Bartokfan, thanks for the recommendations and the nice summary. It's good to hear from someone else who appreciates Pettersson's music. I have very little of Schnitke's work in my collection, I shall have to seek out some more of his work.
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Schnittke / Pettersson 2 late 20th century master
Thought I'd recommend some classical composers I've recently made an encounter with.
Have most of their works now, and find both to be outsanding.
Some of you might already know about Schnittke, and I would further recommend a book A Schnittke Reader/edited Alexander Ivashkin. Ivashkin also has written a excellent biography on Schnittke.
Many of his thoughts as given in A Schnittke Reader reveal a brilliant mind, which is shown in his mnusic.
Alan Pettersson wrote 15 syms, numbered 2-16. Sym #12 is a choral sym and sym 16 to me is like a sax concero.
I recommend starting with 7,8,6.
But really his syms 2-11 then continuing to 13-15 are all like movements to one monumental symphonic cycle. I love all those syms, with only #4 being "the least interesting" still worth the hearing, and even his 4th trumps most classical syms, in any period.
Both can be considered heirs to the Shostakovich legacy, and quiet often surpass the great composer.
I would suggest picking up Schnittke's work titled Concerto Grosso 4/Sym 5 , goes by that tiltle for the dual nature of the work.
Its on BIS/Jarvi/Gotenburg.
On the early syms 1-4 look for the rare OOP, Rozhdestvensky/USSR/Melodyia. So far almost every cd I picked up by Schnittke has been phenomenal.
Pettersson's syms are complete on the CPO label, and Segerstam has recorded several on the BIS label. Both are excellent. I might ever-so-slightly prefer the SEgerstam.
Another great master I'd like to recommend is Elliot Carter, who I consider america's greatest composer, and surely takes a place on side of both the above in late 20th century classical. I hear Carter's music as standing heir to the great second viennese masters, Schnoberg, Berg, Webern.
Have most of their works now, and find both to be outsanding.
Some of you might already know about Schnittke, and I would further recommend a book A Schnittke Reader/edited Alexander Ivashkin. Ivashkin also has written a excellent biography on Schnittke.
Many of his thoughts as given in A Schnittke Reader reveal a brilliant mind, which is shown in his mnusic.
Alan Pettersson wrote 15 syms, numbered 2-16. Sym #12 is a choral sym and sym 16 to me is like a sax concero.
I recommend starting with 7,8,6.
But really his syms 2-11 then continuing to 13-15 are all like movements to one monumental symphonic cycle. I love all those syms, with only #4 being "the least interesting" still worth the hearing, and even his 4th trumps most classical syms, in any period.
Both can be considered heirs to the Shostakovich legacy, and quiet often surpass the great composer.
I would suggest picking up Schnittke's work titled Concerto Grosso 4/Sym 5 , goes by that tiltle for the dual nature of the work.
Its on BIS/Jarvi/Gotenburg.
On the early syms 1-4 look for the rare OOP, Rozhdestvensky/USSR/Melodyia. So far almost every cd I picked up by Schnittke has been phenomenal.
Pettersson's syms are complete on the CPO label, and Segerstam has recorded several on the BIS label. Both are excellent. I might ever-so-slightly prefer the SEgerstam.
Another great master I'd like to recommend is Elliot Carter, who I consider america's greatest composer, and surely takes a place on side of both the above in late 20th century classical. I hear Carter's music as standing heir to the great second viennese masters, Schnoberg, Berg, Webern.
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- 2 posts total