21st century classical music

[Cato]

Always glad to be of assistance. :-)

Francesca Verunelli (might be my favorite living composer, very interesting and intriguing soundscapes)
https://www.francescaverunelli.com/bio/

Tune and Retune (2017/18)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wji0bZTLs3w

wo/man sitting at the piano (2017/19)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvB-e0y0T2o

Philoctetes!!!

You came back!!!  How wonderful!  And many thanks for the links!

[Mandryka]

All wonderful selections, but I really wanted to highlight the importance of the above. My tendency to music tends to be what some might label as "extreme," but the swath of 21st century classical music is enormous and pretty much all-encompassing. I would be stunned if you did not find something you like from those channels I highlighted above, and, for me, when I compare the 21st century to the music that came before, I find very little reason to go back.

I've been listening to quite a bit of Mark Andre's piano music over the past few months, spacious sometimes, and melancholy too. It's hard for me to get a feel for what's going on now in music, apart from the big names who have serious record contracts and get commissions from important ensembles and orchestras. I bet the most exciting experimental stuff is happening with friends making music over zoom, putting it on Vimeo. Low tech, small scale.

Have you explored Martin Arnold? I'd say he's the most challenging of the new composers I've heard.

[Cato]

Wojtek Blecharz (sidenote: maybe the best looking composer today)
https://wojtekblecharz.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/wojtel/videos

Black Square: Sonata for Keyboard and Tape:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRGiISiRptw

This is a performance that can be listened to, but as with many of his pieces - it should be watched. Hints of droning, and if you've ever seen the endings of Ari Aster's films, you will also find some similarities there - it is very haunting, almost primal - an almost demonic uplift. Simply lovely.

Many thanks!

Allow me to offer for your consideration:


Lera Auerbach

https://www.youtube.com/v/ngY4Bc3hTKw


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

[Mandryka]

Started to explore this

https://www.youtube.com/v/fX-LjwBkl24

[Sergeant Rock]

A fantastic little piece...1 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--IC1ECix3A

It is great, and gorgeous. Thanks for posting this.

Sarge

[Old San Antone]

Alexandra du Bois — String Quartet: Oculus pro oculo totum orbem terrae caecat (2003)

https://www.youtube.com/v/deBSKxjP8ZE

[Old San Antone]

Richard Barrett — "Politeia" from Construction

https://www.youtube.com/v/o3etaMP9x9Y

Politeia is a component of Richard Barrett's massive work, Construction, which is the is the eighth and final composition of his series entitled 'resistance & vision'
http://richardbarrettmusic.com/​

Performed by Elision Ensemble
Genevieve Lacey (recorder ), Carl Rosman (tenor saxophone), Richard Haynes (baritone saxophone), Timothy O'Dwyer (bass saxophone), Dafne Vincente-Sandoval (bassoon), Tristram Williams (flugelhorn), Benjamin Marks (trombone), Marshall McGuire (baroque double harp), Daryl Buckley (electric guitar), Domenico Melchiorre (percussion), Graeme Jennings (violin), Erkki Veltheim (viola), Séverine Ballon (cello), ELISION Ensemble conducted by Eugene Ughetti
Daryl Buckley (artistic director)
http://www.elision.org.au/​

This work is divided into two ensembles: a quintet & an octet (designated by different 'fonts'). These ensembles are often juxtaposed while playing starkly disparate textures and meters. The contrast is so substantial that the two ensembles cannot be represented in a vertical format in a traditional score; indeed, Barrett wrote them out sequentially, providing instructions for when the ensembles should play simultaneously. I hope that this Score Follower helps to demonstrate the 'counterpoint of forces' in a somewhat linear fashion.

[Old San Antone]

Unsuk Chin - Sheng Concerto "Šu" (2009)

https://www.youtube.com/v/jWJwgdJh0eI

Composer: Unsuk Chin (진은숙 Chin Unsuk) (July 14, 1961 –)
Sheng: Wei Wu
Orchestra: Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Myung-Whun Chung

Chin demonstrates her absolutely masterful control of timbre in this piece, particularly in the way instrumental colors blend in and out with each other. Take, for example, how the muted violins in artificial harmonics sneak out of the sound of the solo sheng at 1:05​, or how the clarinets come out of the sound of muted trombone and then move in and out of each others' sounds bringing out various shades of their tight quarter-tone harmony at 4:55​.

The piece begins small, with only the solo sheng in slow meditative rhythm. Over the course of the piece, the intensity of rhythm and orchestration gradually builds up. This culminates in a highly rhythmic climax section at 13:25​ before returning to the calm of the introduction at 18:20​, now laid upon an incredibly eerie soundscape formed by percussion and strings.

[relm1]

I am enjoying exploring this composer.  What do you think?

Simon Steen-Andersen - Piano Concerto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Zt6vgvSMo

[bhodges]

I am enjoying exploring this composer.  What do you think?

Simon Steen-Andersen - Piano Concerto
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Zt6vgvSMo

Just recently I saw a livestream of this piece (also with Nicolas Hodges as soloist) and thought it was incredible. Certainly audacious, if nothing else: The soloist plays live, along with a videotaped version of himself playing a piano that has been dropped to the stage -- frame crushed, strings pulled out of tune. The technical demands alone are noteworthy, but I found the results quite interesting.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Unfortunately, the livestream I saw was apparently not archived. Here is another performance on YouTube -- alas, audio only -- but also with Nicolas Hodges. This performance has a still photograph from the opening that tells a bit of the story. It's true: To fully experience the piece, it should be seen as well as heard. I do like the music, but the visuals carry an enormous impact.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUH29h5A0LY&t=634s

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Never mind, I found it, and it's still available! Was in February, part of a great festival from Musica nova Helsinki, as the climax of an excellent program with Varése and Anna Meredith. Actually so happy to know this is still available to watch, because it's so unusual.

https://areena.yle.fi/1-50742769

--Bruce

[relm1]

Never mind, I found it, and it's still available! Was in February, part of a great festival from Musica nova Helsinki, as the climax of an excellent program with Varése and Anna Meredith. Actually so happy to know this is still available to watch, because it's so unusual.

https://areena.yle.fi/1-50742769

--Bruce

This is a perfect example of 21st century music because the music uses acoustic methods but interpretative demands 21st century techniques like video and such.  the other work I saw of this composer was a chamber work where he improvised in real time a part that was projected to the written parts the strings were playing so the that realtime use of media seems to be a very contemporary capability of music. 

[Old San Antone]

Christopher Cerrone — Memory Palace (2012)
performed by Ian Rosenbaum

https://www.youtube.com/v/2awb4GLJ7N4

[bhodges]

This is a perfect example of 21st century music because the music uses acoustic methods but interpretative demands 21st century techniques like video and such.  the other work I saw of this composer was a chamber work where he improvised in real time a part that was projected to the written parts the strings were playing so the that realtime use of media seems to be a very contemporary capability of music.

True. (That's why I was a little reluctant to suggest the audio-only version of the concerto, since it really has to be seen as well as heard.) And many composers today are inspired by video and other technologies, which can be incorporated into their vision. I don't see it as a bad thing.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Christopher Cerrone — Memory Palace (2012)
performed by Ian Rosenbaum

https://www.youtube.com/v/2awb4GLJ7N4

Love Cerrone's work in general. Thanks for posting.

--Bruce

[Iota]

Christopher Cerrone — Memory Palace (2012)
performed by Ian Rosenbaum

https://www.youtube.com/v/2awb4GLJ7N4

What magical/intense pieces those are. I'd never heard of Christopher Cerrone before, thanks for posting.

[Old San Antone]

Aaron Cassidy: Second String Quartet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd6B5zLaHiU

The JACK Quartet performs the West Coast premiere of Aaron Cassidy's Second String Quartet for the Monday Evening Concerts series on February 14, 2011 at Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School.

[Mandryka]

I spent some time today just randomly browsing tracks on recent Donauesingen Musiktage recordings - 2019, 2018 . . .And it is oh so depressing, I mean I've heard it all before so many times, nothing fresh. And then suddenly, out of nowhere, comes a composer I've never even heard of with a voice of his own - Eivind Buene. Not on YouTube but streaming on the usual platforms, this is interesting music, no doubt about it.

[mabuse]

I spent some time today just randomly browsing tracks on recent Donauesingen Musiktage recordings - 2019, 2018 . . .And it is oh so depressing, I mean I've heard it all before so many times, nothing fresh.

Do you know Matthew Shlomowitz ?

At the Donaueschingen Musiktage 2019, his work for keyboards and orchestra was absolutely crazy !   

Glücklich Glücklich Freude Freude (2019 - 20 minutes)
SWR Symphony Orchestra (soloist: Mark Knoop, conductor: Emilio Pomarico)
Donaueschinger Musiktage, Germany - 18 October 2019
→ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHne0aVjzRQ&t=560s