Topic: Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Mahlerian]

I decided to take a plunge into the world of Roger Sessions yesterday, and I have been enormously impressed so far - even though I've only listened to a few of his works!

There's something about his way of writing that reminds me of Schoenberg - one of my favourite composers! - but I haven't listened to his work enough to make any further assessments about such impressions. I did encounter some of his thoughts on twelve-tone music, and many of his views resonated with me strongly.

Any recommendations are well appreciated! It's sad to see that his music seems to have slipped out of the radar in recent times, so to say. At least it's quite difficult to find articles, reviews and analyses of his work online. I wish more artists would record this music and bring it back to the spotlight - it certainly deserves more attention!

He wasn't a student of Schoenberg's, but he was certainly an admirer, though his treatment of rhythm is quite different.  Sessions' music is very traditional in its outward elements, though the inner workings are quite idiosyncratic.  Here are some discs I like:

On other news, I also listened to Mahler's 3rd symphony for the first time since last summer, and my love for the work has been once again multiplied. What an absolutely stunning piece of music! How can it be that whenever I listen to a Mahler symphony, that symphony feels like the most important piece of music ever written? The 3rd in particular holds a very special place in my heart. The Nietzsche setting is one of the most magical moments in the entire symphonic literature.

Oh, I know exactly what you mean!

[Baron Scarpia]

I have loved everything I have heard by Sessions. Admittedly, that is not a lot.

[Ainsi la nuit]

I heard Leila Josefowicz perform Bernd Alois Zimmermann's violin concerto tonight, with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Hannu Lintu.

It was one of the most intense musical experiences of my life, I'm really glad the performance was recorded and will be released on a CD later at some point. Absolutely essential!

[Moonfish]

Two works of the highest level:


Hausegger - Barbarossa



German late-romanticism in all its glory! Absolutely terrific, knightly, heroic, lush, a true Technicolor symphonic poem. Something to wallow enormously.


I'm fully blown away by these works.

Hmm, that Hausegger disc looks quite intriguing. I need to sample it...
Thanks for bringing it up, SymphonicAddict!

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I can't begin to list all the string quartets I've found myself listening to recently, but some (like the Adamek and Zemlinsky quartets) have certainly blown me away.

As a general question, has anyone else discovered a new love for a piece of music they had not heard before as a direct result of listening to unfamiliar music when particilating in the games?

[Baron Scarpia]

I'm listening to the Debussy String quartet. It is not blowing me away, it is sinking in. I'm listening to Zemlinsky 2 now, but it is more or less a continuation of a Zemlinsky project that started before the quartet game (with the 4th quartet).

[Crudblud]

I can't begin to list all the string quartets I've found myself listening to recently, but some (like the Adamek and Zemlinsky quartets) have certainly blown me away.

As a general question, has anyone else discovered a new love for a piece of music they had not heard before as a direct result of listening to unfamiliar music when particilating in the games?

I was definitely impressed with Zemlinsky 2, although I will need to listen more to really get it, it's quite dense.

[Mahlerian]

I can't begin to list all the string quartets I've found myself listening to recently, but some (like the Adamek and Zemlinsky quartets) have certainly blown me away.

As a general question, has anyone else discovered a new love for a piece of music they had not heard before as a direct result of listening to unfamiliar music when particilating in the games?

I discovered a few new pieces to enjoy as well.  Thanks to everyone for their selections!

[Sergeant Rock]

As a general question, has anyone else discovered a new love for a piece of music they had not heard before as a direct result of listening to unfamiliar music when particilating in the games?

My great discovery was Weinberg's String Quartet no. 5 in B flat major, op. 27. I don't remember who nominated it but I'm in their debt; it truly blew me away.

Sarge

[SymphonicAddict]

Hmm, that Hausegger disc looks quite intriguing. I need to sample it...
Thanks for bringing it up, SymphonicAddict!

If you like epic stuff (seriously, this is epic!) mixed with a magnificent orchestration, then this is for you. Some might say it's kind of derivative (something Wagnerian-Straussian mainly), but it's highly enjoyable. The sound engineering is shattering, powerful. I hope you can enjoy it!

[Ken B]

Nor Earth, Nor Boundless Sea
from Sleep by Max Richter

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QhkIZmXl6mI

I have mixed feelings about a lot of Sleep but this is wonderful.

[TheGSMoeller]

Nor Earth, Nor Boundless Sea
from Sleep by Max Richter

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QhkIZmXl6mI

I have mixed feelings about a lot of Sleep but this is wonderful.

Nice, Ken. I like this as well, but I'm also a fan of most of Richter's music.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I finally heard this piece of music by Bernhard Gander in full recently. It is so fun!

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/vqGchkDv7GY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/vqGchkDv7GY</a>

[Mirror Image]

Berg’s Wozzeck. Plain and simple, it's one of the most incredible pieces of music of this last century.

[TheGSMoeller]

Berg’s Wozzeck. Plain and simple, it's one of the most incredible pieces of music of this last century.

True, John. It never fails to send me through an array of emotions.

Speaking of music that I've been familiar with for decades but is having a big resurgence and I've becoming more impressed with is Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. Been spending more time studying the composition while listening to various recordings and I'm loving it.

[Mirror Image]

True, John. It never fails to send me through an array of emotions.

Speaking of music that I've been familiar with for decades but is having a big resurgence and I've becoming more impressed with is Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. Been spending more time studying the composition while listening to various recordings and I'm loving it.

Indeed. Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is a work that should be required listening for anyone interested in 20th Century music IMHO.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Indeed. Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta is a work that should be required listening for anyone interested in 20th Century IMHO.

I have to confess I have never really listened to it

[Mirror Image]

I have to confess I have never really listened to it

Oh, you should definitely remedy that, Jessop. ASAP!

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Oh, you should definitely remedy that, Jessop. ASAP!

If it blows me away, you know where to find my reaction.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

The only work I like from Bartok so far is Bluebeard's castle. :/ Seems like I like absolute music less and less as the time goes by...