Peter Eötvös, Hungarian Export

[uffeviking]

That's what Pierre Boulez calls him, together with György Kurtág, and György Ligeti. Boulez was talking about the many Hungarian composers of contemporary music he has been working with at IRCAM. Eötvös conducted IRCAM's inaugural concert and became it's musical director until 1991.

I had listened to the CD of his opera Three Sisters and wanted to learn more about him. Great help to increase my knowledge and understanding of this man is the DVD György Kurtág, The Matchstick Man - The Seventh Door Peter Eötvös. Two short films by Judit Kele very informative and well done. It has short appearances of Boulez in an interview and fascinating scenes with Karlheinz Stockhausen who I saw 'alive' for the first time and he turned out to be a very humorous, jolly man. This film also revealed to me the unusual conducting gestures of Boulez; whenever I see him on a DVD I wonder how the orchestra can follow him. Now I know. It's Stockhausen who 'invented' it, Boulez and Eötvös are using it. Probably other young conductors too, but I am not aware of them.

Now I have to go shopping for more Eötvös's works. Intriguing snippets are shown in this film, Insetti is one of them. I want to compare it with Langgaard's Insectarium.

Who can recommend more of this remarkable man's compositions?

[uffeviking]

The DVD:

[Maciek]

Sadly, I don't know much of his work (I only have one recording and have heard maybe 2 or 3 of his pieces live) but I have seen him conduct and he was really good!

Maciek

[not edward]

I've got a few pieces of his, and for the most part I like his music rather than love it.

I think the piece that most impressed me is Atlantis, a wild, over-the-top piece that I really could see appealing to a lot of those who aren't necessarily going to like new music.

[uffeviking]

Sadly, I don't know much of his work (I only have one recording and have heard maybe 2 or 3 of his pieces live) but I have seen him conduct and he was really good!

Maciek

So we both can learn more about him. I have his opera Three Sisters on a CD but it is totally different than the short scene shown in the DVD. Originally it was composed for four counter tenors, but the Nagano CD has females, very disappointing.

I have not searched yet for more of his works, but in the DVD it showed him working on his 'Stones', which he dedicated to Pierre Boulez, playing with the French word for stone: pierres, which also stands for Peter. He actually did knock two stones together to create sounds - shades of Tan Dun! -

If you have seen him conduct then you experienced the 'Stockhausen Manier'! I have a CD of him conducting Beethoven's 5th with the Ensemble Modern and that is an experience, believe me. I am tempted to say it's the best 5th I have ever heard! 

[uffeviking]

I think the piece that most impressed me is Atlantis, a wild, over-the-top piece that I really could see appealing to a lot of those who aren't necessarily going to like new music.

This DVD shows quite lengthy scenes with him talking about Atlantis and he is talking about his ideas and inspirations to create it.

[bhodges]

Although I had a bit of "listening fatigue" from a bunch of concerts last weekend, I did tune in to PBS for a little of Angels in America - The Opera, and liked what I saw.  (I believe it was produced at Théâtre du Châtelet.)  Eötvös seemed to be using sprechstimme for much of the time -- interesting but may not "scratch the itch" for those wanting more "music over speech."  But what I heard had an appealing lyricism, and was quite touching.  The cast was excellent and highly committed, and plunged into the roles with gusto.  (Cast included Daniel Belcher as Prior Walter, Topi Lehtipuu as Louis Ironson, Omar Ebrahim and Julia Migenes as Joe and Harper Pitt, Donald Maxell as Roy Cohn and Barbara Hendricks as The Angel.)

Steve Smith wrote wrote a good piece last year about the American premiere in Musical America, and reprinted it on his blog, here:

Boston Modern Opera Project and Opera Boston present Angels in America

--Bruce

[Todd]

Originally it was composed for four counter tenors, but the Nagano CD has females, very disappointing.

Which CD is that?  The DG recording uses countertenors.  It's superb, but I must say that I'd rather listen to females.  (I'm not big on countertenors.)

Aside from Three Sisters, I've only heard his Replica, which is very good.  He's a superb conductor, too, and recorded my favorite take on Bluebeard's Castle.

[uffeviking]

Which CD is that?  The DG recording uses countertenors. 

I wish I could answer your question honestly, but what I have is a 'gift' from a friend and he didn't give much info on the disc. 

When I questioned him, he too insisted those singers are countertenors. Which means they either are simply superb, or I should see an audioligist! 

Yes, on the DVD there are a few snatches of him conducting Bluebeard's Castle; I'll try to find a recording of it, if possible a video.

[springrite]

I have been an admirer of his conducting but has none of his music in my collection (strange, I know, since I am into modern classical music), until I heard a recording of Three Sisters which sounded so wonderful. I just bought the DVD (Kurtag and Eotvos) and will watch it later this week.

[uffeviking]

. I just bought the DVD (Kurtag and Eotvos) and will watch it later this week.

You'll enjoy that one, I am sure. Maybe not the Kurtag, depends on your tolerance of 'unusual' modern works. For some reason I don't get moved by a composer touching only one key on his piano and claiming it is music. To Kurtag it might be, good for him! 

But the Eötvös section of the DVD is a jewel, crammed with fascinating information. Watching Boulez, Eötvös and another conductor sitting around a table, facing each other and 'air conducting', a special humorous treat. 

[gomro]

I've never heard any of Eotvos' music, but I have a disc of Stockhausen's Gruppen and Punkte with him as conductor, and it's some of the best Stockhausen I have (and I've got a lot).

[uffeviking]

If you have a chance - or the money! - do buy this DVD, or maybe rent it from your library. It has a very charming, alas short scene with Stockhausen and Peter, short, but it shows us Stockhausen as a human being, not the much maligned ogre as misrepresented among uninformed people!

The Gruppen I have is conducted by Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Philharmoniker. I'll have to look for the performance with Peter conducting!

[gomro]

If you have a chance - or the money! - do buy this DVD, or maybe rent it from your library. It has a very charming, alas short scene with Stockhausen and Peter, short, but it shows us Stockhausen as a human being, not the much maligned ogre as misrepresented among uninformed people!

The Gruppen I have is conducted by Claudio Abbado with the Berlin Philharmoniker. I'll have to look for the performance with Peter conducting!

The Eotvos is a lot better than the Abbado, believe me. Plus you get the Punkte in its latest (and I suppose final) revision. In fact, just writing about the thing has enticed me to give it a spin, and I've got orchestras orbiting around my cranium even as I type!
First time I ever heard of Eotvos was on a Stockhausen vinyl disc; two pieces from the Fur kommende zeiten set, released on Chrysalis (home of rock bands like Procol Harum). He played camel bells, triangle and synthesizer. There's a combination you don't find very often.

[Lethevich]

It has a very charming, alas short scene with Stockhausen and Peter, short, but it shows us Stockhausen as a human being[...]

I thought that even Stockhausen classed himself as extra-terrestrial  0:)

[uffeviking]

Maybe he actually is, but transmigrated back into human form for the shooting of this video! 

[Maciek]

I don't get one thing - how can Gruppen even be performed with only one conductor??

I've only heard the piece once, live (in 2000, during Warsaw Autumn), and frankly (please don't beat me up!) I didn't think much of it. I found it "interesting" but nothing more than that (though I have to admit it was the best of the three pieces performed at that concert).

[bhodges]

Last night Peter Eötvös was in town to conduct a concert of his own music (and play piano on one piece).  This is some thrilling stuff!  My favorite might have been the final piece, Snatches of Conversation (2001) for chamber ensemble, double-bell trumpet (!) and soprano (here, Barbara Hannigan, who was sensational).  The singer whispers into a microphone, beginning with "sound check, sound check," and then spouts out other conversational excerpts, while the ensemble sort of murmurs along with her.  The trumpet, using muted "wah-wah" sounds, helps create a sort of dance hall atmosphere with the other musicians. 

Eötvös is hard to describe: the spareness of Webern, the theatricality of Kagel, the spatial concerns of Stockhausen.  Much of his music is very quiet, with outbursts much louder.  Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know his work. 

Mildly amusing were two distractions: first, an elderly woman's cell phone went off, and she answered it.    As people in the audience gasped, one of the musicians onstage asked cheerily, "Anyone else, before we begin?"  The usher came over, and the woman was trying unsuccessfully to turn it off, as it continued to make noise, so finally the usher grabbed the phone and took it outside, to thunderous applause. 

Then a woman entered halfway during one of the quieter pieces and loudly tromped down the aisle to the very front row.  People were "shh-ing" her the entire way.  As the work ended and the musicians took their bows, she stood up and faced the audience, waving her arms and gesturing toward the stage.  She alternated between facing the performers and applauding wildly, and then turning back to us as if she had been the one performing.  Fast-forward to intermission: the police took her away, since apparently she was intoxicated.  Never a dull moment. 

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

You sure can pick 'em, Bruce! 

[klingsor]

Eötvös -Psychocosmos (1993) for cimbalom & orch
Miklós Lukács (cimbalom), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Peter Eötvös (conductor)

from recent BBC Total Immersion

https://rapidshare.com/files/1421558091/E__tv__s_-_Psychokosmos_-Luk__cs__BBC_Sym__E__tv__s___May_2011_.flac