Carl Vine (1954 -)

[kentel]

I agree with you about Edwards. I also agree with you about Sculthorpe. A good composer but a bit hit and miss for me. Carl Vine's symphony set isn't as bad as you make it out to be. I do think, like you, that these works need to be performed more often, but in the first three symphonies you won't find a more passionate advocate of Vine's music than Stuart Challender. May he rest in peace.

One of my (many) goals regarding music listening is to go through the whole ABC catalogue, as far as the Australian composers are concerned. So far the three most interesting are IMO

- Georges Lentz
- Peter Sculthorpe
- Carl Vine

As for the others, I enjoyed especially the awesome Tumbling Strain Concerto by Neil Currie (for trombone), which is one of the most successfull integration of Aborigenal music I've ever heard with Sculthorpe's Didgeridoo Concerto. Some pieces by Don Banks are worth trying too, especially Meeting Place and Trilogy, some jazz influenced orchestral pieces. I also enjoyed Brenton Broadstock's 1st Symphony (I havn't listen to the 4th yet. And that's all.

As for the others : Lumsdaine, Bracanin, Edwards, Conyngham, Antill, Butterley, Williamson, Lehman, Ford, Hill, Jacob, Kerry, Granville-Hicks, Meale, Mills, Sutherland and Koehne, their music may sound pleasant at the best, boring at the worst, but generally lacking in personality. And to me, the orchestra is really an issue there. They don't have good orchestras, not at the international standard in any case.

[eyeresist]

They don't have good orchestras, not at the international standard in any case.

I'd say recording quality is the bigger issue.

[Mirror Image]

One of my (many) goals regarding music listening is to go through the whole ABC catalogue, as far as the Australian composers are concerned. So far the three most interesting are IMO

- Georges Lentz
- Peter Sculthorpe
- Carl Vine

As for the others, I enjoyed especially the awesome Tumbling Strain Concerto by Neil Currie (for trombone), which is one of the most successfull integration of Aborigenal music I've ever heard with Sculthorpe's Didgeridoo Concerto. Some pieces by Don Banks are worth trying too, especially Meeting Place and Trilogy, some jazz influenced orchestral pieces. I also enjoyed Brenton Broadstock's 1st Symphony (I havn't listen to the 4th yet. And that's all.

As for the others : Lumsdaine, Bracanin, Edwards, Conyngham, Antill, Butterley, Williamson, Lehman, Ford, Hill, Jacob, Kerry, Granville-Hicks, Meale, Mills, Sutherland and Koehne, their music may sound pleasant at the best, boring at the worst, but generally lacking in personality. And to me, the orchestra is really an issue there. They don't have good orchestras, not at the international standard in any case.

Outside of Europe, I'm most interested in Latin American composers. I find so many of the Australian composers lacking a personal compositional voice and any kind of distinctive qualities. Vine and Sculthorpe are pretty much the ones I've liked and have continued to enjoy on a deeper level.

[kentel]

I'd say recording quality is the bigger issue.

You're right. In fact, while writing my previous post, I was listening to Broadstock's Festival Overture by the Tasmanian SO, and it also appeared to me, that recording quality may be the issue, and not the quality of the orchestra... (at least, not only).

[kentel]

Outside of Europe, I'm most interested in Latin American composers. I find so many of the Australian composers lacking a personal compositional voice and any kind of distinctive qualities. Vine and Sculthorpe are pretty much the ones I've liked and have continued to enjoy on a deeper level.

I agree. But I want to explore the Australian music world anyway, maybe I'll find something else, who knows... and even if they're not that good, there's still something fresh, a kind of open-air sonority, if I can put it this way. But I'm otherwise most interested in US and Scandinavian composers.

Which Latin-American composers do you especially appreciate ?

[Mirror Image]

I agree. But I want to explore the Australian music world anyway, maybe I'll find something else, who knows... and even if they're not that good, there's still something fresh, a kind of open-air sonority, if I can put it this way. But I'm otherwise most interested in US and Scandinavian composers.

Which Latin-American composers do you especially appreciate ?

Villa-Lobos is my absolute favorite Latin American composer, but he's also in my top 5. Other Latin Americans I enjoy: Ginastera, Revueltas, Chavez, Piazzolla, Moncayo, Ponce, Marquez, Castellanos, Castillo, among others.

[Elnimio]

His piano concerto is fantastic.

[Mirror Image]

His piano concerto is fantastic.

Agreed, especially that slow movement. I can hear those enchanting cascades of notes right now.

[Madiel]

Every few years I'm reminded for some reason of the Piano Sonata No.1.

And every time I think: how on earth could I have forgotten about it?  When I first heard it, many years ago over the radio from the Sydney International Piano Competition (1992?), it thrilled me in a way almost no other 'modern classical' piece ever has.

I remember watching the Piano Concerto premiere on television.  The fact that the premiere of a classical work was ON television is pretty extraordinary, really, but I don't remember responding to it anywhere near as much as the sonata.

[Mirror Image]

Every few years I'm reminded for some reason of the Piano Sonata No.1.

And every time I think: how on earth could I have forgotten about it?  When I first heard it, many years ago over the radio from the Sydney International Piano Competition (1992?), it thrilled me in a way almost no other 'modern classical' piece ever has.

I remember watching the Piano Concerto premiere on television.  The fact that the premiere of a classical work was ON television is pretty extraordinary, really, but I don't remember responding to it anywhere near as much as the sonata.

I would say go back and listen to the Piano Concerto again. It really is a fine work IMHO. The outer movements are quite Bartokian, but the middle movement is lyrically beautiful.

[lescamil]

Carl Vine's second piano concerto will be premiered this August by Piers Lane. I really can't wait to hear this piece, and I am hoping I can manage to find a recording of it soon. Here's top hoping it gets broadcast somewhere and I can capture it, or someone else. The first piano concerto is quite a great piece with some brilliant piano writing. I knew that he would write another large piano work eventually. I am hoping that he returns to the sort of pyrotechnics you get in the first two piano sonatas and piano concerto, as opposed to the sort of restrained lyricism you hear in the 3rd piano sonata. Piers Lane can surely handle anything.


On a related note, why is the Sculthorpe topic locked now?

[Mirror Image]

Carl Vine's second piano concerto will be premiered this August by Piers Lane. I really can't wait to hear this piece, and I am hoping I can manage to find a recording of it soon. Here's top hoping it gets broadcast somewhere and I can capture it, or someone else. The first piano concerto is quite a great piece with some brilliant piano writing. I knew that he would write another large piano work eventually. I am hoping that he returns to the sort of pyrotechnics you get in the first two piano sonatas and piano concerto, as opposed to the sort of restrained lyricism you hear in the 3rd piano sonata. Piers Lane can surely handle anything.


On a related note, why is the Sculthorpe topic locked now?

Yeah, I read he wrote another piano concerto. I'm anxious to hear it, but I'd like to hear his Violin Concerto and Symphony No. 7 also.

I'm not sure why the Sculthorpe thread has been locked. Please unlock the Sculthorpe thread moderators.

[Philoctetes]

I'm not sure why the Sculthorpe thread has been locked. Please unlock the Sculthorpe thread moderators.

It was locked because you drove the topic off-thread, and then muttered something uncouth in regards to Karl. I'm sure you'll find another composer to rant and rave over though.

[Mirror Image]

It was locked because you drove the topic off-thread, and then muttered something uncouth in regards to Karl. I'm sure you'll find another composer to rant and rave over though.

Yes, but a moderator could easily go into the thread and delete those comments that were off-topic. They didn't have to lock it down. That seems kind of ridiculous.

[Philoctetes]

Yes, but a moderator could easily go into the thread and delete those comments that were off-topic. They didn't have to lock it down. That seems kind of ridiculous.

Not to speak for them, but I think that they perhaps don't trust you (or the other posters involved) to heed that warning.

[Mirror Image]

Not to speak for them, but I think that they perhaps don't trust you (or the other posters involved) to heed that warning.

But couldn't they just issue us all a warning instead locking down a thread?

[Philoctetes]

But couldn't they just issue us all a warning instead locking down a thread?

It's called preemption or preventive action. Certain types of threads always end up that way.

[Mirror Image]

It's called preemption or preventive action. Certain types of threads always end up that way.

Well I can always start a new Sculthorpe thread.

[eyeresist]

It's called preemption or preventive action. Certain types of threads always end up that way.

It's the classical music forum thread equivalent of Iraq! And look how that turned out

Didn't realise there'd been a lockage - hope my "provocative" comment comment survived.

EDIT: Nope. The censors win again.

[Philoctetes]

It's the classical music forum thread equivalent of Iraq! And look how that turned out

To not go too far off the tracks, but depending on your perspective, and the sort of things you value, it went well.

To be thread relevant, I've not heard much of Vine's music, but that which I've heard, is fairly gnarly.