Conversations with Ananda Sukarlan "Nice Kitty you have"

This conversation needs a few footnotes. This evening, Hamish, my best friend from Scotland, arrives. That means a change of regime here. I am not allowed in the kitchen or even to choose what is cooked. Anyway, Hamish does all the work, so that suits me. But he can become a bit of a Hitler, if I don’t watch out.Ananda Sukarlan is my great mate from students days in Den Haag. But he now lives in Spain with his wife and child and organizes his career from there (concert pianist). At the same time he is increasingly creative – writing music and organizing events. But he starts out from the point of view that the postwar classical music avant-garde is a pile of stinking shite. So that makes for a sometimes difficult relationship between the two of us. He enjoys stinging me on this subject and when he sees a nice red bump coming up, he swoops in to sting me a second and a third time.Why do I tolerate it? Well one reason is that A. is very interested in my music. Another reason is that my views actually overlap his. The idea that “it is not done” to like certain music or “not done” to watch (for example) a memorial concert to Diana, is something that irritates me, to put it mildly. So if I am not exactly an Andrew Lloyd Webber fan, I heartily approve of the idea of liking any music that you like, just because you like it. The question “how can you like that?” – well it’s more of an admonition of course – is just about the worst question you can ask me. The concept of “good taste” cannot drop off the face of this planet fast enough, as far as I’m concerned.I had sent A. a photocopy of “For Kitty”, a little piano piece that someone commissioned a few years back as a Christmas present for his wife. I am at pains to point out that the style of this music strikes me as uniquely “me”. He makes a pun on the title of one of my works You, Always You. We both refer also to The Beautiful Question and The Persistence of Gravity, two piano pieces I wrote for him when he was a student. Finally, as background to this conversation, lies the fact that I have been for some months sorting through my compositions. I have been finding pieces I had forgotten about and, in some cases, pieces I don’t even recognize……A.S. nice kitty you haveG.K. Is it really good?any criticisms?hmm … too shortbut very niceI think that style is unique to me. Or am I wrong?yes, it’s very “YOU” . You, Always YouIt’s the same mood as “Beautiful Question”well, in fact i think u should make them into 1 group. 3 pieces. with the persistence of gravWell wait, there are other piano pieces that you’ve not seen yetMy flowering genius…..I am more fertile than most [lipstick emot.]so, your genius hasn’t been exposed completely ???[blush emot.]hidden genius … or undiscovered genius ?Well I’m actually serious hereme too !!What amuses me about For Kittyis….is that although you’ve got all the usual chordsand stuff from Romanticismit’s unique to mewell that’s how it strikes mebut I might be 1000% wrong hereoh yea, but u know debussy said “the c major scale in beethoven’s works sounds different” . i mean, we all work with materials used by thousands of composersit’s not the material we use. it’s what we do with it, right ?Yep, well I’m just lucky if it’s true, what I say, because I’m not TRYING to be differentAm just writing a bit of “beautiful question” that comes naturallyAnyway, glad you got itIt will be interesting to see how many piano pieces there areu don’t have to try to be differentjust write good musicYou mean me personally or WEYou mean the “difference” is already there?In everyone?BTWi think soall that avantgarde rubbish is there because people TRY to be different … and then they all became the same … absolutely equal ….BTW!!!!!!!yesDID YOU WATCH THE DIANA CONCERT?no, i couldn’t ! what was it ? how was it ?It was fabon Sundaythere was an Andrew Lloyd Webber selectionyeah, i was travelling … and stuck in the bloody studiooh ! i missed it[crying emot.]….and I saw Diana’s sister crying after it was over…apparently D liked ALWso there was classical music !thats good . i thought it was pop musicThere was also a bit from Swan Lake which made me tearfulAnd Elton John is a total masterI have to take my hat off to him[smiley with tongue hanging out emot.]yes, Elton is greatNo, it was everything: Pop, Rap, Oldie Rock Bands, Musicals, BalletElton is a masterwhat a man!And I’m so proud of him ’cause he’s gayWell but at least there is classical music. it’s not “dead” like many people sayClassical music lives on in this strange way, through films, musicals etc.And in the subsidized sense tooyea, so in a big concert like the D. memorial there is Swan Lake, ALW … am very happy to hear itYeah and the SwanL. went down a treat, there was a roar of approvalPeople like what is goodThey don’t get stuck in genre problemsWOW !! u really, really made me happyKanye West…………mmmm……..I want to lick him all over[big smiley emot.][smiley with tongue hanging out emot.]Anyway I have to house clean now because Hamish is arrivingBASKET!byeok. bye