Six favourite 20th Century choral works.

Started by vandermolen, March 23, 2015, 02:47:24 PM

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vandermolen

March 23, 2015, 02:47:24 PM
Howells:Hymnus Paradisi
Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem
Holst: The Cloud Messenger
Rachmaninov: The Bells
Durufle: Requiem
Hadley: The Trees so High.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

San Antone

#1
March 23, 2015, 02:51:43 PM
Quote from: vandermolen on March 23, 2015, 02:47:24 PM
Durufle: Requiem

Easily my favorite of the 20th century, and for all others as well.

:)

Mirror Image

#2
March 23, 2015, 03:03:47 PM
Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 02:51:43 PM
Easily my favorite of the 20th century, and for all others as well.

:)

+1 Certainly one of my favorite choral works as well. So moving. Any preferences in terms of arrangements? I prefer the arrangement for soloists, chorus, and small orchestra. Durufle himself said he preferred the version for full orchestra, but this is a little much for me as much of the intimacy and texture seems to be lost.

Sergeant Rock

#3
March 23, 2015, 03:06:58 PM Last Edit: March 23, 2015, 03:17:28 PM by Sergeant Rock
Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony
Mahler Symphony No.8
Walton Balthazar's Feast
Ravel Pavane
Britten War Requiem
Elgar The Apostles
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

EigenUser

#4
March 23, 2015, 03:14:13 PM
Predictable:
Ligeti Clocks and Clouds
Messiaen Trois Petites Liturgies
Feldman Rothko Chapel
Reich The Desert Music
Debussy Trois Nocturnes (1899 -- meh, close enough, call it roundoff error)
Ravel Daphnis et Chloe
Beethoven's Op. 133 -- A fugue so bad that even Beethoven himself called it "Grosse".

Sergeant Rock

#5
March 23, 2015, 03:15:54 PM
Quote from: vandermolen on March 23, 2015, 02:47:24 PM
Durufle: Requiem

Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 02:51:43 PM
Easily my favorite of the 20th century, and for all others as well.

Quote from: Mirror Image on March 23, 2015, 03:03:47 PM
+1 Certainly one of my favorite choral works as well. So moving.

A work I've never heard. Off to YouTube!

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Brian

#6
March 23, 2015, 03:16:11 PM
1. Janacek - Glagolitic Mass (original version)

Poulenc - Gloria
Janacek - The 70,000
Lauridsen - O magnum mysterium
Durufle - Requiem
Mahler, arr. Gerard Pesson - Adagietto from Symphony No. 5

HON. MENTION: Lutoslawski - Twenty Polish Christmas Carols (arranged from original version for soprano and piano)
HON. MENTION: Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe (by favorite-ness would be near the top of my list, but the choir is not a centerpiece at all)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 03:06:58 PM
Walter Balthazar's Feast
...well, I think the piece you're talking about is a great choice...

Sergeant Rock

#7
March 23, 2015, 03:19:01 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 23, 2015, 03:16:11 PM
...well, I think the piece you're talking about is a great choice...

;D :D ;D  ...as I mentioned on another thread, I've consumed a ton of wine tonight. Thanks for pointing out the brain fart  ;D

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Brian

#8
March 23, 2015, 03:27:19 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 03:19:01 PM
;D :D ;D  ...as I mentioned on another thread, I've consumed a ton of wine tonight. Thanks for pointing out the brain fart  ;D

Sarge
And you're up late too! Glad the party is still on at Sarge's house. 8)

San Antone

#9
March 23, 2015, 03:35:12 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 23, 2015, 03:03:47 PM
+1 Certainly one of my favorite choral works as well. So moving. Any preferences in terms of arrangements? I prefer the arrangement for soloists, chorus, and small orchestra. Durufle himself said he preferred the version for full orchestra, but this is a little much for me as much of the intimacy and texture seems to be lost.

I prefer the organ arrangement, but there are recordings of each that are among my favorites.  I started a thread on the work and you can see some of my recommendations HERE.

Sergeant Rock

#10
March 23, 2015, 03:43:30 PM
Quote from: Brian on March 23, 2015, 03:27:19 PM
And you're up late too! Glad the party is still on at Sarge's house. 8)

Mrs. Rock is in bed but I'm still rockin' ...or rather, requiemin'  8)

Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 03:35:12 PMI started a thread on the work and you can see some of my recommendations HERE.

Did Plasson/Otter/Hampson make the cut? I'm digging the performance on YouTube but it's the only one I've heard.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Drasko

#11
March 23, 2015, 03:53:10 PM
Many, there are many ...

Rachmaninov - All-Night Vigil
Poulenc - Figure humaine, Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence
Schnittke - Choir Concerto, Psalms of Repentance, Faust Cantata
Stravinsky - Les Noces, Oedipus Rex, Persephone, Symphony of Psalms
Martin - Mass for Double Choir
Ligeti - Requiem
Martinu - The Epic of Gilgamesh
Prokofiev - Seven They Are Seven, Alexander Nevsky
Part - Passio
Shostakovich - The Execution of Stepan Razin
Milhaud - Les Choephores
Weill - Das Berliner Requiem
Krenek - Lamentationes, Kafka Motets
...

bolded ones make top six ... tonight

San Antone

#12
March 23, 2015, 03:54:05 PM Last Edit: March 23, 2015, 03:55:38 PM by sanantonio
Durufle: Requiem, Op. 9 (already mentioned)

Durufle: Four Motets
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Poulenc: Stabat Mater
Debussy:  Le martyre de Saint Sébastien
Ligeti: Lux Aeterna
Rihm: Astralis

San Antone

#13
March 23, 2015, 03:57:06 PM
Quote from: Drasko on March 23, 2015, 03:53:10 PM
Many, there are many ...

Krenek - Lamentationes

I agree, there are many, but this Krenek work is very fine.

San Antone

#14
March 23, 2015, 04:01:12 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 03:43:30 PM
Mrs. Rock is in bed but I'm still rockin' ...or rather, requiemin'  8)

Did Plasson/Otter/Hampson make the cut? I'm digging the performance on YouTube but it's the only one I've heard.

Sarge

The thread is only one page long.  But, I prefer non-operatic voices in general.  The Cecilia Bartoli recording is a rare example of one of this work that I can not enjoy.

Sergeant Rock

#15
March 23, 2015, 04:16:35 PM
Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 04:01:12 PM
The thread is only one page long.  But, I prefer non-operatic voices in general.  The Cecilia Bartoli recording is a rare example of one of this work that I can not enjoy.

I'm not allergic to operatic voices and didn't have a problem with Otter (Bartoli, though, I would stay away from in this work).

This concerns me (ref the composer's own recording of the full orchestral version which you recommend):

"It is hard to argue for another full orchestra version since the only detraction of this one being the sub-par audio quality."

I think I'll grab the Plasson for now.

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

San Antone

#16
March 23, 2015, 04:20:22 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 04:16:35 PM
I'm not allergic to operatic voices and didn't have a problem with Otter (Bartoli, though, I would stay away from in this work).

This concerns me (ref the composer's own recording of the full orchestral version which you recommend):

"It is hard to argue for another full orchestra version since the only detraction of this one being the sub-par audio quality."

I think I'll grab the Plasson for now.

Sarge

Re operatic voices: I meant in this work. 

My unqualified recommendation is for the Philip Ledger with Janet Baker.  Her singing Pie Jesu is worth the price of admission alone.

Sergeant Rock

#17
March 23, 2015, 04:34:01 PM Last Edit: March 23, 2015, 04:43:07 PM by Sergeant Rock
Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 04:20:22 PM
Re operatic voices: I meant in this work. 

My unqualified recommendation is for the Philip Ledger with Janet Baker.  Her singing Pie Jesu is worth the price of admission alone.

I love Baker but isn't hers for organ rather than orchestra? I'm not fond of organs (or boy choirs).

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

San Antone

#18
March 23, 2015, 04:45:38 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 04:34:01 PM
I love Baker but isn't hers for organ rather than orchestra? I'm not fond of organs.

Sarge

Yes.  The version for organ and chorus + soloist is my favorite because of the austerity and the chorus is more of the focus. 

I am listening to the Plasson recording and it is very good, very beautiful playing by the orchestra.  And Otter sings the Pie Jesu wonderfully.  But, the chorus seems too far back in the mix.  And Durufle was against having a baritone soloist for the little he is given, preferring to have these parts taken by the male voices in the choir.

If the orchestral version is what you want, this one is probably one of the better recordings.

Sergeant Rock

#19
March 23, 2015, 04:48:13 PM
Quote from: sanantonio on March 23, 2015, 04:45:38 PM
If the orchestral version is what you want, this one is probably one of the better recordings.

Thank you. I just hit the buy button. Listenig to the Baker version now. I could get used to it  ;)

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"
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