Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Mirror Image]

Glad to read that, Olivier. Le tombeau de Couperin (piano and orchestral versions) is one of my favourite musical works of all time, in any genre...a stunning composition that touches perfection.

Good evening to you, cher Monsieur.

+1 I adore this work as well, Rafael. But with Ravel, it doesn't take much to sway me as he's one of my favorites.

[Papy Oli]

The original for solo piano or the arrangement for orchestra or both?

The piano version played by Queffélec, John. I got completely lost into that work.

Jeux d'eau, Menuet & Pavane were top notch too.

Miroirs was a bit more challenging, I need to re-listen.

I have approached the orchestral versions yet.

Glad to read that, Olivier. Le tombeau de Couperin (piano and orchestral versions) is one of my favourite musical works of all time, in any genre...a stunning composition that touches perfection.

Good evening to you, cher Monsieur.

Good to read, Rafael. Unlocking those one at a time here And bonsoir to you too !   

[Mirror Image]

The piano version played by Queffélec, John. I got completely lost into that work.

Jeux d'eau, Menuet & Pavane were top notch too.

Miroirs was a bit more challenging, I need to re-listen.

I have approached the orchestral versions yet.

Very nice, Olivier. Miroirs is my favorite Ravel work believe it or not. It's essentially a suite for piano and each movement is dedicated to one of his friends. Oiseaux tristes, in particular, is one of my favorite individual pieces of music of all-time. Absolutely haunting from start to finish. To be fair, I love almost everything Ravel has composed and his solo piano works are no exception.

Here's a nice writeup on Miroirs that you may be interested in reading:

https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/2345/miroirs

[Papy Oli]

Here's a nice writeup on Miroirs that you may be interested in reading:

https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/musicdb/pieces/2345/miroirs

Interesting, thank you.

[bhodges]

Still pondering the incredible Piano Concerto (2014) from Danish composer Simon Steen-Andersen, using two pianos, with one a disheveled mess after being dropped from a great height onto the floor. Playing a live (non-dropped) piano, the pianist syncs with his taped self using the broken one. Half of the orchestra has conventional tuning; the other half is tuned in microtones. The overall effect is wild, overwhelming.

Here's a performance that's excellent, though it only gives a hint of the visual craziness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUH29h5A0LY&t=633s

--Bruce

[vandermolen]

Still pondering the incredible Piano Concerto (2014) from Danish composer Simon Steen-Andersen, using two pianos, with one a disheveled mess after being dropped from a great height onto the floor. Playing a live (non-dropped) piano, the pianist syncs with his taped self using the broken one. Half of the orchestra has conventional tuning; the other half is tuned in microtones. The overall effect is wild, overwhelming.

Here's a performance that's excellent, though it only gives a hint of the visual craziness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUH29h5A0LY&t=633s

--Bruce

Just sampled it - it's quite something!

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

William Walton's Five Bagatelles. What an astonishing piece. Never heard a piece of music by this composer before, but sampled this wonderful compositions for guitar on youtube played by Sean Shibe and was totally mesmerised and, yes, blown away.

Yes, I was shocked when I listened to Walton's Five Bagatelles first time. I was a college student. The musical beauty, plus the harmonic structures and movements based on the guitar fretboard were innovative and astonishing. I think Julian Bream asked Walton for a composition for guitar, and Walton, in his composition process later, asked Bream questions about playability of some harmonic movements several times. I don't know the recording by Shibe, but the recordings by Isbin, Bream, Vidovic are very good. There are also guitar concerto version and orchestral version of the Bagatelles as well. The both sound excellent.

[Artem]

Thank you for recommendation. I will check out those performers.

[Symphonic Addict]

Dohnányi: String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op. 33 (as played by The Nash Ensemble)

I'm speechless at this towering creation. Terrific, just terrific. The impressive technique displayed in each movement is something proper of a craftsman and of an authentic genius. Recommended for fans of Brahms, Reger (just that less rigid and perhaps less chromatic), and early Schönberg, chiefly. We're very lucky at having this ensemble playing this work in an extraordinary rendition like this one. The codas of the outer movements are utterly breathtaking. They will have you at the edge of your seat.



Respighi: Poema autunnale (from the Brilliant Classics Respighi box)

Suffocatingly beautiful, achingly touching. I must confess it moved me to tears. The first section is unbearably heart-melting as anything. On this revisit, I really was astounded. One of the Respighi's best works. The performance has nothing to be desired. It was flawless or almost flawless to my ears.



And last, but not least: Friedrich Gulda's exhilarating Symphony in G.

Holy cow, what a hyper-cool work!!!

I mean, this is just mindblowing in genius, form and wit. It's like if Mozart had lived to the 20th century, absorbing American music, mostly Jazz.

Just the 2nd movement is of a stunning quality. A moody-melancholic movement that as well. If you know his Concerto for cello and jazz band, that's nothing compared with this.

[Mirror Image]

Frank Martin's Cantate pour le temps de Noël has totally blown me away. It's scored for solos, mixed choir (and small female choir), boys' choir, string orchestra (with violas da gamba), harpsichord and organ. To say I was spellbound by this music would certainly be the understatement.

[Symphonic Addict]

This piece must be counted among the most original and "imaginative" works I've ever heard.

Such an irreverent composer. 

https://www.youtube.com/v/i6BySOI8SM8

[Mirror Image]

This piece must be counted among the most original and "imaginative" works I've ever heard.

Such an irreverent composer. 

https://www.youtube.com/v/i6BySOI8SM8

Schulhoff certainly had a warped sense of humor.

[Symphonic Addict]

Schulhoff certainly had a warped sense of humor.

Certainly! A man with a real personality.

[arpeggio]

Hi.  I took a break from this forum because I got suckered into whatever is the greatest discussion in the other forum. 

They now have a new generation of anti-modernist that try to use non-musical criteria to judge music.  Well I added some new members to my ignore list.

I have a few recordings I like to mention over the next few days.

The following had a work that blew me away:




The works by Karl Jenkins and New Rorem were OK.

The Alexis Alrich Marimba Concerto blew me away.

She is a composer who I am unfamiliar with.

Link to her website: www.alexisalrichcomposer.com/

Hopefully more of her music will be recorded.

[relm1]

Hi.  I took a break from this forum because I got suckered into whatever is the greatest discussion in the other forum. 

They now have a new generation of anti-modernist that try to use non-musical criteria to judge music.  Well I added some new members to my ignore list.

I have a few recordings I like to mention over the next few days.

The following had a work that blew me away:




The works by Karl Jenkins and New Rorem were OK.

The Alexis Alrich Marimba Concerto blew me away.

She is a composer who I am unfamiliar with.

Link to her website: www.alexisalrichcomposer.com/

Hopefully more of her music will be recorded.

Yay! My first composition teacher!  Alexis Alrich is a fantastic human being, wonderful composer, and excellent teacher!  I LOVE her music and feel she should be much better known!  She was also my piano teacher and the problem with piano teachers teaching composers is we don't do the homework.  We write music and come to the lesson with a composition rather than playing what we were supposed to practice and she sat there and listened and encouraged that in me!

[arpeggio]

^^^^^^^^^^^

Right on!!!!!!

Unfortunantly I could find very little biographical information about her.

[Mirror Image]

^^^^^^^^^^^

Right on!!!!!!

Unfortunantly I could find very little biographical information about her.

This may help:

http://www.alexisalrich.com/biography.html

From what little I've heard of her music, she's definitely not my cup of tea. I really despise American Minimalism and the particular work I heard sounds influenced by Glass, Reich, etc.

[vandermolen]

Dohnányi: String Quartet No. 3 in A minor, Op. 33 (as played by The Nash Ensemble)

I'm speechless at this towering creation. Terrific, just terrific. The impressive technique displayed in each movement is something proper of a craftsman and of an authentic genius. Recommended for fans of Brahms, Reger (just that less rigid and perhaps less chromatic), and early Schönberg, chiefly. We're very lucky at having this ensemble playing this work in an extraordinary rendition like this one. The codas of the outer movements are utterly breathtaking. They will have you at the edge of your seat.



Respighi: Poema autunnale (from the Brilliant Classics Respighi box)

Suffocatingly beautiful, achingly touching. I must confess it moved me to tears. The first section is unbearably heart-melting as anything. On this revisit, I really was astounded. One of the Respighi's best works. The performance has nothing to be desired. It was flawless or almost flawless to my ears.



And last, but not least: Friedrich Gulda's exhilarating Symphony in G.

Holy cow, what a hyper-cool work!!!

I mean, this is just mindblowing in genius, form and wit. It's like if Mozart had lived to the 20th century, absorbing American music, mostly Jazz.

Just the 2nd movement is of a stunning quality. A moody-melancholic movement that as well. If you know his Concerto for cello and jazz band, that's nothing compared with this.

+1 for the Respighi

[Pohjolas Daughter]

Hi.  I took a break from this forum because I got suckered into whatever is the greatest discussion in the other forum. 

They now have a new generation of anti-modernist that try to use non-musical criteria to judge music.  Well I added some new members to my ignore list.

I have a few recordings I like to mention over the next few days.

The following had a work that blew me away:




The works by Karl Jenkins and New Rorem were OK.

The Alexis Alrich Marimba Concerto blew me away.

She is a composer who I am unfamiliar with.

Link to her website: www.alexisalrichcomposer.com/

Hopefully more of her music will be recorded.

I am quite enjoying her Marimba Concerto!  There's a video of it on her website.  Don't know when it was recorded (alas the definition quality isn't very good, but the sound is). 

PD

[arpeggio]

I am quite enjoying her Marimba Concerto!  There's a video of it on her website.  Don't know when it was recorded (alas the definition quality isn't very good, but the sound is). 

PD

Yes, I know of the You Tube.

I became familiar with it through the Naxos Music Library and went ahead and purchased the CD.