Wuorinen's Whirlygig

Started by karlhenning, September 07, 2007, 06:03:20 AM

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snyprrr

Quote from: karlhenning on January 15, 2013, 08:10:07 AM
Well, repeated-note figures. I don't think the result in Charles's piece is quite minimalist ; )

After 1950, ANY repeated note figure is Minimalism! :-*

CW's thing here, though, sounds more like 10 seconds of a record skip,... that loping repeat,... actually very Feldmanesque,... was CW a fan?

Karl Henning

I didn't ask him; offhand, I should not have thought him a fan. Considering that we worked together in Buffalo, if he had been a fan of Feldman, it had been odd for him never to mention the name.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Tangentially, Archangel for trombone quintet (i.e., trombone and string quartet) is a beauty, too.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

snyprrr

Quote from: karlhenning on January 15, 2013, 08:51:47 AM
Tangentially, Archangel for trombone quintet (i.e., trombone and string quartet) is a beauty, too.

That Koch disc has also been in the rotation. Listened again to SQ 2: I'd say very rigorously modeled after Schoenberg 3-4,... you can hear little things here and there. SQ 2 is supremely balanced, Schoenberg w/o neurosis?

snyprrr

Finished the evening with the String Sextet, the fullest, most integrated and smooth, and generally nicest overall string work I've heard yet today (SQ No.3 didn't arrive). Also, in a 19min., one movement form, it's the model for Modern SS Nasterpiece: what other post-'50s SS comes to mind?

Realized if I din't cross that out you might start to wonder! ;) ;D night zZZZzzz...zzz..

snyprrr

Quote from: snyprrr on January 15, 2013, 08:12:43 PM
Finished the evening with the String Sextet, the fullest, most integrated and smooth, and generally nicest overall string work I've heard yet today (SQ No.3 didn't arrive). Also, in a 19min., one movement form, it's the model for Modern SS Nasterpiece: what other post-'50s SS comes to mind?

Realized if I din't cross that out you might start to wonder! ;) ;D night zZZZzzz...zzz..

btw- the SS also ends with a similar allegro-repetition/variation as the other two works. Shall I predict that String Quartet 3 begins and ends in similar fashion?

Alligators cd seems like a no-brainer too.

Karl Henning

Quote from: snyprrr on January 15, 2013, 05:46:04 PM
That Koch disc has also been in the rotation. Listened again to SQ 2: I'd say very rigorously modeled after Schoenberg 3-4,... you can hear little things here and there. SQ 2 is supremely balanced, Schoenberg w/o neurosis?

That's something of the idea. Wuorinen's music has the vigor, and exploration of Schoenberg; but Schoenberg's soundworld is very (that word again) expressive, dramatic, where Wuorinen writes en plein air.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

snyprrr

Quote from: karlhenning on January 16, 2013, 02:07:20 AM
That's something of the idea. Wuorinen's music has the vigor, and exploration of Schoenberg; but Schoenberg's soundworld is very (that word again) expressive, dramatic, where Wuorinen writes en plein air.

Well, No.3's a bit more emotional sounding! Just got it in the mail.

Let's start with the bad news. OK, it's from 1987, not a great vintage for SQs by any stretch, it's on one Track for 30mins.,... did I mention it's from '87? And, to my chagrin, it does NOT begin as the other two, with a friendly, loping theme, but here we have full Carter aggression at the outset. This, along with the drizzly rain, and a 20min. drive, did not bode well.

So, now the good news. CW won me over with his slightly misterioso ending, where he begins to sound like Fred Lerdahl's SQ Triliogy (check them out on Bridge), with maybe a bit of Shosty in there? But, I felt there was a lot of academics here,... I'm sure I'll warm a little (more so than No.1 perhaps?),... I got the feeling that this was the big late-'80s piece, where everyone's just stretching out for the sake of it,... which is fine as long as you know what you're dealing with, otherwise, one might say, Oh, another half hour Modern angst-fest. Perhaps this was CW's big 'emotional' thing here? No.2 was certainly a lot more 'fun with notes', whereas here there seems to be an emotional agenda?

But, compared to the rest (Wernick, Wilson, Schuller, Martino, Lerdahl, Harbison, late Babbitt & Carter, Erb, Mamlok, etc.,...) this one has a good air about it. I'm still not a fan of the one Track thing, though,... 'cues' are always nice (hmm, Pettersson!).


Ok, so, I may continue this current Wuorinathon, but, I feel I may be past buying any more CW. I'm pretty satisfied I have most all of his Chamber Music from 'the' Period (basically, the Koch discs plus) that I like. CW, still, no matter what ya say, he's still a very very 'academic' Composer (see other Thread), and he seems firmly entrenched in the post-Stravinsky/Schoenberg idiom, slightly more Populist than Babbitt, less overtly thorny than Sessions,... more like one of the all encompassing types from the Roaring '20s (maybe not Antheil, but...). He knows enough to keep me interested,... the 'notes for notes' sake' thing I like better than the 'oh, just hear that one note shine' stuff (I LIKE 'notes' for my money,... usually, lots and lots,... haha, that IS funny,... think Mozart, haha).

Anyhow, the 3rd is the Big One. I think the 4th is more modest? So, we'll get back to the 3rd. Might go back to No.2 today...

snyprrr

Quote from: PaulSC on January 14, 2013, 08:56:25 PM
If the incoming disc is the one on New World with SQ3, make some time for the Vn/Pno Sonata - one of his greatest works imo. In SQ3  he's playing with contrasts between chromatic- and diatonic-sounding material, and maybe that gets a bit heavy-handed in places; still good stuff. Without rehearing them back-to-back, I'd pick #2 as my favorite.

Yea, the Violin Sonata was quite substantial. Nothing too extreme, just a... I do still hear a bit of Schoenberg's Fantasy(is that what it's called?)...

Generally, I'm not that into such 'competent' Composers,... all craft, no crazy,... Wuorinen has very good 'balance', which is what I look for in him,... a smooth, rounded, balanced serialism,... professional,... I don't want TOO many of these guys around, but CW has an 'encapsulated' feel that I can respond to. Otherwise, he can just sound busy to me.

But, the VS wasn't 'busy', it was... not 'relaxed', but it had transparency. I still have the Fast Fantasy to go (does that count as his 'Cello Sonata'?).

Karl Henning

Clearly, I need to bring in recordings of the Violin Sonata, and those middle quartets . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

The second movement of FIVE has a beat, you can dance to it.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

snyprrr

Quote from: karlhenning on January 17, 2013, 08:26:00 AM
Clearly, I need to bring in recordings of the Violin Sonata, and those middle quartets . . . .

Oh? So now it comes out that you don't really have the cds handy? tap tap tap

Anyhow, listening the cello sonata Fast Fantasy (partner to VS & SQ 3), again, very late'80s, sounding like a friendlier Ralph Shapey. Wuorinen is certainly very very busy on this old NewWorld release of these three big Chamber Works. He's definitely a player in the sweepstakes, that's for sure. I'd say this disc is one of the meatier albums in general, very substantive in terms of... notes!, invention, slightly not accessible, enough to keep one chewing for a good while. Maybe not the place to start for the novice (I might recommend the Koch disc of 'Trios', 'Sextet', or 'Piano Quintet',... probably 'Trios').

Karl Henning

Quote from: snyprrr on January 17, 2013, 07:38:56 PM
Oh? So now it comes out that you don't really have the cds handy?

Quote from: karlhenning on January 15, 2013, 05:33:15 AM
Hm, I have been remiss, in part in getting stuff loaded onto the portable devices, and in part with fetching quartets in. I have nos. 1 & 4 readily accessible to-day; and I am somehow sure I have another quartet back at home . . . .

Well, I disclosed fairly that I wsa in possession of the First and Fourth. I am grateful to your present event, for bringing to my attention that I was missing those in the middle . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Quote from: snyprrr on January 17, 2013, 07:38:56 PM
Anyhow, listening the cello sonata Fast Fantasy (partner to VS & SQ 3), again, very late'80s, sounding like a friendlier Ralph Shapey. Wuorinen is certainly very very busy on this old NewWorld release of these three big Chamber Works. He's definitely a player in the sweepstakes, that's for sure. I'd say this disc is one of the meatier albums in general, very substantive in terms of... notes!, invention, slightly not accessible, enough to keep one chewing for a good while. Maybe not the place to start for the novice (I might recommend the Koch disc of 'Trios', 'Sextet', or 'Piano Quintet',... probably 'Trios').

Excellent. I must say that my own musical temperament seems disinclined to, shall we say, others of Wuorinen's musical generation; but that I am both impressed by, and attracted to, his own work.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Word comes that the Second Quartet has shipped. I want it, now!

Ah, well, patience . . . .
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

San Antone


Karl Henning

Thank you kindly, neighbor!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

snyprrr

Quote from: karlhenning on January 18, 2013, 02:17:32 AM
Well, I disclosed fairly that I wsa in possession of the First and Fourth. I am grateful to your present event, for bringing to my attention that I was missing those in the middle . . . .

As I look over your papers, it seems that everything is in order. Move along...


For No.2 I'm assuming Naxos? Or, IS that the same recording from Koch?

Karl Henning

Quote from: snyprrr on January 18, 2013, 07:30:27 AM
For No.2 I'm assuming Naxos?

Dadfrazzanabit, it is on that Naxos disc! I do have it already.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

TheGSMoeller

First listen Fridays...


Wuorinen: Time's Encomium - for synthesized and processed synthesized sounds
                   Lepton - for piano, harp and celesta

Lepton is fascinating, I love the general flow of the work, and the combination of piano, harp and celesta creates an engaging participation.
I can't really begin to describe Time's Encomium, this is not a negative, so I found this from Wikipedia...

Time's Encomium (Jan. 1968-Jan. 1969, 31'43") is an electronic, four channel, musical composition by Charles Wuorinen for synthesized and processed synthesized sound. Commissioned by Teresa Sterne for Nonesuch Records, it was awarded the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for Music, and was realized on the RCA Mark II Synthesizer at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, NYC. At the time Wuorinen was the youngest composer ever to win the Pulitzer. The piece is also the first electronic piece to win the prize.[1]
According to the composer, the primary concern of the piece appears to be rhythmic, since only the, "absolute, [and] not the seeming, length of events," (pure quantitative duration as opposed to qualitative performance variable inflection) are available to one in the electronic medium, though, "the basic materials are the twelve tempered pitch classes, and pitch-derived time relations," (due to the constraints of the synthesizer).[2] As such, he composed, "with a view to the proportions among absolute lengths of events -- be they small (note-to-note distances) or large (overall form) -- rather than to their relative 'weights,'....conform[ing] to the basic nature of a medium in which sound is always reproduced, never performed."[2] "Because I need time, I praise it; hence the title. Because it doesn't need me, I approach it respectively; hence the word 'encomium'."[2] Wuorinen also rescored the piece for standard orchestra, titled Contrafactum published by C.F. Peters