Week Three - Karlheinz Stockhausen: Stimmung, Part II

I just listened to the Singcircle version of Stockhausen's Stimmung, recorded on Hyperian records. First of all let me say that anyone interested in modern music should listen to this. It's an amazing work whether you like it or not. The virtuosity and stamina that the singers would need to perform this piece is immense, not to say anything of all the preparation needed individually and as a group.

My listening experience was varied; the first 20 minutes or so (the whole piece lasts about 1:05 in this version) I was totally focused and enjoying all the varied rhythmic phonetic patterns, words and 'magic names'. Then my attention started to wander. There are sections in the middle where only one note is sounding and the rhythmic variety is gone. I tried to refocus but was finding it difficult; after all the work is basically only one chord with not all the notes sounding all the time, though I need to say that there are a couple of sections were the chord is put aside and non-chord note(s) are sung. I would be curious to see what the 'model'(see previous blog) is for those sections. The last 15 to 20 minutes I was ready for the piece to end. There was a moment that I laughed out loud though; there is a model where the the words 'Thursday, Donnerstag and others are sung and then suddenly, after a short pause all the singers on their respective notes of the Bb 9 chord sing in rhythic unison the word 'Barbershop'. Of course a 9 chord being an instantly recognizable barbershop chord! So I laughed but ... still wanted the piece to end!

I will, of course, give Stimmung more listening, though probably not any time soon. There are certain compositions that might be called concept pieces or head pieces. In other words they don't arise from a kinetic/emotional/spiritual impulse of the composer but rather arise from a conceptual idea. Stimmung strikes me as being that kind of work. I know that distinction is not so cut and dried and I don't want to oversimplify (yes, I know that I am) but while listening my body and emotions were pretty quiet while my mind was at first interested and then not so interested.

Thanks for reading and as always would love to hear your thoughts about anything I write! Feel free to disagree!