advertisement


Messiaen: Quartet for the End of Time

kjb

kjb

Proof reading not always a strength
Been spending a lot of time listening to this over the past few weeks. I've got 2 versions on vinyl: one glorious 70s artifact by Tashi, one by Peroff, Gruenberg, D Peyer and Pleeth. Last night saw a performance in Oxford by Tasmin Little, Melvyn Tan, Colin Carr and Demitri Ashkanazy. It's left me close to convinced that this is the finest piece of music from the 20th century.

The final movement, with the gentle, repetitive piano chords and soaring violin line is as beautiful a thing as I've ever heard.

Kevin
 
it is a magnificent. just don't make the mistake of reading the liner notes and finding out what it is supposed to mean. the composer was a total flake.

also, don't ever bring it up on a date or you may have a seinfeld moment, as happened to me once with a cellist.


vuk.
 
vuk said:
it is a magnificent. just don't make the mistake of reading the liner notes and finding out what it is supposed to mean. the composer was a total flake.

also, don't ever bring it up on a date or you may have a seinfeld moment, as happened to me once with a cellist.


vuk.
Click to expand...

You can't leave it there. Let's have the story. ( I have to confess to never having seen a minute of Seinfeld.)

Where next with Messiaen? I've got quite a bit of his Organ music: I though maybe Les Canyons aux etoiles?

Kevin
 
Turangalila? (sp?)

I was at a performance of Quartet for the End of Time in Edington Priory a couple of years ago. Possibly the finest live music I've ever heard (and I've heard some). Vuk, what's the recording to have?

Cheers,

Nic.
 
Alex Ross recommends this one in The Rest is Noise
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000003ERU/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

As I said above, I've vinyl copy but also a copy of this on order -the vinyl is slightly off centre which means the tone wobbles on the slow violin notes. The vinyl is worth having just for the sleeve - a outer worthy of the most indulgent prog rock band and a gatefold inner with the quartet resplendent in caftans, capes, sandels, beards. But the music is extraordinary. I don't know a huge amount about Messiaen, but have read that Peter Serkin worked closely with him and is one of the finest performers of his work.

And other advice Vuk -after you'd shared your cellist story, of course.

Kevin
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
I have an Erato CD reissue of the 1963 recording with Marcel Courard. Have always found this a challenging but sometimes rewarding listen - this thread will prompt me to dust it down and listen again. The comprehensive sleeve notes about the piece are by Messiaen himself.

I once saw the man at the Royal Festival Hall for a performance conducted by Boulez that included one of his works (if memory serves I think it was to mark his 80th birthday). He was a picture of peace.


Recordings listed at
http://www.oliviermessiaen.org/messiaendisc.htm
 
His bird watching stuff is quite interesting, too
Waiting for the story of the seinfeld moment...please
 
Have got a few versions of this including the Tashi,I tend to listen to the EMI 1969 one with Michel Beroff,Erich Gruenberg and Gervase de Peyer most often.
Another good one is by The New York Philomusica on Vox from 1972.
 
This was one of the first pieces of classical music that really grabbed me. I remember the Tashi cover well, it was the version I borrowed from my local library. It might even have attracted me to it in the first place. Google's not working for me, any chance of a photo Kevin?

My bad date story concerns a pianist. We went to see it together at a late night concert and she slept through the entire work, made her excuses and left immediately after!
 
Open an image hosting account such as: http://www.flickr.com/

Upload your photo(s) to your account.

Go to the photos page and click on 'All sizes'

Click on Medium (big enough for most photos).

Copy the photo's URL, which looks something like: http:// some website /1234567.jpg

When you post click on 'Go Advanced'.

Click on the mountains icon at the top of the reply box. You are prompted to enter the URL of your image. Do so.

You should have a line in your reply that looks like
[IMG}http:// some website /1234567.jpg[/IMG]

(all bracket will be square in the real version)

Preview post to check and hit 'Reply'.
 
I've recently bought a French vinyl copy of the recording with Messiaen himself on piano, with Jean Pasquier, Etienne Pasquier and Andre Vacellier. I don't know whether the record is damaged but there's some crackling on loud passages which spoils it a bit (can anyone help). It's a compelling piece alright. I've struggled to "get" modern classical music for a long time. I'm now thinking that I need to investigate chamber music rather than orchestral pieces. Maybe the "simplicity" of smaller ensembles conveys the complexity of the musical ideas in modern classical music better.

Also, Alex Ross's book mentioned above is excellent. Amazon had it for £12 in hardback if anyone is interested in getting it.

Anyone got any other recommendations for modern chamber music, or websites where you can buy it on vinyl?

Damian
 
OK, lets see if this works:

2561295549


2562122340


2561297359


Kevin
 
2561295549_df8b948de7.jpg


You aren't grabbing the full path to the static pic file on Flickr

Code: 
(IMG)http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3152/2561295549_df8b948de7.jpg(/IMG)
 
dsg said:
Anyone got any other recommendations for modern chamber music, or websites where you can buy it on vinyl?
Damian
Click to expand...

I'd also be interested in hearing some suggestions, vinyl or Cd if anyone here would like to name some favourites?
Gary
 
Eutropius said:
I'd also be interested in hearing some suggestions, vinyl or Cd if anyone here would like to name some favourites?
Gary
Click to expand...

Not quite sure whether you'd copnsider it chamber music but I love this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000026ZGY/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Have recently (20 years after everyone else) discovered Penguin Cafe Orchestra thanks to a local charity record jumble sale, see http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000025JQL/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21

Another excellent one that stretches the definition is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000005IYU/?tag=pinkfishmedia-21
This was a real ear opener for me
 
This site contains affiliate links for which pink fish media may be compensated.
Was listening to Penguin Cafe's History earlier yesterday funnily enough.
'Chamber Music' covers a pretty broad spectrum of technique, mood and intent these days!
I've often looked at the 'Modern Compositions' page in The Wire magazine and thought "Hmm..wonder if that's any good?"
The ideal I'm looking for is the kind of music that one might listen to when coming down from a psychedelic experience, simultaneously simple, intricate, evolving and all-encompassing (If you no wot i mean!)
But returning to Messiaen- I've heard of his bird song pieces before and will check them out.
 
Robn: If you like Different Trains you may like Music for Eighteen Musicians, also by Steve Reich. You may also like music by John Adams, especially Harmonium. These composers, along with Philip Glass and John Cage are often grouped together as "minimalists". I used the term Chamber Music to mean music on a smaller scale in terms of duration and size of ensemble than a symphony played by full orchestra. I was asking more about modern classical music in the European tradition; Berg, Schoenberg, Berio, Hindemith etc. I've always found it a bit daunting and consequently not made the effort but I'm sure I'm missing some excellent music as a result.

Damian
 
You have to hear Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht, dsg! Don't let the guy's rep put you off, this was an early work. For Messiaen birds there's Oiseaux Exotiques, and like an earlier poster that was how I discovered Messiaen other than choral, in a visit to a public library, but there don't seem to be that many recordings of it. (Once I told other pple in the room he was literally trying to transcribe birdsounds, is was suddenly much easier to listen to - if not told so, pple try to hear it with Beethoven ears or something, IMHO.) BTW I wouldn't call John Cage minimalist, but Terry Riley yes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top