What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Serial_Apologist]

I assume this (although I guess it doesn't get the full "big tune treatment" until a bit later).

RVW's importance in transferring classical technique into the world of film music is probably sufficiently high that very few film composers wouldn't be influenced by him, tbh. This is not to make any kind of statement regarding his importance to classical music obviously. But you rarely hear an orchestral film score that doesn't sound vaguely like the Sinfonia Antarctica or whatever.

I believe the big earworm of a melody in The Wasps overture has been acknowledged by at least one American movie composer as having had a big influence on that genre: ironically, given the lack of deserts and mesas making up the English landscape!

[DoctorT]

Berlioz
Les nuits d'été
Karen Cargill
SCO/Robin Ticciati
I never tire of this music

[Joseph K]

Disk 1 of the Haydn 2032 Vol. 1 - 10 Symphonies box, comprising symphonies 39, 49 and 1, as well as Gluck's Don Juan ballet, performed by Il Giardino Armonico under Antonini.

[kea]

Can someone quietly explain to me why Macmillan has achieved such apparent acclamation?

Broadly speaking, his music combines a number of recognisable elements from other people's music (or the musical canon writ large), and is therefore easy to follow, while also generally using the same elements (or at least similar ones), and therefore also being stylistically identifiable. I may be overgeneralising here.

My first exposure was a live performance of his percussion concerto (by the dedicatee), which I thought was fun and unique in a postmodern collage sort of way. I ended up losing interest mostly because, to my ears, everything else I heard by him felt basically like rehashes of the same aesthetic. (That said, aesthetic rehashes are not always a problem for me, I can listen to a couple hundred Scarlatti sonatas in a row, so this distaste might involve some additional subjective judgments.)

[Serial_Apologist]

Broadly speaking, his music combines a number of recognisable elements from other people's music (or the musical canon writ large), and is therefore easy to follow, while also generally using the same elements (or at least similar ones), and therefore also being stylistically identifiable. I may be overgeneralising here.

My first exposure was a live performance of his percussion concerto (by the dedicatee), which I thought was fun and unique in a postmodern collage sort of way. I ended up losing interest mostly because, to my ears, everything else I heard by him felt basically like rehashes of the same aesthetic. (That said, aesthetic rehashes are not always a problem for me, I can listen to a couple hundred Scarlatti sonatas in a row, so this distaste might involve some additional subjective judgments.)

I wouldn't have described Scarlatti sonatas as aesthetic rehashes! To me they were amazingly innovative, looking forward beyond the Baroque to the early classical, CPE Bach in particular. But yes, MacMillan's music does consists of stylistic re-treads of other, earlier composers. Rather like John Adams's, if in a different way!

[DracoM]

<< I ended up losing interest mostly because, to my ears, everything else I heard by him felt basically like rehashes of the same aesthetic.>>
Thx, kea. V. helpful.

[BBMmk2]

I’m having, or seem to be having m a Jean Martinon theme, this week.

Debussy
La Mer
Trios Nocturnes
Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un faune
Berceuse héröique
Musiques pour Le Roi Lear
Jeux
Images
Printemps, suite symphonique
Children’s Corner Suite
Petite Suite
Danse Sacrée et danses profane
La Boite à joujoux
Fantasie pour piano et orchestre
La plus que lente
Première Rapsodie
Khamma
Danse
French National Radio Orchestra
Jean Martinon.

[cloughie]

I’m having, or seem to be having m a Jean Martinon theme, this week.

Debussy
La Mer
Trios Nocturnes
Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un faune
Berceuse héröique
Musiques pour Le Roi Lear
Jeux
Images
Printemps, suite symphonique
Children’s Corner Suite
Petite Suite
Danse Sacrée et danses profane
La Boite à joujoux
Fantasie pour piano et orchestre
La plus que lente
Première Rapsodie
Khamma
Danse
French National Radio Orchestra
Jean Martinon.

Great idea - superb conductor - try his Berlioz Sym Fant - one of the best around and it has the added brass of the cornet obbligato in ‘Un bal’.

[RichardB]

Bruckner, Symphony no.8: Münchner Philharmoniker & Celibidache

This is the 2021 Sony release (streaming on Qobuz). I feel that it has a fuller sound than the EMI CD I have. Can that be the case, or have I just turned it up louder?

[Pianoman]

Bruckner, Symphony no.8: Münchner Philharmoniker & Celibidache

I feel that it has a fuller sound than the EMI CD I have. Can that be the case, or have I just turned it up louder?

Lol - the oldest trick in the book for hifi salesman ....

[cloughie]

Lol - the oldest trick in the book for hifi salesman ....

Reminds me of audio fairs from way back when certain favoured LPs were played - Martinon’s Danse Macabre and Mehta’s Also Sprach with bass and volume set to woof up the Tannoy Lancasters (or similar!)

[gradus]

Ombra mai fu sung by Gigli (beautifully) and requested by Humphrey Littleton in his DID re-broadcast on R4Extra this morning. A performance from 1933 in a style unlike anything nowadays so I suppose historical and thus awaiting revival.

[gradus]

Reminds me of audio fairs from way back when certain favoured LPs were played - Martinon’s Danse Macabre and Mehta’s Also Sprach with bass and volume set to woof up the Tannoy Lancasters (or similar!)

I particularly recall an AR speaker demo at one Hotel Russel Audio Fare that used the organ pedal notes from Saint Saens 3rd symphony to impress visitors which it certainly did.

[cloughie]

I particularly recall an AR speaker demo at one Hotel Russel Audio Fare that used the organ pedal notes from Saint Saens 3rd symphony to impress visitors which it certainly did.

Yes, gradus, another favourite!

[pastoralguy]

Brahms. Late piano music. (Although why over a two cd set room couldn’t have been found for the Op.116 works I don’t know!)

Marc Pantillon, piano. Claves.