[Note: This post has been updated (1) as of 10:54 AM Eastern on 6 Dec. See below.]
And why have we never heard even so much as his name before, much less any of his music? The questions are, of course, rhetorical as it's quite clear why he and his music have never before been within the scope of our radar, insular, reactionary old fogey that we are. The music is quite beautiful, mostly darkly beautiful from what little we've heard, and anything but starkly modern or postmodern (what we've heard so far is all thoroughly tonal), and perhaps that's the reason we've seen no mention anywhere of his music or even his name even though his discography is quite extensive.
A lousy reason (if indeed that's the reason) for critical disregard of his work, we think.
Update (10:54 AM Eastern on 6 Dec): Here's a six-minute extract from Bryars's, Farewell To Philosophy, a 35-minute, darkly lovely extended elegy scored for cello and orchestra (called by Bryars a "Concerto for Cello") which is the first work of Bryars's we ever heard. The cellist is Julian Lloyd Webber. The complete work can be heard on the album, Gavin Bryars - A Portrait, which is available from ArkivMusic here.
It's The Music, Stupid!
Peggy
