Il Grotto Suono di Ghedini

[Mirror Image]

I'm SURE you'd like that new Naxos disc. Try dem samples!

Will do, snyprrr.

[snyprrr]

Will do, snyprrr.

I finally heard the Naxos/La Vecchia disc, and it's very very nice. The first piece 'Architetture' is a bristling, Neo-Classic urban, muscular, almost a classic 'American' piece... Highly Recommended... Stravinsky + Copland?

The concerto for String Trio, 'Contrappunti' lasts almost thirty minutes and is the most substantial Ghedini I've heard. The concluding Sea Music is verrry powerful and wonderful in that classic French Sea Music way, here Italian- I don't recall Malipiero writing a specific Sea Music piece for orchestra (I think there is some Piano Music).

[Mirror Image]

I finally heard the Naxos/La Vecchia disc, and it's very very nice. The first piece 'Architetture' is a bristling, Neo-Classic urban, muscular, almost a classic 'American' piece... Highly Recommended... Stravinsky + Copland?

The concerto for String Trio, 'Contrappunti' lasts almost thirty minutes and is the most substantial Ghedini I've heard. The concluding Sea Music is verrry powerful and wonderful in that classic French Sea Music way, here Italian- I don't recall Malipiero writing a specific Sea Music piece for orchestra (I think there is some Piano Music).

Nice, thanks for the feedback. Will check it out in due course.

[snyprrr]

really? three years???


There's a newish SONY disc out there, which got a bad review on Amazon (for the plodding conducting), which seems like a real missed opportunity...

Ghedini seems almost the most Stravinskian Neo-Classicist out there... what do you think?




Violin Concerto 'Belprato'

Cello Concertos (Koch)
2 Cello Concerto another Koch)

Viola Concerto...


Numerous Orchestral Works...

[pjme]

https://www.youtube.com/v/svk-BpjCD0s

Ghedini in Russia.

and in Italy...

https://www.youtube.com/v/Yot49m6lJ8k

I do like this music - I think... (need more listening, of course).

Born: July 11, 1892; Cuneo   Died: March 25, 1965; Nervi

Regarded within Italy as a highly significant twentieth century composer, Ghedini never achieved equal acclaim elsewhere in the world, perhaps because his music is so difficult to peg stylistically. Ghedini began with a very conservative style by the standards of the time, highly influenced by the music of Ravel and, closer to home, Pizzetti. By the 1930s he had entered a neo-Classical or, more specifically, neo-Baroque phase, rather in the manner of Stravinsky's music during that time, but even more closely adhering to old Italian models in a more modern harmonic idiom. Ghedini shifted into a cold mysticism in the 1940s, and soon was toying with serialism, although he never fully adopted its techniques. Yet in almost every work he retained elements of his previous manners, sometimes to the detriment of a composition's stylistic unity. Through most of his career, in varying ways, Ghedini was particularly interested in timbral effects and "walls of sound"; indeed, it has been said that some of his later works for strings, which work brilliantly in their intended instrumentation, seem meaningless when played in piano reduction.

As a youth, Ghedini studied piano, organ, cello, and composition at the Turin Conservatory and later at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna, from which he graduated in 1911. After trying without great success to launch himself as a conductor, based again in Turin, he turned to teaching. While working on his first, not especially original mature compositions in Turin's conservative climate, he taught at the Turin Conservatory from 1918 to 1937. He switched to the Parma Conservatory from 1938 to 1941, and ended up at the Milan Conservatory, where he served as director from 1951 to 1962.

[snyprrr]

https://www.youtube.com/v/svk-BpjCD0s

Ghedini in Russia.

and in Italy...

https://www.youtube.com/v/Yot49m6lJ8k

I do like this music - I think... (need more listening, of course).

Born: July 11, 1892; Cuneo   Died: March 25, 1965; Nervi

Regarded within Italy as a highly significant twentieth century composer, Ghedini never achieved equal acclaim elsewhere in the world, perhaps because his music is so difficult to peg stylistically. Ghedini began with a very conservative style by the standards of the time, highly influenced by the music of Ravel and, closer to home, Pizzetti. By the 1930s he had entered a neo-Classical or, more specifically, neo-Baroque phase, rather in the manner of Stravinsky's music during that time, but even more closely adhering to old Italian models in a more modern harmonic idiom. Ghedini shifted into a cold mysticism in the 1940s, and soon was toying with serialism, although he never fully adopted its techniques. Yet in almost every work he retained elements of his previous manners, sometimes to the detriment of a composition's stylistic unity. Through most of his career, in varying ways, Ghedini was particularly interested in timbral effects and "walls of sound"; indeed, it has been said that some of his later works for strings, which work brilliantly in their intended instrumentation, seem meaningless when played in piano reduction.

As a youth, Ghedini studied piano, organ, cello, and composition at the Turin Conservatory and later at the Liceo Musicale in Bologna, from which he graduated in 1911. After trying without great success to launch himself as a conductor, based again in Turin, he turned to teaching. While working on his first, not especially original mature compositions in Turin's conservative climate, he taught at the Turin Conservatory from 1918 to tradivarius1937. He switched to the Parma Conservatory from 1938 to 1941, and ended up at the Milan Conservatory, where he served as director from 1951 to 1962.

I'd try either the Naxos disc or the Stradivarius. Those two pieces you highlighted seemed a little less representative of his most communicative and exciting work. The cello piece especially seemed pretty monumental and de rigeur, a bit stern; the piano work seemed bouyed by Ghedini's motoric skills and flashy piano technique.

Ghedini and Dallapiccola can both be a little stern. Remember, even Scelsi and Maderna were writing more normal music in the 40s.

The Naxos disc is the best start, but I do also like the Strad.

It's a shame that SONY disc got that lousy review- and why do I trust reviewers?.... because, I think I know "how" to read.... it's worked mostly so far...

[snyprrr]

Seriously, late Ghedini is some pretty ripe good stuff... he has a "monumental" streak that leaves some very pruned and powerful gestures. That SONY disc is on YT, and I suggest you listen to the 'Apunti...' piece, very powerful I thought.

Ghedini seems to have the same ultra-pruned aesthetic as Dallapiccola, but by no means 12Tone (broadly speaking)... much different than Malipiero, though, some of the cragginess is similar.

The more Neo-Classical works seem very Bach-like, try the 'Concerto Gosso's slow movement for  some really impressive "monumentality".


I see someone bought the $12 Cello Concertos dosc, now back up to $25.


If you like that spare 'Threni' type sound, Ghedini has just a bit of that ascetic quality,... again, somewhat "monumental",...

ON THAT NAXOS DISC, the 'Contrappunti' is 30mins. of Ghedini-as-20th-Century-Beethoven, again, subliminally powerful.


Ghedini, people,... very high quality stuff here!

[snyprrr]

I wish there was but one other member who would hold hands with me over Ghedini