The exotica thread

Started by kyjo, October 18, 2013, 05:38:49 PM

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Sean

Roussel travelled to India I think to Rajastan in the northwest, but the Padmavati story is from Andhra Pradesh in the southeast. She's an avatar of Lakshmi, consort to Vishnu.


listener

#21
more from deep recesses of memory
Colin McPHEE  Tabu-Tabuhan
GODOWSKY  Java Suite
and Abram CHASINS: 3 Chinese Pieces (I've encountered only Rush Hour in Hong Kong on record)
and oddly in the DOPPER 6th Symphony ("Amsterdam") the 3rd (?) movement was inspired by Vancouver's Chinatown!
the 4th of the Four Movements for Chamber Orch. by BLOCH - China
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

Sean

Holst Hymns from the Rig Veda Sets 1-3, which aren't very exotic

Messiaen Turangalila and other works- Indian tala rhythms

Glass Satyagraha after the life of Gandhi, also with Indian music influences

Shankar Sitar concertos...

Stravinsky The Nightingale, Chinoiserie


Brian

Jean Cras' string trio has a pretty fantastic Moroccan/Algerian section. It's non-European enough to be jarring.

Reza Vali also deserves a plug here, as an actual Iranian composer. In fact, why don't I just plug this entire CD:

[asin]B00AKJ3QE8[/asin]

Gabriela Lena FRANK (b.1972)
Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001) [21:12]
Peruvian-inspired music by an American composer of Peruvian-Chinese-Lithuanian parentage

Lou HARRISON (1917-2003)
String Quartet Set (1978-79) [25:29]
Contains an evocation of Ottoman janissary bands

José EVANGELISTA (b.1943)
Spanish Garland, 12 Folk Melodies (1993) [10:29]
Very rustic Spanish music, Moorish/Arabic in roots

Reza VALI (b.1952)
Nayshaboorák, Calligraphy No. 6 (2005-06) [12:03]
Iranian quartet with instruments tuned to traditional scales

Elena KATS-CHERNIN (b.1957)
Fast Blue Village 2 (2007) [5:16]
Uzbek-Australian minimalism

Karl Henning

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on October 19, 2013, 03:40:21 AM
;D :D ;D  ....unless we have a few music loving penguins among us.

Sarge

All right, buddy . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Thread Duty, with a sort of cannot-believe-these-haven't-been-mentioned-until-page-2-of-the-thread eye-roll  ;)   8)   0:)

Nielsen, Aladdin
Schuller, Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee, "Arab Village"
Wuorinen, Haroun and the Sea of Stories
(okay, hardly anyone else would have thought of this one)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

listener

just listened to Richard STRAUSS  Arab Dance from the 2 Pieces for Piano Quartet AV.182
rather in imitation of Hindemith's Mini-Max,
and I think no one has mentioned SAINT-SAËNS Piano Concerto no. 5 - "Egyptian"  and Africa, and the Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah or his Caprice Arabe (piano 4-hands)
"Keep your hand on the throttle and your eye on the rail as you walk through life's pathway."

pjme

From Wiki:

Maurice Delage (13 November 1879 – 21 September 1961) was a French composer and pianist.

Delage was born and died in Paris. A student of Ravel and member of Les Apaches, he was influenced by travels to India and the East. Ravel's "La vallée des cloches" from Miroirs was dedicated to Delage.

Delage's best known piece is Quatre poèmes hindous (1912–1913). His Ragamalika (1912–1922), based on the classical music of India, is also significant in that it calls for prepared piano; the score specifies that a piece of cardboard be placed under the strings of the B-flat in the second line of the bass clef to dampen the sound, imitating the sound of an Indian drum.

His 4 poèmes hindous are just ravishing. Go for Anne Sophie von Otter on DGG or Janet Baker .

Much music by John Foulds was inspired by India : Indian suite, Three Mantras for orchestra ,etc.

In Belgium, some composers were inspired by the Congo - there's a Congo symphony by Jean de Middeleer and Congolese dances for piano and percussion by Flor Alpaerts. Arthur Meulemans set texts by Rabindranath Tagore. Karel Candael's ballet "Het hooglied" / the song of Solomon" has been described as "Respighian".
In France composers were inspired by the" départements d'outre-mer ". The oratorio "l'Ile rouge"/ Madagascar") by Pierre Capdevielle, Rapsodie malgache by Raymond Loucheur, André Jolivet's pianoconcerto Uses as a basis the typical elements of traditional music from Central Africa, the Far East and Polynesia, André Jolivet conjures up the ritualistic origins of this music.
There's a Symphonie japonaise by Raymond Gallois-Montbrun (1918-1994) and in the works of Charles Koechlin, of course, you'll find plenty of exotical examples. Koechlin's  Suite javanaise/Transcriptions de gamelans(1910) is scored for the combination of flute, celeste,harp, organ,piano and gong.
Florent Schmitt's score for Salammbô ( recorded by Jacques Mercier)  for large orchestra and chorus should please to all Respighi-lovers.

P.


kyjo

Many thanks for that informative post, pjme! Shame on me for forgetting Foulds and Koechlin! :-[

jochanaan

Quote from: Sean on October 21, 2013, 12:52:47 AM
...Shankar Sitar concertos...
Hardly exotic to the estimable Ravi Shankar, born in India, master of ragas...
Imagination + discipline = creativity

Sean

pjme, thanks for the tip- I don't know Delage.

jochanaan, some of the most haunting sitar-sarood music is called Gandharvaved, examples on Youtube.

Doesn't the sitar capture the spirit of a culture like no other instrument?

pjme

Adolphe Biarrent may appeal to lovers of Franck and d'Indy/


From Wiki:

Adolphe Biarent (16 October 1871 – 4 February 1916) was a Belgian composer, conductor, cellist and music teacher.
Biarent studied at the conservatories of Brussels and of Ghent, and was a pupil of Émile Mathieu. He won a Belgian Prix de Rome with his cantata Oedipe à Colone in 1901, after which he remained near his home in Charleroi, composing, conducting and teaching (or more accurately, engaging in pedagogy, for example the writing of manuals as well) (in which subject he had, for teacher, Fernand Quinet [1]).[2]
Although still little known now, Biarent composed music that successfully combines "the structural solidity" of César Franck and Vincent d'Indy with "something of the orchestral brilliance and clarity" of Emmanuel Chabrier.

His "Contes d'orient" is a substantial orchestral fantasy – think of Sheherazade meets Cesar Franck.
"Le réveil d'un dieu" for cello and orchestra is based on a (grandly pompous) poem by José-Maria de Hérédia :

La chevelure éparse et la gorge meurtrie,
Irritant par les pleurs l'ivresse de leurs sens,
Les femmes de Byblos, en lugubres accents,
Mènent la funéraire et lente théorie.

Car sur le lit jonché d'anémone fleurie
Où la Mort avait clos ses longs yeux languissants,
Repose, parfumé d'aromate et d'encens,
Le jeune homme adoré des vierges de Syrie.

Jusqu'à l'aurore ainsi le choeur s'est lamenté,
Mais voici qu'il s'éveille à l'appel d'Astarté,
L'Epoux mystérieux que le cinname arrose.

Il est ressuscité, l'antique adolescent !
Et le ciel tout en fleur semble une immense rose
Qu'un Adonis céleste a teinte de son sang.



Or You Tube.


kyjo

Thanks for bringing Biarent up-a shamefully neglected composer indeed! I have that CD you mention and enjoy it greatly, but, to me, the two discs pictured below are even greater finds:

[asin]B000028BFT[/asin]   [asin]B00006835L[/asin]

Each one of the works on both CDs is a masterpiece, and I (try to) use that debatable term judiciously! The orchestral works reflect the influences of Wagner, the Russian Five, and Biarent's French contemporaries, which are assimilated masterfully. The two chamber works are epic and passionate-reflecting the influence of Franck, but often surpassing him in terms of sheer power. What puts Biarent a cut above many other lesser-known Romantic composers is that he is able to crank out truly memorable melodies and his music skillfully avoids any longueurs. Definitely one of my most impressive discoveries!

Roy Bland


pjme

#34
Picture postcard exotica in all sizes and often mellifluous forms...

https://www.youtube.com/v/QUHA0T3AId4
Nabil Benabdeljalil Symphonie Marocaine

https://www.youtube.com/v/v0eSbxd90qU
Fragments from Mogador (Symphonie Concertante pour piano et Orchestre) by Jaloul Ayed,

https://www.youtube.com/v/xXamCj8ZZ0U
Peter Ritzen: Chinese requiem

https://www.youtube.com/v/CDDezzUg0Go
Peter Ritzen :  Scherzo from Transcedental Symphony Heavenely Peace 'Ancient China'


Dry Brett Kavanaugh

#35
Arif Melikov. Piano Concerto.



https://youtu.be/soNjJllE4HM

Mirror Image


Roy Bland


Dry Brett Kavanaugh

Exotic Dances, Eiji Oue/Minnesota. Enjoyable collection of music and decent performance.

Roy Bland