Pieces that have blown you away recently

[Mirror Image]

Don't hesitate, John. Both works sound like they are my cup of tea.

Yeah, I believe they might be up your alley.

[kyjo]

Petrassi: Magnificat (1939-40) and Salmo IX (1934-36)



This is mandatory listening for anyone who enjoys 20th century choral/orchestral music. These works aren't far removed from the "neo-archaic" aesthetic of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (though they're a bit "beefier"), and they aren't inferior to that masterpiece at all, particularly the Magnificat. Petrassi conjures up some incredibly imaginative sonorities from both the chorus and orchestra; in particular, the more mysterious passages are truly chilling!


Dallapiccola: Partita for orchestra (1930-32)



My goodness, the 1930s was a wonderful decade for Italian music! Many kudos for Gianandrea Noseda for resurrecting this music, and in marvelous performances. One of Dallapiccola's earliest works (it's fully tonal), this is stunning stuff full of color, verve, and imagination. It's in a "big-boned neoclassical" style that's of a kind with the contemporaneous later works of Casella. There's some delicious saxophone writing at times as well as a beautiful soprano solo in the finale.

[kyjo]

Petrassi: Magnificat (1939-40) and Salmo IX (1934-36)



This is mandatory listening for anyone who enjoys 20th century choral/orchestral music. These works aren't far removed from the "neo-archaic" aesthetic of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (though they're a bit "beefier"), and they aren't inferior to that masterpiece at all, particularly the Magnificat. Petrassi conjures up some incredibly imaginative sonorities from both the chorus and orchestra; in particular, the more mysterious passages are truly chilling!


Dallapiccola: Partita for orchestra (1930-32)



My goodness, the 1930s was a wonderful decade for Italian music! Many kudos for Gianandrea Noseda for resurrecting this music, and in marvelous performances. One of Dallapiccola's earliest works (it's fully tonal), this is stunning stuff full of color, verve, and imagination. It's in a "big-boned neoclassical" style that's of a kind with the contemporaneous later works of Casella. There's some delicious saxophone writing at times as well as a beautiful soprano solo in the finale.

Sigh....I guess no one here knows these works? If nothing else, I urge you to sample the section about 25 minutes into the Petrassi Magnificat with the ghostly whispering of the chorus: chilling!! https://youtu.be/i4HZpJTw78A

[ritter]

Sigh....I guess no one here knows these works? If nothing else, I urge you to sample the section about 25 minutes into the Petrassi Magnificat with the ghostly whispering of the chorus: chilling!! https://youtu.be/i4HZpJTw78A

I know and love these works, particularly the Dallapiccola Partita . You're not alone, Kyle! 

[Symphonic Addict]

Sigh....I guess no one here knows these works? If nothing else, I urge you to sample the section about 25 minutes into the Petrassi Magnificat with the ghostly whispering of the chorus: chilling!! https://youtu.be/i4HZpJTw78A

I'm interested in them, Kyle! I know nothing by Dallapiccola, and that work sounds like a great introduction to his music. By Petrassi I know some pieces, and the ones on that CD will be new to me.

[The new erato]

Sigh....I guess no one here knows these works? If nothing else, I urge you to sample the section about 25 minutes into the Petrassi Magnificat with the ghostly whispering of the chorus: chilling!! https://youtu.be/i4HZpJTw78A

I have the discs (I think I have all of Nosedas discs of Italian music on Chandos) and you have prompted me to revisit them when I'm back from vacation.

Edited for fat fingers....

[Mirror Image]

Big fan of Dallapiccola here, so like erato, I'll have to plan a revisit of these Noseda recordings. I don't know the Petrassi, although I've heard some of his other works and liked them, but I don't remember too much about his music.

[kyjo]

I know and love these works, particularly the Dallapiccola Partita . You're not alone, Kyle! 

Excellent, my friend!

[kyjo]

I'm interested in them, Kyle! I know nothing by Dallapiccola, and that work sounds like a great introduction to his music. By Petrassi I know some pieces, and the ones on that CD will be new to me.

I have no doubt you'd enjoy these works, Cesar! Perhaps they're not fully characteristic works of these composers since they both went on to pursue more avant-garde styles later in life, but they're stunningly assured and distinctive nonetheless.

[kyjo]

Lyapunov - Sextet for Piano and Strings in B-flat minor (1916/21)



https://youtu.be/OiIgc4j3Ur4

(Ignore the silly cover photo!) This, Lyapunov's only chamber work and one of the few sextets for piano and strings (incl. double bass) along with those by Mendelssohn and Juon, is a major work which impressed me considerably more than the orchestral/concertante works of his I had previously heard. Composed around the time of the Russian Revolution when Lyapunov was suffering many hardships, the outer movements are suitably turbulent, but there is reprieve in the sparkling scherzo (those Russians were so excellent at writing scherzi!) and the ineffably gorgeous, nocturnal slow movement. My god, the slow movement alone is enough to ensure this work's masterpiece status - it has a main theme that would melt the coldest of hearts and a magical atmosphere that is unforgettable!


Carl Frühling: Clarinet Trio in A minor (c. 1900)



https://youtu.be/XEHxScBdZYE

A late-romantic clarinet trio in A minor will inevitably invite comparison with the Brahms, and I happen to think this work is not inferior at all to the more famous one. (If anything, it has a more convincing finale!) Quite simply, if you love the clarinet in chamber music, you can't miss this gorgeous, tuneful work which is full of character and colorful harmonies. And I can't imagine it receiving a more convincing performance than it does here! I'd love to hear more of Frühling's music, but the only other work that appears to be available is his Piano Quintet on YT.

[71 dB]

I envy people who are constantly blown away by classical music despite of having listened to it for decades. I was blown away a few times when I was getting into classical music and discovered the magic World of wonders, but nowadays it is really rare, practically non-existing. If anything, exploring composers new to me or composers I just haven't explored before can be a bit frustrating and even disappointing. Maybe I am just really bad at finding the stuff that would blow me away? Maybe I expect too much? What if "I like this" is actually being blown away? To me being blown away is the feeling I got when I heard Elgar's Enigma Variations the first time on radio at age 25 which was a similar feeling to seeing Star Wars the first time at age 11. That's what I call being blown away and it doesn't happen often, because so rarely is something REALLY great being suddenly revealed to us having so profound effect as to changing our lives forever.

Nowadays it is not so much about individual pieces of music, but composers and genres as a whole. I like e.g. Weinberg a lot, but I can't say any work of his has actually blown me away. I just find his music consistently great. It is two steps from blowing me away. Contemporary classical music surprised me positively some years are when I got into it. I was blown away mildly perhaps? Again, no particular work of honour.

So, I won't list works that have just impressed me. For me "being blown away" is a big deal. It is the "seeing Star Wars for the first time at age 11" feeling.

[Roasted Swan]

Sigh....I guess no one here knows these works? If nothing else, I urge you to sample the section about 25 minutes into the Petrassi Magnificat with the ghostly whispering of the chorus: chilling!! https://youtu.be/i4HZpJTw78A

oh ye of little faith in your fellow forum-dwellers! A disc of the Petrassi - purchased because of your recommendation (no pressure there then) has just arrived and I'm looking forward to a 1st listen

[Mirror Image]

I envy people who are constantly blown away by classical music despite of having listened to it for decades. I was blown away a few times when I was getting into classical music and discovered the magic World of wonders, but nowadays it is really rare, practically non-existing. If anything, exploring composers new to me or composers I just haven't explored before can be a bit frustrating and even disappointing. Maybe I am just really bad at finding the stuff that would blow me away? Maybe I expect too much? What if "I like this" is actually being blown away? To me being blown away is the feeling I got when I heard Elgar's Enigma Variations the first time on radio at age 25 which was a similar feeling to seeing Star Wars the first time at age 11. That's what I call being blown away and it doesn't happen often, because so rarely is something REALLY great being suddenly revealed to us having so profound effect as to changing our lives forever.

Nowadays it is not so much about individual pieces of music, but composers and genres as a whole. I like e.g. Weinberg a lot, but I can't say any work of his has actually blown me away. I just find his music consistently great. It is two steps from blowing me away. Contemporary classical music surprised me positively some years are when I got into it. I was blown away mildly perhaps? Again, no particular work of honour.

So, I won't list works that have just impressed me. For me "being blown away" is a big deal. It is the "seeing Star Wars for the first time at age 11" feeling.

Like you, Poju, it's becoming more and more difficult to be blown away by a piece. At this juncture, I've heard so much, but I have been blown away several times over the past few years as some of my posts in this thread would indicate. Works like Berg's Der Wein or Gubaidulina's Alleluja for example have been recent works that have dropped my jaw. I can't speculate on when something will "wow" me, but a lot of times it's completely in the moment. If I repeat a work after listening to it, this is always a good indication, because seldom do I listen to the same work twice in a row. But this happened with these Berg and Gubaidulina works I mentioned and I remember one time many years ago where I listened to Berg's Violinkonzert eleven times in a row. I can still listen to this work and be blown away by it even after as many times as I've listened to it. I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes I feel like a "kid in the candystore" when I listen to a piece of music that has me mesmerized and I think once you lose this kind of innocence or sense of adventure in your listening, it becomes routine and things can start to sound lifeless.

[Spotted Horses]

oh ye of little faith in your fellow forum-dwellers! A disc of the Petrassi - purchased because of your recommendation (no pressure there then) has just arrived and I'm looking forward to a 1st listen

I think my favorite Petrassi is the first I heard, the recording of the first Concerto for Orchestra by his friend Fernando Previtali. It is a Decca recording from 1959, I think.

[Spotted Horses]

Was not expecting it, but was blown away by the second movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No 17 (particularly the Brautigam recording).

[71 dB]

Like you, Poju, it's becoming more and more difficult to be blown away by a piece. At this juncture, I've heard so much, but I have been blown away several times over the past few years as some of my posts in this thread would indicate. Works like Berg's Der Wein or Gubaidulina's Alleluja for example have been recent works that have dropped my jaw. I can't speculate on when something will "wow" me, but a lot of times it's completely in the moment. If I repeat a work after listening to it, this is always a good indication, because seldom do I listen to the same work twice in a row. But this happened with these Berg and Gubaidulina works I mentioned and I remember one time many years ago where I listened to Berg's Violinkonzert eleven times in a row. I can still listen to this work and be blown away by it even after as many times as I've listened to it. I guess what I'm trying to say is sometimes I feel like a "kid in the candystore" when I listen to a piece of music that has me mesmerized and I think once you lose this kind of innocence or sense of adventure in your listening, it becomes routine and things can start to sound lifeless.

What works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I do like Berg,  so I suppose Der Wein can be on my alley.
Gubaidulina's music I don't know at all. Any, a few years ago I got myself Janáček's Glagolitic Mass, because people here praised it so much and I had gotten into Janáček's chamber music which I liked. However, to my "horror", Glagolitic Mass does nothing for me. I have tried it several times. That's when I realized it is almost pointless to listen to other people, because I have my own weird taste. I have to find my favorites myself.

[Symphonic Addict]

I have no doubt you'd enjoy these works, Cesar! Perhaps they're not fully characteristic works of these composers since they both went on to pursue more avant-garde styles later in life, but they're stunningly assured and distinctive nonetheless.

I listened to the Magnificat the other day and it was really interesting. The Dallapiccola has some quite lyrical passages I wasn't expecting (something very cool, actually), but I was less impressed by it. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, Kyle. No doubts our tastes are quite similar.

I need to know that Frühling's Clarinet Trio as well!

[Symphonic Addict]

For me, a work blows me away when I feel so much either inventiveness, wit, poignancy or, I'm not going to deny this, if it has thrilling passages that don't sound "ordinary". I'm very thankful with my brain and ears for still getting excited when I discover many new works and my reaction is "WOW!". That feeling is priceless. No matter if the work only does it once. The moment is done for me.

[Mirror Image]

What works for someone else doesn't necessarily work for me. I do like Berg,  so I suppose Der Wein can be on my alley.
Gubaidulina's music I don't know at all. Any, a few years ago I got myself Janáček's Glagolitic Mass, because people here praised it so much and I had gotten into Janáček's chamber music which I liked. However, to my "horror", Glagolitic Mass does nothing for me. I have tried it several times. That's when I realized it is almost pointless to listen to other people, because I have my own weird taste. I have to find my favorites myself.

I never relied on recommendations. Yes, one must forge their own path in classical --- it's really the only way.

P.S. I LOVE Janáček's Glagolitic Mass, but it's perfectly fine that you don't or anyone else for that matter.

[relm1]

Petrassi: Magnificat (1939-40) and Salmo IX (1934-36)



This is mandatory listening for anyone who enjoys 20th century choral/orchestral music. These works aren't far removed from the "neo-archaic" aesthetic of Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms (though they're a bit "beefier"), and they aren't inferior to that masterpiece at all, particularly the Magnificat. Petrassi conjures up some incredibly imaginative sonorities from both the chorus and orchestra; in particular, the more mysterious passages are truly chilling!


Dallapiccola: Partita for orchestra (1930-32)



My goodness, the 1930s was a wonderful decade for Italian music! Many kudos for Gianandrea Noseda for resurrecting this music, and in marvelous performances. One of Dallapiccola's earliest works (it's fully tonal), this is stunning stuff full of color, verve, and imagination. It's in a "big-boned neoclassical" style that's of a kind with the contemporaneous later works of Casella. There's some delicious saxophone writing at times as well as a beautiful soprano solo in the finale.

These were excellent, thanks for introducing them!