Tavener's favourite late Stravinsky

[Sean]

Despite Tavener's distaste for modernism generally, he admires Webern and Webernian Stravinsky. So I returned to the three works he mentions in particular, the Canticum sacrum, Abraham and Isaac and Threni: there's a certain occasional Schutzian inwardness in Canticum and and an overall brooding unity to Threni but all these are tough serial framed works that make Tavener's arguments a little confused and there are other works in the repertory he could look to for his arguments about returning to primal intuitive forces in music.

[karlhenning]

Did you not listen to Abraham & Isaac?

[Brahmsian]

Did you not listen to Abraham & Isaac?

I did once......never again.

[karlhenning]

Never say never, Ray! : )  Of course, it's possible the late works may never sing to you (and the Big Box remains great value all the same) . . . but in ten years, you never know.

[karlhenning]

Also, Sean, while I get a sense that you're only doing drive-bys these days, I am a little disappointed in you if all you have to offer viz. the Canticum sacrum is a certain occasional Schutzian inwardness.

[Sean]

Hi Karl, well I have heard the pieces in question repeatedly but not for some years; I was impressed with Threni and Canticum but mostly only in the overall and distanced way you can be with serial works. There are a few interesting moments in Canticum though. I had the Craft complete set of the sacred stuff but I'm not bothering with any more just yet. Special mention for Babel though- I like that one.

[CD]

I don't trust the taste of anyone that dresses like Rick Wakeman, as a rule.

[The new erato]

I don't trust the taste of anyone that dresses like Rick Wakeman, as a rule.

Well put, and deeply, and disturbingly, true. Me, I don't trust the taste of anybody that writes music that sounds like Taverner's.

[karlhenning]

Well, I do like some of Tavener's music. (Just saying.)