What are you listening to now?

[aligreto]

Grieg String Quartet No. 1 [Oslo String Quartet]....

[kishnevi]

Strangely enough, I've never really been able to "get into" Berg 

I like several works like the Chamber Concerto and Lyric Suite, but that is about it.

It's a sort of confusing thing, considering that I like Schoenberg and love Webern.

Maybe not so strange...I am the opposite. I pretty much like most of Berg (I confess to not having listened to Lulu for a long time), find Webern meh and other than Verklarte Nacht, there's nothing in Schonberg I actually like. At best I respect his works, and a few things I find myself actively disliking (Pierre Lunaire, Erwartung, Moses und Aron).

TD
A little Bach binge tonight
JSBach
WTC Books 1 and 2
Helmut Walcha harpsichord.

[You did it]

Stockhausen - Orchester Finalisten  (a scene from Mittwoch Aus Licht)

[You did it]

Maybe not so strange...I am the opposite. I pretty much like most of Berg (I confess to not having listened to Lulu for a long time), find Webern meh and other than Verklarte Nacht, there's nothing in Schonberg I actually like. At best I respect his works, and a few things I find myself actively disliking (Pierre Lunaire, Erwartung, Moses und Aron).

Huh, I actually don't like Verklarte Nacht at all  (except for that one bar Bjork sampled  )

[Mahlerian]

Huh, I actually don't like Verklarte Nacht at all  (except for that one bar Bjork sampled  )

I've never understood either liking Verklarte Nacht but not the rest of Schoenberg's work or liking (some of) the rest of Schoenberg's work but not Verklarte Nacht.  It's really a very Schoenbergian piece.  It has all the same kinds of lyrical melodies and beautifully balanced contrapuntal textures and harmonies that his later works have...it's just more repetitive than his later works.

[André]

Some Bruckner rarities: the 1862 g minor Overture in 2 versions: the original version with an alternative ending, with the Royal Metropolitan Orchestra under Shunsaki Tsutsumi (live, 1997), and the definitive version with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Steinberg (1968). Then the spurious Symphonisches Praeludium with the Berlin RSO under Lawrence Foster, from a May 1981 concert (the work's world premiere, introduced here by the radio host as probably an early piece of Mahler's: discussed today in the Bruckner Abbey thread). Nobody knows for sure who composed it, but it's a really fascinating piece of work. And finally the mighty Te Deum. That's not rare of course, but the performance is: Lovro von Matacic's only known performance, with the NHK Symphony in Tokyo. This 1968 concert may well have been an early introduction to Bruckner's music to japanese audiences. Judging from the audience's reaction it was love at first hearing.

[Todd]

Disc three.

[Mirror Image]

I do not mind the question at all. Civilised conversation should be what a forum is all about 

Almost, but not quite. I had bought a CD recently with the Lulu suite [Boulez] on it, which led me to the full opera. I also have one version of the Violin Concerto [Szeryng/Kubelik] which I like.
Thank you for the recommendation on Wozzeck; I have, and like, versions of both Bartok's Bluebeard's Castle or Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.   

Indeed! Lulu Suite is a quite a fine work and I prefer it to the opera itself. I haven't heard that performance with Szeryng/Kubelik of the VC, but have you heard the Mutter/Levine performance? This is the performance that got me hooked on Berg. I'm not an opera buff, but I do feel quite strongly about a number of operas I've heard over the years that have stayed with me since the initial listen.

[kishnevi]

I've never understood either liking Verklarte Nacht but not the rest of Schoenberg's work or liking (some of) the rest of Schoenberg's work but not Verklarte Nacht.  It's really a very Schoenbergian piece. It has all the same kinds of lyrical melodies and beautifully balanced contrapuntal textures and harmonies that his later works have...t's just more repetitive than his later works.

To me Schonberg seems to go out of his way to be emotionally cold and to use the ugliest dissonances he could think of.  Most of his works seem calculated to be unlyrical, so to speak.

I think Moderniste and I are reacting in parallel to the same things, but in different ways.

OTOH, the qualities you referred to, which I bolded to point out, I find very much evident in Berg and are the reasons I prefer him to Schonberg.  Berg is neither cold nor ugly.

[Kontrapunctus]

Formidable performances and very good sound, although the Rhapsody seems to have a slightly more distant perspective, and the stereo image favors the center and left channels.

[Mirror Image]

Today's listening--

Martinu's 3 Cello Sonatas--Josef Chuchro (cello) and Josef Hala (piano)--from a 1984 recording on Supraphon. I found the 3rd sonata the most interesting of the 3, at least today.  The whole CD is on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GODkGVGy9Xw

Then I listened to Allan Pettersson's 7th Symphony, twice--the Swedish R.S.O. premiere, conducted by Sergui Comissiona.  After listening to the entire 42 minute symphony, I found the sound on the You Tube clip to be slightly muted, so I listened again to the last 30 minutes of the symphony via a YT clip of the film that was made at the concert, and found the sound more present, i.e., I could hear the whole score more clearly in the last 15 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=45&v=ymq1bruOayo

Here's the full performance:

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

I find Pettersson's 7th symphony to be one of the most beautiful, lyrical, haunting, moving (in the final 15 minutes), searingly intense and powerful symphonies composed in the 20th century. Pettersson ability to compose for a full orchestra is also impressive, and at times, astonishing. What I like most about Comissiona's interpretation (versus others) is that he fully gets the romantic elements in this symphony, and therefore is able to bring out its lyricism & varied emotions better than conductors that focus more intently on its modern aspects. (Not surprisingly, Pettersson asked Comissiona to premiere his next symphony, the 8th.)  (I also like Leif Segerstam's recording, but my 1st choice remains Comissiona).

When I think about how horribly Pettersson physically suffered in his life, I find myself in awe of him, and inspired, that he was somehow able to get himself to his writing desk each morning to compose, and find the strength and will to create music of such incredible depth, imagination, and beauty--a masterpiece.

Pettersson's 7th is the only work from him that I have actively liked and have been moved by. Those moments of heartbreaking lyricism is exactly why I rate this symphony so highly. He achieved such a unique balance of beauty and sheer agony. The only other symphony from him that comes close to achieving this kind of balance IMHO is the 6th. I need to revisit that Comissiona performance. My current top choice is the Segerstam's.

[Mahlerian]

To me Schonberg seems to go out of his way to be emotionally cold and to use the ugliest dissonances he could think of.  Most of his works seem calculated to be unlyrical, so to speak.

I think Moderniste and I are reacting in parallel to the same things, but in different ways.

OTOH, the qualities you referred to, which I bolded to point out, I find very much evident in Berg and are the reasons I prefer him to Schonberg.  Berg is neither cold nor ugly.

I find Schoenberg's music very warm and expressive, and quite beautiful.  I understand that this isn't the way many people hear his music, but his melodies are always with me, from works like the string quartets (all of them), the Variations for Orchestra, the Chamber Symphonies, and especially the Violin Concerto.  Harmonically his music seems to me richly colored and shaded to get precise nuances of emotion.

The other thing that I love about the music is how it feels so alive, like the whole ensemble is in free dialogue and conversing spontaneously, like every single note speaks with conviction.

I love Berg's music as well, but I feel he had a narrower emotional and expressive range.

[Mirror Image]

Schoenberg is one of musical heroes, but especially for his Five Pieces for Orchestra. Of course, I love many of his other works, but this work has been a part of me for a long time now and I can almost hum the entire work in my mind. It has a strangely beautiful sound-world that I am always captivated by.

[You did it]

To me Schonberg seems to go out of his way to be emotionally cold and to use the ugliest dissonances he could think of.  Most of his works seem calculated to be unlyrical, so to speak.

I plainly don't get this opinion.

As far as his so called "atonal" works (that are less dissonant than Bartok and Stravinsky btw), I feel has has a really tasteful (and tasty  ) use of dissonance. There is always a nice harmonic progression like in Debussy (of notes implying over others, held notes too etc), in other words the resolution of chromatic chords or phrases into other chromatic chords or phrases (where certain "pressure" feels relieved), so to speak.

I find his work to be emotionally/aesthetically electrifying, like one of these things:




His work is definitely lyrical and gestural, which is perhaps the area where he most failed contrary to weird opinions I see of him. But then, perhaps it helps to see a lot of his instrumental approach (which tends to be virtuoso) through the eyes of Liszt, Bartok or Scriabin, as there are common traits (just compare the piano works for instance) 

[You did it]

The other thing that I love about the music is how it feels so alive, like the whole ensemble is in free dialogue and conversing spontaneously, like every single note speaks with conviction.

Agreed! 

[Mirror Image]

Beginning my Stravinsky-a-thon -

Symphony of Psalms
Pater noster
Credo
Ave Maria
Mass
Canticum sacrum ad honorem Sancti Marci nominis

John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Stephen Roberts, baritone
James O'Donnell, conductor
Westminister Cathedral Choir
City of London Sinfonia

[kishnevi]

The other thing that I love about the music is how it feels so alive, like the whole ensemble is in free dialogue and conversing spontaneously, like every single note speaks with conviction.

Hmm... actually I think that's a good way of describing Schonberg's music.  Only the conversation  is more like an argument, and a strenous one at that. My ears tell me he's much more dissonant than Bartok and usually more dissonant than Stravinsky.

[Mirror Image]

We can't blame Jeffrey for what he hears in Schoenberg's music. If he doesn't like it, then it's not the end of the world and there's thousands of other composers to enjoy. No need in arguing with someone over how they feel about the music. It's pointless.

[Mahlerian]

We can't blame Jeffrey for what he hears in Schoenberg's music. If he doesn't like it, then it's not the end of the world and there's thousands of other composers to enjoy. No need in arguing with someone over how they feel about the music. It's pointless.

I didn't blame him or anyone else.  I explained my position, and he explained his.  As I've said before, a worthwhile exchange of views depends on knowing and understanding others' perceptions of the matter under discussion.

[Mirror Image]

I didn't blame him or anyone else.  I explained my position, and he explained his.  As I've said before, a worthwhile exchange of views depends on knowing and understanding others' perceptions of the matter under discussion.

Absolutely. I respect Jeffrey for at least trying to like the music where most people would have shut it off thirty minutes ago.