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That lumpy blue sweater you're wearing? It's actually cerulean. I've been dealt a very different view, perhaps because I'm tainted by the analytical snobbery o
by inopinatus 6y ago
That lumpy blue sweater you're wearing? It's actually cerulean.
I've been dealt a very different view, perhaps because I'm tainted by the analytical snobbery of a formal musical education, one that included studying, arranging, and performing the works of both. The pioneers of minimalism - Terry Riley, Philip Glass, Steve Reich et al - redefined my expectations and comprehension of music, and I perceive their ideas bright and clear in every genre today from pop to EDM to incidental.
I too have seen and heard Mr Glass play live, in two very different settings. Once in a very small chamber close enough to hear the piano stool creak in Metamorphosis, and once as part of the 2013 staging of Einstein on the Beach. Both were mind-blowing, and the only topic of conversation afterwards was the music.
For my generation of music students, both Glass and J.S.Bach remain towering geniuses whose influence will ripple for centuries, whose ideas are clearly still identifiable, and thereby form an indelible contribution to the arts.
Spotify won't give you the whole of Mishima, in the same way it will never collect together the three essential recitals of the Op.92 II. Allegretto, nor will it knowingly preface The Orb's Adventure's Beyond The Ultraworld with Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint, nor Hendrix with Handel, and in general is not a conscientious guide to anyone's oeuvre or the relationships across music forms.
- jimlikeslimes 6y agoI just listened to some of the music you mention in your post, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Do you have any other recommendations? Especially where you see connections between modern musicians / electronic artists and classical? I've listened to a lot of electronic music, especially at parties, but I'm still fumbling around in the classical world.
- riverdweller 6y ago> the three essential recitals of the Op.92 II Allegretto Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic (1963) for grave and majestic, Gardiner and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique (1994) for bright and invigorating - but what's the third?
- inopinatus 6y agoWell, obviously I'm joshing a little, since there are certainly more than three worth the listen, and no "top 3" can be definitively argued. For example, I actually prefer Karajan's 1951 recording with the Philharmonia, and of the more sprightly renditions I go for the Christopher Hogwood (1997) with the Academy of Ancient Music, which is salient not merely for its instrumentation but also the interplay of the ensemble. Nevertheless, for my personally selected essential version, I'll always nominate Erich Kleiber (1950, Decca) with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Once heard, never forgotten, it is spine chilling. His son Carlos's is better known, but I think it's a goofy misreading. Bonus: the Liszt transcription for piano reveals fascinating details that otherwise tend to submerge in the symphonic effusion. There's a pleasing version on Youtube purporting to be from Glenn Gould, but note that the provenance is disputed.
- riverdweller 6y agoThank you for the additional recommendations. Unspeakably irreverent but great fun (though you've probably already encountered it) is Joachim Horsley's Beethoven in Havana: https://youtu.be/mZRb0FyAa9s https://youtu.be/mZRb0FyAa9s
- jabl 6y agoWhat is the musically educated snobbish opinion on Einaudi? Might not be a pioneer in the same sense as Glass, but the style is in many ways similar, no?