Dan Albertson has written for La Folia since 2004. His pursuits involve languages, lexicography, music, musicology, poetry, and translation, and tend to veer away from mainstream artists. He has worked on the Living Composers Project since 2000, has written articles for MusikTexte, has contributed entries to the encyclopedia Komponisten der Gegenwart, and has edited multiple volumes of the British journal Contemporary Music Review, on the composers Helmut Lachenmann, Earle Brown and Aldo Clementi, plus two volumes on modernism and the string quartet and a co-edited volume on Spanish music beyond Spanish borders. He has been a member of its editorial board since 2014. He translates notes for Cybele Records in Düsseldorf and has contributed his own notes to a variety of international labels. His poems are generally short and static in nature. American by birth, he is now based abroad.
Dan Albertson
Kurtág in New York, Me in Michigan
The Kurtágs made their long-awaited New York début early last month as part of a two-night Hungarian focus at Carnegie Hall, a bold move made possible by the Hungarian Cultural Center.
Kurtág in New York, Me in Michigan
The Kurtágs made their long-awaited New York début early last month as part of a two-night Hungarian focus at Carnegie Hall, a bold move made possible by the Hungarian Cultural Center.
Zweiter Spaziergang mit Rücklauf
Each of the three works on this disc was written soon after the composer’s brief apprenticeship with Stockhausen and when Rihm was between 22 and 24.
Zweiter Spaziergang mit Rücklauf
Each of the three works on this disc was written soon after the composer’s brief apprenticeship with Stockhausen and when Rihm was between 22 and 24.
Three, by Two
Bruckner’s Third mass is not in fact his third, nor are the numbers of his symphonies reflective of their chronology.
Three, by Two
Bruckner’s Third mass is not in fact his third, nor are the numbers of his symphonies reflective of their chronology.
Eastern Kingdom 1, Federal Republic 0
Austrian composer Clemens Gadenstätter (born 1966), as his age might suggest, comes from the generation of composers awash with second-rate Grisey and Lachenmann clones.
Eastern Kingdom 1, Federal Republic 0
Austrian composer Clemens Gadenstätter (born 1966), as his age might suggest, comes from the generation of composers awash with second-rate Grisey and Lachenmann clones.
Of Wisps and Peals: Mark André’s ‘…auf…’ Triptych
Massive metallic fusillades permeate the crackling stillness. Knocks, rattles and blowing wind are recurrent motifs.
Of Wisps and Peals: Mark André’s ‘…auf…’ Triptych
Massive metallic fusillades permeate the crackling stillness. Knocks, rattles and blowing wind are recurrent motifs.
Erster Spaziergang
Notions of the cyclical and the fragmentary permeate the 40-year output of Wolfgang Rihm, perhaps the most prolific composer of our era.
Erster Spaziergang
Notions of the cyclical and the fragmentary permeate the 40-year output of Wolfgang Rihm, perhaps the most prolific composer of our era.
Not So Good Conducting, Worse Composing
Some conductors age gracefully. Others waver as the years accrue, and no one has the courage to turn them out to pasture.
Not So Good Conducting, Worse Composing
Some conductors age gracefully. Others waver as the years accrue, and no one has the courage to turn them out to pasture.
Denhoff, Grisey, Neuwirth
German pianist Susanne Kessel is one of European new music’s greatest friends and this new release is another demonstration of her ability to perform with charm, grace and virtuosity.
Denhoff, Grisey, Neuwirth
German pianist Susanne Kessel is one of European new music’s greatest friends and this new release is another demonstration of her ability to perform with charm, grace and virtuosity.
Romantic, Impressionist, Complexist: Bruckner, Griffes, Ferneyhough
His Fourth Symphony, noted especially for its distinctive hunting-call scherzo, is probably Bruckner’s most famous score.
Romantic, Impressionist, Complexist: Bruckner, Griffes, Ferneyhough
His Fourth Symphony, noted especially for its distinctive hunting-call scherzo, is probably Bruckner’s most famous score.
Boulez: A Master Speaks Anew
There may be no post-World War II work for voice and instrumentalists more famous than Pierre Boulez’s 1950s song cycle Le marteau sans maître.
Boulez: A Master Speaks Anew
There may be no post-World War II work for voice and instrumentalists more famous than Pierre Boulez’s 1950s song cycle Le marteau sans maître.
Gubaidulina: Recent Works
An orchestral piece by Gubaidulina comes with expectations: prominent metallic percussion, bustling strings, violent tutti climaxes, etc.
Gubaidulina: Recent Works
An orchestral piece by Gubaidulina comes with expectations: prominent metallic percussion, bustling strings, violent tutti climaxes, etc.
Luigi Dallapiccola: For Orchestra
Were one limited to a single term for Luigi Dallapiccola’s music, I would choose enchanted. It poses a paradox: a strict structure with an emotional exterior.
Luigi Dallapiccola: For Orchestra
Were one limited to a single term for Luigi Dallapiccola’s music, I would choose enchanted. It poses a paradox: a strict structure with an emotional exterior.