Hi Christa, so we have seen the same concert at St.-Chartier! Actually I did a review of St.-Chartier concerts for the German folk music magazine "Folker!" and especially this concert overwhelmed me. Yes, I saw a lot of great players arise after Valentin and I had not seen him for years, but this concert convinced me: he is STILL the master. Let me check - maybe I have some photographs of this event. If you like I could send some via PN or if there is interest I might post them for the list.
The CD "Great masters of the Hurdy Gurdy I guess contains the whole first LP "La vielle à roué de l'imaginaire" as well as half of his 2nd album which is (as to my knowledge) not re-issued on CD and not listed at Valentin's website. But I might be wrong about that ... I suspect, the CD "heresia" might be totally sold out. I saw some offers on Amazon, but people ask astronomical prices for it. You may probably conctact Valentin directly asking if he has some copies left to sell. Good luck. Best regards, Ulrich -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht----- Von: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Im Auftrag von Christa Muths Gesendet: Donnerstag, 5. Februar 2009 08:58 An: [email protected] Betreff: [HG-new] Re: Valentin's music Hola folks, hola Ulrich, I am a fan of Valentin´s playing. I had never heard of him before I went to St. Chartier 2 years ago and saw him playing. My friend who was with me fled in disgust whereas I stayed enchanted!! (we are still friends though!) I feel his music opens up new dimensions. I love Jazz and also Blues and used to listen to avangarde Jazz Sunday mornings in Frankfurt at the Römer. I have been trying to get "Heresia" but to no avail. Where can it be bought Ulrich? My hurdy gurdy teacher here in Valencia has Valentin´s teaching book and says it is very good. I will try to buy it although I do not speak French but I have a hg teaching book by Marc Egea written in Catalunian and I can work with it. Recently I found a CD by Valentin: Great Masters of the Hurdy Gurdy. It has 22 tunes, traditional and also modern ones. Great listening. Cheers Christa 2009/2/4 Ulrich Joosten <[email protected]>: > Hello folks, > > > > well – Valentin's music is not everybody's cup of tea for sure. And it was > not either the day he showed up at St.-Chartier two and a half decades ago, > playing his music and changing the hurdy-gurdy ever since. Not really > co-incidence (even if he asserts it is) that later on he called a CD > "Heresia": When he started to revolutionize either playing techniques > developing new ways of playing far beyond the pure traditional techniques as > well as instruments by challenging luthiers to adapt their instruments for > his then unique playing style, many traditionalists called him a Judas and / > or heretic. But no one can deny that he has had an impact on the modern > hurdy-gurdy like no other. Without him, probably a small couple of hard core > gurdyists would still sit gathering in Central France playing "Bourrée > carrée de St.-Chartier" and no one would give a damn. In his first years > Valentin split up the gurdy players in two fractions: the ones who screamed > "traitor" and the others who adapted a famous citation and said "Clastrier > is god". Neither of these extreme positions is true, but without any doubt > he is and was the most influential hurdy-gurdy player who made the > difference – without him the instrument would still not be accepted as a > fully-fledged instrument but be smiled at by professional classical > instrumentalists, as a necessary evil to stage Leopold Mozart's > "Bauernhochzeit". > > > > I can understand that Valentins music is not for anybody's taste and this is > very okay – since you can't argue on taste. For me also much of his music > does not really touch my heart, especially in case Valentin plays jazz music > together with Michael Riessler and Carlo Rizzo. These recordings are deeply > impressing qua virtuosity of three individuals together on highest level. > But me personally, I can't stand this music any longer than 5 minutes. Yes, > it impresses my brain, but not my heart. Nevertheless, there are CDs by > Valentin that are worth listening, to name his first recordings on "La > vielle à roue de l'imaginaire". And if one day you get the chance to see > Valentin life on stage – please do yourself a favour, put aside your > objections and go for it. This may change your perspective sustainable. > Seeing him solo life on stage – THAT is the moment when he touches me > deeply. Valentin does not only use the hurdy-gurdy as a percussion > instrument by simultaneously playing and tapping it – at the same time he > also uses a kind of big wooden stomp box with a mike inside for percussive > effects played with his feet. One has to see this before believing it … Any > time I see and hear him playing I get inspired wishing that I could do just > a little of what he can do and it highly motivates me to rehearse. > > > > Even if one does not like Valentin's music I would highly recommend his new > book "La vielle & l'univers de l'infinie roue-archet". The DVD included > showcases his coup-de-poignet techniques and your eyes may pop out seeing > what is possible. All his various coups are illustrated with a kind of > wheel-position-mandalas and also you can see them animated on the DVD. > Unfortunately, it is in French only, but if you can read French a little or > if you have somebody at hand who could translate, than the book would > probably help to improve your playing. > > > > Sincerely yours, > > Ulrich > > > > > > ________________________________ > > Von: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Im > Auftrag von Jim Petersen > Gesendet: Mittwoch, 4. Februar 2009 21:04 > An: [email protected] > Betreff: [HG-new] Re: Valentin's music > > > > I find it interesting how taste varies from individual to individual. How > do we arrive at these different tastes, what stimulus while we were growing > up formed these variances? Although I do not doubt the man's talent for a > minute the "perfect" word I can use to describe what I heard, especially at > his site is "cacophony". > > I do not know if it is my simplistic approach to life or my lack of music > theory but I think "if you are going to play music make sure it has a > point, it makes it more interesting for the listener." > > This is not meant as a dig to the performer or meant to be harsh, I just do > not > understand it. > > Discussion anyone? > > Peace > > Grey Aengus (aka Jim) > > http://www.greyaengus.com > > > > often in error, never in doubt > > --- On Fri, 1/30/09, ungava <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: ungava <[email protected]> > Subject: [HG-new] Valentin's music > To: "hurdygurdy" <[email protected]> > Date: Friday, January 30, 2009, 8:03 PM > > I found an interesting site a youtube with Valentin Clastrier. > > Valentin's web site in French with sound samples! > > http://www.valentinclastrier.com/content/index.php > > Valentin plays and briefly speaks (in French.) > > Just to mention: his music always defies perfect words, but very > > complex and exciting. > > A thrill. Kind of rock slightly. Some jazz improv., which he clearly > > has used devotedly with > > the > > > > hurdy gurdy on his own DCs. It seems to be > > in D, the drone is hard to hear, but model, like melodicly centered > > around A or the dominant tone, suggesting A minor almost but with Eb > > in a D major that gives this an eastern feeling. The "Barana Trio," > > but it is more than 3 performers in this film. Behsat Uves drums, > > Steven Kamperman soprano sax, Bart Lelivelt accordion... with guests > > Valentin Clastrier/hurdygurdy, and Carlo Rizzo on the tambourine. > > Live, April, 2007. > > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yib4QGNYja8&eurl= > > refernce-the trio's site: > > http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewProfile&friendID=14 7140116 > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "hurdygurdy" group. 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