Boris Blacher(1903-75)

Started by Dundonnell, September 28, 2011, 01:29:29 PM

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Dundonnell

Noticing that there has been quite a lot of discussion over the last couple of days of composers whose musical style is rather more advanced than I am normally terribly comfortable with I turned to a recent cd purchase: a 1998 Signum disc of music by Boris Blacher. I then discovered to my huge surprise that there was no Blacher thread or even much discussion of his music on here.

Now I shall by honest in admitting that I admire rather than love Blacher's music but I can recognise a clearly very gifted and talented composer of integrity and skill. It strikes me as odd that a contemporary like Karl Amadeus Hartmann should apparently receive much more notice than Blacher, whose music seems so difficult to find easily outside Germany.

In terms of orchestral compositions and concertos I have the Symphony(1938), the two Piano Concertos(1947 and 1952), Violin Concerto(1948), Cello Concerto(1964), Clarinet Concerto(1971) and a considerable number of the shorter orchestral works, including the very accessible and splendidly jolly Concertante Music(1937) which created such a sensation at its premiere conducted by Carl Schuricht in Berlin, and the Paganini Variations(1947). I also know and respect the mighty Oratorio "Der Grossinquisitor" which Blacher composed during the Second World War. Blacher also wrote a considerable number of admired operas.

Boris Blacher was a hugely influential teacher as Director of the Berlin Musikhochschule from 1952 to 1970. I am certainly not qualified to speak with any proper understanding of his famous system of "Variable Meters" or of his particular use of dodecaphony....so I won't even try ;D

I am sure that there must be others on here with greater knowledge of Blacher's music than I. He is, however, far too important a figure and far too good a composer not to have his own thread :)

springrite

My knowledge of this composer is limited to a single disc that I have -- Concertante Musik, op10, Paganini Variation op26 and Second PC (wife at the piano) from Berlin Classics. I love that CD. Thankfully, at least one more CD is coming my way, that of the symphony.

Speaking of him as a teacher, I do believe that Isang Yun is one of his students? Since Yun, who is Korean, must be a very distant relative of mine (me being Chinese but we share the same last name), my interest in Blacher is certainly enhanced by that connection!
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

snyprrr

I had one or two of those cds.












five minutes later...
...nice...

...polite...

I like BAZ better.

Dax

Quote from: toucan on September 30, 2011, 01:11:32 PM
Did I mention the fact that the Blacher piece I like is Cioncertante Musik Op. 10? Actually, I just did. There is a recording of it by Furtwangler, that iis worth owning, because it is rare and because it is Furtwangler - but Furtwangler's rendition may not be the best available:

You can judge for yourself. The orchestra does struggle . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1B28T8Pdc8&feature=related