Toch Talk

[Cato]

Emotional high points made me think of Zemlinsky.

Now THAT impression I find highly fascinating!  Did any specific Zemlinsky work come to mind?

[LKB]

Now THAT impression I find highly fascinating!  Did any specific Zemlinsky work come to mind?

I was thinking of Z's String Quartet no. 2. But l need to hear more Toch, you can't get a good feel for anyone new in just a few minutes... or l can't at any rate. 

[Spotted Horses]

I was thinking of Z's String Quartet no. 2. But l need to hear more Toch, you can't get a good feel for anyone new in just a few minutes... or l can't at any rate.

A few minutes? 

[LKB]

A few minutes? 

Yes, a few minutes. I work full-time overnight or " graveyard " shifts, grab whatever fractured sleep l can during the day, and do whatever needs doing within those two dominant constraints. I always devote my full attention to music, so l want to be fully awake and cognizant if it's a new work or an unfamiliar composer. As Ernst Toch only came to my attention on Monday, I've not had any real opportunities for listening in depth. But I'll have some real time over the weekend, so stay tuned. 

[Spotted Horses]

Yes, a few minutes. I work full-time overnight or " graveyard " shifts, grab whatever fractured sleep l can during the day, and do whatever needs doing within those two dominant constraints. I always devote my full attention to music, so l want to be fully awake and cognizant if it's a new work or an unfamiliar composer. As Ernst Toch only came to my attention on Monday, I've not had any real opportunities for listening in depth. But I'll have some real time over the weekend, so stay tuned. 

I can relate to your time constraints (except for the bit about the weekend). But 10 minute is the minimum time window I will generally assign to music.

[LKB]

Home from work, and about to crash for ( hopefully ) several hours. At some point in the evening I'll devote some time to Toch. I want to hear more of the Cello Sonata, l think it intrigued me more than the symphony or String quartet did. It'll probably be tomorrow ( or very late tonight ) before l post anything more, but I'll certainly get back here.

[Spotted Horses]

Having listened through the cpo set of the 8 extant string quartets, I find them very appealing and found myself wondering if I should revisit the symphonies, which in the past I had found less than appealing.

A quick sample indicates, that indeed the symphonies don't appeal to me. Too many musical ideas intertwine in the many voices of the orchestra and I can't make heads nor tails of it. Having four voices concentrates his attention, I think.

[Symphonic Addict]

+1 for his string quartets. They were truly revelatory when I heard them two years ago.

[Symphonic Addict]

His formidable string quartets are not his only chamber pieces that possess masterful qualities. I came across these Naxos CDs that contain several of those works and I must say I found a treasure trove. Perhaps the Adagio elegiaco for clarinet and piano doesn't stand out as much as the other compositions, but the rest of them do sound worthwhile and inspired, often tinged with irony and piquant harmonic ideas somewhat close to the style of Hindemith/Hartmann to offer some kind of comparison. The second violin sonata, the cello sonata and the string trio didn't lack much to reach the category of masterpieces, they are superb, meaty, tasty creations (the late-Romantic first violin sonata is fantastic too, but slightly less distinctive). However, the one piece that definitely is a masterwork is the Piano Quintet. Its four movements titled The Lyrical Part, The Whimsical Part, The Contemplative Part and The Dramatic Part, respectively, essentially sum up the mood of each. This is tremendous stuff that anyone considered themselves a fan of this composer should miss. For me, it's one of the very greatest Austrian/American piano quintets bar none.

I know that there are other fans of this composer around here and I'm sure they will enjoy these pieces in a similar degree as I did.