Gunther Schuller: Man of Many Music Careers

[mjzee]

Most people slow down as they age. Not Gunther Schuller, who turned 85 this year and continues to work in many realms at a pace that would leave many 30-year-olds breathless. The musical Renaissance man has had, by his own accounting, seven often-simultaneous careers: As a French hornist, he got his first job with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra at age 17 and performed on Miles Davis's seminal "Birth of the Cool" recordings. As a conductor, he has served as musical director of the Berkshire Music Festival (now called Tanglewood) and has led orchestras throughout the world. He taught composition at Yale and as the dynamic president of the New England Conservatory of Music he doubled that school's size. For some years, he operated Margun Music and published a wide variety of classical and jazz music. As head of GM Records, he continues to work as a record producer.

He is perhaps best known as a composer—he has written seven substantial chamber- music works in the past year alone, including a horn quintet and his second piano trio—and as the author of two landmark studies of jazz, "Early Jazz" and "The Swing Era," as well as a controversial survey of orchestral conducting, "The Compleat Conductor." A musical thinker with a compelling story and much to say, he recently completed the first volume of his memoirs, which takes his story to 1960, when he gave up playing the French horn and began conducting (it is in production at the University of Rochester Press).

More here:

WSJ

[Rooster_Ties]

Saw him conduct the St. Louis Symphony several years back (looks like '99), at the premier of a flute concerto of his. The program also included two or three short Ives pieces that he had done some archeology on (one of them being a musical allusion of a Yale/Princeton Football Game (that was nearly the title), if I remember right).

Also saw him in Boston a couple years later, where a modern chamber ensemble tackled one of his thornier works for about 10 or 12 instruments (winds and strings, and maybe piano).

Heard his pre-concert lecture both times, with Q&A. Don't remember many specifics, but he had a very dry wit as I recall (that I quite liked). Clearly VERY knowledgeable.

The thing I remember most about his flute concerto was that he had worked closely with the soloist (who may have even helped commission the piece, and I believe he was from former East Germany), and Schuller really pushed him to demonstrate/develop some fairly radical extended flute techniques. The guy had already been doing some VERY smooth glissandos (glissandi, actually), but of only about about 3 whole-steps in distance. At Schuller's insistence, he figured out how to do totally smooth glissandi on flute, that were MUCH longer (like a perfect 5th, maybe even a major 6th) -- that I swear sounded just like the smooth slide of a trombone (only on flute). Damnedest thing I'd ever heard. Slow, fast, didn't matter -- smooth as can be, like a penny-whistle -- only with that perfect "pearl-like" tone, like one comes to expect from the likes of James Galway.

Don't think the piece has ever been recorded, though if it has - I'd sure love to get a copy. EDIT: So I just e-mailed the soloist from the 1999 debut that I heard (and that was the world premier), to inquire if the work has ever been recorded. Ah, the wonders of the Internet.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Rooster_Ties

[jeffcrom]

Has Schuller's opera The Visitation ever been recorded? Max Harrison has spoken highly of it, but I've never seen it or heard the music.

[Rooster_Ties]

I've by no means heard lots of recordings of Schuller's works, but my two favorite discs (among about 6 of his I've owned) are...

Schuller: Of Reminiscences and Reflections (big orchestral compositions written in 1993 & 1994, including an organ concerto)

3 Concertos: Horn Piano Bassoon (the horn concerto dates from the mid-40's (this recording is from '92); the piano concerto was written in the early 60's (and that's also when this recording is from too); the bassoon concerto was written in '85 (and this recording also dates from '92)).

Excellent stuff.

Edited December 21, 2010 by Rooster_Ties

[jlhoots]

His sons are excellent musicians as well.

[mikeweil]

I was lucky to get a glimpse of live Schuller many years ago when he conducted the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt. I will always remember this. Real dedication to the music, no superficial attitudes. That's the way I like it.

I must get me his books before it's too late!

[Rooster_Ties]

I was lucky to get a glimpse of live Schuller many years ago when he conducted the Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt. I will always remember this. Real dedication to the music, no superficial attitudes. That's the way I like it.

Any memory of what the Ensemble Modern was playing then? I *love* that group -- at one time, I used to buy any recording of theirs, no matter the composer.

[mikeweil]

I still must have the concert program somewhere - might take a bit to dig it up ... the pile with all concert brochures crashed while I re-arranged some shelves and is a real mess now.