Pieces that have blown you away recently

Started by arpeggio, September 09, 2016, 02:36:58 PM

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Symphonic Addict

One complete CD and other two works this time:

Exploring Martinu's works with orchestra has paid succulent dividends, and this riveting Supraphon CD featuring early works has been the highlight in my traversal at the moment. The only work I had heard previously was Czech Rhapsody for baritone, chorus, organ and orchestra, and once again, I got the most favourable impression of it. This is Martinu at his most decidedly patriotic and epic, 36 minutes of extraordinary music imbued with solemn and exultant choral passages and a stirring sense of drama pervading a big portion of the piece, which culminates in sheer grandeur. I loved every bit of it. The other two works, Nipponari and Magic Nights are song cycles to Japanese and Chinese texts respectively and they are the opposite of the aforementioned choral work: much more subtle, intimate, delicate, luxuriously orchestrated, above all the latter which is ridiculously ravishing, truly magical indeed. All in all, one of the most satisfying CDs I've heard lately.




Yesterday I got acquainted with some of Alun Hoddinott's symphonies that have been commercially recorded, namely 2, 3 and 5, which featured attractive dissonances, baleful atmospheres and practically zero traces of light or hope. His Symphony No. 6, on the other hand, incorporates ideas that have a more lyrical quality. Its opening has to be counted as one of the most haunting, eloquent and vividly atmospheric in the whole British/Welsh symphonic literature, it's just remarkable and has to be heard to be believed. What follows continues in that strident vein as in previous symphonies, but here the lyricism is more evident and that's what makes this symphony more special. Around the 15' part of the magic of the opening appears and ends up flowing into a climax that has goosebump-inducing nature (at least it did that for me). What a great moment. The work ends in a quiet, beautiful and poetic manner, something that I found quite spot on. A marvelous symphony, one that should be better known and it receives a wholly sympathetic performance.




Last, but not least, Alfano's Concerto for piano trio. Along with his two late-Romantic symphonies recorded on CPO, this exquisite chamber work is the most impressive composition I've heard by him. The music exudes a sort of poignant lyricism (mostly in the 1st movement) and memorable ideas regarding melody, rhythm and harmony. Each of its three movements is written in church modes, sometimes reminding me of the English pastoral vibe alla Moeran (which is not a bad thing I hasten to add). The music flows effortlessly and I think it feels inspired from first note to last. I saw that there's a new recording of this work on Brilliant Classics, so making a comparison would be interesting.

The current annihilation of a people on this planet (you know which one it is) is the most documented and at the same time the most preposterously denied.

arpeggio

#2661
Alfano, who completed Turandot, composed a nice opera on Cyrano de Bergerac.  Sadly, it is out of print.  One can get a secondhand copy on Ebay.