Topic: "Mussorgsky String Quartet"

[snyprrr]

I was wondering what this would sound like, not neccesarily "in the style of", but perhaps rather "in the spirit of." Or...whatever...

I was thinking it would be a monster: 4 mvmts/@50mins.

I'm thinking it would sound like Bloch SQ No.1 (albeit with a Russian flavour), but that's just laziness on my part.

Can anyone see something here? It just hit me that something like this could be very original and exciting, but I haven't heard any Mussorgsky in such a long time...I keep thinking it's going to start off like Petruschka?

Just curious (yea, I didn't know which "room" to post this in).

[jochanaan]

I think I like the idea.  Best not make it too obvious, though; maybe some Mussorgsky themes buried in the textures, or maybe you could take the title from a Mussorgsky work but take the music and program, if any, in a new direction...

[karlhenning]

I was wondering what this would sound like, not neccesarily "in the style of", but perhaps rather "in the spirit of." Or...whatever...

I was thinking it would be a monster: 4 mvmts/@50mins.

I don't think so; more likely a series of miniatures.

[DFO]

Poor Modest never had knowledge and technique enough to write a SQ. It's one of the most difficult forms in classical music. Many great
composers (Debussy, Ravel,Faure, Franck. Magnard etc.) had only one.

[karlhenning]

Poor Modest never had knowledge and technique enough to write a SQ. It's one of the most difficult forms in classical music. Many great composers (Debussy, Ravel,Faure, Franck. Magnard etc.) had only one.

I don't know that that argues for the form being "difficult";  could have been that the composers were not inclined to write much in the genre.

[jochanaan]

Poor Modest never had knowledge and technique enough to write a SQ. It's one of the most difficult forms in classical music. Many great
composers (Debussy, Ravel,Faure, Franck. Magnard etc.) had only one.

Hmmm...By that standard, you could argue that woodwind quintets are far more difficult, and woodwind trios are EXTREMELY difficult! (Sorry; my prejudice and frustration as a wind player shows sometimes. )

[snyprrr]

Wow, life from the dead!

Borodin's SQ No.1 only partially fulfils my "lost" Russian SQ fantasy. It has the gravity and length, but not the madness of LvB's late SQs.

I keep thinking Revueltas?

I think one of the things that got me here was that theme from Glinka's Kamarinskaya. You know what I mean, that big Russian sounding expansive theme? That, mixed with Revueltas for about 40mins., is what I was thinking of.

Like Schubert's D887 written by Mussorgsky/Revueltas!?!

I guess I was wondering what kind of SQ would be interesting today, in our day and age, where the most monumental SQ offerings come from the likes of Terry Riley, Gorecki, and company (read: Kronos), or Lachenmann and company (read: Arditti); not to mention Feldman's 6 hour No.2!

Seeing as we live in a post-Post Modern world, what would make YOU fall in love with an album length SQ by an unknown composer? This Mussorgsky "concept" is what I've been tinkering with.

[karlhenning]

Seeing as we live in a post-Post Modern world, what would make YOU fall in love with an album length SQ by an unknown composer?

Well, if it were by Henning, that would be a plus   

[snyprrr]

  ...Hey, Wolfy, I'll write you three SQs for your soul ...

[jochanaan]

...Seeing as we live in a post-Post Modern world, what would make YOU fall in love with an album length SQ by an unknown composer?...

Something new.  Something deep.  A work this ambitious can't rely on gimmicks; you've got to put all of yourself into it.  But you know that.