# Reviews and Discussions about...



## Capeditiea (Feb 23, 2018)

This thread is designed to implore you to explore various notable and horrendeus works. 
Topics for this include. Composers, Works, Recordings, and Reasons why you liked or disliked it. 
This may be the epitome of what "Classical Music Discussion" is about... to the naked eye, but it is a bit different. 
Instead of giving an indepth thread on a specific work, this can be used as a hub for those who are interested in finding music that matches their tastes with the help of fellow members of TC. 

A few rules to adhere to. 
1. review the work you are showcasing. It could be a brief description, or however long you want to make it. You can be as critical or as prevolent as you wish.

2. You may put the cover art for the work only if there there are various recordings. The photo or painting of the composer is also acceptable. But try to abstain from posting too many. This is a discussion thread.

3. You are free to disagree, with the opinion of another, but by doing so write your own review on the subject. But also let future readers know that it has been mentioned before. 

4. If a review has inspired you to purchace, listen to youtube, or if you agree. Simply click the like button. This will Also let future readers of your review see that you are not the only one who enjoys this work. 

5. Try not to post the same works over and over again. Simply look through what has been posted before posting your own review.


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2018)

Jonathan Harvey
Wheel of Emptiness

performed by Ictus

76'47"

Tulse gave me the heads up on a composer I'd never heard of. I loved it immediately and have bought several albums. It's thoroughly modern and often startles with the sonic manipulations he creates. As well as traditional instruments he utilises (on this album, which has six works on it) electronics, tapes and a delay system. He has a decidedly unique voice, but to give an idea of his oevre he occasionally reminds me of the spectralists, especially Murail. Often his works are inspired by spiritual notions, e.g. the title piece (Buddhism).


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I had a little Bach Festival in my listening yesterday. First was Nathan Milstein from his DG recording of the Sonatas and Partitas for solo Violin, then Sergey Schepkin in Part 1 Of the WTC. I felt like I could have been pulling JSB off the shelf all night, if the need to try to sleep so that I could function at work today hadn’t intervened.
It made me reflect on why Music created 300 years ago means so much to me today. Since I am lacking in the profundity department, I really couldn’t come up with any grand epiphanies.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

dogen said:


> Jonathan Harvey
> Wheel of Emptiness
> 
> performed by Ictus
> ...


I did a search in Apple Music. A lot of his work appears but not that piece.
Is there a famous pop star with the same name? Is his band called The Pet Shop Boys?


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2018)

Triplets said:


> I did a search in Apple Music. A lot of his work appears but not that piece.
> Is there a famous pop star with the same name? Is his band called The Pet Shop Boys?


The other works on this album are:

Tombeau de Messiaen
Ricecare una Melodia 1
Advaya
Ricacare una Melodia 2
Death of Light / Light of Death

I don't know about a namesake in the popular world, but my PSB albums make no mention of him.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

I have been exploring some Chinese classical music that is a mix of Chinese melody with western orchestration. 
There are 3 works that I found over time and that I like
1) The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto




it is about an ancient Chinese legend, kind of Chinese Romeo and Juliet
2) Ding Shan-de - The Long March Symphony




this is about the famous Long March of Mao when the communists were fighting the Kuomintang
3) Mingxin Du - The Great Wall symphony





I wonder if anyone else likes Chinese music or has some recommendations?


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2018)

I have an album by Wu Man, a pipa player. It's called Immeasurable Light (includes Kronos Quartet). I think she's a member of the Silk Road Ensemble (includes cellist Yo-Yo Ma)


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Jacck said:


> I have been exploring some Chinese classical music that is a mix of Chinese melody with western orchestration.
> There are 3 works that I found over time and that I like
> 1) The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
> 
> ...


Back at the height of The Great Cultural Revolution, Columbia issued a recording of a pastiche work called the Yellow River Concerto which was horrendous.


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## Capeditiea (Feb 23, 2018)

I shall contribute to this post later on when i decide which work i wanna review... it is a toughie... i have narrowed it down to 3. no, just one... but i shall sleep first. the music listed above and such i want to get as well. (even though i do have a bunch of Bach... (probably only about 3-4% of his total works though.) 

I couldn't find Wheel of Emptiness on Nicotine Plus either... but it is on my list of composers i will have to buy... 

i also couldn't find The Long March Symphony... 


it went back up to two works i wanna review...


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## Sonata (Aug 7, 2010)

Jacck said:


> I have been exploring some Chinese classical music that is a mix of Chinese melody with western orchestration.
> There are 3 works that I found over time and that I like
> 1) The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
> 
> ...


I haven't listened to a lot of purely Chinese music, but I have to acknowledge a fondness for the musical soundtracks for Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Along the idea of the East-Meets-West, you can look up Yo-Yo Ma's work with the Silk Road Ensemble. I haven't gotten around to them yet, but their on my list to hear some day


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## Guest (Feb 28, 2018)

Sonata said:


> I haven't listened to a lot of purely Chinese music, but I have to acknowledge a fondness for the musical soundtracks for Memoirs of a Geisha and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Along the idea of the East-Meets-West, you can look up Yo-Yo Ma's work with the Silk Road Ensemble. I haven't gotten around to them yet, but their on my list to hear some day


Can you get BBC iPlayer? There was a 90 minute documentary of the SRE on just the other night. I recorded it but not yet watched it.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Jacck said:


> I have been exploring some Chinese classical music that is a mix of Chinese melody with western orchestration.
> There are 3 works that I found over time and that I like
> 1) The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto
> 
> ...


I was subjected to the Butterfly Lovers by my dad. The Yellow River Concerto is another popular one, which I have a few versions of also, the one on ASV is best, IMO. Avoid the Lang Lang version.

The only Chinese symphonic work with western instruments I really like is The Legend of Shad-ier, on Yellow River label. Some nice more traditional instrumentation on Phases of the Moon.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

I had violin concertos evening yesterday. I listened to Bartok's 2nd violin concerto and Bloch's violin concerto. It is the latter that I want to concentrate on. I have no musical education so I cannot really review the work in any depth, except to write that I liked it a lot, especially the second half. I searched older discussions on TC that discussed topics such as "favorite violin concertos" and in I found no mention of this concerto in any of the threads (and I read all the posts). Is is so unknown/obscure or do others not find it worthwhile?


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## Oldhoosierdude (May 29, 2016)

About 5 years ago I attended an Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra "World Premiere " of a work. Composer was present. I wish I could remember the details. Anyway, it featured a trio of string players who did cheesy mime acting as though playing baseball with the instruments. The small orchestra cheered and chanted random phrases. The one I remember is "we want our fun. We want it now". The actual music part was random patches of ear offending noise. The audience applauded like crazy afterwards. I wanted my money back.


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## Capeditiea (Feb 23, 2018)

Okay, so i shall expand things on this. 
I will have two works in the same key. F# Major. (partially because i am making a symphony in F# Major...)

1. Messiaen - Turangulila Symphonie 
2. Mahler - Symphony No. 10

each of these have something in common, other than the noticable fact they are all in F# Major... 
Messiaen first, his music is quite calm and exciting. It has 10 movements. In the hour and nearly twenty minute album, it is quite unique. The instrumentation isn't what one would find in your average symphony.

At certain moments they are fairly repetitive, almost too repetitive with no variations, but this is just a minor quality which doesn't estinguish the music or the form... Beyond that, it has a growing energy with a slowly decay of energy bringing one into a slight trance. Which this happens a few times, in a few variations of energy and decay. Since most of his inspirations are from nature, primarily birds, this is noticable in his music.

I enjoy this in full, as do i with most symphonies.

For Mahler's Tenth, it is probably one of the few symphonies that have me cry. Although it is unfinished... it is still my favourite piece of music. Because it has so much emotion, so much beauty, that i cannot describe in words with how beautiful this work is. Which some would think completely opposite. But that is a manner of two things. 1. They don't understand the back story. (which i will tell you shortly) 2. it is his most dissonant work in many folk's ears.

Now the back story for those who do not know. He recently found out his wife was cheating on him for some bloke, (i gotta look up the dudes name.)

from wikipedia 


> Symphony No. 10 by Gustav Mahler was written in the summer of 1910, and was his final composition. At the time of Mahler's death the composition was substantially complete in the form of a continuous draft, but not fully elaborated or orchestrated, and thus not performable. Only the first movement is regarded as reasonably complete and performable as Mahler intended. Perhaps as a reflection of the inner turmoil he was undergoing at the time (Mahler knew he had a failing heart and his wife had been unfaithful), the 10th Symphony is arguably his most dissonant work.


the bloke's name... Walter Gropius, who was an archetect.


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2018)

I went to a Stephen Hough recital last week and the programme included Debussy, one of my absolute favourites for solo piano works. I haven't listened to them for a while so I've fished out my box set complete piano works, performed by Gordon Fergus-Thompson. It's a 5 CD set and I've played CD3:

L'isle joyeuse
D'un cahier d'esquisses
Morceau de concours
Masques
Preludes - Book 2

The music seems to have so much freedom, it moves wherever it feels it wants to, moment by moment. In this regard, Debussy reminds me of improvised jazz.

Anyone else, with other performers of his piano music? 
:tiphat:


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2018)

dogen said:


> I went to a Stephen Hough recital last week and the programme included Debussy, one of my absolute favourites for solo piano works. I haven't listened to them for a while so I've fished out my box set complete piano works, performed by Gordon Fergus-Thompson. It's a 5 CD set and I've played CD3:
> 
> L'isle joyeuse
> D'un cahier d'esquisses
> ...


I have the complete Debussy by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, one part of Hakon Austbo's rendition and somewhere in my archive, pieces by Gordon Fergus-Thompson.

I used the Suite Bergamasque to compare various performers and decided to go for the Bavouzet. I was not disappointed. I like his pacing (rather than his tempi) and the recordings are excellent - just me, him, his piano and Debussy. I'd have liked to hear the Hough however.

Whilst Claude has some great tunes, I like to wallow in the atmosphere and, as you say, the freedom. I used to try and consider how the titles of some works were reflected in the music, but I barely bother now. I prefer him to earlier masters like Chopin from whom we get too many trills and frills.



Triplets said:


> Is there a famous pop star with the same name? Is his band called The Pet Shop Boys?


I suspect not...

https://www.gramophone.co.uk/features/focus/jonathan-harvey-1939-2012


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

Jacck said:


> I had violin concertos evening yesterday. I listened to Bartok's 2nd violin concerto and Bloch's violin concerto. It is the latter that I want to concentrate on. I have no musical education so I cannot really review the work in any depth, except to write that I liked it a lot, especially the second half. I searched older discussions on TC that discussed topics such as "favorite violin concertos" and in I found no mention of this concerto in any of the threads (and I read all the posts). Is is so unknown/obscure or do others not find it worthwhile?


I know that it has become standard, but I still have trouble referring to the Bartok as No.2, as there was no Number 1 until recently.
I've never developed a love for the piece although I like Bartok's contemporaneous works, such as the Quartets and the Divertimento.


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## Guest (Mar 3, 2018)

@MacLeod.
Yes I agree regarding Chopin. I like his music too but often, for me, less is more. I've probably got more solo piano music than anything else, it's a complete sound world. I'm always on the look out for new piano composers, I recently discovered Benjamin Lees (via Youtube).


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## Guest (Mar 14, 2018)

More Harvey. This time Bhakti, performed by Spectrum - a 16 piece ensemble of traditional instruments as well as tape manipulation.

Bhakti is in 12 sections, totalling over 50 minutes.

The liner notes make reference to Harvey's training and influences which included Stockhausen, IRCAM and Babbitt. To my ears I hear the sort of worlds created by (as I said previously) Murail, but also especially (in this work) Takemitsu. Which probably explains why I love his music so much. "Modern European" is I suppose as good a label as any.


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