With a Club, mind you: "Beating Oprah" some more

A few nice comments regarding the previous post about the Oprah Book Club. Her "seal of approval" seems to be one that, judging perhaps a bit prematurely, genuinely stirs up strong opinions - positive and negative. I think that this is related to the marketing power and effect her recommendations have on a large segment of American culture - crossing hard-to-see but present boundaries of class, race, gender, and politics. In the end, I think the discussion can be broadened to include "critical" endorsement of any kind: awards, reviews, seals of approval, citations - you name it. Ask the question this way: How does the popularity of the reviewer or review source factor into your perception of the review?

Ok - enough. I am pleased to announce that I am starting the...

I-pity-the-fool-who-don't-listen-club.

Our first selection is:



Simon Bainbridge
Ad ora incerta / Four Primo Levi Songs

I've known about this work since about 2004, when Bainbridge visited IU and gave an inspiring talk in the School of Music fallout shelter. The songs are quite sad given the subject matter (WWII, holocaust). Ad ora incerta is an especially engaging work which is able to communicate the despair contained in Primo Levi's texts without pandering to larger ideas of what music of despair is or should be according to culturally agreed upon models in art music (like the overuse of Adagio for Strings as a representation of loss and sadness). With uncanny specificity, Bainbridge is able to target components of despair found in Levi's text's and contrasts of sophistication and simplicity in his musical technique. From a composer's perspective, this is what we strive for: honing our ability to communicate through polished and, more importantly, unobtrusive craft. The Four Primo Levi Songs are equally as potent, providing panoramas of Levi's despair in miniature (chamber ensemble as opposed to the orchestra plus bassoon and Mezzo-Soprano soloists in ad ora incerta).

I think the work might be out of print. Try to find it and listen! I hope you'll comment with your thoughts on this work!