Complete Listening: Witold Lutoslawski

A while back I wrote about listening to the all of the recordings in my collection of one composer as a part of my listening activities.  I started that by listening to my collection of György Ligeti CDs.  Over a month ago I finished listening to these CDs.  I have decided to listen to Witold Lutoslawski's music next.  I own approximately ten CDs of music by him.  His music was important in the development of my compositional voice.  In particular Symphony No. 2, Chain I and Trois Poemes d'Henri Michaux are all pieces from which I have learned techniques and drawn inspiration.

Listening Journal: October 18-24, 2010

Esa-Pekka Salonen - Insomnia (2002) for orchestra

György Ligeti - The Ligeti Project V - CD
   Aventures (1962) for three singers and seven instrumentalists
   Nouvelles Aventures (1965) for three singers and seven instrumentalists
   Artikulation (1958) for tape
   Eight Pieces from "Musica Ricercata" (1953) arranged for accordion
   Sonata for Cello Solo (1948/53)
   Big Turtle Fanfare from the South China Sea (1985) for trumpet
   Balada si Joc (1950) for orchestra
   Régi magyar társastáncok (1949) for flute, clarinet and strings

Tristan Murail - Le Lac (2001) for mixed ensemble
Alban Berg - Violin Concerto (1935)


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Addendum to Listening Journal: October 10-17, 2010

A couple of pieces were accidentally omitted from the listening journal.

Krzystof Penderecki - Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano (1956)
Bela Bartok - String Quartet No. 3 (1927)

Listening Journal: October 11-17, 2010

Kaija Saariaho - Lichtbogen (1986) for chamber orchestra

György Ligeti - The Ligeti Edition III - CD
   Cello Concerto (1966)
   Clocks and Clouds (1973) for 12 female voices
   Violin Concerto (1992)
   Sippal, Dobbal, Nádihegedüvel (2000) for mezzo-soprano and four percussionists

Kaija Saariaho - Solar (1993) for 13 instrumentalists

György Ligeti - The Ligeti Project IV - CD
   Hamburg Concerto (2003) for horn and chamber orchestra with four obligato natural horns
   Double Concerto (1972) for flute, oboe and orchestra
   Ramifications (1963) for 12 solo strings
   Requiem (1963/65) for soprano and mezzo soprano solo, mixed chorus and orchestra

Krzystof Penderecki - Divertimento (1994) for cello
Johannes Brahms - Six Piano Pieces, op. 118 (1893) Emanuel Ax, piano




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Listening Journal: September 20-26, 2010

Pascal Dusapin - Galim (1998) for flute and orchestra
Kaija Saariaho - NoaNoa (1991) for flute and electronics

György Ligeti - The Ligeti Project I - CD
   Melodien (1971) for orchestra
   Chamber Concerto (1969-70) for thirteen instrumentalists
   Piano Concerto (1985-88)
   Mysteries of the Macabre (1991) for solo trumpet and chamber orchestra

Kaija Saariaho - Asteroid 4179 - Toutalis (2006) for orchestra


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Dual Atmosphères

I found this article which I wrote as a note on my Facebook page on Thursday, September 25, 2008.  I thought that I would share it here. I have made some minor edits to the original note.

It's interesting. Tonight I sat down to listen to Ligeti's Atmosphères. I looked in my collection and found that I own three different recordings of this piece. Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado, conductor. New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, conductor. Berliner Philharmoniker, Jonathan Nott, conductor.  Atmosphères is a nine-minute piece for orchestra. This piece is based on a series of tone clusters that transform over time. In this piece Ligeti abandoned the traditional conventions of melody, rhythm and harmonic progression. Instead progression is made through the use of micropolyphony, which is complex interwoven textures.

I started off by listening to the Abbado recording. As I was listening, I read the liner notes for the Bernstein recording. I was shocked to find that it was a short recording. The length of this recording is 6:59, at least two minutes shorter than the other recordings I have heard. So I listened the Bernstein's version of the piece. Not only is this recording short, but it feels rushed. This is odd to me because the piece is composed as a static piece. There is no rhythmic or melodic motif. How can a piece composed around the principle of stasis feel rushed?

I wonder if Ligeti ever heard Bernstein's recording? If so, what did he think of it? Personally, I do not like this recording. It feels wrong. I do not think he captured the essence and the intent of Ligeti's piece.

Listening Habits

Over the past year as I have posted my listening journals I have noticed that I do listen to a wide variety of music.  However, I feel like sometimes I almost go out of my way to listen to a lot of different things.  I am trying to not listen to the same pieces or composers over and over.  This was a pitfall of mine prior to creating the journal.

Another thing I have noticed about my listening habits is that I do not listen to many complete albums.  This was due in part to me not making enough time to sit and listen to an album.  About a month ago I decided that I would make time and listen to at least one album on my days off from work (about two each week).  With this in mind I thought that at least one of those CDs each week would be from the same composer so that I would end up listening to all of the compositions for which I have recordings of by that composer.  I have started with György Ligeti since I have all but one of the György Ligeti Edition from Sony Classical and all of The Ligeti Project on Teldec.  The great thing about these two collections is that there is no overlap of pieces.