Revolution In Sound: Pop Culture & The Classical Avante-Garde

[mjzee]

Release date May 28:

In the mid-1960s, as pop music acquired a greater sophistication and maturity, artists began to make more ambitious musical and conceptual statements. In the search for new ideas, pop began to find inspiration along the spectrum of classical music - from Stockhausen to Sibelius - and from artists who inhabited the outer reaches of jazz, drawing even on the classical music of Northern India with it's roots in the antique past. The albums produced by The Beatles at their creative peak; Rubber Soul, Revolver and Sgt. Pepper; almost everything by The Mothers of Invention; The Byrds' Fifth Dimension; The Pink Floyd's debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn; The Grateful Dead's Anthem of the Sun; the early works of Can, Jefferson Airplane and Soft Machine; all were enriched by the assimilation of techniques and procedures appropriated from the pioneers of art music. Frank Zappa did more than anyone to open the door to the modernist world; his expansive music informed by Stravinsky, Webern, Schoenberg, Messiaen, Boulez and most notably Edgard Varèse, whose work Zappa encountered in his youth, and spent his life championing. Paul McCartney and John Lennon increased their creative palettes by borrowing from the strange new musical universes of Stockhausen, Berio and Cage while George Harrison's life was changed by Ravi Shankar, to whose music he and the other Beatles were feverishly introduced by David Crosby and Roger McGuinn at a Benedict Canyon LSD party in 1965. For the "Fifth Beatle", producer George Martin, the passions were the French Impressionist composers Debussy and Ravel, from whom he claimed to have learned to "Paint in Sound"; for Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead it would be the music of Charles Ives ("It sounds like the inside of your head when you're daydreaming"). Brian Eno directly answered Erik Satie's call for "music that would be a part of the surrounding noises" with his ambient Music for Airports, while Captain Beefheart, Robert Wyatt and Lou Reed would all surrender to the liberating spirit of Ornette Coleman. In the realm of electronics and musique concrète, the tireless experiments in tape-manipulation by Daphne Oram and Pierre Henry found expression in radio, television and on stage. In cinema, Stanley Kubrick's masterful use of Bartok and Liszt vindicated his stated preference for the use of pre-existing music over original score; while in Altered States, Ken Russell blew our minds by taking the relationship between music and image to a new sensory level; aided by a wild electronic score that included Pierre Henry's Veil of Orpheus. The full 27 minute version of Henry's Orpheus, the first major work of symphonic concrète music is but one of the historic features to be found in this presentation. A Revolution In Sound also includes the premiere recording of Stockhausen's monumental Gruppen for Three Orchestras, with Pierre Boulez, Bruno Maderna and Stockhausen himself conducting; Beecham's beautiful 1955 account of Sibelius' Incidental music from The Tempest; an exhilarating recording of Stravinsky's ballet Agon by Hans Rosbaud with the SWGR, a hugely influential piece, a triumph for the composer; and from before the creation of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the "Radiophonic poem", Private Dreams and Public Nightmares, a quite unprecedented collage of manipulated voices and sound effects assembled by Daphne Oram and Desmond Briscoe: a challenge for radio listeners in 1957. As the producer, Donald McWhinnie stated in his introduction, 'You may detest this programme, but I hope you won't dismiss it. Certainly nothing like this has ever come out of your loudspeaker before'

[JSngry]

Who is releasing this?

I hope it's a better...curated presentation than this: https://www.dustygroove.com/item/939151?sf=avant+garde&incl_oos=1&incl_cs=1&kwfilter=avant+garde&sort_order=artist

It's a good frame to put around this music, which was, in its own ways, as much relevant to "the culture" as was the pop music it was inspiring. Pop artists tend to have aspirations more than deep skills, so this stuff is a well upon which to draw. Not a knock on the aspirational but less skilled, quite the opposite, their willingness to go there keeps the flow going, and of course, what goes around comes around.

I do hope this is a good and thoughtful presentation and not some PD mishmash with liners that name drop with out illumination. If it is, hey, count me in, a good compilation is a nifty thing to have around!

 

[Dub Modal]

Looks like it's from Cherry Red - inserted track listing below but it's not in the typical list format and it's a bitch to edit. 

Track Listing:

DISC ONE:
ORNETTE COLEMAN
1. THE CIRCLE WITH A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE

BÉLA BARTÓK
2. NO. III. ADAGIO, FROM MUSIC FOR STRINGS, PERCUSSION AND CELESTA (VON KARAJAN / BERLIN PHILHARMONIC)(FROM KUBRICK’S THE SHINING)

LUCIANO BERIO
3. SEQUENZA 1 FOR FLUTE SOLO (SEVERINO GAZZELLONI: FLUTE)

KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN
4. GRUPPEN (GROUPS) FOR THREE ORCHESTRAS (CONDUCTORS: BOULEZ-STOCKHAUSEN-MADERNA / COLOGNE RADIO SYMPHONY ORCH.)
JOHN COLTRANE
5. AISHA
RAVI SHANKAR AND ALI AKBAR KHAN
6. RAGA BILASKHANI TODI
ERIC DOLPHY QUARTET
7. GLAD TO BE UNHAPPY FRANZ LISZT
8. NUAGES GRIS (SERGIO FIORENTINO: PIANO)
JOHN DOWLAND
9. KING OF DENMARK’S GALLIARD
(JULIAN BREAM: LUTE)

DISC TWO:
BRUNO MADERNA
1. NOTTURNO FOR TAPE
EDGARD VARÈSE
2. 3. 4. OCTANDRE, FOR EIGHT INSTRUMENTS (BOULEZ / ORCHESTRA DOMAINE MUSICAL)
ERIK SATIE
5. 6. 7. THREE DISTINGUISHED WALTZES OF A JADED DANDY (ALDO CICCOLINI: PIANO)
JEAN SIBELIUS
8. – 21. THE TEMPEST – INCIDENTAL MUSIC
OP.109B & C (BEECHAM / ROYAL
PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA)
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
22. – 25. FOUR SEA INTERLUDES (FROM
PETER GRIMES) OP. 33A (BOULT /
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA)
DAPHNE ORAM, DESMOND BRISCOE,
NORMAN BAIN
26. PRIVATE DREAMS AND PUBLIC
NIGHTMARES
JOHN DOWLAND
27. MRS. WHITE’S NOTHING
(JULIAN BREAM: LUTE)

DISC THREE:
MAURICE RAVEL
1. MENUET SUR LE NOM DE HAYDN (MARCELLE MEYER: PIANO)
MAURICE RAVEL
2. 3. 4. 5. LE TOMBEAU DE COUPERIN (ANSERMET / ORCHESTRE DE LA SUISSE ROMANDE)
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
6. 7. 8. SONATA FOR FLUTE, VIOLA AND HARP
(MELOS ENSEMBLE)
IGOR STRAVINSKY
9. – 23. AGON (CONTEST) – BALLET FOR TWELVE
DANCERS (ROSBAUD / SOUTH WEST GERMAN
RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA)
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG
24. NO. 1, MÄSSIG, FROM THREE PIANO PIECES
OP. 11 (GLENN GOULD: PIANO)
HUMPHREY SEARLE
25. 26. TWO MOVEMENTS FROM SYMPHONY
NO. 1, OP. 23 (BOULT / LONDON
PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA)
JOHN DOWLAND
27. FORLORN HOPE FANCY
(JULIAN BREAM: LUTE)

DISC FOUR:
CHARLES IVES
1. PIANO SONATA NO. 2 “CONCORD, MASS., 1840-1860” IV. THOREAU (ALOYS KONTARSKY: PIANO)
ANTON WEBERN
2. 3. SYMPHONY OP. 21 (CRAFT / STUDIO ORCHESTRA)
PIERRE BOULEZ
4. LE MARTEAU SANS MAÎTRE: NO. 1, AVANT
L’ARTISANAT FURIEUX (CRAFT)
LUIGI NONO
5. POLIFONICA-MONODIA-RITMICA FOR
ENSEMBLE (MADERNA / ENGLISH CHAMBER
ORCHESTRA)
JOHN CAGE
6. – 9. AMORES FOR PREPARED PIANO AND
PERCUSSION (JOHN CAGE: PIANO)
PIERRE HENRY
10. LE VOILE D’ORPHEE I (VERSION
INTEGRALE)
OLIVIER MESSIAEN
11. LE BANQUET CÉLESTE (OLIVIER
MESSIAEN: ORGAN)
BILL EVANS TRIO
12. RE: PERSON I KNEW

Edited April 5, 2021 by Dub Modal

[JSngry]

Ah, ok, looks like it's a "Vol 2" of the set that DG already has, also a Cherry Red product, it turns out: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/id-love-to-turn-you-on-classical-and-avant-garde-music-that-inspired-the-counter-culture-various-artists-3cd/

The premise here for both may or may not be a bit or more contrived (that would depend on the depth of the annotation), but either way, you're getting some (mostly) good music that could/should stimulate further explorations. Or not.

Actually, this new set seems to be a little meatier.

Here's the contents of the first compilation:

DISC ONE
THE BEATLES

1. BACH – BRANDENBURG CONCERTO NO. 2, BWV1047 – ALLEGRO ASSAI – Maurice Andre / Jean-Pierre Rampal (PENNY LANE)
2. BACH – BOURREE IN E MINOR – Julian Bream (BLACKBIRD)
3. BEETHOVEN – PIANO SONATA 14 OP 7 NO 2 MOONLIGHT – ADAGIO SOSTENUTO – Claudio Arrau (BECAUSE)
4. IANNIS XENAKIS – METASTASIS (EXCERPT) – SW German RSO / Hans Rosbaud (A DAY IN THE LIFE)
5. GESANG DER JÜNGLINGE – Karlheinz Stockhausen
(TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS)
6. THEMA (OMAGGIO A JOYCE) – Luciano Berio (TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS)
7. WILLIAMS MIX – John Cage (REVOLUTION 9)
8. THE MURDER FROM PSYCHO – Bernard Herrmann
(ELEANOR RIGBY)
9. KING LEAR (ACT IV, SCENE 6) – SHAKESPEARE (I AM THE WALRUS)
10. SIBELIUS – SYMPHONY 7 (EXCERPT) – RPO / Sir Thomas Beecham (REVOLUTION 9)
11. IMPROVISATION ON THE THEME FROM PATHER PANCHALI –
Ravi Shankar

GEORGE MARTIN
12. MAURICE RAVEL – LEVER DU JOUR – SCÈNE (FROM DAPHNIS & CHLOE) – LSO / Pierre Monteux
13. CLAUDE DEBUSSY – PRÉLUDE À L’APRÈS-MIDI D’UNE FAUNE – OSCC / Constantin Silvestri
14. CLAUDE DEBUSSY – LA SOIREE DANS GRENADE FROM ESTAMPES – Rudolf Firkusny (DAY TRIPPER)
15. GUSTAV HOLST – NEPTUNE FROM THE PLANETS – BBC SO / Sir Malcolm Sargent

DISC TWO
THE BEATLES / GEORGE MARTIN

1. ROUGET DE LISLE – LA MARSEILLAISE – LSO / Pierre Monteux (ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE)
2. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS – FANTASIA ON GREENSLEEVES – LPO / Sir Adrian Boult (ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE)
3. J S BACH – TWO-PART INVENTION NO. 8 IN F MAJOR – Wanda Landowska (ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE)
4. J S BACH – AIR ON THE G STRING FROM SUITE NO. 3 IN D BWV1068 – Jaime Laredo (YELLOW SUBMARINE)

RICK WRIGHT OF PINK FLOYD
5. THE AUTUMN LEAVES – Bill Evans Trio

SYD BARRETT OF PINK FLOYD
6. INTERSELLAR LOW WAYS – Sun Ra
7. G F HANDEL – HALLELUIJAH CHORUS FROM THE MESSIAH –
RPO / Sir Thomas Beecham
8. ANGI – Davy Graham
9. RAGA SIMHENDRA MADHYAMAM –
Ravi Shankar
10. TUNJI – John Coltrane
11. LOVE THEME FROM SPARTACUS – Yusef Lateef
12. PANNONICA – Thelonious Monk
13. YARDBIRD SUITE –
Charlie Parker Septet

SYD BARRETT / DAVID BOWIE
IGOR STRAVINSKY – THE RITE OF SPRING – PART ONE – ADORATION OF THE EARTH – NYPO / LEONARD BERNSTEIN

14. INTRODUCTION
15. THE AUGURS OF SPRING
16. MOCK ABDUCTION
17. SPRING ROUND DANCES
18. GAMES OF THE RIVAL TRIBES
19. PROCESSION OF THE WISE ELDER
20. ADORATION OF THE EARTH
21. DANCE OF THE EARTH

FRANK ZAPPA
22. EDGARD VARÈSE – HYPERPRISM – Robert Craft

DISC THREE
ROBERT WYATT (SOFT MACHINE)
1. SIX DUKES WENT A-FISHING – Benjamin Britten / Peter Pears

KEVIN AYERS (SOFT MACHINE)
2. SIBELIUS – SYMPHONY 2 – ALLEGRETTO –
RPO / Sir John Barbirolli

SCOTT WALKER
3. DELIUS – A SONG OF THE HIGH HILLS – TRANQUILLO –
RPO / Sir Thomas Beecham
4. NE ME QUITTE PAS – Jacques Brel
5. SIBELIUS – VALSE TRISTE – RCO / Eduard Van Beinum

NICK DRAKE
6. RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS – FANTASIA ON A THEME BY THOMAS TALLIS – Sinfonia Of London / Sir John Barbirolli

ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM
7. MAURICE RAVEL – JEUX D’EAU –
Vlado Perlemuter
8. CLAUDE DEBUSSY – NUAGES FROM NOCTURNES –
Boston SO / Charles Munch
9. HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS – GUITAR ETUDE NO. 5 – Laurindo Almeida
10. SERGEI RACHMANINOFF – VOCALISE – Nathan Milstein
11. FREDERICK CHOPIN – PRELUDE 4 OP 28 – Sviatoslav Richter

JOAO GILBERTO
12. ESTRADA DO SOL – Lucio Alves
13. ESTATE – Bruno Martino
14. ALMA BRASILEIRA – Garoto