Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #43)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Nov 28, 2012.

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  1. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
  2. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Schnittke has been mentioned before in these threads, although I have none. Ditto MacMillan (I assume this is the correct spelling -- this guy's Scottish, yes?) Suggestions welcome from one and all. Thanks.
     
  3. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Everything in moderation. I certainly enjoy a number of works by Part, Gorecki and Reich as part (no pun intended) of my classical music repertoire. And Morton Feldman's "Piano and String Quartet" works a magic on me like no other piece of music I know. Yesterday, I was unable to tolerate anythong more dissonant than Mozart (no - not a hangover; just a state of mind). The day before I was listening to Birwistle and Dutilleux.

    p.s. I've seen some lovely ballets to music by Part, Adams and Glass
     
  4. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    It is all good. That is the great thing about classical music..it can be very varied. :D
     
  5. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    Whoops. I meant the Murray Perahia boxed set. I guess I had strings on my mind since the main topic was solo strings
     
  6. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Was wondering. I have that set as well, but I haven't listened to that disc yet. On the whole I am very pleased with it, but for reasons that put me in the minority here. I often appreciate a certain amount of lucidity, restraint even, from pianists. His Schumann does not have the emotion or bravado of an Argerich or a Horowitz, but I find it compelling in its clarity. I hear the music better.
     
  7. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Sorry, it is MacMillan - I always get Mc and Mac mixed up for anyone who isn't anything to do with The Beatles!

    Veni, Veni, Emmanuel is strongly recommended and is his most frequently performed and probably the most accessible piece for any MacMillan newcomer - there's even an article about it on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veni,_Veni,_Emmanuel

    Tryst is a tougher but rewarding work, not as obviously melodic, but still has his characteristic mixture of contemporary dissonances, Rite of Spring rhythms and spirituality inspired by his Roman Catholic faith and Scottish heritage. I have these two works on this one CD I've had by him for a while:

    http://www.amazon.com/MACMILLAN-Veni-Emmanuel-Tryst/dp/B00000DAJC

    Here are more notes from the composer himself on respectively Veni, Veni, Emmanuel and Tryst which I have on the CD:
    http://content.thespco.org/music/co...for-percussion-and-orchestra-james-macmillan/
    http://www.boosey.com/cr/music/5742

    I don't own much Schnittke myself, but I did hear quite a lot of his music some years ago when I was doing an essay on post-modernism which concentrated chiefly on the works of John Cage and Schnittke. If you're interested, I could post part of the bit covering him including the works I'm about to recommend, but briefly, I'll list a few works/recordings which I consider essential in terms of becoming quickly and easily acquainted with what I consider the quintessential Schnittke style:

    http://www.amazon.com/Schnittke-Sym...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

    Although the symphony is a fine work, the chief interest for me is actually the suite from the Census List. Ignore the somewhat dismissive comments about it - there's nothing light-hearted about it at all, any more than Mahler's "lighter" symphonic movements are - it's a pretty disturbing and sinister compendium of popular musical tunes, pastiches and quotations with his characteristically unconventional and often dense orchestration, which includes an ondes martenot, harpischord clusters, bells incongruously placed, an electric bass and guitar and a piano tuned a quarter tone down, humorous yes, but often in an ironically macabre and nightmarish sense. I'd also seek out a recording with his Viola Concerto (1985) on it - unfortunately the one I had coupled with Lutoslawski's Chain II with The Philharmonia/Heinrich Schiff seems to be long since out of print.

    And you'll want to find a recording with at least one of his more famous shorter pieces, like Moz-Art à la Haydn and the perversely-titled (K)ein Sommernachtstraum - interesting description of the latter here: http://www.allmusic.com/composition...-after-shakespeare-for-orchestra-mc0002354949.

    There's also a very authoritative article about him in a guide I have to 20th century composers by Mark Morris, where some of the articles organized by country can be found here but unfortunately the Russian composers still haven't been posted on the web and the Schnittke one is too long to copy on here. I could scan the pages (four of them) though if you're really keen in reading more...
     
  8. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    BTW, anyone know about this? For some odd reason I've been getting quite a few unsolicited emails from Amazon lately, this being the latest:

    http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000057MW/ref=pe_58730_27579500_pe_vfe_dt1

    A 4.7/5 average rating from 62 customers for two of the worst ever pieces to be written by a classical great? I guess the performance of the Capriccio Italien must be something really special then...
     
  9. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    The WTC by Rosalyn Tureck on DG is one of the best sounding mono piano sets I have ever listened to ...
     
  10. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Now playing the following CD from my Bach collection ...
    [​IMG]

    Maria Tipo, one of George's favorite pianists ... :righton:
     
  11. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    This recording is as enchanting today as when I first listened to it some twenty years ago ...
     
  12. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Ades (can't type an accent mark, sorry) and MacMillan are two composers who I do think have successfully avoided the extremes of accessibility and alienation. MacMillan's "Quickening," commissioned in part by the Philadelphia O and performed here a few years ago, was probably the most impressive work by a living composer I've heard live. With the possible exception of Arvo Part's "Fratres" -- I love that piece, and Tavener's "Lamentations and Praises," and a lot of Glass, Adams, Reich, Nyman, et al.

    Have you heard David Lang's "Child" or "The Little Match Girl Passion"? The latter won the Pulitzer Prize, I believe, a few years ago. How about Nico Muhly? He is the young-composer-current-star here in the Northeastern U.S.
     
  13. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Haven't read the reviews but I can only assume the praise is for the performance of the "1812 Overture"; it is the all-time classic performance of that piece.
     
  14. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    Didn't someone post waveforms that showed the 90s remaster ( the current version) clips throughout, not just during the cannon shots.
     
  15. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Back in 1980, the cannon shot on this LP made my 2.5 gram tracking Thorens arm jump 20 grooves.

    [​IMG]
     
  16. heman__

    heman__ Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    Just finished listening to Mahler 3

    Zubin Mehta, LA Phil. I have a Super Analogue Disc copy and it sounds fantastic, although I am sure there are better performances around.

    Must be a rather rare copy becuase I cant find an image of it anywhere on the net
     
  17. SBurke

    SBurke Nostalgia Junkie

    Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
    Don't recall, but here's what my rip looks like in Audacity. I'm no expert at interpreting these things, but to my eye it seems that while there may be some clipping, there could hardly be a greater overall range.

    I don't recall any audible clipping, but it's been a while since I've listened to this.

    [​IMG]
     
  18. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Youch! That is clearly compressed.
     
  19. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    I believe that the CD version when it was released...reputedly jacked up the sound levels of the cannon shots , quite a few db's -even further.-over the original vinyl edition.
    I heard of a case where some clown brought a pair of 1000 watt active speakers with thermal protection and wanted to really impress his friends. So he then placed this particular Telarc '1812' CD in his CD player on cue ....right at the moment immediately prior to the digitally -produced cannon shots. He then turned the volume to max. and pressed play. Boom went the speakers TOO! He had overlooked the fact....its stated thermal protection (was not applicable), nor protection when he launched such an instantaneous and insane maximum power surge 'blink of the eye' attack on the equipment.

    I played the CD edition of it on my equipment for a relative who owned a copy. I first insisted, it would be played at only a very safe 'granny level'. Even so, while seated when the cannons came: one got the sensation - the bass sound was coming up from underneath the chair -as if someone was walloping your backside.

    It is one CD worth avoiding, if you care about the ongoing health of your sound system.
     
  20. hippo_bump.jpg
     
  21. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Right now I'm needledropping Schnabel's recording [1937] of the Diabelli variations and it looks much less compressed than that file for that Telarc 1812.
     
  22. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    Well, I guess that makes sense, as when it comes to classical music, you'd expect most Amazon reviewers to write about music they actually like (the focus being on performances, interpretative qualities and sound quality) - so I'd imagine pretty much all the 62 reviewers are 1812 Overture fans, a little hard though it is for me to believe that that many such people exist...;)
     
  23. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    I can never get over the somewhat manadatory pretentious long winded titles given to so many modern pieces. They are so charged with 'important' parrot -produced academia phrases. To which is added, all sorts of accompanied convoluted alleged meanings and explanations of what they are actually supposed to be, in the first place. Expecting the gullible to swallow all sorts of twaddle philosophies to enable one to fully 'appreciate' what is in fact, mere sound. Also it is , as if it is a dirty practice for a composer today to title something - a straight symphony, a sonata, a concerto etc. People like Sciarbin (back in his ever increasing zany philosophical days) helped to foster this evolving fashion, by talking about things like the sound of "bells hanging from clouds" !!! I file most of those similar current affectated composers under my own created mental title category - one derived from the title of an old late 50's cartoon that comically explained music composition.. Its title, is "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom"! I think the cartoon should have added the word "Screech". The word "Chain' usedas a title, as by Lutoslawski (I happen to own a copy of it!) immediately invites the inner reaction of saying " Well why did he not pull it, instead" :)
     
  24. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    A fan of Anthony Braxton, I see. ;)
     
  25. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    What caught my eye here, was the almost virtually identical case of the Oppo player on display in your photo - with one DVD / capable HDCD -CD player I have - called a DSR. All it would have to do , is move the player tray into the centre. move the buttons sideways and presto...the rest is identical , even to panel finish and presentation.
    The EMI/Capitol release of Stokowski Shostakovich Sym.No 11 is a notable disc worth having. Others worth looking out for are his discs on the same label of Rachmaninoff Symphony No 3 and a blistering Holst The Planets. One may have some other super-duper demostration disc of it ...but one is not complete without also having the Stokowski. At the end of the opening Mars -The Bringer of War sequence- most other conductors seem to just meekly terminate it....like saying "Folks ,now let's start to go to the next sequence...amen!"
    Stokowski on the other hand finishes it with a shuddering revulsion and disgust. The perspective of drawing back from it ...but still set on seeing "all its harsh violence in the gathering distance". That sort of conductor approach and unified 'touch' is what makes, for magical memorability.
     
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