Mosolov

Started by Sean, July 08, 2009, 09:03:47 AM

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Cato

This topic about Mosolov has reminded me of the incredible Sergei Protopopov: there are some YouTube people who have posted performances of his 3 piano sonatas and the scores, although the latter tend to be blurred.

http://www.youtube.com/v/p89_A6p2HrE

See the Petrucci Music Library for the scores, which can be downloaded free: Protopopov apparently followed in the steps of Scriabin,  and went beyond him.

See:  http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Protopopov,_Sergei

"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

SymphonicAddict



Yesterday I stumbled upon some works of this rarely mentioned composer (Tractor's arrival at the Kolkhoz, The Iron Foundry and the Piano Concerto No. 1). I didn't listen to the rest of the works on the CD. The Iron Foundry is his most known composition, I see it like an industrial counterpart to Honegger's Pacific 231. Tractor's arrival at the Kolkhoz shares similar features with The Iron Foundry, although its beginning is rather slow and mysterious, and it becomes more animated as it progresses. Worth listening too. And last but not least, the Piano Concerto No. 1. It's undoubtedly the strong dish on the CD, and when I say strong dish is because it has all the merits to be named like that! Don't expect soft and tender music here. I hadn't listened to a piano concerto that was so impressive, original, riotous, frenzied like this for a long time. There are even some jazz echoes that make this piece greater. In short, this work is a must hear! It can easily go to the PTHBYAR thread.

vandermolen

#22
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on April 20, 2019, 02:15:52 PM


Yesterday I stumbled upon some works of this rarely mentioned composer (Tractor's arrival at the Kolkhoz, The Iron Foundry and the Piano Concerto No. 1). I didn't listen to the rest of the works on the CD. The Iron Foundry is his most known composition, I see it like an industrial counterpart to Honegger's Pacific 231. Tractor's arrival at the Kolkhoz shares similar features with The Iron Foundry, although its beginning is rather slow and mysterious, and it becomes more animated as it progresses. Worth listening too. And last but not least, the Piano Concerto No. 1. It's undoubtedly the strong dish on the CD, and when I say strong dish is because it has all the merits to be named like that! Don't expect soft and tender music here. I hadn't listened to a piano concerto that was so impressive, original, riotous, frenzied like this for a long time. There are even some jazz echoes that make this piece greater. In short, this work is a must hear! It can easily go to the PTHBYAR thread.
Oh dear, now you are getting revenge for my tempting you with Steinberg's 'Turksib' Fourth Symphony.  This looks like a must, expecially in view of your comments about PC No.1 and an earlier post describing it as Mossolov's (Mosolov's) finest work. Also 'Tractors arrival at the Kolkhoz' sounds like a must have. Thanks for alerting us to this Cesar. :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Jo498

The piano concerto is a more daring and original composition than any of Shostakovich's concertos. Nothing else of the few works of Mosolov I have heard comes close (closest probably some of the piano solo) but the concerto is a hint of what more might have been if he had not fallen afoul with the Soviet authorities and basically been broken in the Gulag.
Tout le malheur des hommes vient d'une seule chose, qui est de ne savoir pas demeurer en repos, dans une chambre.
- Blaise Pascal

vandermolen

Quote from: Jo498 on April 21, 2019, 11:40:58 AM
The piano concerto is a more daring and original composition than any of Shostakovich's concertos. Nothing else of the few works of Mosolov I have heard comes close (closest probably some of the piano solo) but the concerto is a hint of what more might have been if he had not fallen afoul with the Soviet authorities and basically been broken in the Gulag.

Have already ordered it  ::)

Kabalevsky's First Piano Concerto is also one that I greatly enjoy.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: vandermolen on April 20, 2019, 11:23:52 PM
Oh dear, now you are getting revenge for my tempting you with Steinberg's 'Turksib' Fourth Symphony.  This looks like a must, expecially in view of your comments about PC No.1 and an earlier post describing it as Mossolov's (Mosolov's) finest work. Also 'Tractors arrival at the Kolkhoz' sounds like a must have. Thanks for alerting us to this Cesar. :)

Haha, well, it wasn't my initial intention, but if you say so...  :laugh:  ;)

Quote from: Jo498 on April 21, 2019, 11:40:58 AM
The piano concerto is a more daring and original composition than any of Shostakovich's concertos. Nothing else of the few works of Mosolov I have heard comes close (closest probably some of the piano solo) but the concerto is a hint of what more might have been if he had not fallen afoul with the Soviet authorities and basically been broken in the Gulag.

I agree with this, the Concerto is just spectacular. It was a real shame that Mosolov has suffered both neglect and such unfair punishment.

vandermolen

Cesar is right, that Mosolov CD is quite extraordinary. Mosolov seems to have been quite a character. He was denounced by the soviet authorities like Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Popov, Miaskovsky and Shebalin but, unlike them, he was charged with 'hooliganism' as a result of having taken part in a 'drunken brawl'. He also wrote to Stalin asking for permission to move abroad where his music would be better appreciated. Unsurprisingly he ended up in a gulag. Miaskovsky and Gliere intervened to get him released early. The 'Iron Foundry' is very special and if you like that you should like 'Tractors arrival at the Kolkhoz' also derived from the ballet 'Steel'. The 'Piano Concerto 1' is quite extraordinary - a kind of chaotic, modernist experiment which reminded me of something composed in the German Bauhaus Art School. Roslavets was another composer who came to mind in the Legend and Piano Sonata. Great stuff!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mosolov



"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

SymphonicAddict

Quote from: vandermolen on May 03, 2019, 01:16:20 PM
Cesar is right, that Mosolov CD is quite extraordinary. Mosolov seems to have been quite a character. He was denounced by the soviet authorities like Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Popov, Miaskovsky and Shebalin but, unlike them, he was charged with 'hooliganism' as a result of having taken part in a 'drunken brawl'. He also wrote to Stalin asking for permission to move abroad where his music would be better appreciated. Unsurprisingly he ended up in a gulag. Miaskovsky and Gliere intervened to get him released early. The 'Iron Foundry' is very special and if you like that you should like 'Tractors arrival at the Kolkhoz' also derived from the ballet 'Steel'. The 'Piano Concerto 1' is quite extraordinary - a kind of chaotic, modernist experiment which reminded me of something composed in the German Bauhaus Art School. Roslavets was another composer who came to mind in the Legend and Piano Sonata. Great stuff!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mosolov



Glad you liked the content of the CD! Interesting connection with the Bauhaus Art. Just the PC 1 is worth the whole CD, simply outstanding in all respects. I'll need to listen to the rest of the works.

Roy Bland

Conductor Arthur Arnold has found music score of Mosolov's symphonies 3-4 and planned a cd for Naxos.

vandermolen

Quote from: Roy Bland on December 18, 2020, 06:46:56 PM
Conductor Arthur Arnold has found music score of Mosolov's symphonies 3-4 and planned a cd for Naxos.
Excellent news!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Carlo Gesualdo

Quote from: vandermolen on December 18, 2020, 10:54:12 PM
Excellent news!

Hello wonderful kind buddy Vandermolen, I really like Mosolov , as a pianist he is really piano forte  and confrontation, brutal in a way, I sure love what I heard of Mosolov intense  panorama,, hard driven piano , thus said and meaning he has claws of steel .



relm1

Quote from: vandermolen on May 03, 2019, 01:16:20 PM
Cesar is right, that Mosolov CD is quite extraordinary. Mosolov seems to have been quite a character. He was denounced by the soviet authorities like Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Popov, Miaskovsky and Shebalin but, unlike them, he was charged with 'hooliganism' as a result of having taken part in a 'drunken brawl'. He also wrote to Stalin asking for permission to move abroad where his music would be better appreciated. Unsurprisingly he ended up in a gulag. Miaskovsky and Gliere intervened to get him released early. The 'Iron Foundry' is very special and if you like that you should like 'Tractors arrival at the Kolkhoz' also derived from the ballet 'Steel'. The 'Piano Concerto 1' is quite extraordinary - a kind of chaotic, modernist experiment which reminded me of something composed in the German Bauhaus Art School. Roslavets was another composer who came to mind in the Legend and Piano Sonata. Great stuff!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Mosolov



Ehehe, sounds like my kind of guy.  I would love to read his ill advised letter to Stalin asking to move abroad...no doubt written while he was drunk.

"Dear Excellency,

You, I mean Pravda, have given too many poor reviews of my works.  I therefore am seeking permission to move to a country that is better equipped to appreciate the talent I naturally am.

Yours sincerely,
Alexander

PS: The bath water is too cold, can the minister of comfort turn up the water heat please?"

vandermolen

Quote from: relm1 on December 19, 2020, 06:42:45 AM
Ehehe, sounds like my kind of guy.  I would love to read his ill advised letter to Stalin asking to move abroad...no doubt written while he was drunk.

"Dear Excellency,

You, I mean Pravda, have given too many poor reviews of my works.  I therefore am seeking permission to move to a country that is better equipped to appreciate the talent I naturally am.

Yours sincerely,
Alexander

PS: The bath water is too cold, can the minister of comfort turn up the water heat please?"
Haha - that's very funny. I'd like to see the letter as well.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: deprofundis on December 18, 2020, 11:26:28 PM
Hello wonderful kind buddy Vandermolen, I really like Mosolov , as a pianist he is really piano forte  and confrontation, brutal in a way, I sure love what I heard of Mosolov intense  panorama,, hard driven piano , thus said and meaning he has claws of steel .
Good to know DP! I've just ordered the Naxos CD featuring Symphony No.5 and the Harp Concerto and will report back in due course.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Symphonic Addict

His Symphony in E major on the Northern Flowers disc was rather disappointing. Too bland to be honest. I expected more propulsion but it went too slight regarding thematic material and cogent development.

According to that, I'll be reading your reaction for that new disc, Jeffrey. Thus far, the Piano Concerto No. 1 remains my very favorite work by him. A spectacular work.
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

relm1

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on December 19, 2020, 01:11:21 PM
His Symphony in E major on the Northern Flowers disc was rather disappointing. Too bland to be honest. I expected more propulsion but it went too slight regarding thematic material and cogent development.

According to that, I'll be reading your reaction for that new disc, Jeffrey. Thus far, the Piano Concerto No. 1 remains my very favorite work by him. A spectacular work.

How many Piano Concerto's did he compose and how are the others? 

pjme

#36
There are 2 concerti. Of the second (written 1932) only one movement remains.

https://www.youtube.com/v/jENaIC9VV8Y

But let's hope that new research (cfr. symphonies 3 & 4) may bring new discoveries.

Symphonic Addict

#37
https://www.youtube.com/v/2d63VVZI2js

The Iron Foundry, courtesy by:

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen

What a miniature masterpiece! It encapsulates all the machinery and hostile environment that means a foundry: heat, weight, presion, fires, etc

A mini Concerto for Orchestra to be honest!
Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

vandermolen

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on January 03, 2022, 06:18:11 PM
https://www.youtube.com/v/2d63VVZI2js

The Iron Foundry, courtesy by:

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen

What a miniature masterpiece! It encapsulates all the machinery and hostile environment that means a foundry: heat, weight, presion, fires, etc

A mini Concerto for Orchestra to be honest!
Count me as a fan as well. I like the new Naxos CD featuring the Harp Concerto and Symphony No.5.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

Quote from: ultralinear on January 04, 2022, 01:27:01 AM
+1.  This may or may not be connected with having had a vacation job in a steel foundry in my student days. ;D

For a piece of self-styled "machine music", hearing it in performance is a remarkably life-affirming experience - it never fails to get a rousing cheer from the audience, and for years was a regular favourite at the BBC Proms.

I'm looking forward to another chance to hear it in concert next month, as part of this program:

Alexander Mosolov Iron Foundry (machine music)
Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No 4
Sergei Rachmaninov No 6 'Bogoroditse Devo' from Vespers
Galina Grigorjeva In Paradisum
Alfred Schnittke Three Sacred Hymns
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No 2, To October

BBC Symphony Orchestra
Dalia Stasevska conductor
Neil Ferris conductor
Marie-Ange Nguci piano
BBC Symphony Chorus

I will be really pissed off if anything prevents me from attending that one. >:(

My favourite recording is probably this one by Svetlanov:

 

Which has a heavy, dirty sound that conveys well the oppressive heat, noise and dust when working in that environment.
I had a job at a Bronze Foundry in my youth before being sacked (fired) for incompetence.
Looks like a great CD.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).