Sergei Taneyev's Tent of Twirbling Tones

Started by Cato, September 13, 2007, 06:57:09 PM

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Albion

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 07:26:07 AMSame journey here about 4 years ago. I did rip all my CDs to HD before they went to Oxfam, however, even though I almost exclusively stream. My downloads, rips and YouTube grabs do get used where there is no streaming alternative. I also have inordinate amounts of downloads courtesy of Albion's hard work elsewhere. He is a star.

It does mean that all my listening comes through my phone and headphones now, barring Sonos plays through the house when I can convince my poor wife to endure listening to 'that dreadful tuneless rubbish/lift music/depressing banging'.

She particularly loves PMD. Oh, yes.

Taneyev is almost acceptable.


I'll bet she's partial to a bit of Birtwistle's "Gawain" and Tippett's "The Vision of St Augustine" for a spot of relaxation from the air-splitting horror of Taneyev. Mosolov's "Iron Foundry" always gets me through the washing-up in double-quick time, since that's what it sounds like as I drop pans and smash crockery on a regular basis and it masks the din that I create at the sink...

 ;D
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

Karl Henning

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

foxandpeng

Quote from: Albion on April 03, 2023, 07:55:26 AMI'll bet she's partial to a bit of Birtwistle's "Gawain" and Tippett's "The Vision of St Augustine" for a spot of relaxation from the air-splitting horror of Taneyev. Mosolov's "Iron Foundry" always gets me through the washing-up in double-quick time, since that's what it sounds like as I drop pans and smash crockery on a regular basis and it masks the din that I create at the sink...

 ;D

Loves it. Searle, Bent Sørensen, Nørgård... all the good boys.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

vandermolen

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 08:23:41 AMLoves it. Searle, Bent Sørensen, Nørgård... all the good boys.
OT
Pettersson's 12th Symphony 'The Dead in the Marketplace' always goes down well here.  ::)
"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).

Albion

Quote from: vandermolen on April 03, 2023, 08:45:38 AMOT
Pettersson's 12th Symphony 'The Dead in the Marketplace' always goes down well here.  ::)

 ;D

Better than "The Undead at Tesco" which is what I often experience - I've written a suite: 1. "Two Geriatrics Fight Over Getting the Largest Cucumber" (Allegro confrontando); 2. "Whoops, I've Knocked Over a Pile of Spaghetti Hoops and Cleared Off Leaving Someone Else to Clear Up the Mess" (Scherzo confusiando); 3. "I Can't Find the Constipation Tablets" (Largo con molto); 4. "Accosted for Trying to Nick Items Through the Self-Service Checkout" (Allegro doloroso). Soon to be premiered by somebody or other, pending my release on bail...
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

foxandpeng

Sergei Taneyev
Complete String Quartets
String Quartet 1
Taneyev Quartet
Northern Flowers


I almost feel a little guilty in suggesting that while this is accessible and attractive music, it is, dare I say, almost too accessible and attractive? I seem to remember thinking this last time I played this set. It is obviously very engaging, but it somehow lacks bite and challenge. I may be simply needing a change of gear after spending such a long time in music from a period that isn't my first love.

Perseverance needed.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Albion

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 04:45:54 PMSergei Taneyev
Complete String Quartets
String Quartet 1
Taneyev Quartet
Northern Flowers


I almost feel a little guilty in suggesting that while this is accessible and attractive music, it is, dare I say, almost too accessible and attractive? I seem to remember thinking this last time I played this set. It is obviously very engaging, but it somehow lacks bite and challenge. I may be simply needing a change of gear after spending such a long time in music from a period that isn't my first love.

Perseverance needed.

Can anything be too accessible and attractive? After all, Bantock has fallen foul of this accusation (Dave Hurwitz, who I greatly admire, loathes him for no apparent reason other than to promote the equally wonderful Bax)? Some composers are just "easy on the ear" and you've got to mix the rough with the smooth: a varied diet is always a healthier proposition, with a tin of pea and ham soup here and a Vindaloo there. I remember sitting through Tippett's "King Priam" given by Opera North in the 1990s and thinking "when are they going to hand out the bloody razor blades?" then I went away and heard it again and thought "I should really know this" not that anybody pays it any attention now. As our lives are now, "accessible and attractive" is just fine if it gets you through the next day without calamity...

;D
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

foxandpeng

Quote from: Albion on April 03, 2023, 05:25:27 PMCan anything be too accessible and attractive? After all, Bantock has fallen foul of this accusation (Dave Hurwitz, who I greatly admire, loathes him for no apparent reason other than to promote the equally wonderful Bax)? Some composers are just "easy on the ear" and you've got to mix the rough with the smooth: a varied diet is always a healthier proposition, with a tin of pea and ham soup here and a Vindaloo there. I remember sitting through Tippett's "King Priam" given by Opera North in the 1990s and thinking "when are they going to hand out the bloody razor blades?" then I went away and heard it again and thought "I should really know this" not that anybody pays it any attention now. As our lives are now, "accessible and attractive" is just fine if it gets you through the next day without calamity...

;D

You could well be correct. Change of pace required temporarily, I think.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Albion

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 05:38:09 PMYou could well be correct. Change of pace required temporarily, I think.

Good luck. I tried to change pace decades ago and went into reverse gear, taking out several small trees and a neighbour's conservatory...

 ;D
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

vandermolen

Quote from: Albion on April 03, 2023, 09:00:33 AM;D

Better than "The Undead at Tesco" which is what I often experience - I've written a suite: 1. "Two Geriatrics Fight Over Getting the Largest Cucumber" (Allegro confrontando); 2. "Whoops, I've Knocked Over a Pile of Spaghetti Hoops and Cleared Off Leaving Someone Else to Clear Up the Mess" (Scherzo confusiando); 3. "I Can't Find the Constipation Tablets" (Largo con molto); 4. "Accosted for Trying to Nick Items Through the Self-Service Checkout" (Allegro doloroso). Soon to be premiered by somebody or other, pending my release on bail...
OT
I liked the, apparently true, story of the man who, when paying for his groceries, was insulted when the person on the check-out held up his bank notes to the light, in order to check they were not forgeries. He took his revenge by testing every coin, given to him in change, by banging it on the counter and then testing it with his teeth.
"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).

foxandpeng

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 04:45:54 PMSergei Taneyev
Complete String Quartets
String Quartet 1
Taneyev Quartet
Northern Flowers


I almost feel a little guilty in suggesting that while this is accessible and attractive music, it is, dare I say, almost too accessible and attractive? I seem to remember thinking this last time I played this set. It is obviously very engaging, but it somehow lacks bite and challenge. I may be simply needing a change of gear after spending such a long time in music from a period that isn't my first love.

Perseverance needed.

Having another go at this, this morning. Hoping it will feel less bland and pedestrian than it did yesterday. I appreciate that frame of mind can affect listening, so new ears today.
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Brahmsian

Quote from: foxandpeng on April 03, 2023, 04:45:54 PMSergei Taneyev
Complete String Quartets
String Quartet 1
Taneyev Quartet
Northern Flowers


I almost feel a little guilty in suggesting that while this is accessible and attractive music, it is, dare I say, almost too accessible and attractive? I seem to remember thinking this last time I played this set. It is obviously very engaging, but it somehow lacks bite and challenge. I may be simply needing a change of gear after spending such a long time in music from a period that isn't my first love.

Perseverance needed.

Hmmm, interesting Danny. For those who struggle with Taneyev's music, it tends to be because they view the music as stuffy and academic. Which I don't get at all?

Perhaps I could suggest trying the Piano Quintet, one of the String Trios or the String Quintet No. 2, a rare piece of Taneyev's that I have not enjoyed to date. Maybe you could make sense of it! 🙂

foxandpeng

Quote from: OrchestralNut on April 04, 2023, 02:21:12 AMHmmm, interesting Danny. For those who struggle with Taneyev's music, it tends to be because they view the music as stuffy and academic. Which I don't get at all?

Perhaps I could suggest trying the Piano Quintet, one of the String Trios or the String Quintet No. 2, a rare piece of Taneyev's that I have not enjoyed to date. Maybe you could make sense of it! 🙂

I will certainly give the Trios and Quintet a go.

I'm not sure whether it is just me, my friend. I'm listening to SQs 1 and 4 as we speak, and they feel like the sort of inoffensive background music I would choose when entertaining friends over food and wine, rather than music I would want to hear alone. It feels like cultural wallpaper.

Who am I to be so dismissive? Good grief. 
"A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people ... then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbour — such is my idea of happiness"

Tolstoy

Brahmsian

Perhaps you might need some 'fresh air' from all of the Russian music you have been absorbing yourself in recently. I could not live without Russian music, but even I have to break away from it now and then.  :D

Having said all this, it is perfectly fine if the quartets aren't grabbing you. I am still very confident some of his music will! 🙂

Albion

#394
Quote from: vandermolen on April 04, 2023, 12:18:28 AMOT
I liked the, apparently true, story of the man who, when paying for his groceries, was insulted when the person on the check-out held up his bank notes to the light, in order to check they were not forgeries. He took his revenge by testing every coin, given to him in change, by banging it on the counter and then testing it with his teeth.

 ;D  ;D  ;D

When my dad passed away he had accumulated so much small coinage that I had to get a shopping trolley and wheel it into Tesco to feed it into one of those machines which sorts it and gives you a receipt to take to customer services. It clattered and banged for about three hours as it processed about twenty years worth of 1ps and 2ps, deafening anybody within a twenty meter radius - when a staff-member came up and asked how long I would be making this din I simply shrugged my shoulders and shovelled a whole load more in...
A piece is worth your attention, and is itself for you praiseworthy, if it makes you feel you have not wasted your time over it. (SG, 1922)

Cato

#395
Allow me to assure those who might not like the quartets that his opera The Oresteia is one of the best works in his catalogue!

Unfortunately, the one recording from many decades ago (I am told) has cuts.

The uncut performance from c. 10 years ago, with Leon Botstein conducting the American Symphony Orchestra with some excellent Russian singers is not on CD's, for some inexplicable reason!

You can download it from various services e.g.

  https://open.spotify.com/album/5gSaK9PR4T9Aa4PzFzxKgF

Amazon also offers it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FOTT6TS/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=OResteia+Taneyev&link_code=qs&qid=1680621598&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-9

Marvelous work!
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

Brahmsian

Quote from: Cato on April 04, 2023, 07:21:38 AMAllow me to assure those might not like the quartets that his opera The Oresteia is one of the best works in his catalogue!

Unfortunately, the one recording from many decades ago (I am told) has cuts.

The uncut performance from c. 10 years ago, with Leon Botstein conducting the American Symphony Orchestra with some excellent Russian singers is not on CD's, for some inexplicable reason!

You can download it from various services e.g.

   https://open.spotify.com/album/5gSaK9PR4T9Aa4PzFzxKgF

Amazon also offers it:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FOTT6TS/ref=sr_1_9?keywords=OResteia+Taneyev&link_code=qs&qid=1680621598&sourceid=Mozilla-search&sr=8-9

Marvelous work!

Have not heard the opera itself, but the Oresteia Overture is a firecracker!  :)

Karl Henning

Quote from: vandermolen on April 04, 2023, 12:18:28 AMOT
I liked the, apparently true, story of the man who, when paying for his groceries, was insulted when the person on the check-out held up his bank notes to the light, in order to check they were not forgeries. He took his revenge by testing every coin, given to him in change, by banging it on the counter and then testing it with his teeth.
I shared this story, and a fellow musician friend responded: Oh for Pete's sake, it's just part of their job. What a petty fool to get upset about it. I can attest to this. Here in the US, there is an ink which shows a different color on a counterfeit bill. When I worked in the MFA gift shop, we had such pens at the register, and the manager required us to verify any large bill.
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

vandermolen

Quote from: Karl Henning on April 04, 2023, 10:28:50 AMI shared this story, and a fellow musician friend responded: Oh for Pete's sake, it's just part of their job. What a petty fool to get upset about it. I can attest to this. Here in the US, there is an ink which shows a different color on a counterfeit bill. When I worked in the MFA gift shop, we had such pens at the register, and the manager required us to verify any large bill.
Fair enough but I can still understand the shopper's reaction.
"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).

kyjo

Taneyev's SQs contain some fine music, but overall can't quite escape the feeling of being rather "academic" in places. The real "red meat" of Taneyev's output IMO is to be found in his magnificent Piano Quintet, Piano Quartet, the Suite de Concert for violin and orchestra, Symphony no. 4, and the Oresteia Overture (the latter two must be heard in the N. Jarvi/Philharmonia recording on Chandos). If only these compositions had survived from Taneyev's pen, it would be enough for me to consider him a great composer!
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff