What are you listening to now?

[Sorrano]

Great minds think alike !! Actually, I'm preparing a mini presentation for my advanced harmony (would-be teachers) group this Friday: just the exposition, pointing out the harmonies and that great "Star Wars" 2+3 Bruckner rhythm. I regret to say none of these students has ever heard a note of Bruckner. Will I make any converts this Friday? I'll keep you posted, Sorrano !

And don't forget that the music to the Superman movies (the ones with Christopher Reeves) was based on the same motif that opens Bruckner's 3rd Symphony.

Was John Williams a big Bruckner fan?

I will certainly be interested in your results. It's funny, too, because one of the things I really paid attention to was the changing harmonies in the movement, especially the development.

[Roehre]

Today:

Rheinberger:
Sinfonische Sonate in C opus 47 (1864)

Gombert (c1495-1557):
Magnificat secundi Toni
Missa Tempore Paschali

Xenakis:
Phlegra
Jalons

Ligeti:
Aventures (1962)
Nouvelles Aventures I (1965)
Nouvelles Aventures II (1965)

[Sorrano]

Roehre, I am curious as to your reaction to Ligeti's Aventures, etc.? Most of my friends (at the time I discovered these pieces) were not able to listen to these for more than a minute (but then what they listened to I had pretty much the same reaction).

[Chris]

Haydn:

Piano Trio Hob XV:19
Two Italian duets, Hob XXVa:1 and 2
Andante with variations in F minor, Hob XVII:6
The Spirit's Song, Hob XXVIa:41
The Battle of the Nile, Hob XXV1b:4
Piano Trio Hob XV:18

I bought this CD by the Four Nations Ensemble for The Battle of the Nile, of which only a couple of recordings have been made, and I didn't expect to enjoy the rest of the CD much due to the use of period instruments, which I don't find work very well in small ensembles with a fortepiano. The fortepiano to me generally sounds about as good as someone trying to shove a cat down a garbage disposal, and I can usually only tolerate it when it shares the stage with an orchestra. But I found that I enjoyed the entire CD. Everything sounded very, very good. The reverb was just right - neither completely dry nor drenched in it. And the whole thing was aided by some clear and excellent singing. So I don't know, maybe this CD was just made by people who knew what they were doing.

[Roehre]

Roehre, I am curious as to your reaction to Ligeti's Aventures, etc.? Most of my friends (at the time I discovered these pieces) were not able to listen to these for more than a minute (but then what they listened to I had pretty much the same reaction).

I like them very much.
It's more theatre than anything else, but Aventures (and even more the New Adventures ) are just comics in music, hence the name, and hence that they are much better "consumed" in their theatrical form (titled Aventures & Nouvelles Aventures, lasting some 10 minutes longer than the 3 works independently performed).

They are more radical than Berio's Sequenza III (not by chance from 1965 as well ), which is also (partly) based on exclamations as seen/read in comics.

Essentially humorous, at least not serious (or to be seriously taken) music, and -though a briliant technique is required for all vocalists- certainly as nice to perform as to listen to.

[Roehre]

Haydn:

Piano Trio Hob XV:19
Two Italian duets, Hob XXVa:1 and 2
Andante with variations in F minor, Hob XVII:6
The Spirit's Song, Hob XXVIa:41
The Battle of the Nile, Hob XXV1b:4
Piano Trio Hob XV:18

I bought this CD by the Four Nations Ensemble for The Battle of the Nile, of which only a couple of recordings have been made, and I didn't expect to enjoy the rest of the CD much due to the use of period instruments, which I don't find work very well in small ensembles with a fortepiano. The fortepiano to me generally sounds about as good as someone trying to shove a cat down a garbage disposal, and I can usually only tolerate it when it shares the stage with an orchestra. But I found that I enjoyed the entire CD. Everything sounded very, very good. The reverb was just right - neither completely dry nor drenched in it. And the whole thing was aided by some clear and excellent singing. So I don't know, maybe this CD was just made by people who knew what they were doing.

Which CD is this, Chris?

[Preston]

I just listened to Ligeti's Aventures. The piece itself seems to be more about human emotions than feelings? The thought that occurred to me is, should sound be called music? Or is music something different than sound?

I do not understand what Ligeti's point is behind the piece? Is it philosophical to some degree?

[Sorrano]

I just listened to Ligeti's Aventures. The piece itself seems to be more about human emotions than feelings? The thought that occurred to me is, should sound be called music? Or is music something different than sound?

I do not understand what Ligeti's point is behind the piece? Is it philosophical to some degree?

My understanding of the piece was that the intention was to explore the possibilities of the human voice; that it was not necessarily a composition per se, but rather an essay, if you will, on the vocal capabilities. I do find it fascinating to listen to them (all the Aventures works.

[Roehre]

I just listened to Ligeti's Aventures. The piece itself seems to be more about human emotions than feelings? The thought that occurred to me is, should sound be called music? Or is music something different than sound?

I do not understand what Ligeti's point is behind the piece? Is it philosophical to some degree?

Ligeti expressed in (Nouvelles) Aventures according to his own description:
Adventures of form and expression, imaginary stories, labyrinthic situations, with expressions of a whole range of feelings, idylles, nostalgia, Angst, love, humour, passion, dream and being awake, logic and absurdity

[Preston]

Ligeti expressed in (Nouvelles) Aventures according to his own description:
Adventures of form and expression, imaginary stories, labyrinthic situations, with expressions of a whole range of feelings, idylles, nostalgia, Angst, love, humour, passion, dream and being awake, logic and absurdity

Thank you Sorrano and Roehre. I need to think more about Ligeti's music. Though, for now all I know to say is, he certainly expresses emotions and feelings in a different way than most music I am used to hearing? More to come on this, at some point.

[Chris]

Which CD is this, Chris?

It's on Gaudeamus (CD GAU 219).

Andrew Appel - fortepiano
Ryan Brown - violin
Loretta O'Sullivan - cello
Ann Monoyios - soprano
Nils Brown - tenor

Rather hard to find these days, but there are still some new and used copies being offered by sellers through the various Amazon sites.

[Roehre]

thanks Chris

[Preston]

I mentioned this piece years ago on this forum, and now have found it on youtube. I was impressed with the soprano.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knhWsnkqr1M[/YOUTUBE]

[Chris]

Haydn: The secular canons, Hob XXVIIb:1-46

This was probably the biggest gap in my Haydn collection, and I looked for recordings of these pieces for a long time, and eventually concluded that none existed. Then one day I ran across this CD purely by accident while looking for something else. I'm glad I found it, as I always enjoyed the canons of Beethoven and Mozart, and Haydn's certainly don't disappoint.

According to the liner notes, these cannons hung framed in Haydn's last home at Gumpendorf. "I was not rich enough to buy myself beautiful paintings, so I made myself a wallpaper that not everybody can have." Indeed!

[Chris]

A little more Haydn for today:

6 Feldparthien (Divertimenti), Hob. II:41-46

Often considered spurious for some reason, this is some fine and charming wind music.