classical music

If you're like most people, listening to a lot of contemporary music leaves you frustrated and guilty; frustrated that you don't get anything out of it, and guilty that you can't. Well, a unique opportunity for expanding those cultural horizons will be on the Boston musical scene during October 24-30, as the International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) holds its annual World Music Festival at the New England Conservatory. Through the efforts of composer and former NEC director Gunther Schuller, the festival, never before held in the United States, will involve 13 concerts of chamber and orchestral music by composers from 29 countries.

The selection process for the World Festival Days is a blend of international politics and recognition of talent which transcends boundaries--each year the ISCM General Assembly chooses one member nation to present the annual festival. (The United States, due to the dearth of government subsidies for the arts, has traditionally been at a disadvantage because of the lack of guaranteed funds.) Then, the member nations select compositions from their countries and submit them to the international jury, which includes contemporary music luminaries Gunther Schuller, Elliott Carter, Jacques Guyonnet, David Drew, and Marlos Nobre. A special effort was made this year to provide a broad cross-section of trends and countries; every member nation is represented by compositions except Iceland. Most of the works have been composed within the past five years, and none dates further back than 1965. The size and scope of the festival will be further enhanced by the expected appearance of approximately 100 'leading composers from Europe, Asia, and North and South America. They will participate in discussions and workshops, and in many cases will be performing their own works. In addition, an exhibition of 400 scores will be held at the New England Conservatory, and special demonstrations of the Electronic Music Laboratory at MIT are planned.

Performers will include the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, the New England Conservatory Orchestra under Gunther Schuller, the University of Iowa Orchestra under James Dixon, and an orchestra of Boston musicians under Richard Pittman. Many chamber ensembles, including Boston Musica Viva, Collage, the Celveland String Quartet, the Pro Arte String Quartet, and the Societe de Musique contemporaine du Quebec, will also be appearing. Most of the concerts will be in the Conservatory's venerable Jordan Hall, which should help with acclimatization to even the most unfamiliar sounds.

The impact of the ISCM upon contemporary music since its 1923 inception in Vienna has been inestimable, both in encouraging works of virtually every major composer of this century and in bringing these works before an international audience. The United States has rarely had a chance to sample such diversity and innovation in music at one specific locale and you might just feel a little better about contemporary music afterwards.

ISCM, c/o New England Conservatory, 290 Huntington Ave., Boston; Telephone 262-0122 for further information.

THURSDAY

Busch Reisinger Museum--29 Kirkland St., Cambridge--noon--James Johnson, organ--program of Bach, Mozart, Marcello. Info 495-2338.

Gardner Museum--280 The Fenway, Boston--4 p.m.--Lucienne Davidson, piano--works of Haydn, Debussy. Info 734-1359.

Boston Symphony Orchestra--Symphony Hall, Boston--7:30 p.m.--Seiji Ozawa, conductor--works of Stolzel, Cage, Falla. Info 266-1492.

FRIDAY

Emmanuel Chamber Orchestra--Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury St., Boston--8:30 p.m.--Russell Sherman, piano, and Craig Smith and David Hoose, conductors--works of Mozart, Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky. Info 536-3356.

Eliot House Music Society--Eliot House Library--John Melnyk, piano--8 p.m.--works of Haydn, Schubert, Chopin, Liszt.

Boston Symphony Orchestra--7:30 p.m.--see Thursday listing.

SATURDAY

Boston Symphony Orchestra

PAA Benefit Gala Concert--Jordan Hall, Boston--8 p.m.--program of Purcell, Mendelsshon, Bach (Concerto in D minor for 2 violins, featuring Lynn Chang '75), Beethoven, and Villa Lobos. Info 27786790.

SATURDAY

Boston Symphony Orchestra--8a;30 p.m.--see Thursday listing.

sunday

Dunster House Music Society--Dunster House Library--3 p.m.--Brandenburg Party--open reading of Beethoven Symphony No.6 and Mozart's Jupiter Symphony--sherry and cider.

TUESDAY

Adams House Music Society--Lower Common Room--8 p.m.--Pianist Claudia Stevens in a lecturercital on "Textual, Stylistic, and Aesthetic Problems in the performance of Schumann's Impromptus, Op. 5".