Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #30)

Now playing the following CD, another recent arrival for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD5, the last CD from this set for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD10, the last CD - Works by Berg and Hindemith from the following set for a first listen ...

 

The Alban Berg Chamber Concerto is pretty dreadful music ...

 

Really? I love Berg (and Schoenberg and Webern.)

 

I do not find any delightful melody in the work ...

 

True, but their are other delights to be found.

 

OTOH, I am pleasantly surprised by the Hindemith Chamber Music No. 2 as there are some interesting molody and great piano movements ...

 

Now playing the following CD from my Bach collection ...

 

This is a russian recording of Berg and not the EMI one? I love this work and along with the VC my preferred Berg composition!

 

Berg's Violin Concerto (in memory of Alma Mahler/Gropius/Werfel's daughter Manon) is the most sensational, desperately expressionistic sound creation that I know of. It is really worth the effort to immerse in it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Violin_Concerto_(Berg)

 

i played my 1994 Vanguard/Omega CD today(the one pictured) & really
enjoyed it.there are more recent issues that replicate the original LP without
adding anything & so have a short playing time.i've also read complaints
about the sound quality & speculation that they are sourced from vinyl.
i see by the sticker on my CD that i got it for $7.95 at Amoeba in 1997.

 

Unbelievably passionate... must be heard to be believed...



IMO, among all Celibidache releases, this DG box with Celibidache's concerts with the Swedish Radio SO is the best along with the one with the Brahms Symphonies with the SWR SO also issued by DG. This era is far more accessible than his Munich years.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2001/Feb01/Celibidache.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2001/Mar01/Celibidache.htm

 

"difficult" composers like those mentioned,or like Elliott Carter,are not a steady
diet for me,but i do find their music occasionally refreshing.i got this 4-disc
Carter Retrospective at the public library & it was enjoyable.

 

Anyone else read this article about the Grimaud/Abbado squabble over a cadenza? (It's from the NY Times, so those without subscriptions be aware.)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/31/a...-claudio-abbado-part-ways.html?_r=1&ref=music

 

Atonal/serial music is a mixed blessing for me. On the one hand I can respect it for its enormous influence, historical importance in finally breaking away from the rigid tonal system and many moments of striking beauty, but there's a lot of non-tonal music TBH I just don't enjoy, or at least no more than in small doses. I really like the early atonal music of Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, some late Schoenberg and much of Berg's other stuff but most of Schoenberg and Webern's other music and modern serial music leaves me cold; certainly the criticism that atonal music lacks a good melody is somewhat valid, which kind of explains why even after over a century no-one to my knowledege has attempted an atonal pop/rock song, but the other problem is that it's pretty limited emotionally. Atonal music by nature can only really cover dark emotions, like sadness, tragedy, anger and fear; you still need a tonal system to express more positive feelings.

The kind of atonal music I like best is when it's used more for colouristic rather than functional purposes, uses chords that are vaguely suggestive of tonality, or combines atonal and tonal elements; Berg, Messaien, Ligeti, Schnittke and later Tippett fall in this category, although I've enjoyed some Lutoslawski. No way could I sit through a whole CD never mind four of Elliott Carter, but each to their own.

 

if you find Berg difficult, go see Wozzeck to lift the curse...Berg is great

 

Hard to find a Ann 4 that isn't great!
Glad ya enjoy it!

 

I did not know the details but when the Lucerne concert (Brahms PC#1) was to be broadcast (not live) the speaker mentioned that Grimaud quote due to artistic reasons. Radu Lupu was her replacement and, as almost always, Lupu declined for his performance to be broadcast (most probably he was not satisfied).

Thanks for the article!

 

These performances are divine indeed. Playing this set for the 1st time right now.

Thanks for the recommendation

 

Great story! Thanks for that. Good for her! She should be able to choose her own cadenzas. I assume she played the Busoni on the Mozart concert that will be released in place of the Abbado?

I can't say I admired Abbado up till now and now I like him even less.

 

Yes, she did. Those who wish to hear the "forbidden cadenza" can download it here in WAV format:

http://www.mediafire.com/?6hegjn7ir5vmt7y

 

You have to forget about how you think a melody should sound (Beethoven, Mozart, etc) ......only then will you start to love Berg and Schoenberg melodies.

 

Actually, in my case I didn't have to do anything other than press play. I loved Schoenberg and his boys instantly.

 

Wow. I bet most folk could not say that. It took me a little while to appreciate that type of music.