Darmstadt Diaries 2023
A collection of quirky concert reviews
In 2023, I attended the Darmstadt Summer Course for the first time in my life. It was an enriching journey of learning, reflecting and sharing knowledge with other participants. I had so many thoughts and ideas to process after leaving that small German city, full of half-timbered houses and Protestant churches.
Throughout my two weeks there, I regularly posted concert reviews on Twitter under the title Darmstadt Diaries. Initially intended as brief, honest notes covering the Darmstadt concerts, they soon began to evoke a range of emotions among some readers—from confusion and anger to joy and amusement.
So I decided to turn this into a little experiment, asking how we evaluate music, whether it is possible to neatly categorise a piece as good, bad or average, and whether a 10-point rating scale truly captures the essence of musical value. In the end, these posts successfully ignited a conversation about all these things. Moreover, they became a kind of meme in their own right. That is why I decided to compile them all here, in one place, for you to enjoy!
P.S. For a deeper dive into the story, check out Rating Darmstadt — an audio mockumentary in which I delve into my experience of rating concerts I never attended, the mishap of mistakenly labelling one as “pungent ear candy,” and the intricacies of navigating a 10-point rating scale.
Darmstadt Diaries 01
05/08/2023
*Anthony Braxton: Language Music [7/10]
Solid performers. Danceable. Why are people sitting?
*Georges Aperghis: Situations [6/10]
The guy knows his craft. Nice instrumental interactions. Klangforum Wien is amazing. Felt somewhat aimless and drawn-out though.
Darmstadt Diaries 02
06/08/2023
*Niels Rønsholdt: Until Nothing Left
I haven’t attended the concert. But I would probably give it a 6.5 out of 10.
*Brigitte Wilfing & Jorge Sánchez-Chiong: Growing Sideways [6/10]
Classic Darmstadt-multimedia-orgy work. Smooth transitions. Nice lights. A bit aimless.
Darmstadt Diaries 03
07/08/2023
*Anthony Braxton: Thunder Music [7/10]
Peaceful, but recognisable Braxton. Performers had fun. Skinny dipped in this thunder music.
*Tyshawn Sorey: For George Lewis [5/10]
The performers were slow cooking an already overcooked duck Feldmanese. Tasty?
Anthony Braxton in conversation with George Lewis
08/08/2023
Absolute sweethearts, Anthony Braxton & George Lewis, reminisce, play old recordings and exchange commendations. Braxton’s past sentiment rings true today: “If we’re not going to make any money, let’s do our best. Maybe our experiments will be relevant in the future.”
Darmstadt Diaries 04
08/08/2023
*Sarah Hennies: Motor Tapes [7/10]
Dreamy, occasionally boisterous and very metamodern-y. Well-played.
*Brian Eno: Music for Airports [6.5/10]
Well-played. Today, I ate just an apple and fought sleep. As soon as the piece ended I was left wanting more.
Darmstadt Diaries 05
09/08/2023
*Jennifer Walshe and Matthew Shlomowitz: Minor Characters [8/10]
Powerful and touching. Sad melodies, jazz fusion, silly dancing, shadowboxing and uncontrollable crying. Great stage presence by Jennifer and Nikel. So much talent on stage and behind the works.
Darmstadt Diaries 06 (1)
10/08/2023
*Evan Johnson: dust book [6.5/10]
Quietly hesitant old-meets-new. A lot of silences amplifying the fragility of viola d’amore. A pungent ear candy that some couldn’t swallow. One seatmate decided to catch up on their Duolingo practice. One fell asleep.
(At the time of writing this tweet, I did not realise that “pungent ear candy” could sound negative to some. My original intention was closer to “vivid ear delightedness.”)
Darmstadt Diaries 06 (2)
10/08/2023
*Olga Neuwirth: Quasare/Pulsare [8/10]
*Brian Ferneyhough: Unsichtbare Farben
*Iannis Xenakis: Dikhthas
*Brice Pauset: Cadenza
*James Dillon: Traumwerk III
Irvine Arditti & Nicholas Hodges were absolutely brilliant! Darmstadt 1.0 and 2.0 vibes. IX>ON>BP>JD>BF
Darmstadt Diaries 06 (3)
10/08/2023
*Sarah Hennies: Borrowed Light [7/10]
Wonderful evening work. Great handling of dynamics. Sofas and bean bags would be appreciated. We are all so bloody tired…
Darmstadt Diaries 07 (1)
12/08/2023
*Works by Julia Perry, Luigi Nono, Gerard Pesson, Igor C Silva, Ash Fure, Sarah Hennies, François Sarhan, Simon Løffler, Kelley Sheehan and Iannis Xenakis [7/9]
I enjoyed most pieces. We definitely are all sorted with the next generation of percussionists. 7/9 easyyy.
Darmstadt Diaries 07 (2)
12/08/2023
Anda Kryeziu: TILDE [~] [7.2/9]
Another great evening concert. Immersive sound installation/piece kind of thingy. Walk, sit or stand as you please. It works just like Darmstadt: one can never fully experience the whole thing, one’s gotta choose…
Darmstadt Diaries 08 (1)
13/08/2023
*Olly Wilson: Sometimes
*Elaine Mitchener: Improvisation
*Elaine Mitchener: AMAZING GRACE [reworked]
One of Darmstadt’s longest applauses.
*Øyvind Torvund: Plans for Future Operas
Fun, whimsical and absurd. Bravo Øyvind Torvund, Juliet Fraser and Mark Knoop.
Rating system is off duty. It’s Sunday in Germany.
Darmstadt Diaries 08 (2)
13/08/2023
*Klaus Lang: chanson lointain et douce
*Klaus Lang & Yaron Deutsch: duet #1
*Klaus Lang: bright star
This 45-minute concert felt like a minute. I feel very cleansed.
Rating system is off duty. It’s Sunday in Germany.
Darmstadt Diaries 09
14/08/2023
*Karlheinz Stockhausen: Kontra-Punkte [x² — 6x — 7 = 0]
Two student performances with a lecture sandwiched in-between. Nice Darmstadt 1.0 vibes.
*George Lewis: String Quartet 2.5 “Playing with Seeds” [7.2/9]
*Sivan Eldar: Solicitations
*Dai Fujikura: String Quartet №3: Aquarius
*Alvin Singleton: String Quartet №2 “Secret Desire To Be Black”
*Mark Andre: Sieben Stücke für Streichquartett
Strong pieces. Strong quartet. Strong 7.2/9.
Darmstadt Diaries 10
15/08/2023
*Wojtek Blecharz: Concerto for Piano and Wireless Speakers [10/9] (including 1 point for the music)
What you see means we finally got the soft surfaces we lobbied for. Congrats everyone. I hereby resign.
PS. Possibly the best concert so far.
