La Musica Ruzicka

[ritter]

A bit of a dissenting opinion. Sorry guys! 

First listen ever to any music composed by Peter Ruzicka:

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Spiral has some attractive ideas. Recherche (-im Innersten) starts out with orchestral blasts and textless choral interventions that I found tedious and devoid of any real musical interest, but the second, more lyrical section is turning out to be much more successful IMHO. Looking forward to the Liszt / Wagner inspired pieces, but am frankly underwhelmed so far   

After writing this, I listened to R.W. Übermalung für Orchester and to R.W. Nachzeichnung für Klavier. My reaction was strange.  As someone who can't get enough of Parsifal (for the past 35 years  ), listening to the Parsifal-inspired orchestral piece was pleasant at the beginning, but...then I reached a point whre I was asking myself "what's the point of this?". I find this taking delight in the music of the past can be seen as a rather complacent and ultimately unoriginal and futile artistic endeavour, and the word that came to mind was "decadent". Mind you, the same can be said of much of Cristóbal Halffter's output, and I have admired this composer for many years. But it struck me as if Peter Ruzicka was trying something that Halffter has been doing for some 40 years now, and I venture to say in a more subtle and ultimately more succesful way (particularly, because the "non-quotation", purely Halffterian orchestral writing is strikingly original IMHO). But still, I'm wiling to explore some other Ruzicka to see if my change this (first and perhaps rash) reaction.

[snyprrr]

A bit of a dissenting opinion. Sorry guys! 
After writing this, I listened to R.W. Übermalung für Orchester and to R.W. Nachzeichnung für Klavier. My reaction was strange.  As someone who can't get enough of Parsifal (for the past 35 years  ), listening to the Parsifal-inspired orchestral piece was pleasant at the beginning, but...then I reached a point whre I was asking myself "what's the point of this?". I find this taking delight in the music of the past can be seen as a rather complacent and ultimately unoriginal and futile artistic endeavour, and the word that came to mind was "decadent". Mind you, the same can be said of much of Cristóbal Halffter's output, and I have admired this composer for many years. But it struck me as if Peter Ruzicka was trying something that Halffter has been doing for some 40 years now, and I venture to say in a more subtle and ultimately more succesful way (particularly, because the "non-quotation", purely Halffterian orchestral writing is strikingly original IMHO). But still, I'm wiling to explore some other Ruzicka to see if my change this (first and perhaps rash) reaction.

Oh yes, the comparison to Halffter is quite apt, imo. But, BOTH Composers have been doing this for about the exact same amount of time. Witness the String Quartets No.1 of both. Both have Avant music interrupted by "normal" music. This is probably a BA Zimmermann thing, as Holler does the same thing. But, I agree, the "idea" sounds very similar in these Composers.

I don't think Ruzicka is any less subtle than Halffter (in their best works), but, I would have avoided that disc with the Wagner pieces... for some reason I just don't trust these Moderns when they touch either Wagner or Lizst... too recent?

Yes, ritter, do explore Ruzicka further, either the CPO disc, Vol.1 of the NEOS, or the String Quartets (Arditti or Minguet).


I mean, I was kind of taken of kilter by the "trumpet concerto" that actually seemed to turn out to be a commentary on Ives's 'The Unanswered Question'. I just think Ruzicka is adept at using "psychological states" to subvert the listener. His first musics were under the laboratory use of LSD. (citation please)




I'm having trouble hearing Ruzixka with the air conditioner on... but it's mighty hot outside...

[ritter]

... for some reason I just don't trust these Moderns when they touch either Wagner or Lizst... too recent?

Yep, that was exactly what I thought, even if the 130 years elapsed between Parsifal and R.W. Übermalung make the word "recent" perhaps slightly inappropriate. But then again, in art, chronologocal time is perhaps a relative issue..."Ich schreite kaum, doch wähn' ich schon weit" 

Yes, ritter, do explore Ruzicka further, either the CPO disc, Vol.1 of the NEOS, or the String Quartets (Arditti or Minguet).

Thanks for the recommendations! Will certainly explore further to have a clearer idea...

[nathanb]

I have no problem with Ruzicka going a bit retro in recent years. He hasn't shed all traces of contemporary technique nor does the music feel uninspired, so I feel no need for him to adamantly stride forward into hyper-modern terrains. Vorecho, Spiral, etc simply make for damn fine music.

But yes, it would technically be wrong to reject Ruzicka based on the NEOS discs alone, because the NEOS orchestral volumes only capture his latest period.

[snyprrr]

5 Fragments
Satragyaha
Annaherung und Stille
5 Preludes

This Koch disc is under 50mins., yet delivers three quite powerful works. The first is similar to other five movement orchestral work by Ruzicka, utilizing a somewhat kitchen-sink approach to putting various "mood" movements together. There is a lot of barely audible stuff going on throughout much Ruzicka, and here is no exception; but, of course, there is LOOOUD too!! Sometimes I wonder why Lachenmann gets all the "fragmented style" love and Ruzicka and Sciarrino get less- I think Ruzicka does a very similar thing to Lachenmann,... well, we can discuss...

'Satragyaha' begins with a string 'canto' that gets drawn into an orchestral explosion, gets obliterated, and then comes back. It's a good example of Ruzicka's "old-meets-new" thing, in a very abstract, serious way. This one sounded like the NEOS Ruzicka discs, though it's from the '80s.

The "un" piano concerto 'Annerung und Stille' juxtaposes Schumann fragments with LSD string orchestra. It may be the most fragmentary Ruzicka I've heard. At first I couldn't hear enough- turned off the AC- and was treated to a hidden freak show of post-Modern creepiness. This one's growing on me...

The Preludes for piano are fairly short and make a nice show of Ruzicka's way with a piano. Modern and refined, explosive and religious.


So, I do recommend this Koch disc, but find a cheap copy. This one compliments the two Thorofon discs (one with 'Torso'; the other with the Violin Concerto). I now have the CPO, this Koch, and Vol.1 of the NEOS- perhaps with a perusal of the other Thorofon discs one could get a really great Ruzicka overview in four discs.

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[Karl Henning]

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You cannot mean it.

[snyprrr]

You cannot mean it.

I'd recommend NEOS Vol.1 4 U