What Classical Music Are You Listening To?

[Chuck Nessa]

On 2/6/2018 at 0:03 PM, Larry Kart said:

Fascinating works, all of them, especially the Sonata in F Minor (1948). Avowedly based on classical models, especially late Beethoven, this work ran so counter to then prevailing "progressive modern" compositional  fashion that the work was hissed and booed by members of the audience  at its 1949 NYC premiere (young serialist composer George Perle stood up and shouted either "Hurrah Beethoven!" or "Viva Beethoven!" -- accounts differ.) In any case, this hostile reception -- most of the those who booed and hissed were, like Perle, fellow young composers -- "...was enough for Shapero  (b. 1920) to lapse into creative silence for many years," retreating into academic life to teach at Brandeis University from 1951 to 1988.

I knew of this story and also knew of Shapero's similarly neo-classical Symphony for Classical Orchestra, which Andre Previn revived and recorded in the 1980s; there also was a previous recording  of the Symphony from the early '50s or late '40s cond. by Leonard Bernstein.

What I didn't reckon on is that while the language of these works is staunchly tonal and that there is the late-Beethoven skeleton to the Sonata in particular, the results sound quite unique and quite American to boot. Primarlly this is a matter of what might be called spacing. The harmonic relationships are tonal, but there is quite often so much distance in pitch (and even register) between one figure or gesture and the next that the music typically seems to be taking place in mid-air and at some height ... above, say, the Grand Canyon. Further, the emotional effect of this music and its methods -- at once so "open air" and with such a sense of calmly striding purposefulness --  is unique, too. Again, Shapero was an avowed neo-classicist, and the example of Stravinsky's personal transformative version of that mode was before his eyes, as were some aspects (in terms of spacing) of Copland. But then Shapero doesn't sound much like Stravinsky or Copland either. (BTW, Copland earlier on had spoken somewhat negatively of Shapero's "compulsion to fashion his music after some great model.... he seems to suffering from a hero-worship complex -- or perhaps it is a freakish attack of false modesty...." Be that as it may, just listen to these works and tell me they don't sound unique  -- and, I think, terrific.)
 

The first time I encountered the name was the Columbia lp called "Modern Jazz Concert" with pieces by George Russell, Jimmy Giuffre, Milton Babbitt, Gunther Schuller and Charles Mingus. His composition called "On Green Mountain" was so simplistic I never looked for more by him. "Mountain Greenery" is another issue.
 

[Larry Kart]

17 minutes ago, Chuck Nessa said:

The first time I encountered the name was the Columbia lp called "Modern Jazz Concert" with pieces by George Russell, Jimmy Giuffre, Milton Babbitt, Gunther Schuller and Charles Mingus. His composition called "On Green Mountain" was so simplistic I never looked for more by him. "Mountain Greenery" is another issue.
 

"On Green Mountain" is a total dud.

[Olie Brice]

The first CD from the new 60s Juilliard Quartet box-set which arrived this morning.  Hadn't come across either composer before, both interesting pieces, fantastically well played.  Not as hardcore modernist as some of what the Juillard recorded a few years later (Carter, Schuman), kind of Bartok-esque harmonically.

The set is beautifully done, great sound, informative booklet.  I like the way they've reproduced the LPs rather than squeezing stuff on to less CDs

 

[Alexander Hawkins]

Wonderful! Very personal playing.

Olie - don't know those composers either. BTW on the Janacek Quartet recommendation about - it's a KILLER recording. I've only just acquired it myself: incredible stuff.

[alankin]

Antonín Dvořák 
– Quintet for Piano and Strings No.1 in A major Op.5 B.28
– Quintet for Piano and Strings No.2 in A major Op.81 B.155
Sviatoslav Richter (piano) – Borodin String Quartet (Decca / Philips)

 

Franz Schubert 
– Symphony No.9 in C major D.944 "Great"
– Rosamunde D.797/ Op.26/1 Overture (D 644)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Wilhelm Furtwängler (Deutsche Grammophon)

[soulpope]

Earlier today .... :

[Peter Friedman]

Tchaikovsky - Violin Concerto

[soulpope]

[soulpope]

[Balladeer]

Götz Weller (tenor) & Markus Payer (piano) Max Reger - Blick in die Lieder (SWR/Carius)

[Peter Friedman]

Op.18/2 and Op.18/3

[soulpope]

1 hour ago, Peter Friedman said:

Op.18/2 and Op.18/3

!!!

[soulpope]

[Peter Friedman]

[Balladeer]

Friedrich Gulda - Debussy 24 Preludes (MPS)

[soulpope]

20 minutes ago, Balladeer said:

Friedrich Gulda - Debussy 24 Preludes (MPS)

!!!

[soulpope]

[mikeweil]

[soulpope]

[mikeweil]

Excellent recording by Maude Gratton, but the liner notes are repeating outdated misinformation about the composer, especially on the c minor fantasy, which was really composed by Wilhelm Hässler. It is embarassing how the author raves about its qualities as an exemplary Wilhelm Friedemann Bach composition .

[Peter Friedman]

[soulpope]

[Peter Friedman]

Stern - Piano Trio No.5, Op.70/1 "Ghost"

Serkin - Piano Concerto No.2

[Alexander Hawkins]

[Peter Friedman]