jazz drummer. Last night (Saturday 5 July 2003) Jeanne and I went to hear his band - Pet Sugar - at the Students' House in Copenhagen where the band was performing as part of this year's Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The style is free jazz. Very energetic and potent but also a bit to noisy for my taste.

Posted by mblog at 11:36 PM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2003

New promising pianist: Cathrine Penderup

Last night - Wednesday 4 June 2003 - Mikael Lynnerup premiered his new project "Piano evenings" and Jeanne and I were lucky to be among his guests.

Piano nights - which in a couple of days will have its own web-site at http://www.klaveraften.dk (the web-site is not up and running yet) - are recurrent, very exclusive events at Mikael Lynnerups private house in Hillerød where new and promising classical pianists from the Royal Danish Academy of Music play Mikaels newly acquired Steinway & Sons (Living Room Grand - Model O) from 1920.

First pianist was Cathrine Penderup - a newly grauduated pianist from the Royal Danish Academy of Music - who took us through a stunning performance of works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Ravel, Gubaidulina and Beethoven. Download the programme at http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife/archives/Klaveraften 1 - 04 juni 2003.doc.

Thank you, Mikael, for this wonderful initiative!

Posted by mblog at 12:38 AM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2003

Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli

When I was studying at university many years ago - in the mid-eighties - one of my favorite classical CDs was Rachmaninov/Ravel: Piano Concertos with the Italian virtuosus Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli at the piano. Today, more than 15 years later, I have "rediscovered" the art of this great performer. At a visit to my local jazz shop I was recommended and purchased The Art of Michelangeli which holds 8 CDs with Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli performing a wide specter of classical materpieces from Mozart to Debussy. I am hooked again!

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

January 07, 2003

Bill Evans

I just finished reading Peter Pettinger's Bill Evans: How My Heart Sings - a biography on my favorite jazz musician: The pianist Bill Evans. The book at times seems to require somewhat to much knowledge about musical theory or piano playing experience - neither of which I possesses. However, the book gives a fascinating picture of his life and times. Interesting how Bill Evans' life in many ways seems to coincide with another of my favorite piano players: Glenn Gould.

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 01:25 AM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2002

Music

Extremely beautiful music for melancholics suffering in the grey Danish winter: Bill Evans: The Paris Concert Vol.1.

Posted by Martin von Haller Groenbaek at 06:45 PM | Comments (0)