Elliott Carter, 1908-2012

[Joe Barron]

There's a new Elliott Carter in the world.

[Joe Barron]

I was just looking at the old Carter Corner thread (a link appears on page one of this thread). Near the end, on page 12, Bruce mentions a performance of the Bariolage by Bridget Kibbey. In the small world department, I got to interview Bridget over the summer, just before she appeared at a chamber series in Doylestown. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to hear her (Doylestown's a long drive at the edge of our coverage area). Equally unfortunately, she never sent me the CD she said she was going to send, and I never heard what she thought of the article.

I did mention Megan Levin's performance at Tanglewood to her. She knows Megan well and said she'd be pleased to hear that Carter was so delighted with her playing.

[Joe Barron]

Update on the man, whom we have lost track of  a bit since his cententary.

As he approaches age 101, Mr. Carter is said to be working on a woodwind quintet in which all the parts are doubled, meaning that five players will play ten instruments. Looking forward to it, though I do hope its a major (ie, lengthy) piece. I like Mr. Carter's small pieces, but I like his big pieces better. I just think I'm gettng more for my money.

The Bridge label's Vol. 8 of Carter's music also seems to be proceding nicely. In addition to the Clarinet Quintet, it will include the following:

Due Duetti (2009) for Violin & Cello
Retracing II (2009) for Horn
Retracing (2002) for Bassoon
Retracing III (2009) for Trumpet
Figment III (2007) for Contrabass
Figment IV (2007) for Viola


All of these pieces were recorded in one day at the end of September.

I think it will also include the Zukofsky songs.

[Guido]

Thanks for this update Joe - all of it is great news! I agree about the longer pieces too - while I like quite a few of the small pieces, it's the big works that I truly love.

[Joe Barron]

David Starobin says the editing is proceeding on Vol. 8, and he  hopes to release the CD by Mr. Carter's 101st birthday in December. He said they actually have a little too much music for one CD, so some may need to be held over to Vol. 9, but Vol. 8 will certainly include the Clarinet Quintet.

[not edward]

David Starobin says the editing is proceeding on Vol. 8, and he  hopes to release the CD by Mr. Carter's 101st birthday in December. He said they actually have a little too much music for one CD, so some may need to be held over to Vol. 9, but Vol. 8 will certainly include the Clarinet Quintet.

Most excellent news indeed. Thanks for the information.

[Opus106]

The Julliard Quartet play Schubert for Carter

Just thought I'd post the nice little video. My listening equipment still finds the man's music alien.

[Joe Barron]

The Julliard Quartet play Schubert for Carter
My listening equipment still finds the man's music alien.

Well, you know, I  mean, what can I say? 

[Opus106]

Well, you know, I  mean, what can I say? 

You could say that I'm lucky, for Carter's compositions are -- for me -- still out there to be "discovered."

[Guido]

The Julliard Quartet play Schubert for Carter

Just thought I'd post the nice little video. My listening equipment still finds the man's music alien.

Thanks for this beautiful video.


Theres also one where they are rehearsing Carter's fifth quartet together.


Try the Concerto for Orchestra and Variations for Orchestra - these are glittering masterpieces both and are perhaps his most immediately appealing scores.

[Opus106]

Try the Concerto for Orchestra and Variations for Orchestra - these are glittering masterpieces both and are perhaps his most immediately appealing scores.

Thanks, Guido. I shall give them a try.

[Brahmsian]

Any recommendations for someone who finds his music bitter? It bugs me that I cannot seem to get into his music.   

Anything that might be considered more palatable for someone new to his music?

[bhodges]

Hm..."bitter"...well...I assume you mean "bitter" as opposed to sweet or sour, rather than "bitter" in the sense of angry, regretful, etc.!

If you like vocal music, his song cycle A Mirror on Which to Dwell (1975) has some really great moments.  Carter uses poems by Elizabeth Bishop: one fave is "Sandpiper," with the title bird portrayed by an oboe, very engagingly.  The piece is on this disc with a not-very-appealing cover (alas), sung by Christine Schadeberg.

Or, you might try one of his earlier works, Holiday Overture, which is on this CD.  It's a very cheery, engaging piece, although I'm not sure the fillers--the Violin Concerto and Four Lauds, both in great performances--would meet your initial requirements.

But, as always, it may be that Carter just isn't scratching that itch right now; if so, just set the music aside and come back to it later.   

--Bruce

[Catison]

Any recommendations for someone who finds his music bitter? It bugs me that I cannot seem to get into his music.   

Anything that might be considered more palatable for someone new to his music?

The Variations for Orchestra always do it for me.  Also the Cello Sonata and the Piano Sonata are brilliant works.

As you can tell, I love the "transitional" period of Carter. 

[Franco]

I'd say just pick any work based on the kind of ensemble you are most interested in, e.g. orchestra, chamber, solo - but avoid the early works when he was writing Copland-esque stuff that is irrelevant to his oeuvre.

If it were me, I'd go for the chamber works first.

Carter's output is of a uniform high level. 

[Brahmsian]

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. 

What I'm having difficulty with, based on the works I've heard so far (String Quartets and Clarinet Concerto) is a lack of melodies.  I know I'm explaining it wrong, I don't know exactly how to express it in 'musical terms' 

OK, usually I've found that most composers with heavily atonal/dissonant works have 'breaks' or 'reprieves' of this, where there are memorable themes and memorable melodies.  Moments of beauty in the music.  What I've detected so far in Carter's music is only the gritty and harsh sounds.    

[bwv 1080]

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. 

What I'm having difficulty with, based on the works I've heard so far (String Quartets and Clarinet Concerto) is a lack of melodies.  I know I'm explaining it wrong, I don't know exactly how to express it in 'musical terms' 

OK, usually I've found that most composers with heavily atonal/dissonant works have 'breaks' or 'reprieves' of this, where there are memorable themes and memorable melodies.  Moments of beauty in the music.  What I've detected so far in Carter's music is only the gritty and harsh sounds.   

There are alot of melodies, the problem for most people is that they are stacked on top of eachother without a common rhythm or conventional harmony to unify them together, like would happen in a Bach fugue.  In those pieces there are usually  too many different things going on to take in all at once and they by design clash with one another (which is of course like the world we live in).  You need to filter the music mentally to focus what you can take in.  This is what makes Carter so great - there is so much richness in those pieces you can continually find new things in them.

[Joe Barron]

Yea...it's kinda dry & dull.

Nope.

[CD]

Thanks for your suggestions, everyone. 

What I'm having difficulty with, based on the works I've heard so far (String Quartets and Clarinet Concerto) is a lack of melodies.  I know I'm explaining it wrong, I don't know exactly how to express it in 'musical terms' 

OK, usually I've found that most composers with heavily atonal/dissonant works have 'breaks' or 'reprieves' of this, where there are memorable themes and memorable melodies.  Moments of beauty in the music.  What I've detected so far in Carter's music is only the gritty and harsh sounds.   

I don't think one should come to this music without a feeling for what led up to it — not necessarily saying that music progresses in a line or can be explained teleologically. I just think coming to contemporary music cold and expecting to like it right away is a mistake.

Have you heard any Varèse? Try Amériques. If you like The Rite of Spring you will probably enjoy that.

[Joe Barron]

I don't think one should come to this music without a feeling for what led up to it —

Not necessarily. Sometimes the people who respond most immediately to Carter are those who come from a jazz or rock background, since they have no preconceptions about what a classical music should sound like. Like Mr. Carter himself, I started listening to 20th century music when I was younger and worked my way backward. And let's face it: we classical fans are a bunch of hidebound old fogies, anyway.