Frank Martin

Started by not edward, September 01, 2007, 06:56:23 AM

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not edward

Quote from: vandermolen on September 07, 2007, 03:23:05 AM
There is/was a good double Decca album with the Violin Concerto, In Terra Pax (Ansermet) etc.
Great collection. It also has the Petite Symphonie Concertante, Etudes for string orchestra, the Concerto for seven winds, strings and percussion (all under Ansermet) and the string orchestra version of the Passacaglia (under Munchinger). It's pretty much the one-stop shop for seeing if you might like Martin's music, and a necessity for those who like it (Schneiderhan's the excellent soloist in the violin concerto).
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

pjme

I want to mention -again..- two late Martin works :

Polyptique for violin and two small string orchestras ( ca 1973- comm. by Menuhin.) Six fairly short "images"( tot;time ca 25 mins), inspired by a ( Mediaeval? Baroque?) polyptych Martin had seen in Siena. The little wooden tablets depicted the passion of Christ - the last Supper, Judas, Gethsemane,Judgement,Glorification.  I quote Martin's words : This music may perhaps help to bring home to some people the story of Christ's suffering. For others it will simply be a more or less effective sequence of pieces for solo violin and two small string groups.
Martin's late works are serene and almost ascetic, without loss of beautiful lyrical ideas and effusions.

"Et la vie l'emporta" (1974) ,cantata for alto, baritone, small chorus & orchestra (with harp, organ and harpsichord). The texts are by Maurice Zundel ( Supplication : la complainte du malade),Luther ( 4th strophe from Christ lag in Todesbanden) and an anonymous letter from the Italian renaissance - possibly by Fra Angelico: Offrande/Offering.
Both works are marked by the composers old age ,illness and acceptance of death : but the "Spirit" can overcome all things.

THe versions I have are propably OOP. Polyptique on KOch/Schwann - played by Gottfried Schneider/Munich CH.O./Hans Stadlmaier
(cpuopled with Sonata da chiesa and Etudes for strings)
The cantata : on Cascavelle 1014 with Phillippe Huttenlocher, Claudine Perret Lausanne Instr. Ens.and chorus/ Michel Corboz

vandermolen

Quote from: edward on September 07, 2007, 04:50:30 AM
Great collection. It also has the Petite Symphonie Concertante, Etudes for string orchestra, the Concerto for seven winds, strings and percussion (all under Ansermet) and the string orchestra version of the Passacaglia (under Munchinger). It's pretty much the one-stop shop for seeing if you might like Martin's music, and a necessity for those who like it (Schneiderhan's the excellent soloist in the violin concerto).

Here it is, still available at a good price  :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frank-Martin-Orchestral-Works/dp/B0000042DI/ref=sr_1_3/203-8357764-4422343?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1189507197&sr=1-3
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).


pjme



And this one is also stille available at Arkiv.

Tonu Kaljuste and the Dutch Chamber choir recorded this cantata for Q Disc (97056).

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

snyprrr

Petite Symphonie Concertante (harp, piano, harpsicord) I used to think of as the perfect neo-classic/baroque work. It has such an elegant creepiness to it. It is one of those perfect 40s type works...Martin's calling card for sure. One of my all time fav fun pieces.

Had the Violin Cto on ABC (w/Barber,Milhaud), but I don't know if the performance was the best.

I have the Chandos "Ballades" disc. Another perfect album, by turns introspective and amiably dark.

It took me a while to hunt down the String Quartet (1966-67), but it turns out to be one of the most attractive post war SQs I've heard, very noble in the sense of 1940s Hindemith. It's certainly...probably...the most noble SQ of the 60s.

I had the Requiem at one time...it must not have been depressing enough for me.

The Sonata de Chiesa? (org+fl) and Passacaglia (org)...can anyone tell me where I can find modern organ music as nice as this? The fl/org piece I think is the best of its kind.

Like Dutilleux, one can't grumble about Frank Martin (though Martin is by no means as "mysterioso"); one of the most "noble" composers (I seem to like that word concerning Martin).

Try the Petite Symphonie Concertante if you're coming to him cold.

Daverz

Schneiderhan also recorded the Violin Concerto in good stereo with the composer conducting.  This would be my choice for the VC over the mono with Ansermet (stereo really helps in this work) and the Michael Erxleben recording.  The CD transfer on the Jecklin label was a little harsh, though.  It's worth hunting down the Vox/Candide Lp.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2005/Oct05/Martin_violin_JD6322.htm

I recently got the Cello Concerto on Bis.  A beautiful work.

Dundonnell

Quote from: Daverz on April 29, 2009, 05:44:00 PM
Schneiderhan also recorded the Violin Concerto in good stereo with the composer conducting.  This would be my choice for the VC over the mono with Ansermet (stereo really helps in this work) and the Michael Erxleben recording.  The CD transfer on the Jecklin label was a little harsh, though.  It's worth hunting down the Vox/Candide Lp.

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classRev/2005/Oct05/Martin_violin_JD6322.htm

I recently got the Cello Concerto on Bis.  A beautiful work.

Completely agree! It is hard to look past Schneiderhan in a work he very much made his own. His is an aristocratic performance and the Jecklin cd is probably the one to go for. Plus you get the very fine Piano concerto No.2 as the coupling.

Daverz

Quote from: Dundonnell on April 29, 2009, 05:51:47 PM
Completely agree! It is hard to look past Schneiderhan in a work he very much made his own. His is an aristocratic performance and the Jecklin cd is probably the one to go for. Plus you get the very fine Piano concerto No.2 as the coupling.

Oh, but we really need a new recording.  Seems like just the thing for Hilary Hahn.

Dundonnell

It is a source of perpetual astonishment to me that this wonderful concerto-one of the finest 20th century violin concertos- should not have been taken up by a prominent contemporary soloist :(

snyprrr

Hilary...I'm from the area...I know Sarah Angus...

pleeeze record some more out of the way stuff like the Martin, pleeeze? Thanks for the Schoenberg, though.

jlaurson

#32
Discovering "Polyptyque" — Championing Frank Martin

Quote

Frank Martin (1890-1974) is an unfamiliar composer to the vast majority of concert goers; just unknown enough to be considered one of the hidden and neglected gems among 20th century composers. When Ernest Ansermet foisted the role of traditional modernist—in contrast, indeed opposition, to Schoenberg—onto Martin, his fate among the opinion czars of 20th century classical music was sealed. Martin was declared a reactionary; his music not worth our time. Because the passive discrimination of non-avant-garde music was surprisingly effective, Martin's music languished for years after his death.

The last ten, fifteen years have seen a considerable lessening of ideological elements in judging the quality of music. The very terms "serial" or "post-modern neo-tonal" have become less and less meaningful, and the quality of the works—of whichever type—is rightly becoming the determinant of what we enjoy. That's Frank Martin's chance. His time still hasn't come yet, and it may never. But it should. If so, works like "Polyptyque" will either be the cause, or beneficiary, of that change in perception...

...continued at WETA.



Frank Martin,
Concertos volume 2

Polyptyque,
Passacaille(1),
Cto. pour Clavecin
Jac van Steen et al.

Frank Martin,
"Maria Tryptichon"

Polyptyque,
Passacaille(2),

Poppen et al.

1 = For string orchestra
2 = For full orchestra

Sid

I've only recently acquired the EMI Gemini 2 cd set of Martin's orchestral, vocal and instrumental music, and I like it very much. He has become one of my favourite composers.

His style seems to be very eclectic, with atonalism, Neo-Classicism, & Impressionism thrown together to create something new & individual. Despite what some people might think, his music is not mish-mash. He was an excellent craftsman and all of the pieces on the set are first-rate. In fact, I can think of no other composer, except Stravinsky, who experimented with so many different styles.

My favourite work so far is the Petite Symphonie Concertante. It's quite a bold and powerful work, pretty bleak at times, but it does have a fairly upbeat ending. I even hear some jazz in the harpsichord solo!

Martin is definitely a composer who I want to familiarise myself with more. I have enjoyed these two cd's so much. They are superb.

It's also surprising that, given the quality of the conductors who have performed & recorded his music, it is still much underrated. Perhaps part of the reason is because he comes from Switzerland, a country without a long musical tradition?

Guido

Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away


not edward

Yes. Just replace .com in the url with .co.uk -- that's how I find misclassified CDs all the time on amazons.
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

Guido

Thanks guys, and thanks for the tip edward - I'll try that in future.
Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

premont

The Petite Symphonie Concertante is my favorite F Martin work too, a most charming work it is.

It is scored for three soloists (piano, harpsichord and harp) and double string (chamber-)orchestra.
Stereo is almost crucial for the reproduction of this work, since the two string orchestras, which are playing antiphonially much of the time, must be placed on each side of the soloists, to reveal the proper nature of the texture in the optimal way. Unfortunately the old otherwise unsurpassed Fricsay recording is mono and so are Martins own recording and Ansermet´s studio recording. My favorite recording is a stereo recording with Paul Sacher conducting the Lausanne chamber orchestra.
γνῶθι σεαυτόν

filipek7

Quote from: premont on September 19, 2009, 03:09:17 PM
The Petite Symphonie Concertante . . . is scored for three soloists (piano, harpsichord and harp) and double string (chamber-)orchestra.  Stereo is almost crucial for the reproduction of this work, since the two string orchestras, which are playing antiphonially much of the time, must be placed on each side of the soloists, to reveal the proper nature of the texture in the optimal way. Unfortunately the old otherwise unsurpassed Fricsay recording is mono and so are Martins own recording and Ansermet´s studio recording. My favorite recording is a stereo recording with Paul Sacher conducting the Lausanne chamber orchestra.
Thank you for the highly perceptive and helpful comment regarding the mono versus stereo recordings of the Petite Symphonie!  I will have to pursue a stereo version, as I have the Ansermet recording!