Tim Rutherford-Johnson

@purlis

Listener, CFer, wordmonger. Written books about new music; trying to write one about Schubert. Substack here:

314 Following257 Followers456 Posts

Bluesky

Is this your profile?Claim it and purlis.dirty.social is yours.Claim profile

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· 21d

Excited for this

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· 23d

#nowlistening Pieces for multi-tracked instruments by Canadian composer Robert Humber. New name to me; rather lovely pastoral quality to the music. Esp. liking murmurations for 6 pianos

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· 23d

Excited for this #inthepost #justarrived

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· 23d

*sniggers in Spelling Bee*

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jul 16

One of these stations is not like the others

A station destinations board, showing a list of stations to Orpington. Between Catford and Beckenham Hill is inserted a stop for 'Jude Bellingham'

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jul 1

Great big interview with Heloïse Werner in the latest newsletter, plus some thoughts on things I heard at Aldeburgh this year purlis.substack.com/p/purposeful...

A view across the reedbeds at Snape Maltings, with a line of trees and a small house on the horizon. Overlaid text reads 'Purposeful Listening 18: language/meaning' and the URL purlis.substack.com

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jun 24

This has amused me, nevertheless

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jun 24

Yeah, there are a few of these. I do hope the real Philip Thomas isn't missing out on streams that should be his.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jun 24

That's the wrong Philip Thomas, Qobuz.

Cropped screenshot of Qobuz's listing for Michael Finnissy's Beat Generation Ballads. Performer is listed, somewhat incongruously, as Jamaican dancehall legend Cutty Ranks (real name: Philip Thomas), rather than new music piano legend, Philip Thomas (real name: Philip Thomas).

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jun 9

Morning all. Awake since four (ugh), so I've been putting the final touches to the latest episode of Schubert Dub. Coming to subscribers tomorrow. purlis.substack.com

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jun 4

Coming to the Substack tomorrow: fresh new interview with the brilliant Sylvia Lim. Subscribe here: purlis.substack.com/subscribe

Portrait of Sylvia Lim. She is photographed from the waist up, wearing a blue jumper and standing against a light grey background. Superimposed is the text 'Purposeful Listening 16' and the URL purlis.substack.com

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· May 13

Latest episode of Schubert Dub is up. Subscribe (purlis.substack.com/subscribe) to find out what this guy has to do with CF, the survival of my baby brother and an early performance of Schubert's 'Erlkönig'.

Nineteenth-century portrait of Carl von Rokitansky in the robes and vestments of the rector of Vienna University.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· May 7

British-Iranian composer Soosan Lolavar on learning the santur. From my interview, purlis.substack.com/p/purposeful...

I also had this massive, massive fear and anxiety about being allowed to play this instrument. It felt very Iranian, it felt very traditional. It felt very like the kind of thing that people like me – i.e., these middle, in-between, double consciousness people – aren’t allowed to do, and you’re only allowed to do it traditionally. And people did say to me, ‘Why are you playing it weirdly? It’s not very good.’

In that period, I had quite a violent relationship with the instrument. I prepared it, I tied strings to it. I attached paper clips and safety pins. I really bashed it up, actually, and I think there was a desire to slightly damage it, maybe.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· May 4

I also think that, obviously with everything that’s going on right now, it being an Iranian instrument has this much deeper importance now. I haven’t been able to travel to Iran for a few years because of … politics, basically. But I went to Berlin recently to do this project with Juliet Fraser [Lament: A ritual of letting go]. And the church was absolutely freezing, like literally Arctic. We’d go outside to warm up. And unsurprisingly, just before the concert, three of my strings snapped. It was not in a happy place.

And right now, with the war and everything going on – I haven’t really been able to contact my family for like a month – it’s hard not to feel like my santur breaking was a representation of my connections to Iran falling apart. I got really upset when it happened. But then playing it is really important as well. Playing it is a connection, playing it is an act of remembering.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Apr 7

Dorothy Andersen - DIY roofer, carpenter, weekend canoeist and legend of paediatric medicine. Find out more about her and her place in cystic fibrosis history in my next Schubert Dub post tomorrow. purlis.substack.com/subscribe

Black and white portrait photo of Dorothy Andersen. She wears a white blouse fastened at the collar with a simple brooch. Her short hair is swept back, her eyes are keen and her expression strong. She clearly takes no nonsense.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Mar 29

Saving this screenshot from my YouTube for the next time someone asks what kind of music I'm into

Two adjacent entries from a YouTube list of recommendations. The first is titled "Mix - DILLINGER - Melting Pot", the second "Gérard Grisey - Talea (w/ score) for five instruments (1986).

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Mar 18

My conversation with Timothy McCormack and Marco Fusi is now live, take a read here: purlis.substack.com And see Marco play Ti's piece at City University next week, tickets here: www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-eve...

Picture of Timothy McCormack against a grey stone wall. He has a shaved head, black-rimmed glasses and wears a black wool coat with a turtleneck collar that comes up past his chin, like a scarf.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Mar 10

I *ahem* have a book your colleague might appreciate

Cover of Twentieth-Century Music in the West, by Tom Perchard, Stephen Graham, Tim Rutherford-Johnson and Holly Rogers

A selection from the index to Twentieth-Century Music in the West. There are several entries for Elvis Presley, as well as entries for Francis Poulenc, Henri Pousseur, Eddie Prévost, Florence Price, Prince and others.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Feb 18

"Eccentric" 😬

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Feb 12

That sound? That's the ghost of Karlheinz Stockhausen throwing his NY Times across the room.

A screenshot from today's Spelling Bee puzzle. The first word entered is a Perfect Pangram: Formant. It is not in word list.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Feb 9

Sleevenote contains one of my more challenging recent transitions: "the term [Baroque] was originally used in ridicule. Ultimately, however, it was encouraged by the Catholic Church to counter the simplicity and austerity of the emerging Protestant aesthetic ...

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Feb 4

A reviews special: recordings by TJ Norris, NO HAY BANDA and Samuel Vriezen; live events by Plus-Minus/Scenatet, GBSR/Taylor MacLennan, and Riot Ensemble.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 23

Oh, come ON

A screenshot of the NY Times' Spelling Bee game. The word 'bollocked' has been entered, but it is 'Not in word list'.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 22

Arriving on my Substack tomorrow: my interview with EvS composer prize winner Bethan Morgan-Williams. Subscribe here: purlis.substack.com

A black and white portrait photo of Bethan Morgan-Williams. She is holding a violin upright in front of her and is looking into the distance with the hint of a smile.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 19

New look Tempo is looking *absolutely fabulous* today

The front cover of the new issue of Tempo, the Quarterly Review of New Music.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 18

What's that Woolf line about reading several books at once so they counterpoint each other? With that in mind, this had been my travelling companion for the journey to Feldman today:

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 16

"Discs 3–6"

The back cover of GBSR duo's recent recording of Morton Feldman's trios for flute, piano and percussion, with tracklistings and timings. The three works are long; the third, For Philip Guston, is very long.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Jan 6

Today I have been mostly talking about Feldman.

A photo of my desk, on which is propped a two-page script. Also visible are studio lights, a microphone, masking tape and a colourful party hat, as well as the usual desktop junk.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Dec 16

Tomorrow - the end-of-year list of records almost no one else is talking about. My favourite contemporary classical albums of the year. Plus live reviews from LCMF at Wigmore Hall and London Sinfonietta playing Grisey. purlis.substack.com

Close-up of two boxes containing the piano rolls for two studies by Conlon Nacarrow. They are resting upon the top of a player piano, on which can be read the embossed words 'The materials used'.

Tim Rutherford-Johnson@purlis· Dec 2

I'm really pleased with this one. Cheryl Duvall was great fun to talk to - on Linda Catlin Smith, their new record, and playing the piano for a really long time. Out tomorrow! Subscribe now to get it when it comes out. purlis.substack.com