The Roger Sessions

[Rons_talking]

I've been revisiting the Sessions symphonies after a couple years of abstanance. I'm not as entranced with his complexity as I once was. Too many blatently disjunct intervals and more layers than necessary, at times (IMO). Also, the harmony often seems only a by-product of short-lived simultanaeties (not in all his symphonies). Not that I object to any of that in moderation. But a long symphonic work that seemingly rarely breaths is a lot to take in. In the past, I'd replay the same movement a few times until I could really hear it. I no longer believe that should be required of a well-trained listener.
But I've been a fan of Sessions's music for decades. The 7th S is my clear-cut favorite today. I like its use of quiet and the harp/ww ostinati that adds flavor on occasion.
I'll listen some more...

[snyprrr]

I've been revisiting the Sessions symphonies after a couple years of abstanance. I'm not as entranced with his complexity as I once was. Too many blatently disjunct intervals and more layers than necessary, at times (IMO). Also, the harmony often seems only a by-product of short-lived simultanaeties (not in all his symphonies). Not that I object to any of that in moderation. But a long symphonic work that seemingly rarely breaths is a lot to take in. In the past, I'd replay the same movement a few times until I could really hear it. I no longer believe that should be required of a well-trained listener.
But I've been a fan of Sessions's music for decades. The 7th S is my clear-cut favorite today. I like its use of quiet and the harp/ww ostinati that adds flavor on occasion.
I'll listen some more...

Oh, such a well written critique,... yes, one cannot really JUST dismiss Sessions out-of-hand without at least a grudging nod to the sheer AMOUNT of information being presented (like Pettersson superficially, perhaps?). I have been gearing up for a revisit, but, because I know what I'm in for, I make sure I'm in the mood. I can sympathize with your too-many-notes weariness, and it would weary me too if I don't "exercise" BEFORE I jump in to a Sessions bloodbath.

Composers who use "too many notes" (like Pettersson, Barrett,... the "profusion" camp (Boulez's theory))I reserve for those times when I REALLY need the cobwebs out,... but, yes, one can't listen to Sessions every day,... he is like a tonic...


Do you have No.8? Both recordings are on YT. It is echt-Sessions in 15 minutes, with lots of eddies... and I believe harp and 'misterioso' rumblings...Sessions is the man who has turned the Devil Into Numbers, taking... then putting back, the terror into music.

Nos. 6-7 are supposed to be Vietnam "War" Symphonies. Can one hear this?

I do like the No.5 on that Badea/New World disc,... always waiting on a modenr No.3 (Albany!!!! shame on you... Davies!!! shame on you!!!)

One just doesn't get the pound-for-pound note-mileage that one gets from the likes of Sessions. Sure, he deals in an anachronistic "Dodecaphonic" (read: blatantly "pro"Schoenberg (hint hint)) style,... ahhh, nostalgia,... Sessions is like an old b+w movie to me, comforting,... like looking back on Sciene's Mistakes and feeling smug,...

aye, wish I had my Sessions stash here,... maybe No.8???.... (goes on recon)...

[Rons_talking]

Oh, such a well written critique,... yes, one cannot really JUST dismiss Sessions out-of-hand without at least a grudging nod to the sheer AMOUNT of information being presented (like Pettersson superficially, perhaps?). I have been gearing up for a revisit, but, because I know what I'm in for, I make sure I'm in the mood. I can sympathize with your too-many-notes weariness, and it would weary me too if I don't "exercise" BEFORE I jump in to a Sessions bloodbath.

Composers who use "too many notes" (like Pettersson, Barrett,... the "profusion" camp (Boulez's theory))I reserve for those times when I REALLY need the cobwebs out,... but, yes, one can't listen to Sessions every day,... he is like a tonic...


Do you have No.8? Both recordings are on YT. It is echt-Sessions in 15 minutes, with lots of eddies... and I believe harp and 'misterioso' rumblings...Sessions is the man who has turned the Devil Into Numbers, taking... then putting back, the terror into music.

Nos. 6-7 are supposed to be Vietnam "War" Symphonies. Can one hear this?

I do like the No.5 on that Badea/New World disc,... always waiting on a modenr No.3 (Albany!!!! shame on you... Davies!!! shame on you!!!)

One just doesn't get the pound-for-pound note-mileage that one gets from the likes of Sessions. Sure, he deals in an anachronistic "Dodecaphonic" (read: blatantly "pro"Schoenberg (hint hint)) style,... ahhh, nostalgia,... Sessions is like an old b+w movie to me, comforting,... like looking back on Sciene's Mistakes and feeling smug,...

aye, wish I had my Sessions stash here,... maybe No.8???.... (goes on recon)...

Thanks for the complement. I did indeed listen to S8  and it's a more lyrical piece than many of Sessions's Symphonic works ( hard to describe Sessions as "lyrical"). Though these works (after the early 50s) are 12-tone, he seems to employ a personal motivic style where rhythm and color are important structural entities; he's still a little Romantic in that sense. But every note has a function, and that's what frustrates me as a listener: there is so much to digest. On you tube there is an interesting recorded seminar with Milton Babbit and David Diamond (both Sessions pupils), and as disperate as their careers and output is, they agree that Sessions is America's finest compositional mind. That says a lot to me...Babbit and Diamond would not agree on ANYTHING musical...seemingly. Someone needs to make a great recording of his sumphonies, since it's so hard to lock-in to what he is getting at. Maybe there are some I don't know about. I'd like to know.

[snyprrr]

just got the whole Sessions collection from the storage... feasting soon... start with no.8...

[snyprrr]

Symphony No.8

The last of the three 'War Symphonies' from the '60s, this mercurial, lithely limbed and glitteringly coloured is a 15 minute, single movement Masterpiece that opening with... is it maracas? Sessions has such a way that, the seemingly random percussive shaking/rustling comes as the brilliant stroke of genius one could muster, such triviality underscoring an instant gloom as the music gains momentum.

Along with the Piano Concerto and the Symphony No.5, shows up Sessions's Art in the classic one-movement designs, where his total integration principle is most usefully set forth. If one simply listens one-note-after-another, one should have no problem following the trajectories of his musical games.

[Rons_talking]

Symphony No.8

The last of the three 'War Symphonies' from the '60s, this mercurial, lithely limbed and glitteringly coloured is a 15 minute, single movement Masterpiece that opening with... is it maracas? Sessions has such a way that, the seemingly random percussive shaking/rustling comes as the brilliant stroke of genius one could muster, such triviality underscoring an instant gloom as the music gains momentum.

Along with the Piano Concerto and the Symphony No.5, shows up Sessions's Art in the classic one-movement designs, where his total integration principle is most usefully set forth. If one simply listens one-note-after-another, one should have no problem following the trajectories of his musical games.

You're right! Session's music seems to gain momentum through rhythmic layering and the sometimes almost theatrical use of percussion. It has always seemed to me that his movements are just longer pauses; often his pitch material resumes at mid-sentence with new movements. But the wacky use of percussion--which is a part of his style--is a sinister irony that always pushes the music forward. I smile when I think about it.

[snyprrr]

You're right! Session's music seems to gain momentum through rhythmic layering and the sometimes almost theatrical use of percussion. It has always seemed to me that his movements are just longer pauses; often his pitch material resumes at mid-sentence with new movements. But the wacky use of percussion--which is a part of his style--is a sinister irony that always pushes the music forward. I smile when I think about it.

will preview 6-7 over the coming weekishness

[vandermolen]

I'm very fond of Roger Sessions's music, particularly the symphonies.  I actually find his music fairly easy to follow and enjoy, in contrast to, say, Carter or Gerhard.  Perhaps Sessions is just more on my wavelength.

Have been listening to 'The Black Maskers' today which I like very much - have ordered a CD of his symphonies 1-3.

[bhodges]

This recent recording (2014) by Miranda Cuckson has Sessions's Sonata for Solo Violin (1953), which I have also heard her do live. Highly recommended for those who like the composer, and Cuckson is fantastic in this kind of repertoire. The Carter and Eckardt works are excellent, too, with Blair McMillen, a formidable new music pianist.

[asin]B00HZMRUT0[/asin]

--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Oh, that does look mighty tasty, Bruce!

[bhodges]

Oh, that does look mighty tasty, Bruce!

Not to digress from Sessions, but this recording with Cuckson is also pretty swell. It's also on Urlicht, a relatively new label.

[asin]B00N5ND5II[/asin]

--Bruce

[Rons_talking]

It's definitely time to hear some Sessions again!

As complex as some ...all of his music can be what pulls me into the Sessions sound world is the pure energy(must be the rhythms). I never hear serenity in his music--there's always tension and excitement... Kind of classical heavy metal with something new to hear with each listen and no holds barred. Not to oversimplify his work; it's the complexity that generates the power. I've been known to crank his music when driving...

[snyprrr]

As complex as some ...all of his music can be what pulls me into the Sessions sound world is the pure energy(must be the rhythms). I never hear serenity in his music--there's always tension and excitement... Kind of classical heavy metal with something new to hear with each listen and no holds barred. Not to oversimplify his work; it's the complexity that generates the power. I've been known to crank his music when driving...

Sessions & Babbitt... mm mm mm... I seem to love the apparent cool distancing of the US Total Serialists, as, say, opposed to Stockhausen- the Americans are more... what?... "up front"? Lots of tension without human emotions- movement, activity, life force...momentum... just the elements that keep you going- even in the face of such, technically, alien musics.

[Scion7]

Didn't Hahn state in an interview she planned to tackle the Violin Concerto?

[Scion7]

The Sonata for (solo) Violin ç1953 on this LP from 1963 is impressive:

[Scion7]

While there is a piano piece here and there that hasn't had an official release,
this (to me) seems to be a glaring omission:

Concerto for Violin, Violoncello, and Orchestra  (1971) - which is some 20 minutes long

The Double Concerto, commissioned by Juilliard for its sixty-fifth anniversary (in 1970), was premiered on November 5, 1971. Its two soloists were violinist Paul Zukofsky and cellist John Sessions (son of the composer); the two also played the work at Northwestern University and at the Aspen Music Festival.*

* from Roger Sessions: A Biography, by Olmstead

[Mahlerian]

Didn't Hahn state in an interview she planned to tackle the Violin Concerto?

Oh, I hope she does.  That would give the work a much-needed boost.

[snyprrr]

While there is a piano piece here and there that hasn't had an official release,
this (to me) seems to be a glaring omission:

Concerto for Violin, Violoncello, and Orchestra  (1971) - which is some 20 minutes long

The Double Concerto, commissioned by Juilliard for its sixty-fifth anniversary (in 1970), was premiered on November 5, 1971. Its two soloists were violinist Paul Zukofsky and cellist John Sessions (son of the composer); the two also played the work at Northwestern University and at the Aspen Music Festival.*

* from Roger Sessions: A Biography, by Olmstead

I'm sure if you use your imagination, you can picture a NewWorld disc from 1987 (it would look something like the Babbitt PC disc)... yea, sadly that is probably just not going to happen (maybe Bridge?), ...I do believe that that is the only real omission, however... maybe the tape sucked? ahhhhh....

I'm always so glad to see this Thread,... isn't it curious how so many of us cite RS at the very very top?
One can still enjoy the Piano Concerto...

[snyprrr]

Piano Sonata No.2 (1946)

I'm comparing three different recordings, Salwen (Koch), Lawson (Virgin), and Hodgkinson (NewWorld). Frankly, there's not much to compare. Lawson takes the 'Lento' much slower than the other two, almost to compel listening, whereas it goes by before you know it with the other two, but otherwise, all three hit the same notes- I might give the nod to Lawson, who, though he gives a little more space to the notes, doesn't sound any less frenetic in the more violent moments of the outer movements. All have different sounding recordings, but all seem to absorb all the "crunchy" notes without any harshness, and this is a work that has a lot of spikes.

Musically, it's not something I'm all that fond of. It's a 12 minute Serial work in a 1940s guise. Three movements. Lots of activity, but- well, if I were to compare, I might prefer Boulez's Sonata No.1 just for the extra imagination. Sessions is a little "hammery", - if this is what musical anger sounds like, I don't know, maybe it's just the violence of the musical argument itself?

Session's Piano Music is the epitome of somewhat ugly Serialism. He just doesn't care, he's doing what he's doing, and that's that. I have to be in the mood for this much banging around. I much prefer Babbitt's more delicate complexity.

Still, and I do like Session's Sonata No.1 a lot, there is a lot to like in Session's Piano Music. If you're in the mood, the Salwen complete set is great- the only other pianist to tackle these is David Holzman (Albany/Bridge), but I'm not sure if I heard on the samples that his recording and playing were just a bit too incisive and brutal for me- the recording seemed quite bright, though, it also seemed as if the notes were "absorbed" and not sticking out of the recording like rose thorns. This is music that seems difficult to reign in in a recording.

Anyone?

[Mahlerian]

The Second Sonata isn't serial at all.  Of the three, only the Third uses Sessions's personal adaptation of the 12-tone technique.  For that matter, I don't find it ugly; it is violent, to be sure, and the final movement's grotesque march is intentionally quite "crunchy," but the middle movement adagio is extremely delicate, and the first movement has some remarkable flights of fantasy.

Also, Sessions' music is really written from a Romantic perspective of expression.  Like Schoenberg, his music is supposed to be played with emotion and feeling, and this does indeed put him in contrast to the cooler, wittier Babbitt.

I enjoyed Holzman's recordings of all three sonatas, personally, and his Second comes with fine recordings of works featuring the violin as well.