Giacinto Scelsi (1905-1988)

[Mirror Image]

I never liked horror movies, not even when I was a kid, so maybe that would explain my reaction towards that Scelsi work ......

P.S. Hey, Halloween's coming up! I think I know now what will scare the little children more than any scary decorations......I should do a Mayan theme to decorate my house to go along with the Scelsi work. Not a bad idea if I say so myself!

Good idea. If you really want to impress the kids, play them some Strauss. I'm sure you'll have some of them snoozing away at the five minute mark in Alpine Symphony.

[Mirror Image]

Hmm, I'll have to listen to this Scelsi work.  I love scary, spooky music.  That's why I love Penderecki's Polymorphia. 

Well here's your chance, Ray:

http://www.youtube.com/v/BtVrIT-TC2g

[Brahmsian]

Good idea. If you really want to impress the kids, play them some Strauss. I'm sure you'll have some of them snoozing away at the five minute mark in Alpine Symphony.

Hey!!!  That happens to be my favourite Strauss work! Time to bring in the red card! 

[Brahmsian]

Well here's your chance, Ray:

http://www.youtube.com/v/BtVrIT-TC2g

OK, I shall do.  Thanks, John! 

[mahler10th]

    This is not music.
I am 15 minutes into listening to Scelsi's Uaxuctum on YouTube, and very soon indeed I will have switched the damn thing off in favor of something which has music in it...utter pish, complete nonsense, pretentious haberdashery of sounds, voices and instruments.  Unfortunately there are and have been many vulgar 'composers' of this kind, and many more ostentatious dafties that find entertainment in this kind of tosh.   
I am very sorry, but that is all I can add to this thread.  I have a good mind to compose something myself - if this kind of stuff can be 'liked' and actually sell discs, by all the Gods I could be a composer of some notoriety myself by cranking out a load of old cobblers with a similar pretense.  In fact...I might just do that...
This is NOT music methinks.
Ach!

[Mirror Image]

Hey!!!  That happens to be my favourite Strauss work! Time to bring in the red card! 

[Mirror Image]

   This is not music.
I am 15 minutes into listening to Scelsi's Uaxuctum on YouTube, and very soon indeed I will have switched the damn thing off in favor of something which has music in it...utter pish, complete nonsense, pretentious haberdashery of sounds, voices and instruments.  Unfortunately there are and have been many vulgar 'composers' of this kind, and many more ostentatious dafties that find entertainment in this kind of tosh.   
I am very sorry, but that is all I can add to this thread.  I have a good mind to compose something myself - if this kind of stuff can be 'liked' and actually sell discs, by all the Gods I could be a composer of some notoriety myself by cranking out a load of old cobblers with a similar pretense.  In fact...I might just do that...
This is NOT music methinks.
Ach!

Yikes! Man, I'm starting to like Scelsi even more now. Thanks for listening though, John. So this work has two strikes against so far.

Oh, and thank you for listening too, Kyle and Ray!

[not edward]

Count me as another member who seems to have been bitten by the Scelsi bug. I just bought that 3-CD set of orchestral works as well. How do some of these performances compare to the ones on Mode? Anyone?

The Wyttenbach performances aren't anything like the last word on accuracy (I once heard part of a laundry list of specific errors in these performances from a conductor with considerable knowledge of the repertoire in question), but I think they get the spirit of the music basically right.

Of the works Wyttenbach recorded:

Hurqualia: Izquierdo on Mode is poor. Wyttenbach is the obvious choice.
Hymnos: Izquierdo on Mode is poor; Ceccherini on Stradivarius is superb here, with a wonderful sense of space in the slow central section.
Chukrum: Ceccherini has a recording on Stradivarius which I've not heard for a while but I think I preferred to Wyttenbach on last listening.

Quattro pezzi: Zender on cpo and Rundel on Mode are both recommendable over Wyttenbach.
Anahit: Zender on Kairos is far superior to Wyttenbach IMO.
Uaxuctum: Rundel on Mode is I think more accurate; Wyttenbach may be more orgiastic.

Aion: Wyttenbach is more Brucknerian; Ceccherini on Stradivarius is rawer. I prefer Ceccherini but could make an argument for either.
Pfhat: I think Wyttenbach is the only recording of this work.
Konx-Om-Pax: Izquierdo on Mode is poor; Wyttenbach is the only recommendable option.

Links to other recommendations:

Ceccherini (Aion and Hymnos, also Quattro pezzi and the early Ballata): [asin]B002AG2NLG[/asin]
Zender (Anahit plus chamber works; one of the finest Scelsi discs I've heard): [asin]B00002DDUE[/asin]
Zender (Quattro pezzi plus Pranam I and three of his own works): [asin]B000001S2L[/asin]
Rundel (Uaxuctum and Quattro pezzi, plus Kalitske conducting the early La nascita del verbo): [asin]B000KHYOJ6[/asin]

There's also a very interesting-looking recording on NEOS that I wasn't aware of till compiling this reply and which is going straight on my wishlist: Zender and Rundel conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Quattro pezzi, Chukrum, Hymnos and Natura Renovatur (which is, in all but name, a transcription for small string orchestra of the superb 4th string quartet). Given the performers, I'd be astonished if this wasn't a no-brainer recommendation for all the works in question.
[asin]B0018W2L24[/asin]

[kyjo]

Good idea. If you really want to impress the kids, play them some Strauss. I'm sure you'll have some of them snoozing away at the five minute mark in Alpine Symphony.

Lol......if I ever have children, I'll be sure to play them plenty of Strauss to get them to fall asleep. When I'm not in the room, of course!

[kyjo]

Man, I'm starting to like Scelsi even more now.

The essence of John summed up into once sentence.

[Mirror Image]

Lol......if I ever have children, I'll be sure to play them plenty of Strauss to get them to fall asleep. When I'm not in the room, of course!

Yes, you mustn't be in the room!

[kyjo]

   This is not music.
I am 15 minutes into listening to Scelsi's Uaxuctum on YouTube, and very soon indeed I will have switched the damn thing off in favor of something which has music in it...utter pish, complete nonsense, pretentious haberdashery of sounds, voices and instruments.  Unfortunately there are and have been many vulgar 'composers' of this kind, and many more ostentatious dafties that find entertainment in this kind of tosh.   
I am very sorry, but that is all I can add to this thread.  I have a good mind to compose something myself - if this kind of stuff can be 'liked' and actually sell discs, by all the Gods I could be a composer of some notoriety myself by cranking out a load of old cobblers with a similar pretense.  In fact...I might just do that...
This is NOT music methinks.
Ach!

Man, if you hadn't have had a change of heart about Schnittke, I'm sure John (Mirror Image) would have thrown you in the volcano by now!

Wow, I'm in a really punchy mood tonight! Must go to bed.....

[ibanezmonster]

John's avatar in two week: Scelsi 

[Mirror Image]

The Wyttenbach performances aren't anything like the last word on accuracy (I once heard part of a laundry list of specific errors in these performances from a conductor with considerable knowledge of the repertoire in question), but I think they get the spirit of the music basically right.

Of the works Wyttenbach recorded:

Hurqualia: Izquierdo on Mode is poor. Wyttenbach is the obvious choice.
Hymnos: Izquierdo on Mode is poor; Ceccherini on Stradivarius is superb here, with a wonderful sense of space in the slow central section.
Chukrum: Ceccherini has a recording on Stradivarius which I've not heard for a while but I think I preferred to Wyttenbach on last listening.

Quattro pezzi: Zender on cpo and Rundel on Mode are both recommendable over Wyttenbach.
Anahit: Zender on Kairos is far superior to Wyttenbach IMO.
Uaxuctum: Rundel on Mode is I think more accurate; Wyttenbach may be more orgiastic.

Aion: Wyttenbach is more Brucknerian; Ceccherini on Stradivarius is rawer. I prefer Ceccherini but could make an argument for either.
Pfhat: I think Wyttenbach is the only recording of this work.
Konx-Om-Pax: Izquierdo on Mode is poor; Wyttenbach is the only recommendable option.

Links to other recommendations:

Ceccherini (Aion and Hymnos, also Quattro pezzi and the early Ballata): [asin]B002AG2NLG[/asin]
Zender (Anahit plus chamber works; one of the finest Scelsi discs I've heard): [asin]B00002DDUE[/asin]
Zender (Quattro pezzi plus Pranam I and three of his own works): [asin]B000001S2L[/asin]
Rundel (Uaxuctum and Quattro pezzi, plus Kalitske conducting the early La nascita del verbo): [asin]B000KHYOJ6[/asin]

There's also a very interesting-looking recording on NEOS that I wasn't aware of till compiling this reply and which is going straight on my wishlist: Zender and Rundel conducting the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra in Quattro pezzi, Chukrum, Hymnos and Natura Renovatur (which is, in all but name, a transcription for small string orchestra of the superb 4th string quartet). Given the performers, I'd be astonished if this wasn't a no-brainer recommendation for all the works in question.
[asin]B0018W2L24[/asin]

Thanks for all the information, Edward. It seems that, even though there are apparent errors in Wyttenbach's performances, that his is still the one that gets the highest accolades. Glad I bought that set.

[Mirror Image]

Man, if you hadn't have had a change of heart about Schnittke, I'm sure John (Mirror Image) would have thrown you in the volcano by now!

Wow, I'm in a really punchy mood tonight! Must go to bed.....

Scots John will always be A-OK in my book. He likes Shostakovich a lot, so keeping this in mind, he won't be thrown into that fiery hole.

[kyjo]

John's avatar in two week: Scelsi 

No, he's probably gonna change it right now!

[kyjo]

Scots John will always be A-OK in my book. He likes Shostakovich a lot, so keeping this in mind, he won't be thrown into that fiery hole.

Phew.....I'm safe, then......

[Mirror Image]

No, he's probably gonna change it right now!

Nope, I don't plan on changing this avatar again for quite some time actually.

[Mirror Image]

The essence of John summed up into once sentence.

[Mirror Image]

Please let me know what you think about Scelsi work, Ray. I'm curious to know if you think it's crap or an awesome piece.

But let's move onto another Scelsi work Aion:

http://www.youtube.com/v/zLi3xxxjHDc

http://www.youtube.com/v/JWeqZ5OW7Qo

http://www.youtube.com/v/kv21uaVx0oA

http://www.youtube.com/v/wEQ8QhEDSH0