Topic: Friedrich Cerha (1926)

[Henk]

One of Austria's contemporary composers. I think he's interesting to investigate. Someone familiar with (some of) his works?

[karlhenning]

This looks like a query for Cato . . . calling Cato, white courtesy telephone, please!

[CRCulver]

One of Austria's contemporary composers. I think he's interesting to investigate. Someone familiar with (some of) his works?

I know him only as the guy who completed the last act of Berg's "Lulu" so that it could finally be staged in his entirety. As almost every time I see his name in print it is in that role, it does seem to have eclipsed his own music. Among living Austrian composers the younger Olga Neuwirth, for all her limited appeal, seems much more widely represented on disc than Cerha.

[petrarch]

One of Austria's contemporary composers. I think he's interesting to investigate. Someone familiar with (some of) his works?

His Spiegel cycle (7 pieces) is fantastic, especially I-IV.

[some guy]

One of Austria's oldest composers, for sure.

I just finished listening to Spiegel, again. And to the other two pieces on that set.

And to the cello concerto, which I bought this afternoon. So that I could respond to this thread and receive great glory. Oh, and so I could have another piece by this interesting composer. I wasn't too taken with the cello concerto on one hearing, but that only means that I'm not always all that good at making snap judgments. I thought it was less edgy, less interesting, less various than Spiegel from around thirty years earlier. But I also thought that Für K, which is on the two CD set with Spiegel, and later than the concerto, is pretty interesting. Long spaces inbetween things. Quirky changes from one thing to something completely different. Pretty cool, actually.

The other piece, Monumentum für Karl Prantl, from around the same time as the cello concerto, late 80s, is also kind of a throwback. It's as if someone asked him to write some "pretty" music, and he agreed!! I much prefer the beautiful stuff, myself, I must say.

I had some Cerha on an LP, Wergo as I recall. I must not have been all that impressed by it, as I didn't burn a CD of it when I got rid of all my LPs. Idiot! It was probably very cool. Like the cello concerto may turn out to be, once I get to know it well.

[snyprrr]

I have the Arditti playing Cerha's SQs 1-3 plus a sextet.

His first two SQs explore middle eastern forms, the kind of thing avant composers were doing in order to get away from the staus quo, but they do not sound exotic. Rather, they re smooth one mvmt works in arch shape, continuously moving and growing and then settling down again.
SQ No.3 is more like Cerha's typical modern SQ, a multi mvmt. work with all the things we associate with all the modern composers of his generation.
The sextet is much longer, multi mvmt, and deeper.

All in all, this is a very prestigious cd...a perfect Arditti cd I would say.if you're on the tip, I highly recommend this as a perfect example of what happened to the modernists as they entered the forbidden zone of post moderism. Berio's late SQs come to mind.

[Guido]

One of Austria's oldest composers, for sure.

I just finished listening to Spiegel, again. And to the other two pieces on that set.

And to the cello concerto, which I bought this afternoon. So that I could respond to this thread and receive great glory. Oh, and so I could have another piece by this interesting composer. I wasn't too taken with the cello concerto on one hearing, but that only means that I'm not always all that good at making snap judgments. I thought it was less edgy, less interesting, less various than Spiegel from around thirty years earlier. But I also thought that Für K, which is on the two CD set with Spiegel, and later than the concerto, is pretty interesting. Long spaces inbetween things. Quirky changes from one thing to something completely different. Pretty cool, actually.

The other piece, Monumentum für Karl Prantl, from around the same time as the cello concerto, late 80s, is also kind of a throwback. It's as if someone asked him to write some "pretty" music, and he agreed!! I much prefer the beautiful stuff, myself, I must say.

I had some Cerha on an LP, Wergo as I recall. I must not have been all that impressed by it, as I didn't burn a CD of it when I got rid of all my LPs. Idiot! It was probably very cool. Like the cello concerto may turn out to be, once I get to know it well.

Keep trying with the cello concerto. I think it's another magnificent score - one of my favourite contemporary pieces.

[some guy]

Keep trying with the cello concerto.

To hear is to obey. When I take another break from transcribing Lillios' interview,* I will put that cello concerto on. I haven't listened to it since I last commented on the fact that I wasn't ready to comment on it.

*When you're the boss and all the employees, you get to do everything, however painful. And transcribing interviews is the most painful of all.

[Guido]

I did that once, and I agree, it is awful!!!

Is that Elainie Illios?

[some guy]

Elainie it is. What a sweetie.*

And I agree about the Cerha cello concerto. It grows on one, as any good music will.

And speaking of good cello concertos, I'm right now listening to Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen's For Cello and Orchestra, perhaps a nod to Feldman there in the title. Certainly there's some Feldman-like licks in it.

I wish there were more recordings of music. What else is all this money for?

*Referring to Elainie, not to you, Guido. Though it may equally apply to you, I don't know.

[Guido]

Gudmundsen-Holmgreen's concerto is one that has never stuck with me, but I'll try again on your recommendation. The Feldman is another of my all time faves.

What do you mean you wish there was more music recorded??!!  There's far too much to be heard in a lifetime!

[some guy]

Five or six more CDs of Cerha's music wouldn't hurt, would it?

Plus, what about all the kids in their twenties just churning it out? Gotta have as much of their stuff as I can get before I hit the inevitable.

Sure there's too much. I want more, I tells ya. More!!

[petrarch]

Five or six more CDs of Cerha's music wouldn't hurt, would it?

Have you seen the Cerha "Dokumente" 12-CD boxset on ORF? I passed on that once, not sure if I would do again.

[petrarch]

Have you seen the Cerha "Dokumente" 12-CD boxset on ORF? I passed on that once, not sure if I would do again.

I just got this in the mail today, ordered it about 10 days ago directly from ORF. Will keep me busy for the next few weeks, yum!

Now, if only the Arditti CD with his quartets showed up for sale somewhere at a more normal price (i.e. less than the eye-gouging US$130 some sellers are asking)...

[snyprrr]

$100+ seems to be par for the course these days for ANYTHING desireable on Amazon.

However, if you like Cerha's explorations into ethnic musics and can't get a hold of his SQs, may I recommend Dimitri Terzakis' even more authentic sounding absorbtion on the "Gates of Night and Day" cd (also on CPO). If you do get Cerha, Terzakis is a great companion.

[petrarch]

Now, if only the Arditti CD with his quartets showed up for sale somewhere at a more normal price (i.e. less than the eye-gouging US$130 some sellers are asking)...

Just ordered it from ebay.de for about $60, can't wait!

Now the search centers on Mathias Spahlinger's Musica Impura double CD on Accord...

[Sean]

His name's been on my to-get list for years: he's represented at no library I've ever been a member of and I've never seen anything of his broadcast on radio. Is he a boring serialist?

[petrarch]

His name's been on my to-get list for years: he's represented at no library I've ever been a member of and I've never seen anything of his broadcast on radio. Is he a boring serialist?

Define boring...

[Sean]

Define boring...

A serialist.

You asked for it.

[petrarch]

A serialist.

You asked for it.

Boring! Next...