Jonny Greenwood
Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead is all over the place these days. Obviously there’s the In Rainbows buzz of the past couple month. Then there’s Jonny’s soundtrack for There Will Be Blood, which is absolutely amazing. And last night, the Wordless Music Series treated us to the American premiere of Greenwood’s Popcorn Superhet Receiver at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle on the Upper West Side.
Speaking from an admittedly novice point of view vis-à-vis classical music, the 2005 piece is an 18-minute exploration of white noise and extended notes, rising and falling with beautiful tension. The composer oscillates between drawing out melodies from and creating pounding rhythms with the 36-piece string orchestra. If you’re familiar with the music from There Will Be Blood, much of this piece is in the same vein, and excerpts appear throughout the movie soundtrack.
You can stream audio of the piece via Pitchfork. And you can go see it performed live tonight if you are in the area.
