Kyle Gann: Postclassic

Probably I should actually put this link (found just to the right) on my Words About Music blog, but here it is. I used to read Gann's reviews of new music cds in Fanfare magazine years ago, and he never steered me wrong with a recommendation. I like his writing a lot. His recent postings on Charles Ives have been very good, and he's one of the most insightful writers on new music around. He can be a bit strident sometimes, and he doth protest too much about how Downtown composers are neglected in general and shunned by the academy. Maybe so, but he himself has got three cds coming out this year, he teaches at Bard and writes for the Village Voice, so it's hard for me to regard him as being muzzled to a great extent. Aside from that, I like what he has to say, and I like his own music very much He's very interested in just intonation, minimalism and other things that appeal to me.