# Avant Garde Vocal Works



## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm looking for some recommendations for strange but fun to listen to vocal works. I like Ligeti's Adventures-Nouvelles, and recently I've listened to Penderecki's St Luke Passion.

I'd like to avoid any operatic style vocals. Modern choral works, or strange, unique writing for voices is what I'm looking for. Thanks!


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## Aksel (Dec 3, 2010)

Xenakis' Nuits.






'Nuff said.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Re: Xenakis

Yeah! That's what I'm looking for, thanks! I saw the CD at Amazon last week, but I didn't think to check YouTube.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

I do like so weirdtastic vocals sometimes





This one breaks my head and goes on for an hour





Not so weird





At last classical mushrooms





Nono





Opera but odd


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

George Crumb is awesome. You should listen to his Ancient Voices of Children.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)




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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

Thanks for the continued suggestions. The Berio sounds great! I'll get to the others eventually.


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

I'd hardly think of John Adams's Harmonium as "strange", but then I am going to at least extend the idea of what is fun to what is interesting and novel.

If you enjoy the Penderecki _St Luke passion_, then _Utrenja _and the_ Dies irae oratorio_ are in the same vein - indeed the latter is compelling, shocking even

Roberto Gerhard's oratorio, _The plague_, uses an English speaking narrator to tell Camus's harrowing story. The orchestral and choral writing are just wonderful.

Hans Werner Henze's oratorio, _The raft of the frigate 'Medusa'_, is both extreme in places and also intensely beautiful (two vocal soloists couldn't be described as operatic, also there is a speaker, chorus and orchestra).

Then, of course, there are the two Ligeti favourites, the _Requiem _and _Lux aeterna_

There are a number of Xenakis works for chorus, of which_ Pour la paix _for speakers, chorus and electronic music is the most arresting of the ones I've heard

Standing up for British composers:

The recently deceased David Bedford wrote_ Twelve hours of sunset_ for chorus and orchestra which successfully recreates the feeling of hanging in the air when flying by jet liner (and yours truly is singing in choir on NMC's CD)

Paul Patterson, pupil of Penderecki, went through an early phase heavily influenced by his then avant garde teacher. His _Kyrie _is a truly fun piece for chorus and piano.

Giles Swayne's _Cry _for 28 singers, amplified, is fun tour de force about creation (also on NMC)


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

simply two of my very favorite songs.






talking about different use of the voice, there are vocalists like Meredith Monk or Diamanda Galas


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I don't know how avant-garde or non-operatic this piece is by now, but I think Edgard Varese's Ecuatorial is interesting.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

anyway even in the popular avantgarde there are very interesting and particular works


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## ooopera (Jul 27, 2011)

John Cage: Aria


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## ooopera (Jul 27, 2011)

Beat Furrer


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## Pierrot Lunaire (Dec 16, 2010)

*Pierrot lunaire* by Schoenberg is the mother of all avant garde vocal works and a masterpiece of any genre of any time period. 





If you like Pierrot, then check out *Messages of the late R. V. Troussova* by György Kurtág. Another vocal masterpiece.


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Unconventional Tosca at Bregenz (2007).


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

My personal favourite which I don't think has been posted yet:


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Some good suggestions here. Other composers of song-cycles in modern styles include Boulez, Messiaen, Lutoslawski, Britten, Tippett, Boulez, Carter & I think Maxwell-Davies & Henze have been mentioned. Harry Partch also worked with vocals, but his works are more similar to Wagner's _gesamkunstwerk_ in concept but not style, there's an emphasis on bringing everything together, it's just not voice or text-based, it's an integration of many things...


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I listened to the entire Gerhard piece, The Plague. Good music, and I'm an admirer of Camus. At least what I can understand of his writings.

I just realized I have a recording of the Lutoslawski pieces that were uploaded. They're on an EMI 3-CD set of orchestral works. I haven't even listened to the third disc yet. I also have a Messiaen disc of choral music on the DG label. I need to spin that one some more. Thanks again to everybody for the recommendations!


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Active Finnish composer *Einojuhani Rautavaara* writes sensible avant-garde vocal music, and you might find his operas and other vocal works approachable. Several of us here including me have enjoyed his opera, _Rasputin_ composed about ten years ago.


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk (May 9, 2011)

Sylvano Bussotti - Rara Requiem


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Pli selon pli or the slighter cummins ist der Dichter by Boulez. I don't particularly like the second work but both might be the sort of thing that tickles your pickle.


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## Iforgotmypassword (May 16, 2011)

norman bates said:


>


I think I shat myself.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Iforgotmypassword said:


> I think I shat myself.


I suppose it's the effect she was looking for :lol:


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## Backspace (May 11, 2012)

Nameless Nobody


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## pollux (Nov 11, 2011)

Bernd-Alois Zimmermann : Requiem für einen jungen Dichter






Witold Lutoslawski: Les Espaces du Sommeil


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