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Rye
Jun 20, 2010

by exmarx
A long time ago, I watched a video of an Eastern European or Russian cello soloist with piano accompaniment. The soloist was rather large, the girl turning the pianist's pages was mousy-looking, the music was atonal, and the whole atmosphere of the video was very dark. It's a long shot, but does anybody know what video I'm talking about?

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Roadside_Picnic
Jun 7, 2012

by Fistgrrl

Case271 posted:

Are there any early music specialists on here?

I found this video while learning about the "organistrum".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRIF_undL8Q

Does anybody know, what the name of the piece he's playing is? Or anything similar? I like the sound of choralesque music played only with one hand.

It could be, that it's a reduction of a more polyphoneous piece, but in that case I would like to know where to start looking for reduced music like that.

No clue about the piece, and he might be improvising. But pretty much all early vocal music can also be performed for instrumental ensembles. Have you checked out any of the hurdy-gurdy videos on youtube? Some of those show pieces.

Also, unrelated--been listening to this lately (Erki-Sven Tuur)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFXUEfW6xJU&feature=related

Rye
Jun 20, 2010

by exmarx
This tuba solo was supposedly written in one afternoon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inD3o1Pt6ew

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.
Elephant, if you like that tuba solo, you might enjoy this trombone one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xrgLSK_aCU

They're quite different pieces. The 'Cappriccio' you linked has more of a persistent motif, whereas the Crespo Improvisation seems a bit more like 'free-form' music in that it goes whereever the composer happened to want.

However, something about the phrasing and rhythms makes them feel like two faces of the same coin, and after listening to the Zdislav, I immediately had to go listen to this to see if they really were as closely related as I thought. They're not... but still might be worth a listen.

dromer
Aug 19, 2012

THUNDERDOME LOSER
I haven't seen the Mnozil Brass mentioned yet. They're an Austrian brass band and they have some rather good skits.

Light Cavalry Overture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EfZ1-2szFM

At the Movies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3QwiUDt2-E

William Tell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_srdB2JGBI

Bohemian Rhapsody:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBLm747tyn0

Magic Moments
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLYo3n6p1g8

Part of a slow motion skit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kqv2pv2OUIk

dromer fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Nov 23, 2012

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.
Mnozil Brass is awesome, and Zoltan Kiss (trombone soloist) is one of the most natural virtuosic talents on the instrument these days.

Just for the sake of completeness, this is probably their best known work, and incorporates their sense of humor rather well, Hungarian Schnapsodie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY48zwwNBvI

Mostly Czardas, but with some other tunes that I can't identify off the top of my head.

Mister Mind
Mar 20, 2009

I'm not a real doctor,
But I am a real worm;
I am an actual worm
This is a wonderful thread - special thanks to all the Arvo Pärt and John Adams fans out there!

Here's a partial sampling of a work by Vladimir Martynov, "Come In" which I first heard on Gidon Kremer's "Silencio" album. Absolutely gorgeous violin work, and a little bit of humor with the "knocking".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TGGuGLBCJg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVyFwtDyOUI

Opus125
Jul 29, 2011

by Y Kant Ozma Post
I was playing Civilization V the other night and was delighted that the game used the second movement of Grieg's piano concerto as part of the chill soundtrack. :)

abske_fides
Apr 20, 2010
Can anyone recommend some good minimalist contemporary music? I know the bigger guys like Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, etc etc and I'm familiar with some figures like Nyman, Einaudi, Van Veen, Bjørnstad, etc. Any recommendation is quite welcome.

I really love this type of music and am currently exploring the use of algorithmic composition from a computer within minimalist music as part of my degree hehe

Kaskitew
Dec 28, 2012
I've always been a fan of classical music, even as a young child I preferred a concerto over the 1990s dance club beat which don't get me wrong, is fabulous in its own right. However, I did not start paying attention to names until I look a music class in university last year. I remember the professor playing the first movement of Vivaldi's Spring Concerto, and although I heard the piece before (who hasn't?), I did not know who it was by, or even what the name of the piece was!

A year later, and I just got over an obsession with Gustav Holst's Planet Suite, I know, how mainstream. My obsession with the piece stems from my obsession with outer space in general, I like to think that if I had the brains and academic motivation for it, I'd definitely major in something to do with outer space. Anyway, back to the piece, my favourite movement is surprisingly not Jupiter, or Mars, it is in fact, Uranus! (tee-hee) The main reason why I enjoyed it the most is how action packed it is, nothing stays the same for very long. This constant change fits the piece to the planet perfectly, seeing as Uranus is considered to be the planet of change (even if it is quite antithetical to its title weather-wise). Although the entire work is fantastic composition no doubt, I feel that other movements are more about the gods the planets are named after, and not the actual planet, Venus and Saturn come to mind.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjxBzMsHfRc
James Levine, in my opinion conducted one of the best version of The Planets, as is the case with most of Deutsche Grammophon recordings in my experience.

Also, if you have the time, do give a listen to Isao Tomita's version of The Planets. Although it is not classical, Tomita takes a classical composition, and turns it into a somewhat spiritual feeling electronic space journey. I highly recommend giving a listen to his version of Neptune, the Mystic, as he takes the aquatic feeling of the original, and multiplies it tenfold, and in the process makes it even more mystical! The best thing about it though is that it's loud enough to take on the bus, and you don't have to turn your iPod all the way up just to hear it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K-NBH9Q-eo
I chose this video, because it had various images of Neptune in it, and Neptune is my favourite thing in the universe, yet alone the solar system.

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.

abske_fides posted:

Can anyone recommend some good minimalist contemporary music? I know the bigger guys like Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, Terry Riley, etc etc and I'm familiar with some figures like Nyman, Einaudi, Van Veen, Bjørnstad, etc. Any recommendation is quite welcome.

I really love this type of music and am currently exploring the use of algorithmic composition from a computer within minimalist music as part of my degree hehe

Check out some Alvin Lucier. He does some really interesting stuff, especially his experiments with the interactions of very slightly (0.1Hz) varying soundwaves alongside microtone-capable acoustic instruments. You might find something you love.

MC Fruit Stripe
Nov 26, 2002

around and around we go

Kytrarewn posted:

Check out some Alvin Lucier. He does some really interesting stuff, especially his experiments with the interactions of very slightly (0.1Hz) varying soundwaves alongside microtone-capable acoustic instruments. You might find something you love.
Music on a Long Thin Wire is good, but I'm not sure it's much more than good if I'm being honest. It's just TOO minimal.

I Am Sitting in a Room, however, is amazing.

abske_fides
Apr 20, 2010
I've heard some Alvin Lucier, mostly I'm Sitting In A Room but I'll check out some of his other stuff. Thanks guys! Been listening to so much Arvo Pärt this week

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.

MC Fruit Stripe posted:

Music on a Long Thin Wire is good, but I'm not sure it's much more than good if I'm being honest. It's just TOO minimal.

I Am Sitting in a Room, however, is amazing.

Honestly, I don't feel like I have explored non-minimalist music quite enough to fully appreciate the minimal stuff, so I tend to appreciate Lucier more for the interesting acoustic experiments and pitch interactions than anything else.

Hopefully my palate will continue to acquire new tastes, though.

leahlionheart
Jun 20, 2012

by T. Finninho
This is a wonderful resource, and full of great recommendations for beginner and 'expert' alike.

There doesn't seem to be a thread devoted specifically to opera, but I wanted to chime in on a few counts. I've been a devoted opera fan since c2002, and have made an effort to see as many live and simulcast productions as possible. Some of the most noteworthy of the past few years were (naturally), the Ring Cycle produced by Lepage at The Met (particularly Die Walkure), The Lyric's 2009 production of Tristan und Isolde, and (though I'm a Wagner/Romantics snob, I found it profoundly moving and beautiful) Berlioz's Damnacion de Faust at the 2009 Met. Seriously, if you are anywhere near a simulcast theater - http://www.metopera.org - go see a performance!.

In 2007, I lived in Prague -- and the impetus of choosing the city was the ready availability of world-class opera, symphony, and ballet on a student's budget (I saw about 40 productions over 3 months, and tickets averaged $10 USD). I saw shows without regard for what they were, but rather for the ready availability of fantastic performances of all genres. (That said, the modern dance performance at Narodni Divadlo (National Theater) to Tom Waites' music is something I could have done without).

Like most other interests and passions requiring consumption and discernment of preferences, I'd really recommend just listening to as much as possible, regardless of immediate inclinations, and not overlooking what immediately may seem uninteresting. It took me a long time to appreciate comedic opera, but I'll always have a soft spot for Lehar's Merry Widow.

There are a wonderful selection of short books that introduce and de-mystify Wagner, Bryan Magee's Aspects of Wagner is an excellent resource, as is his book The Tristan Chord (a more thorough evaluation of philosophy related to Wagner's works. Adorno's In Search of Wagner is for a bit more of a theoretical framework, and Zizek's introductory essay is actually very good. Finally, the Spencer translation of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung contains the libretto for the 'Cycle and has superb verso English translation.

Also holy gently caress not sure I could shoe-horn more blowhard pretension into this post. I never get to nerd-out over this stuff.

Greed is eternal
Jun 8, 2008
I recently got through Wagner's Ring and I can really understand why people love it, but I think it takes itself a little too serious. I don't feel that playfulness and passion that I feel in Verdi's operas. I guess I am saying that I think the Ring is boring.

algebra testes
Mar 5, 2011


Lipstick Apathy
I honestly have no idea why some people would think that the Ring takes itself too seriously, and that Wagner may have been a bit of a knob.

CowOnCrack
Sep 26, 2004

by R. Guyovich
I am looking for recordings of the Well-Tempered Clavier. So far I've listened to Andras Schiff, Sviatoslov Richter, parts of Glenn Gould, and snippets of others (Edward Aldwell, Jeno Jando, etc.)

For me, Schiff is the best I've heard. I hesitate to say by far, because obviously there are so many great things to say about Richter and Gould (and I haven't heard all of Gould yet), but there's something just unique about his playing. Who else should I check out?

Here are some links to share:

Andras Schiff, Prelude and Fugue in E Major, Book 2 (First recording):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEgMf17ttTs

Sviatoslav Ricther, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, Book 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAEhX4lQLNg

I feel that Richter often plays his preludes and fugues too fast, but in this case his rendition is simply stunning.

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

trekdanne posted:

I recently got through Wagner's Ring and I can really understand why people love it, but I think it takes itself a little too serious. I don't feel that playfulness and passion that I feel in Verdi's operas. I guess I am saying that I think the Ring is boring.

The Ring really rewards you the more you study / understand what it's doing musically. It takes itself 'seriously' to be sure, but so does, say, War and Peace, or Moby Dick, or virtually any not-intentionally-humorous novel from before the post-modernist movement. And while (since the advent of post-modernism) sincerity seems naive, and one needs to shield oneself with armor of irony and sarcasm, I think that is kind of a cowardly way of approaching the world. It has its place but as a counterpoint, not a default view.

The Ring is, imo, one of the wonders of the world, and I certainly haven't come close to plumbing all its mysteries and secrets.


There is no defending Wagner's personal views, certainly. But if I limited myself to enjoying the art of only people whose views and personal lives I agreed with, the list of artists, musical or otherwise, I enjoyed would be short indeed. A separation between the work and the person is necessary. I hugely admire Roman Polanski's films while despising him as a person.

regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Mar 11, 2013

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

leahlionheart posted:

This is a wonderful resource, and full of great recommendations for beginner and 'expert' alike.

There doesn't seem to be a thread devoted specifically to opera, but I wanted to chime in on a few counts. I've been a devoted opera fan since c2002, and have made an effort to see as many live and simulcast productions as possible. Some of the most noteworthy of the past few years were (naturally), the Ring Cycle produced by Lepage at The Met (particularly Die Walkure), The Lyric's 2009 production of Tristan und Isolde, and (though I'm a Wagner/Romantics snob, I found it profoundly moving and beautiful) Berlioz's Damnacion de Faust at the 2009 Met. Seriously, if you are anywhere near a simulcast theater - http://www.metopera.org - go see a performance!.

In 2007, I lived in Prague -- and the impetus of choosing the city was the ready availability of world-class opera, symphony, and ballet on a student's budget (I saw about 40 productions over 3 months, and tickets averaged $10 USD). I saw shows without regard for what they were, but rather for the ready availability of fantastic performances of all genres. (That said, the modern dance performance at Narodni Divadlo (National Theater) to Tom Waites' music is something I could have done without).

Like most other interests and passions requiring consumption and discernment of preferences, I'd really recommend just listening to as much as possible, regardless of immediate inclinations, and not overlooking what immediately may seem uninteresting. It took me a long time to appreciate comedic opera, but I'll always have a soft spot for Lehar's Merry Widow.

There are a wonderful selection of short books that introduce and de-mystify Wagner, Bryan Magee's Aspects of Wagner is an excellent resource, as is his book The Tristan Chord (a more thorough evaluation of philosophy related to Wagner's works. Adorno's In Search of Wagner is for a bit more of a theoretical framework, and Zizek's introductory essay is actually very good. Finally, the Spencer translation of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung contains the libretto for the 'Cycle and has superb verso English translation.

Also holy gently caress not sure I could shoe-horn more blowhard pretension into this post. I never get to nerd-out over this stuff.

I've made a couple Opera Megathreads but they died short and horrible deaths. I think opera just seems too terribly intimidating and full of misconceptions (fat viking hatted sopranos, "ugly" and artificial sounding voices, stupid arias of people just singing the word Figaro over and over again)
My general recommendation for a complete opera neophyte is the Natalie Dessay version of Orphee aux Enfers (technically an operetta but as an intro to opera for the uninitiated, the difference is negligible). Full version is on youtube as well!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_efSJqyhLA
Hilarious, one great tune after another (including one that everyone, no matter how unfamiliar with opera, will recognize), incredible performance -- both from a comedic acting standpoint and a singing standpoint -- by Ms. Dessay, fun dancing, nice set design especially in A4, and relatively short. Subtitles available on that youtube video in several languages by turning on annotations.
One clip from this piece that I guarantee everyone, no matter how much they think they hate opera, will love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_efSJqyhLA&t=5325s (be sure to turn on subtitles)
Possibly :nws:

regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 09:15 on Mar 11, 2013

Incredulous Dylan
Oct 22, 2004

Fun Shoe
Glenn Gould seriously electrifies me and I find that he captures so much of the spirit of how Bach effects me personally. If you are looking for Gould look no further than my boy mightysmeagol's youtube channel. He has everything in the highest quality. protestant7 and mightysmeagol basically make up all of my youtube watches for the last few years.

Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Mar 11, 2013

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.

regulargonzalez posted:

I've made a couple Opera Megathreads but they died short and horrible deaths. I think opera just seems too terribly intimidating and full of misconceptions (fat viking hatted sopranos, "ugly" and artificial sounding voices, stupid arias of people just singing the word Figaro over and over again)

For my part, I've enjoyed the only opera I've seen live (Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor). I also enjoy the Ring cycle, but as a trombonist I'm sort of required to.

Lucia is probably best known as being the source material for the aria, "Il Dolce Suono", the "Blue Diva" sings at the party in the Fifth Element, but the whole thing is good in its own right.

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Kytrarewn posted:

For my part, I've enjoyed the only opera I've seen live (Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor). I also enjoy the Ring cycle, but as a trombonist I'm sort of required to.

Lucia is probably best known as being the source material for the aria, "Il Dolce Suono", the "Blue Diva" sings at the party in the Fifth Element, but the whole thing is good in its own right.

Lucia is my most favorite opera (as opposed to what I consider the 'best' opera, which is the Ring). Made a special trip to NYC two years back to see it (with Natalie Dessay, whom I got to meet briefly afterward). The entire trip was magical.

e: the mad scene from that production can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3kzqzXHp2A
Unfortunately it's not the 2007 version, which featured Ms. Dessay in better voice. That version is on YT as well but not in such a combo of the complete mad scene, with decent quality audio, with subtitles. And the mad scene loses just a bit if you're not familiar enough with the opera to notice themes from earlier arias come back in a rather twisted format ... but all caveats aside, it's still astounding.
e2: rewatching it, I had forgotten that they didn't have a glass harmonica for the 2011 production. Really a shame. The flute makes it more plaintive, the glass harmonica makes the scene otherworldly. For a comparison, here's the first part of the 2007 version, with a stronger-voiced Dessay and the glass harmonica (and a much stronger Enrico) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8rARmoE-po

regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 00:56 on Mar 12, 2013

david crosby
Mar 2, 2007

CowOnCrack posted:

I am looking for recordings of the Well-Tempered Clavier. So far I've listened to Andras Schiff, Sviatoslov Richter, parts of Glenn Gould, and snippets of others (Edward Aldwell, Jeno Jando, etc.)

For me, Schiff is the best I've heard. I hesitate to say by far, because obviously there are so many great things to say about Richter and Gould (and I haven't heard all of Gould yet), but there's something just unique about his playing. Who else should I check out?

Here are some links to share:

Andras Schiff, Prelude and Fugue in E Major, Book 2 (First recording):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEgMf17ttTs

Sviatoslav Ricther, Prelude and Fugue in C Minor, Book 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAEhX4lQLNg

I feel that Richter often plays his preludes and fugues too fast, but in this case his rendition is simply stunning.

Vladimir Ashkenazi's recording is worth listening to.

Schiff is the best I've heard too. He has such a great tone, my god.

Florida Betty
Sep 24, 2004

I don't know a whole hell of a lot about opera, and I've only seen about half a dozen or so, but I enjoy them. Last weekend I saw Puccini's Manon Lescaut and I'm going to Norma this weekend. My favorite that I've seen is Verdi's Nabucco. You don't have to know much about opera to like Verdi!

80k
Jul 3, 2004

careful!
Any lovers of Shostakovich's preludes and fugues? They have been a favorite of mine since high school. Anyway, I recently discovered a modern performance by David Jalbert of the number 7, which could be even better than my previous favorite performances (Scherbakov, Ashkenazy).

http://youtu.be/UgEGAC1XvW8
So gorgeous.

It was always my dream to be able to play this one, but I never could get it down. Does anyone know of any other modern performances of these pieces?

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Florida Betty posted:

I don't know a whole hell of a lot about opera, and I've only seen about half a dozen or so, but I enjoy them. Last weekend I saw Puccini's Manon Lescaut and I'm going to Norma this weekend. My favorite that I've seen is Verdi's Nabucco. You don't have to know much about opera to like Verdi!

Yeah there's a reason he's considered one of the 'big three', and arguably the most popular. TBQH only one or two Verdi operas would be in my top 10 -- I'm more of a bel canto and baroque fan. Sad I'm not able to make Giulio Cesare in NY this season.

Nadir
Apr 12, 2003

It's only up from here
Ludovico Einaudi's album "In a Time Lapse" came out a couple months ago. It is a beautiful alt-classical album.

I really like the opener "Corale":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_eIP3_rV-w

Nadir fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Mar 20, 2013

CowOnCrack
Sep 26, 2004

by R. Guyovich

80k posted:

Any lovers of Shostakovich's preludes and fugues? They have been a favorite of mine since high school. Anyway, I recently discovered a modern performance by David Jalbert of the number 7, which could be even better than my previous favorite performances (Scherbakov, Ashkenazy).

http://youtu.be/UgEGAC1XvW8
So gorgeous.

It was always my dream to be able to play this one, but I never could get it down. Does anyone know of any other modern performances of these pieces?

Look for Keith Jarret's performance of the whole book. I love these and I agree that the A Major one is wonderful, to compare with any other work of its type. I am also a big fan of the C Major, E Minor, and C-Sharp Minor ones

Llamadeus
Dec 20, 2005
My pick (aside from the recordings already mentioned) is the recent Alexander Melnikov set. Though out of the ones I've heard I think the Jarrett recording is the one I like the least; far too stiff/brittle, poor dynamics.

silly mane
Nov 26, 2004

Roadside_Picnic posted:

Was going to effort post this, but will make it short:

Any fans of Iannis Xenakis out there? I think he's amazing.

Here's Rohan De Saram playing a solo cello piece, Kottos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKDIQSyR4G0

Also, here's an early computer music piece, 'Mycenae Alpha,' partly famous for its really pretty graphic score (which is not totally beside the point-Xenakis was also an architect)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yztoaNakKok

I've also been trying to get into Giancinto Scelsi but haven't really got it yet.

I have been a huge fan of Xenakis for probably about 6 years now. I've read most of his writings and am familiar with more or less all of his (huge) output. In my opinion, he, more than any other composer ever, distilled music theory down to the atomic level, and rebuilt it with a radical but perfectly logical new framework. His music, as alien as it sounds, unites in a certain way all of the musical idioms and possibilities of the world, establishing a system into which they all fit. He of course chose to eschew idioms entirely and invent stochastic music, but the building blocks are there, and could essentially be used to make Gagaku or Tango or Bach or African tribal music or Gregorian chant or Balinese gamelan music. A lot of people kind of just hand-wave him away as an obscurantist and elitist but I think he was one of the most insightful and sophisticated minds of the 20th century... and his music can be super emotional when he wanted it to be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l18GwrKBvNY

Kottos is a really interesting piece; I find his solo works and ensemble/orchestral works equally engaging but they bring totally different things to the table. As an aspiring cellist myself, Kottos (and of course Nomos Alpha) is super stimulating and a bit overwhelming. Speaking of which, have we talked about Helmut Lachenmann?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB-7gDcegEg

Lachenmann is notorious for using extended techniques not as instrumental accoutrements, but as the primary and sometimes the ONLY musical material in his pieces. Another example is a piece for solo piano called "Guero", which calls for the pianist to tap, scrape, rub and brush the piano with their hands, never playing a single actual pitch with a key. His style is alternately austere and super-intense. He's still someone I'm working on 'getting' to a point that I'm comfortable with, but his works are always radical and interesting.

Scelsi is someone I've been really beginning to feel lately. His music, for me, really REQUIRES intense focus; if I'm doing anything but sitting (usually with my eyes closed) and concentrating on the sound, it doesn't work. The only other composer that I've really felt like that with is Luciano Berio, although they are in totally different dimensions. Speaking of Berio, sitting down and INTENSELY concentrating on his Sinfonia is a supremely beautiful experience.

Next I'll go into some composers I've been into lately that I don't believe have been brought up in this thread yet.

Julius Eastman has been really blowing my mind lately. I'll go ahead and mention that he was a gay, black, drug-addicted New Yorker in the 1970s, although that has little relevance to his music, which is for the most part built out of his unique and monolithic vision. Terry Riley's and Steve Reich's brands of minimalism spring to mind, but Eastman definitely did his own thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkmJdNeWglo

This piece runs about an hour long but it rules really hard.

Galina Ustvolskaya is another person with what I would call a completely unique vision of music. Born in Russia in 1919, she was a contemporary of Shostakovich, who was awed by her music, which is raw, powerful, and at least for me, inspires more sheer dread than possibly anything else I've ever heard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZHca-9U6mo

Leo Ornstein is another huge favorite of mine. He was a prodigy on the piano, capable of playing the most advanced that Liszt and Chopin had to offer while still a teen. With his immense skills he went on to say 'gently caress it, tonality is not the best way for me to express myself' and became one of the pioneers of extreme dissonances and tone clusters. Later on in life he mellowed out a bit and wrote mostly tonal, extremely expressive music, mostly for the piano. Almost all of his work is really really good.

Here's an early, tense, brutal piano piece:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zS0x3u6pH3w

And here's one of my favorite examples of his later, 'prettier' stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u0QrKbCk2w

I don't have time to go on, but I'll just mention some others real quick:

I think Ligeti was one of the purest, most intuitively fluent composers of the 20th century. His piano etudes and his solo cello sonata are absolutely amazing.

I think that Messiaen is overrated. He wrote a handful of great works and was incredibly musically sophisticated, but he compromised on his vision (which was based mostly on color-sound synaesthesia and nature sounds) a LOT, especially with his dedication to keyboard instruments. I view the Catalog of Birds as a really interesting work technically, but artistically a massive failure.

Stockhausen is hard to judge because he's like 100 composers in one that are all some of the most radical composers of all time. But most of his stuff is incredibly rich. "Stimmung" is an extremely beautiful piece of music, and should be digestible even for people who can't do atonality.

James Tenney deserves a mention and is criminally underappreciated, especially if you're into minimalism. "Having Never Written A Note For Percussion" is one of the most massive, all-encompassing sonic experiences you'll ever have, and it's incredibly simple.

Gloria Coates' music is really beautiful and very odd. All of her symphonies are great.

Names to check if you're not aware of them and want to get into this stuff: Horatiu Radulescu (drat I should've thought of him sooner), Beat Furrer, Tristan Murail, Kaija Saariaho, Per Norgard, Jonathan Harvey, ahh there are a lot more.

If anyone wants to discuss any of these or wants explanations or recommendations, I'll be glad to expand upon these things. I'm really into this poo poo.

silly mane fucked around with this message at 12:23 on Mar 15, 2013

80k
Jul 3, 2004

careful!
Thanks guys, never heard of Melnikov, but I just listened to some clips on YouTube and very impressed with his interpretation of these pieces... I may have to pick up the disc. I have heard the Jarrett performances as well, but they never made a big impression on me.

Mahler
Oct 30, 2008


Good post, dude! Tons of interesting music I've never heard in there.

Lately I've been into Rautavaara's symphonies. He mixes old fashion lyricism, dense textures and dissonances to usually beautiful effect.

Here's the first movement from his 7th symphony "Angel of Light"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIqi8V04bI8

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Thought I'd ask here since more likely to get a reply than in the 'identify a song' thread. There's a pretty famous piece that I'm fairly sure is a Chopin etude (or maybe nocturne), main theme goes something like
ba-doo, do? da-do da-do, da-do da-do.
slowish tempo, somewhat playful or inquisitive tone
Sorry for asinine description. Can anyone id it?

regulargonzalez fucked around with this message at 02:05 on Mar 19, 2013

Incredulous Dylan
Oct 22, 2004

Fun Shoe
Hah, I read that and immediately thought of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx31YcLXAug

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Incredulous Dylan posted:

Hah, I read that and immediately thought of:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sx31YcLXAug

I'm afraid that's not it. The main theme for the one I have in mind is almost a call-and-response phrase, and more syncopated.

Kytrarewn
Jul 15, 2011

Solving mysteries in
Bb, F and D.
If it really starts to drive you crazy, Chopin's all public domain, so the sheet music is all here:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric

Probably 20-30 minutes of work to find the right etude or nocturne, though.

Maybe Op.10 #3?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjnLmv1hHU

Pretty popular etude, at least.

EDIT again: Etude 19 starts with "Ba-doo" anyway, but I'd call the tone more pensive than mischievous.

EDIT yet again: Op.15 No. 3 Nocturne could maybe fit the bill? Bit more playful than the second etude.

Kytrarewn fucked around with this message at 04:30 on Mar 19, 2013

silly mane
Nov 26, 2004
You can search for music by melodic contour or rhythm here: http://meertens.musipedia.org/melodic_contour.0.html

Melodic contour refers to whether a note is up or down in pitch from the last, or repeated. So for instance, happy birthday would look like:

*rududdrududdruddddurddud

The asterisk at the beginning is the first note.

Maybe that'll help.

regulargonzalez
Aug 18, 2006
UNGH LET ME LICK THOSE BOOTS DADDY HULU ;-* ;-* ;-* YES YES GIVE ME ALL THE CORPORATE CUMMIES :shepspends: :shepspends: :shepspends: ADBLOCK USERS DESERVE THE DEATH PENALTY, DON'T THEY DADDY?
WHEN THE RICH GET RICHER I GET HORNIER :a2m::a2m::a2m::a2m:

Kytrarewn posted:

If it really starts to drive you crazy, Chopin's all public domain, so the sheet music is all here:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric

Probably 20-30 minutes of work to find the right etude or nocturne, though.

Maybe Op.10 #3?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yjnLmv1hHU

Pretty popular etude, at least.

EDIT again: Etude 19 starts with "Ba-doo" anyway, but I'd call the tone more pensive than mischievous.

EDIT yet again: Op.15 No. 3 Nocturne could maybe fit the bill? Bit more playful than the second etude.

Thanks, but those are slower tempo than the one I'm looking for.

Deep 6 posted:

You can search for music by melodic contour or rhythm here: http://meertens.musipedia.org/melodic_contour.0.html

Melodic contour refers to whether a note is up or down in pitch from the last, or repeated. So for instance, happy birthday would look like:

*rududdrududdruddddurddud

The asterisk at the beginning is the first note.

Maybe that'll help.

Tried it, couldn't find anything.


Loaded up a virtual keyboard, the "response" portion goes F - G - F - C, F - G - F - Bb (with the F being the lowest of the notes), and maybe eighth note - eighth - eighth - quarter, eighth - eighth - eighth - quarter.

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silly mane
Nov 26, 2004
Yeah, that site has never been much help for me, but I thought with Chopin you might fare pretty well. Oh well. Anyway, I just tried that melody in that rhythm on my piano and don't recognize it. Sorry.

My consolation gift to you/small contribution to the thread for now, though, is a weird, fun little piano piece by Ligeti:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp-HPqXm3m4

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