George Crumb

[Guest]

I was intrigued by the George Crumb pieces played from his new American Songs album. I was just wondering what any of the other Forum members thought?

J

[LeMartinPecheur]

I was listening on car radio and mainly concentrating on getting from Winchester to Launceston at a steady 70mph! Crumb is a composer I've been meaning for years to test out but so far I've only achieved a nodding acquaintance with his Apparition (coupling for Ives songs with Jan DeGaetani which grab me much more).

Today's sample was - as far as I could follow - a well-sung, beautiful, unaccompanied traditional US tune interrupted by unconnected percussion outbursts. Intriguing, but I didn't grasp the point.

Perhaps I'll listen again...

EDIT On reflection, I suppose the point may have been to contrast the beauty and security of the traditional melody (and ?religious? words - I couldn't hear them well enough to tell but I think the announcer said it was a tune much used by Ives...) with a jangling representation of our C21 position.

2ND EDIT We were told IIRC that Mr Crumb wanted to leave the beauty of the tunes in this volume of his American Songbook completely untouched. Fine, but it's not then a big job for him as composer if they all left, as this one sounded, completely unaccompanied. And if I'm right about the intention of the interpolations, it's really not a profound artistic statement is it? Wouldn't it be a stronger one to contrast the tune's certainties with doubting harmonies?

[Black Swan]

I agree with you LeMartinPecheur. I was raised in the bible belt of the US and have a soft spot for hymn tunes. I was not sure what I really thought about the interpretation of Beulah Land.

I have other Crumb recordings and find his music enjoyable if a bit tough at times.

[Tevot]

Thought the Crumb was beautiful...


Always rated his Makrokosmos III

- Music of the Starry Night...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3jKFsr09SI

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[Black Swan]

Thanks, Tevot. I am now listening to ;

Haunted Landscape

[Ferretfancy]

Thanks, Tevot. I am now listening to ;

Haunted Landscape

Try Dream Sequence, preferably the older CBS recording if you can locate it, otherwise it's available in a good performance on the Bridge label.

If you don't mind difficult music for string quartet, by which I mean sounds which you don't normally hear from four string players, there is of course Black Angels.