Pieces that have blown you away recently

[torut]

Simeon ten Holt, where have you been all my life? Canto Ostinato hits all my sweet spots:

https://www.youtube.com/v/JDCsOL2vBJc

It is an incredible piece of music. I never get tired of it. I have van Veen's recordings XL (14 hours) and XXL (4 hours) using different combinations of instruments (1, 2, 4 pianos, 3 pianos + organ, 2 pianos + 2 marimbas, etc.)

[Monsieur Croche]

[Simeon ten Holt ~ Canto Ostinato] is an incredible piece of music.  I never get tired of it.  I have van Veen's recordings XL (14 hours) and XXL (4 hours) using different combinations of instruments (1, 2, 4 pianos, 3 pianos + organ, 2 pianos + 2 marimbas, etc.)

I found it, maybe, one of those fine pieces if taken as 'wallpaper music," i.e. put it on, don't listen attentively, and just let it run...

In a similar vein, one very nice comment on it being, "it is nice to put it on and have it be the air moving in the room," and now the full piece, to date, up on youtube in one long-play link. you might also enjoy
La Monte Young's The Well Tuned Piano., all five hours, one minute and thirty-two seconds of it ;-)

https://www.youtube.com/v/c3eN4xwADTI

[Maestro267]

I heard Copland's Third Symphony yesterday for the first time in ages, and for the first time as a purchased recording (first listen was at a Proms concert a while ago). I am going to have a great time getting really familiar with this symphony. Many American symphonies seem to be on the short and sprightly side, but this is a properly weighted symphony in the grand tradition, but a 20th century American take on the grand tradition.

[Mirror Image]

I heard Copland's Third Symphony yesterday for the first time in ages, and for the first time as a purchased recording (first listen was at a Proms concert a while ago). I am going to have a great time getting really familiar with this symphony. Many American symphonies seem to be on the short and sprightly side, but this is a properly weighted symphony in the grand tradition, but a 20th century American take on the grand tradition.

May I also recommend Diamond's 3rd?

https://www.youtube.com/v/sZ5cQEqZ8Xk

[Maestro267]

May I also recommend Diamond's 3rd?

Thanks for the recommendation. I already have a recording of Diamond's 2nd and 4th Symphonies, bought a good few years ago now. I just haven't gotten round to picking anything else of his up yet.

[brooklyn]

I recently heard Louis Andriessen's Hout, a work for mixed ensemble (piano, guitar, saxophone, and marimba). An unusual combination that seemed very effective in this work. I loved the rhythms, and I almost always love the marimba.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I recently heard Louis Andriessen's Hout, a work for mixed ensemble (piano, guitar, saxophone, and marimba). An unusual combination that seemed very effective in this work. I loved the rhythms, and I almost always love the marimba.

Welcome to GMG! Andriessen is a really cool composer; I'm glad you enjoyed this work. It's one of my favourites of his.

Also, in a lecture on Electroacoustic music recently I was blown away by Concret PH by Xenakis.

[vandermolen]

Three pieces that have blown me recently, specifically three awesome cello concertos:

Miaskovsky: Passionately melancholic
Moeran: It's warmer, something heroic
Lutoslawski: The rarer and the one that left me the strangest feeling

I like all of those. The climax of the last movement of the Moeran in the Peers Coetmore (Mrs Moeran)/Boult performance is overwhelming. I prefer the Miaskovsky to the Elgar. Need to listen to the Lutoslawski again.

[The new erato]

Lay de la Fonteine. Absolutely hairraisingly intense.

[Florestan]

Léo Delibes --- Missa brevis

All of it, but especially O salutaris hostia.

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

[aleazk]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MfM6wJnQQ

Composition for Viola and Piano - M.Babbitt

I found this Milton Babbitt piece which I had not listened before quite nice.

[arpeggio]

Sometime I am embarrassed to admit that I am unaware of a famous work that I hear for the first time and it blows me away.  This shows that no matter how much I think I know I do not know as much as I should.

I am currently listening to as I am typing this to Robert Schumann's Etudes Symphoniques.  WOW!!!!!!!

[SymphonicAddict]

I just heard the Madetoja's 2nd symphony: OMG! It exceeded my expectations! What a piece of work! Sublime, one of the most heroic, deep and fine symphonies I've listened to recently.

[SymphonicAddict]

I like all of those. The climax of the last movement of the Moeran in the Peers Coetmore (Mrs Moeran)/Boult performance is overwhelming. I prefer the Miaskovsky to the Elgar. Need to listen to the Lutoslawski again.

I agree with you. The Miaskovsky's concerto is superb, certainly dolorous. Miaskovsky had a great "gift" for writing truly glum music.

[springrite]

Three pieces that have blown me recently, specifically three awesome cello concertos:

Miaskovsky: Passionately melancholic
Moeran: It's warm, somewhat heroic
Lutoslawski: The rarer and the one that left me the strangest feeling

Love all three, and of the three, perhaps love Lutoslowski the most!

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes – Horizontals

Unfortunately no recordings of it in aware of.

EDIT: Found one on her Soundcloud page https://soundcloud.com/tatjana-kozlova-johannes/tatjana-kozlova-horisontaalid

[Mirror Image]

I'm very astonished by the composer Julius Eastman, 

I listened to some Eastman not too long ago and found the music rather uninteresting. It just sounded like some rehashed, minimalistic twaddle. All IMHO of course.

Thread duty -

I'm constantly amazed by Ives' Orchestral Set No. 2. For some musicologist (or whomever) to do an analysis on this work, it'd probably end up being the size of a novel. There's just so much crammed into this work, but somehow Ives makes it all gel together --- a remarkable achievement (as so many of his scores are).

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Miaskovsky cello sonata 2.

[SymphonicAddict]

Holmboe's symphonies (specially 1-8). Simply astonishing pieces, I loved that characteristic and strong rhythm in each one of them.

[The new erato]

Back from a performance of Rimsky's "The legend of Kitezh" with Opera Bergen last night. Strange story, not much drama, but: the score of this opera is so mindnumbingly beautiful. This simply must be the most wonderful orchestral score of any opera ever.