Elliott Carter, 1908-2012

[karlhenning]

Leon's post here made me remember . . . I know I've got the disc, I remember listening ot the Piano Concerto and liking it . . . but I've let too much time elapse before a second hearing . . . .

[Amfortas]

Just upped this live world premiere of Carter's "Conversations" --

Carter - Conversations (world premiere) - Birmingham Contemporary Music Group,Knussen.flac

[DavidW]

Leon's post here made me remember . . . I know I've got the disc, I remember listening ot the Piano Concerto and liking it . . . but I've let too much time elapse before a second hearing . . . .

Yes his piano concerto is a great work.

[listener]

available to download fron the BBC for a few more days
Beethoven: Symphony no. 1 in C major

Marc-André Dalbavie: Flute Concerto (London premiere)

Elliott Carter: Flute Concerto (UK premiere)

Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 in A major

Emmanuel Pahud (flute)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thierry Fischer (conductor).

[bhodges]

available to download fron the BBC for a few more days
Beethoven: Symphony no. 1 in C major

Marc-André Dalbavie: Flute Concerto (London premiere)

Elliott Carter: Flute Concerto (UK premiere)

Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 in A major

Emmanuel Pahud (flute)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thierry Fischer (conductor).

Thanks so much for posting this! I promised myself I was going to keep up with these Proms concerts - and their archives - but haven't done such a good job so far...

--Bruce

[karlhenning]

Cool! That was a fun piece to hear here in Boston.

[5against4]

available to download fron the BBC for a few more days
Beethoven: Symphony no. 1 in C major

Marc-André Dalbavie: Flute Concerto (London premiere)

Elliott Carter: Flute Concerto (UK premiere)

Beethoven: Symphony no. 7 in A major

Emmanuel Pahud (flute)
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Thierry Fischer (conductor).

Both the Flute Concertos can be downloaded for a whole lot longer (& in better sound quality) from 5:4 - http://5-against-4.blogspot.com/2011/07/proms-2011-marc-andre-dalbavie-elliott.html.

Carter's concerto was remarkable, a piece that only slowly seemed to reveal how remarkable it actually is. i went from being mildly interested, to being rapt, to being left unable to think about anything else for quite a while afterward. Which was not exactly the reaction i had to the Dalbavie...

[UB]

Thanks for providing those d/l of the two concertos...I had recorded them off the BBC site but your sound is as you say...much better.

[bhodges]

Tomorrow night hearing the New York premiere of Elliott Carter's Flute Concerto (2008), part of this concert below, with Patricia Spencer as soloist. Spencer has had a number of Carter works commissioned for her (and for her ensemble, the Da Capo Chamber Players) so I imagine she will be excellent in this.

The Mannes Orchestra
Patricia Spencer, flute
David Hayes, conductor

Haydn: Symphony No. 96 in D major, "The Miracle"
Carter: Concerto for Flute (2008, New York Premiere)
Schubert: Symphony No. 9 in C major

--Bruce

[snyprrr]

Been listening to that old Erato/Boulez disc withe Oboe Concerto, Penthode, and A Mirror on Which to Dwell. I had seen the concerto on YT and liked it very much (I also like the one for clarinet), and the recording reveal quite a mysterious and mercurial piece. I was going to start a 'What's Your Fav Carter Concerto' Thread, but, suffice to say that the ones for oboe and clarinet are the ones for me.

Penthode, for five sets of four instruments, is a good 20mins of Carter's chamber instincts. I've only listened a couple of times and will take in the car today. Again, nothing unpleasing.

Of course, the vocal work will take much much more for me to sit through,... not Carter's fault, haha!


Anyhow, this is a great Carter fill-up cd which you can get on Apex for real cheap. Try the concerto.

[not edward]

Apparently the old man's been busy this year: two 2011 works--a string trio and a song cycle Three Explorations based on T. S. Eliot--get world premieres next month in NYC in performances alongside the Double Trio and the e. e. cummings song cycle A Sunbeam's Architecture, amongst others.

http://www.boosey.com/cr/news/Elliott-Carter-Three-World-Premieres-Three-U-S-Premieres-to-Celebrate-103rd-Birthday/12334

[Karl Henning]

God bless him!

[bhodges]

Apparently the old man's been busy this year: two 2011 works--a string trio and a song cycle Three Explorations based on T. S. Eliot--get world premieres next month in NYC in performances alongside the Double Trio and the e. e. cummings song cycle A Sunbeam's Architecture, amongst others.

http://www.boosey.com/cr/news/Elliott-Carter-Three-World-Premieres-Three-U-S-Premieres-to-Celebrate-103rd-Birthday/12334

It's really quite amazing, isn't it! And that concert is likely to be fantastic. (Although I'm slightly bummed that I had already committed to another event that night: the return of Ensemble Sospeso, doing Feldman's For Christian Wolff. I suspect it will be a good evening, too, but it won't have the 103-year-old there.  )

--Bruce

[UB]

Happy 103rd Mr Carter...may you continue to enjoy writing music.

[Joaquimhock]

And this: http://www.boosey.com/cr/music/Elliott-Carter-Two-Controversies-and-a-Conversation/58134

Two Controversies and a Conversation (2011) 11'


I suppose it's an expanded version of  Conversation created last year...?

[snyprrr]

Pulled out the Double Concerto, which I haven't listened to for years. My recollection that it was the one which started with a percussion barrage was rewarded! My impression after a while was how Carter had managed to turn notes written on a page to sound, well, for lack of a better word, sloppy. Now hold on, don't jump on me, surely there's a better word, but you must admit that Carter here has hit on a very 'improvised' sounding writen music, no?

I could really hear the 'metric modulation' being presented very clearly, once the piece gets going.

The harpsichord adds such a groovy early '60s flavor that really speaks to the day.

I should have also listened to SQ No.2, since there share a similar architecture.

[kentel]

Checked Wiki, Carter is still pumping out new compositions ..

- Trije glasbeniki for flute, bass clarinet, and harp (2011)
- String Trio (2011)
- Double Trio for trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin and cello (2011)
- Three Explorations for bass-baritone, winds, and brass (2011)
- A Sunbeam's Architecture for tenor and chamber orchestra (2010)

Incredible !

[Joaquimhock]

New orchestral work commissioned by the Seattle symphony orchestra:

http://www.seattlesymphony.org/symphony/press/kit/release_detail.aspx?ID=892

About ten years ago E.C. said he was not able to write orchestral pieces anymore because it was too physically difficult for him to reach the top of the score sheet... It seem he's geting younger every day ;-)

[petrarch]

Neato .. thanks for the update!

I just added this DVD to my wish list ..

[asin]
B0000C2IX9[/asin]
Has anyone seen it?

It is quite good. As usual, the interviews/documentary are quite worthwhile, as they provide insight into the composer as person, what are his concerns, ways of thinking, daily life, and so on. It is sad to note that his wife--who helped him a lot in his daily routine matters and who takes part in some segments of the documentary--passed away shortly after filming was completed. Makes one wonder how the aging composer gets by without his long-time, loving companion.

[Leon]

Neato .. thanks for the update!

I just added this DVD to my wish list ..

[asin]
B0000C2IX9[/asin]

Me too - looks fantastic.  Thanks for posting about it.