Magnus Lindberg's lair

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Ondine has announced that it will issue a recording in February or March of Lindberg's GRAFITTI for orchestra and choir, settings of inscriptions found at Pompeii that depict many different strands of Roman everyday society. I attended the world premiere of this piece in Helsinki last spring and was very impressed by it. It maintains the strengths of Lindberg's idiom while at the same time throwing in a lot of scenes which will surprise longtime fans.

In any event, a a classical piece where the choir signs "You give good head" (Myrtis bene fellas) is always a novelty. I wonder how much criticism this will invoke from the conservatives, like when David Hurwitz was really pissed off that Thomas Ades included a musical description of fellatio in his opera Powder Her Face.

It turns out that very same Hurwitz is in ecstasy over the piece, or at least the recording thereof:

http://www.classicstoday.com/review.asp?ReviewNum=12803

[lescamil]

Has anyone heard Magnus Lindberg's latest piece "Al Largo"? I have a recording, but have not yet gotten around to it. I am sure hoping to hear something with a bit more substance than EXPO (Al Largo is much longer anyways) and with a bit more spice to it than GRAFFITI, which I thought was a bit too static and soft, even for Lindberg's latest music. Even his Clarinet Concerto was more abrasive than GRAFFITI. Not that it was a terrible piece (it was actually quite engaging), but I really miss the style he employed in the early to mid 90s.

[bhodges]

Yes, I was at the third performance of Al largo, and liked it very much.  You can still listen to it for a few more hours, until noon on Monday, here:

http://nyphil.org/broadcast/broadcast_main.cfm

I liked it much better than EXPO, although I was very glad that the orchestra did a world premiere on opening night.  But give the new one a listen, and see what you think.

--Bruce

[bhodges]

Leaving shortly to go hear Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic play Lindberg's Kraft (1983-85), which I'm hoping is going to be a really fun experience.  For weeks, the orchestra has been publicizing Gilbert and the percussionists, and their visit to a Staten Island junkyard, where they were looking for pieces of scrap metal. 

--Bruce

[(poco) Sforzando]

Leaving shortly to go hear Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic play Lindberg's Kraft (1983-85), which I'm hoping is going to be a really fun experience.  For weeks, the orchestra has been publicizing Gilbert and the percussionists, and their visit to a Staten Island junkyard, where they were looking for pieces of scrap metal. 

--Bruce

What did you think of it, Bruce? I just got back from tonight's performance, and it was certainly a thrilling (and very loud) spectacle. Even so, what remains most in this memory is the exquisite treatment of Debussy's Faune.

[lescamil]

I can't wait to hear Gilbert's rendition of Kraft when they put it online in November. I doubt it will be able to beat either of Salonen's recording of the work, though. Also, the Toimii ensemble's virtuosity in those recordings will be hard to top also.

[bhodges]

What did you think of it, Bruce? I just got back from tonight's performance, and it was certainly a thrilling (and very loud) spectacle. Even so, what remains most in this memory is the exquisite treatment of Debussy's Faune.

Sorry I missed this post!  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was just so proud of Gilbert and the musicians for even tackling the piece to begin with.  I liked it very much, but have only heard the CD below (which was one of the first CDs I ever bought!), and I haven't listened to it in a very long time.  My hunch is that the piece really has to be heard live (unless a surround-sound recording is in the works), and the NY Philharmonic did a splendid job as far as I could tell.  Certainly from a logistical standpoint it was a big achievement on those terms alone.

I also thought the Debussy performance was something special--caught me a little off guard, since I was really at the concert for Lindberg's piece.  And the Sibelius Violin Concerto also surprised me, since I'm not a big fan of it, but it seemed to blossom in Joshua Bell's hands. 

But back to Kraft: I'm just so happy that they did it, that they did it so well, and that the audience reaction at the end was so incredibly positive.  The night I went, most were standing and cheering, and brought the musicians back 4 or 5 times.

--Bruce

[lescamil]

On the subject of Kraft, I would highly recommend this recording, which is better than the old recording:



The sound is just so much more explosive and detailed than the older recording, which sounds a bit dull to my ears. The piano concerto is also a top notch piece that isn't worth missing. Lindberg is a world class pianist that I would love to hear play other contemporary music.

[lescamil]

For anyone that is interested, you can now hear Alan Gilbert's performance of Kraft from October, which was met with great reviews. I haven't heard it yet, but I hope it can compete with Salonen's aforementioned performance(s). Hear it on www.nyphil.org while you can.

[bhodges]

Last weekend Alan Gilbert led the NY Philharmonic in another Lindberg world premiere, Souvenir (in memoriam Gérard Grisey), which I mostly liked very much.  (If it suffered in comparison with the amazing Grisey Quatre chants that followed, it's not Lindberg's fault.)  Written for large chamber ensemble, Souvenir is relatively slow-moving but with flashes of activity, and closes on a beautiful, radiant chord.

I think of the three Lindberg premieres here in the last year or so, Al largo might be the one to return to, but of course only time and further hearings will tell.

--Bruce

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Souvenir is relatively slow-moving but with flashes of activity, and closes on a beautiful, radiant chord.

In other words - it's like pretty much every Lindberg piece I've heard since the mid-90s. He does seem to be repeating himself a bit too much for my taste.

[bhodges]

In other words - it's like pretty much every Lindberg piece I've heard since the mid-90s. He does seem to be repeating himself a bit too much for my taste.

That was exactly the opinion of a friend I spoke to afterward.  She liked it, but thought it didn't have that last bit of inspiration that would make it really memorable.

--Bruce

[petrarch]

Just got this all-orchestral 4-CD box yesterday, though haven't played it yet.

[asin]B004KDO31A[/asin]

Will delve into it as soon as I find some mental bandwidth.

[lescamil]

I have all of those pieces in that box set, just in their original releases. I am a bit shocked that they left off some of the instrumental concertos. I would rank the Piano Concerto as one of Lindberg's best works. It was written before he became the predictable composer he seems to be today, not that I have a problem with that! I've heard most of his new works, and while they are predictable, I think his brand of music is never sickening to listen to, simply because he is such a master of orchestral color. I hope to hear Souvenir soon. I just don't want to have to shell out $50 for a NYPhil iTunes pass just to hear that one piece.

[Mirror Image]

I have all of those pieces in that box set, just in their original releases. I am a bit shocked that they left off some of the instrumental concertos. I would rank the Piano Concerto as one of Lindberg's best works. It was written before he became the predictable composer he seems to be today, not that I have a problem with that! I've heard most of his new works, and while they are predictable, I think his brand of music is never sickening to listen to, simply because he is such a master of orchestral color. I hope to hear Souvenir soon. I just don't want to have to shell out $50 for a NYPhil iTunes pass just to hear that one piece.

Leaving out the concertos was a definite deal-breaker for me. I think it was bad judgement on Ondine's part to leave them out imho.

[Mirror Image]

I have a good bit of Lindberg on the way...

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[asin]B00020HEQG[/asin]
[asin]B000ARHNHG[/asin]
[asin]B001HADFBS[/asin]
[asin]B0031O7V6I[/asin]
[asin]B000SNUMFC[/asin]
[asin]B000066SKA[/asin]

[Mirror Image]

Doesn't seem like Lindberg gets a lot of love around here and I think that's a shame because he's a highly inventive composer with some intriguing ideas about music. It seems that so many people are stuck in the past and simply can't bring themselves to listening to newer music. Is our fellow GMG member Karl Henning being ignored because he's a contemporary composer? I think this kind of mindset is what is killing classical music. There are too many snobs in the audiences.

Somebody asked me one time why don't I go see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra? The reason I don't is because I can listen to the same old workhorses at home. I want to hear music I can't hear anywhere else and this speaks volumes about the state the ASO is in right now. They play music that sells, but don't offer enough "meat" to people who are hungary for something fresh.

[DavidW]

I have a cd of Lindberg and I enjoy it.  I don't see why you're bringing snobbery into the picture, he is a minor composer.  Just the fact that his music is performed, recorded, listened to and discussed on an internet forum says that he has not been ignored.  As for Karl, well there are literally thousands of active composers around the world, it's hard to become famous or even well received when you can't even grab attention.

As for the state of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, since many orchestras are in financial straits I'm not surprised they chose war horses to play.

I'm only mentioning these things because you're making a habit of drawing a picture of snobs dismissing your composer for every composer that you like.  Maybe that is not actually the case, and even if it is, maybe you can enjoy the music without needing an imaginary audience sneering at it to make you feel validated.

[snyprrr]

Doesn't seem like Lindberg gets a lot of love around here and I think that's a shame because he's a highly inventive composer with some intriguing ideas about music. It seems that so many people are stuck in the past and simply can't bring themselves to listening to newer music. Is our fellow GMG member Karl Henning being ignored because he's a contemporary composer? I think this kind of mindset is what is killing classical music. There are too many snobs in the audiences.

Somebody asked me one time why don't I go see the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra? The reason I don't is because I can listen to the same old workhorses at home. I want to hear music I can't hear anywhere else and this speaks volumes about the state the ASO is in right now. They play music that sells, but don't offer enough "meat" to people who are hungary for something fresh.

If I was a famous Composer, I'd want the rugged, good looking Nordic features like Lindberg. Haha, he looks so... trustworthy? I don't know, I've always been impressed with his looks, haha.

I got into the Lindberg fray early in the Ondine blitz,... but, like so many Ondine/Chandos/BIS Composers, I got too much and cooled to a lukewarm. I do still stand by the, IMO, absolutely wonderful Clarinet Quintet (get ONLY the Arditti version!): that is a Masterpiece, I think.

I hope MI doesn't overdose and get sick.

[Mirror Image]

I don't see why you're bringing snobbery into the picture, he is a minor composer.

And this is a minor post.