Piano Masters: 1950-2000

Started by snyprrr, February 04, 2011, 01:07:52 PM

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snyprrr

I'm on a Modern Piano Binge. I am trying to place some kind of hierarchy on this, and to keep it as simple as possible (since it's easy to fall into rabbit holes!). I am trying to separate into groups just for ease of study. What have I overlooked?

Messiaen? Catej...?*
Boulez (all)
Barraque
BA Zimmermann (2P)
Stockhausen (1-11)

"random 2cd survey of 'Darmstadt BonBons!'" (Evangelisti, Kagel, etc.,...)*

Holliger
Halffter
Denisov
Castiglioni
Bussotti
Donatoni
Berio*
Nono*

Sciarrino (all)
Rihm*
Lachenmann*

Crumb*

Ligeti
Xenakis
Feldman
Babbitt

(American pieces mostly on recitals by Alan Feinberg)


CONTINUOUS EDIT:

Cage/ Brown/ Wolff

Finnissy
Stevenson
Rzeweski
Sorabji

Scelsi
Murail
Radulescu



Sessions (3 Sonatas)
Persichetti (11 Sonatas!)

Kapustin ;D

snyprrr


snyprrr

I'd also like to get my hands on that Babbitt HM disc.

Luke

There are plenty of big names, naturally, but the one who springs to mind first - because he is a true piano specialist, and the last in the line of Alkan-Busoni - is Ronald Stevenson. He won't be to your taste at all, I suspect, but he's a true master of his field, and an absolutely fascinating musical personality. He shows as well as anyone that there is no one single way forwards, and that on that journey forwards the byways make for as compelling music as the Boulezian highways. Actually, I really have a huge amount of time for Stevenson, he's an old-fashioned mystical visionary virtuoso with deep humanity, and there can never be enough of them!

Check out the 160 odd sonatas of John White, too...(what's the latest count?).

Finnissy was a great choice. I think he's the finest piano specialist amongst the modernists, a Liszt de nos jours in some ways, with his tireless explorations into every conceivable avenue. Another fascinating world, is Finnissy's

Sorabji, in so far as he is post 1950, is of course one of the most interesting and extreme piano specialist composers of all.

Horatiu Radulescu's Lao Tzu sonatas are more fabulous works, exploring his highly individual spectral world in a way which creates a beautiful and convincing rapprochement with more conventional tunings, forms and instrumentations. Very special pieces, these, by a composer of major importance.

these first few OTTOMH...

Luke

James Dillon's Book of Elements, of course and....

how could I forget!?

the music of Rzewski. another of those piano specialists, an experimentalist poised midway between the free-thinking of the 60s and 70s and the virtuoso Liszt tradition. Signifant contributions to the piano repertoire.

these piano specialist guys  - Finnissy, Rzewski, Stevenson in his own way, Sorabji in his - can be ignored or seen as a narrowish niche. And it's true that they stand apart from the mainstream vanguard - but then so, in their concentration on the piano, did Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Busoni, Medtner et al in their own ways, and no one doubts their importance in the broader scheme of things. To me, their music is some of the most interesting and vital of the last 50 years, and I think they are well worth exploring.

snyprrr

Quote from: Luke on February 04, 2011, 01:26:27 PM
James Dillon's Book of Elements, of course and....

how could I forget!?

the music of Rzewski. another of those piano specialists, an experimentalist poised midway between the free-thinking of the 60s and 70s and the virtuoso Liszt tradition. Signifant contributions to the piano repertoire.

these piano specialist guys  - Finnissy, Rzewski, Stevenson in his own way, Sorabji in his - can be ignored or seen as a narrowish niche. And it's true that they stand apart from the mainstream vanguard - but then so, in their concentration on the piano, did Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Busoni, Medtner et al in their own ways, and no one doubts their importance in the broader scheme of things. To me, their music is some of the most interesting and vital of the last 50 years, and I think they are well worth exploring.

hmmm,... very thoughtful! Stevenson actually has been on the periphery from the beginning with me, no doubt because of the DSCH piece, but I have not yet pursued. Yes, you put some good names together there,... yes, maybe not my cup of tea, perhaps, but necessary nonetheless.

I forgot that I also have Barraque and Sessions (will add).

petrarch

Quote from: Luke on February 04, 2011, 01:26:27 PM
James Dillon's Book of Elements

Heartily seconded.

Some others I would add to the list:

If you like pointillistic serialist piano music take a look at Karel Goeyvaerts; Franco Evangelisti; Gottfried Michael Koenig.

The list of americans needs George Crumb and Earle Brown. Possibly Christian Wolff, though I haven't explored his music much yet.

Noticed you haven't included any of Rihm's piano music on your list. Can't imagine you overlooked him, so any particular reason why?

I would add Stockhausen's Natürliche Dauern to the I-XI you already have.

There's also some Lachenmann and Murail, both very worthwhile.

Now, that Bussotti you have I want! Been looking for it some time ago but totally forgot about it. And there's a swedish CD with Bo Nilsson that I'm also on the look out for, it's called Piano con Forza.
//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

snyprrr

Quote from: petrarch on February 04, 2011, 08:39:17 PM
Heartily seconded.

Some others I would add to the list:

If you like pointillistic serialist piano music take a look at Karel Goeyvaerts; Franco Evangelisti; Gottfried Michael Koenig.

The list of americans needs George Crumb and Earle Brown. Possibly Christian Wolff, though I haven't explored his music much yet.

Noticed you haven't included any of Rihm's piano music on your list. Can't imagine you overlooked him, so any particular reason why?

I would add Stockhausen's Natürliche Dauern to the I-XI you already have.

There's also some Lachenmann and Murail, both very worthwhile.

Now, that Bussotti you have I want! Been looking for it some time ago but totally forgot about it. And there's a swedish CD with Bo Nilsson that I'm also on the look out for, it's called Piano con Forza.

Ah, you did hit all the ones I missed! Will add.

Bussotti's on YouTube!

And,... Rihm,... check bold! ;)

petrarch

//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

snyprrr

I think we've built a pretty formidable list. Now that we've filled in the gaps, pretty much, I really can't think of anything to add. I would start pruning at this point. What do you think?

Honestly, off the top of my head I can't think of any Minimalism Masterpiece for piano solo. Not a fan of That Man. I suppose Feldman fills that requirement? And I can't think of any real electronic thing that's,...I'm not so sure the piano needs any electronic tinkering.

At the moment I'm feeling kind of middle-of-the-road concerning that Stockhausen synthesizer stuff that James graciously shared. Though I might be convinced that Piano Music as an High Art is not quite done with, I can't imagine what I would consider Original anymore. I am perfectly willing to say that it's all been done, and if you want to contribute from this moment hence, the only thing one can have going for oneself is Undeniable Personality, which, today, shouldn't be too hard to spot. ;)


snyprrr

Quote from: petrarch on February 04, 2011, 09:28:34 PM
Nah, I want the Mode CD!

Well then, I have to tell you. I got the very last hard copy of the old issue from off the Mode warehouse shelf (I can see we think alike, haha)! That's what she told me on the phone. And, they charged me double, haha! can you believe it? But hey, it's going for millions on Amazon, so I don't blame them. You can get a cd-R from them, but any and all Historical Hard Copies are out there in the world. Here is truly a tragic tale of OOP. :'(

Another would be that Ferrari/Montaigne piano disc.

snyprrr

Boy, and whooo was it who didn't catch me on missing his avatar?? hmmm??

I added Nono!

petrarch

Quote from: snyprrr on February 04, 2011, 09:47:30 PM
Boy, and whooo was it who didn't catch me on missing his avatar?? hmmm??

I added Nono!

I didn't mention him as it technically isn't solo piano--and I don't particularly enjoy that piece. Another one I don't care much for is Scelsi's Aitsi. "Distorted" piano is not my thing.
//p
The music collection.
The hi-fi system: Esoteric X-03SE -> Pathos Logos -> Analysis Audio Amphitryon.
A view of the whole

Luke

Quote from: snyprrr on February 04, 2011, 09:37:01 PM
Honestly, off the top of my head I can't think of any Minimalism Masterpiece for piano solo. Not a fan of That Man. I suppose Feldman fills that requirement? And I can't think of any real electronic thing that's,...I'm not so sure the piano needs any electronic tinkering.

Well, it very much depends on your definition of Minimalist, and of Masterpiece, too, of course. John Adams' Phrygian Gates is an important piece in its way, I think; Glass's piano works are...best left undesrcibed, IMO. Terry Riley, OTOH, in his different way - well, I personally rate The Harp of New Albion very highly. On its own very different terms it is a very original and beautiful piece. And according to Riley, the masterpiece of minimalist piano is LaMonte Young's The Welltuned Piano - but I have no idea aboutit myself. Another piece, well worth the hearing (somewhere online there's a blog where you can download it free) is William Duckworth Time-Curve Preludes. Again, within their post-Cagean-Minimalist intersection, these are very important pieces, and I like them a lot.

Dax

Quote from: Luke on February 04, 2011, 01:18:49 PM
Check out the 160 odd sonatas of John White, too...(what's the latest count?).

173.

Here's a (very old) article.

http://www.users.waitrose.com/~chobbs/smithwhite.html

snyprrr

Quote from: Luke on February 05, 2011, 01:39:53 AM
Well, it very much depends on your definition of Minimalist, and of Masterpiece, too, of course. John Adams' Phrygian Gates is an important piece in its way, I think; Glass's piano works are...best left undesrcibed, IMO. Terry Riley, OTOH, in his different way - well, I personally rate The Harp of New Albion very highly. On its own very different terms it is a very original and beautiful piece. And according to Riley, the masterpiece of minimalist piano is LaMonte Young's The Welltuned Piano - but I have no idea aboutit myself. Another piece, well worth the hearing (somewhere online there's a blog where you can download it free) is William Duckworth Time-Curve Preludes. Again, within their post-Cagean-Minimalist intersection, these are very important pieces, and I like them a lot.

I forgot the LaMonte WTP. Yer right! The Adams I have on that Feinberg recital. That really is a great recital.

snyprrr

Quote from: petrarch on February 04, 2011, 11:30:05 PM
I didn't mention him as it technically isn't solo piano--and I don't particularly enjoy that piece. Another one I don't care much for is Scelsi's Aitsi. "Distorted" piano is not my thing.

Yea, me too.

snyprrr

Thanks to everyone for their interest! This is cool.

Dax

This may not be the most appropriate place to post this, but it is a rather astounding resource about the piano. It may take a minute or so to appear.

https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/dspace/bitstream/1887/15093/4/Kopie+van+Kopie+van+Elektronisch+neer+te+leggen+versie+dissertatie+Luk+Vaes+DEEL+1.pdf

PaulSC

#19
Richard Barrett - Tracts
Elliott Carter - Night Fantasies, other works [NF is my pick] <-- Ooh, I'm so predictable
Peter Maxwell Davies - Sonata (1981)
Brian Ferneyhough - Lemma-Icon-Epigram
Alexander Goehr - Symmetry Disorders Reach*, ...in real time, other works
Donald Martino - Pianississimo
Robert Morris - Nine Pieces, Fourteen Little Pieces, other works [recommended if you like Babbitt]
David Rakowski - Piano Etudes [100 of them!]
Ralph Shapey - 21 Variations, Fromm Variations, other works
Toru Takemitsu - various [the short Rain Tree Sketch is a favorite]
Charles Wuorinen - 4 Sonatas, other works [The Blue Bamboula is a favorite]

* The lone recording of SDR went OP seemingly within a year, and I've never heard this but am convinced I would love it.