Yesterday's comments on dissonance relate very much to one of my recent discoveries. I'd vaguely heard of the composer Toru Takemitsu, and knew him to be highly regarded among connoisseurs of the avant garde end of twentieth century music. What I didn't realise was that I was very familiar with his music for Kurosawa's great movie Ran having watched the epic at least four times. I just wasn't aware that it was Takemitsu who was responsible for all those lovely sounds and that there was a standalone version of the music that was transcendentally beautiful and powerful outside the beautiful and powerful visual context in which it was embedded.
I think if I had known that I would have sought out more by the composer earlier than I did. But it really doesn't matter because for the last two weeks I've been joyously allowing myself to be overwhelmed by his music in every form I can find it - chiefly through those nice people at youtube. It's now my intention to place a bulk order for a cache of CDs through amazon.com since this is not stuff you'd find in the stores, assuming the stores existed, which they don't any more.
To be honest, I'm not sure I'm being in any way accurate using the term dissonance with regard to Takemitsu's work. To me it sounds almost entirely tonal, but I am aware that my tastes don't exactly run in the same direction as those of the general populace in this area. I'm told programming this stuff drives people out of concert halls, but I haven't got a clue why. Every piece I've heard so far without exception has sounded to these ears, well, simply beautiful in a kind of self-evident manner.
Anyway, let me provide for you, Gentle Reader, a simple test. If From me flows what you call Time, as assayed by Andrew Davis and the BBC Orchestra, doesn't entirely ravish you then I'm not saying there's something wrong with you, but it might be worth seeking psychological assistance of some sort.
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