Elliott Carter, 1908-2012

[Sef]

I managed to catch the end of a news ticker on the BBC World channel with '103 years old' or something to that effect! (But most of the coverage now is focused on the U.S. election, of course, so I haven't yet seen a report, if there's one.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20218169

[Concord]

Coaching Alisa Weilerstein in the Cello Concerto. I love the way he tells her that he doesn't hear too well anymore, and then tells her exactly how she should be playing.

http://www.youtube.com/v/1stGn4NA-tU

[not edward]

A collection of tributes assembled by the Guardian. Mostly the usual suspects, but there's at least one surprising person here: John Tavener, who does make an interesting comment:

I think he did something no other modernist has ever achieved. He, in the last 10 years of his life, seemed to rid modernism of all its angst

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/nov/06/elliott-carter-remembered

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

It also gets the name of Carter's 2007 string orchestra piece wrong, calling it Soundings rather than Sound Fields.

The errors have been fixed  Thanks for the overview, a nice piece of writing. Here's something I'm wondering about:

When Copland published a survey of "younger talents to watch", in 1948, Carter did not get a mention, a fact which – despite his affection for Copland – still rankled in later years.

Does anyone know who did make Copland's list of "younger talents"?

[not edward]

Does anyone know who did make Copland's list of "younger talents"?

Yes, as it's reprinted in Copland on Music. The people he mentioned were, in order: Robert Palmer (who he?), Alexei Haieff (who he?), Harold Shapero, Lukas Foss, Leonard Bernstein, William Bergsma and John Cage.

To be honest, I do have some sympathy for Copland's position here. I don't really detect signs of anything special in Carter's music till the Piano Sonata (which was only two years old at the time), these signs becoming more obvious in the Cello Sonata (roughly contemporary with Copland's list) and utterly clear with the 1st String Quartet (three years after it).

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Yes, as it's reprinted in Copland on Music. The people he mentioned were, in order: Robert Palmer (who he?), Alexei Haieff (who he?), Harold Shapero, Lukas Foss, Leonard Bernstein, William Bergsma and John Cage.

It speaks well of Copland's prophetic abilities that he was able to forecast the success of Robert "Addicted to Love" Palmer a year before that singer was even born. As for the others, he scored obvious hits with Bernstein and Cage, and arguably with Lukas Foss. Then there's the odd case of Shapero, who wrote the wonderful Symphony for Classical Orchestra and apparently nothing else of importance. The other guys I've never heard of.

[not edward]

It speaks well of Copland's prophetic abilities that he was able to forecast the success of Robert "Addicted to Love" Palmer a year before that singer was even born.

Yeah, I was thinking about making a joke about him being a real power station of a prognosticator.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Back in the real world:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Moffat_Palmer

[DavidW]

He was one of my favorite contemporary composers.  RIP Carter.

[CRCulver]

Isn't it interesting that Carter's personal assistant, the clarinettist Virgil Blackwell, was also a member of Steve Reich and Musicians? The gap between America's high modernism and the minimalists wasn't so great as it is made out to be.

[springrite]

Listened to 4 CDs of Carter two days ago, and two more today. As much as I listen to Carter (maybe every month), it seems I have forgotten how great his music really is. The Piano Sonata, Night Fantasie, Double Concerto, Triple Duo, 4tets, In Sleep In Thunder... what magnificent works they truly are!

I will get back to his post 2000 works tomorrow.

I met Carter once after a concert in Los Angeles back when I was a college student. As a newbie then, I did not know the significance of the occasion and have in fact no recollection of any details the occasion, probably because there weren't any. Shame!

[petrarch]

Isn't it interesting that Carter's personal assistant, the clarinettist Virgil Blackwell, was also a member of Steve Reich and Musicians? The gap between America's high modernism and the minimalists wasn't so great as it is made out to be.

And there's the Nadia Boulanger link between Carter and Glass.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Isn't it interesting that Carter's personal assistant, the clarinettist Virgil Blackwell, was also a member of Steve Reich and Musicians? The gap between America's high modernism and the minimalists wasn't so great as it is made out to be.

Could just be a case of personal friendship trumping aesthetic concerns. As I recall Carter trashed minimalism as being equivalent to advertising or political propaganda.

[not edward]

Could just be a case of personal friendship trumping aesthetic concerns. As I recall Carter trashed minimalism as being equivalent to advertising or political propaganda.

He did. And then he wrote Sound Fields...

[Concord]

Isn't it interesting that Carter's personal assistant, the clarinettist Virgil Blackwell, was also a member of Steve Reich and Musicians? The gap between America's high modernism and the minimalists wasn't so great as it is made out to be.

Not for performers, perhaps.

[Concord]

To mark Mr. Carter's passing, Marvin Rosen has reposted the all-Carter program he and I did last July on his Classical  Discoveries Goes Avant-Garde radio program. Those of you who missed it the first time around can listen to it here. Those of you who did hear it might want to listen again, as a sort of tribute (to Carter, not to me). I hate the photo Marvin posted, but the music is great, and I didn't embarrass myself too badly during the interviews.

[bhodges]

A few words on Elliott Carter for Seen and Heard:

http://www.seenandheard-international.com/2012/11/16/on-elliott-carter-1908-2012/

--Bruce

[San Antone]

He did. And then he wrote Sound Fields...

If you are implying that Sound Field is a Minimalist work; I do not agree. 

[bhodges]

The January 13 Elliott Carter tribute concert held at New York's Le Poisson Rouge is now available online (free) here. Program and artists:

Con Leggerezza Pensosa - Omaggio a Italo Calvino
Figment
Tempo e Tempi
Duettino
Gra
Fantasy
Quintet for Piano and String Quartet

Peformed by Charlie Neidich, clarinet; Rolf Schulte, violin; Fred Sherry, cello; Tony Arnold, soprano; Steve Taylor, oboe; Ursula Oppens, piano; Michael Nicolas, conductor. Ensemble LPR: Harumi Rhodes, violin; Clara Lee, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Mihai Marica, cello.

--Bruce

[San Antone]

The January 13 Elliott Carter tribute concert held at New York's Le Poisson Rouge is now available online (free) here. Program and artists:

Con Leggerezza Pensosa - Omaggio a Italo Calvino
Figment
Tempo e Tempi
Duettino
Gra
Fantasy
Quintet for Piano and String Quartet

Peformed by Charlie Neidich, clarinet; Rolf Schulte, violin; Fred Sherry, cello; Tony Arnold, soprano; Steve Taylor, oboe; Ursula Oppens, piano; Michael Nicolas, conductor. Ensemble LPR: Harumi Rhodes, violin; Clara Lee, violin; Mark Holloway, viola; Mihai Marica, cello.

--Bruce

Looks great.  Thanks for posting this.