A thrilling work, superbly played. Myaskovsky is currently unfashionable in the UK, for reasons I feel are essentially masochistic. Its idiom is post-romantic (at points barely `post`) but this is the 1920`s: shouldn`t he be more expressionist, like Bartok as his most grating? Yet Myaskvosky is not a sentimentalist and for all its aural delights this is authentically complex and arresting music. File under `guilty pleasure` perhaps?
Theme:Концерт для виолончели с оркестром (1956)
(27.08.2011 01:19)
This is the last and least critically regarded of Walton`s concertos. Certainly its style is nostalgic, and the parallels with Elgar`s earlier masterpiece are closer than some would say they should be. Portrait of the one-time enfant terrible as an old man, perhaps. But for me it contains some of this composer`s finest melodic writing, balanced by sumptuous scoring for the orchestral strings. While the performance here is more workmanlike than spine-tingling, the playing is accurate and recording quality excellent. A slight quibble: the upload cuts out too soon at the end, before the reverb of the final chord has completely died away.
Theme:Соната для фортепиано № 1 (1946)
(26.08.2011 00:59)
Having just posted a favourable comment about an orchestral piece of Boulez`, I have to say about this one that I just don`t get it. It may have been written to a strict formula, but the effect is the aural equivalent of Jackson Pollock - notes sprayed randomly onto the stave. My sense is that you could derive certain principles from listening to the piece - reverse engineer it, so to speak - and use them to create similar works yourself. Any competent pianist could learn, and I don`t know what criteria you would then invoke to judge the quality of the rip-off pieces as against those produced by the professionally trained composer. I`m not saying `a monkey could do this`, but I reckon you could programme a computer to churn out Boulez sonatas and no-one would realise.
Theme:Discussions about musical compositions
(26.08.2011 00:39)
I was expecting to loathe this. I do not care for Boulez` austere, hyper-intellectual theorising about his composing techniques and his disdain for tonality, pulse and discernible melody. Which doesn`t seem to leave much, so I was pleasantly surprised. These pieces explore orchestral textures, dynamic variations and contrasts of movement and there`s always something to interest the ear. Boulez` scoring is still recognisably French in its sensousness, and his dissonances nothing like as harsh as other serialists are wont to inflict on the listener. I`m still some way from turning to Boulez for sheer aesthetic delight but after this he`s started to intrigue me.
Theme:Концерт для фортепиано с оркестром №4 (1952)
(24.08.2011 11:09)
This exhilarating and inventive work doesn`t get even a passing mention in Wikipedia`s piece on Villa-Lobos (who apart from Bachianas Brasileiras is criminally neglected in the West). One can guess why: in the 1950`s classical composers weren`t supposed to write music this easy on the ear, and in fairness it does occasionally get a bit Rachmaninioffy. But only occasionally and we should by now be able to see that within his conservative, tonal idiom Villa-Lobos was fantastically creative, springing harmonic surprises at every turn. Time for a rehabilitation of this thrilling composer? or will he remain a guilty pleasure for those of us who can take the cold shower of avant-garde dissonance if we have to, but need a warm bath of post-romanticism now and then?
Theme:Симфония №11 си минор
(04.09.2011 19:57)
unfashionable in the UK, for reasons I feel are essentially
masochistic. Its idiom is post-romantic (at points barely `post`) but
this is the 1920`s: shouldn`t he be more expressionist, like Bartok as
his most grating? Yet Myaskvosky is not a sentimentalist and for all
its aural delights this is authentically complex and arresting music.
File under `guilty pleasure` perhaps?
Theme:Концерт для виолончели с оркестром (1956)
(27.08.2011 01:19)
Certainly its style is nostalgic, and the parallels with Elgar`s
earlier masterpiece are closer than some would say they should be.
Portrait of the one-time enfant terrible as an old man, perhaps. But
for me it contains some of this composer`s finest melodic writing,
balanced by sumptuous scoring for the orchestral strings. While the
performance here is more workmanlike than spine-tingling, the playing
is accurate and recording quality excellent. A slight quibble: the
upload cuts out too soon at the end, before the reverb of the final
chord has completely died away.
Theme:Соната для фортепиано № 1 (1946)
(26.08.2011 00:59)
Boulez`, I have to say about this one that I just don`t get it. It
may have been written to a strict formula, but the effect is the aural
equivalent of Jackson Pollock - notes sprayed randomly onto the stave.
My sense is that you could derive certain principles from listening
to the piece - reverse engineer it, so to speak - and use them to
create similar works yourself. Any competent pianist could learn, and
I don`t know what criteria you would then invoke to judge the quality
of the rip-off pieces as against those produced by the professionally
trained composer. I`m not saying `a monkey could do this`, but I
reckon you could programme a computer to churn out Boulez sonatas and
no-one would realise.
Theme:Discussions about musical compositions
(26.08.2011 00:39)
hyper-intellectual theorising about his composing techniques and his
disdain for tonality, pulse and discernible melody. Which doesn`t
seem to leave much, so I was pleasantly surprised. These pieces
explore orchestral textures, dynamic variations and contrasts of
movement and there`s always something to interest the ear. Boulez`
scoring is still recognisably French in its sensousness, and his
dissonances nothing like as harsh as other serialists are wont to
inflict on the listener. I`m still some way from turning to Boulez
for sheer aesthetic delight but after this he`s started to intrigue
me.
Theme:Концерт для фортепиано с оркестром №4 (1952)
(24.08.2011 11:09)
mention in Wikipedia`s piece on Villa-Lobos (who apart from Bachianas
Brasileiras is criminally neglected in the West). One can guess why:
in the 1950`s classical composers weren`t supposed to write music this
easy on the ear, and in fairness it does occasionally get a bit
Rachmaninioffy. But only occasionally and we should by now be able to
see that within his conservative, tonal idiom Villa-Lobos was
fantastically creative, springing harmonic surprises at every turn.
Time for a rehabilitation of this thrilling composer? or will he
remain a guilty pleasure for those of us who can take the cold shower
of avant-garde dissonance if we have to, but need a warm bath of
post-romanticism now and then?
Theme:Сельский концерт (Concert champêtre) для клавесина (или фортепиано) с оркестром
(16.08.2011 10:28)
intruding on the music!