Julius Eastman's "Femenine"

[Smeraldina Rima]

You can listen to the whole piece here or find out more here, with links to various reviews from last year at the bottom of the page. There are apparently more archival recordings that might be released in the future. There's also the record Unjust Malaise, which seems to be the best collection of his other music but this piece is not on that.

This is the première release of Julius Eastman's Femenine, for chamber ensemble. It is also the work's only known recording, documenting a 1974 performance by the S.E.M. Ensemble (with the composer on piano) which has lain unheard for decades.

The music of Julius Eastman (1940-90) is enjoying an on-going period of rediscovery. Known best in the past for his work with figures like Peter Maxwell Davies, Arthur Russell and Meredith Monk, today his own formidable compositions draw increasing admiration.

Joyous, insistent, and immersive, Femenine bathes the listener in surges of tonal colour from intertwining winds, piano, violin, pitched percussion, synthesizer and – uniquely – the composer's own invention of mechanised sleigh bells, which provide the 72-minute piece with its characteristic pulse.

Some of the appeal of this release is that Eastman is there as the bandleader and that the recording is atmospheric. But I got into his music from hearing the clean and tidy UK premiere on Radio 3 played by a group called Apartment House. I stopped what else I was doing because it was so joyous, insistent and immersive, bathing me in surges of tonal colour from all the intertwining instruments. I'd love to hear that recording again one day. If anyone recorded it from the radio please let me know. They're doing it again in Stockholm in October but it would be a mistake to go there and listen to immersive music.

[greenman]

Nothing of interest to add beyond saying that was very enjoyable.