Interview with Sorabji and Michael Habermann - Sorabji plays his own Nocturne "Gulistan" (1/3)

This is a rare recording of Sorabji beeing interviewed. At the end you can her himself playing "Gulistan" unfortunaly the recording quality isn't actually the best one. Maybe you will realize that there is a big difference between hearing his interpretation and seeing how he wrote "Gulistan"... I will upload an interview with Michael Habermann where he talks about this difference and what Sorabji says about his way of playing... Unfortunaly I'm not a nativ speaker so I have really big problems understanding Sorabji. It really would be wonderful if anybody could post Sorabji's answers as a text... Thank you so much

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Kaikhosru
• Shapurji
• Sorabji
• plays
• Nocturne
• Gulistan
• the
• rosegarden
• rose
• garden
• interview
• composer
• Michael
• Habermann

[jczcameron]

Does anyone know the piece the excerpt in the background, from 0:47 - 1:40, is from?

[Pianojunky19]

@jczcameron it's the beginning of Sorabji's Prelude from "Prelude-Interlude-Fugue"

played by Michael Habermann

[17mathieu]

Sorry, one part was cut in the middle, after "I've an enormous number of [large?] scores":

"That thing, that cupboard there is full of enormous scores. One work, that's the High Mass, requires a chorus of 500. Of course I know it will never be performed, it doesn't matter to me a strap! I was free to the world to write them so that's that! What happens to me after I'm gone, I can't tell. It doesn't matter to me two hoots! I don't give a damn!"

[Pianojunky19]

Thank you so much for your translation, I highly appreciate the effort you spent on this recording, many many thanks.

If you allow I will attach your translation with a link to your site to the video information so that it is recognized by everyone watching this video...

[17mathieu]

"I wouldn't cross the road. Honestly. I would never be there! I'm not going to make an expression of myself, [---] not on your life! No no [dear?]."

Michael Habermann speaks. Then:

"Popularizing the arts, bringing the arts to the people, spreading culture, as though it were [muck or?] weedkiller. Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample [them] under their feet and turn again and rend you!"

[lsbrother]

Question: "You were born in Chingford?"

Answer: '"the books of reference have been deliberately misled as to dates and places, I am not going to clarify that to anybody..."

What a weird thing to say - why would he want to keep his place of birth a mystery? Altogether an odd bloke who seemed to take pleasure in his oddness. Perhaps that's what is behind his music

[juzzyfuzz]

Thank you for uploading this fascinating set of clips!

[Bnjolly]

@ThoughtsofaPerson No, I've heard quite a bit of his music, and read some of his writings as well - but I grant that I am not familiar enough with the man or his music to make the sort of sweeping and rather flippant pronouncement I made in my earlier comment. Still, it would be rather odd if a composer's personality didn't make itself felt in his work, wouldn't it?

[Zantorc]

@17mathieu Here's my guess:

"Treat me like a cat, I'll purr and I'll do whatever I'm not. But of course I'd like to life otherwise I'll claw you see. My dear Mother used to say: 'In every true Sicilian house is aways a Mount Etna. From time to time it's got to blow up, like Mount Etna'. "

[jafericangirl]

@cursestar he is not either, 

[cursestar]

@jafericangirl no, sorabji

[tomekkobialka]

Sorabji looks like my grandpa!