October 27, 2014.Paganini and Berio.Today is the birthday of Niccolò Paganini, who was born in Genoa in 1782.As a composer he’s best known for his 24 caprices for violin solo and several violin concertos.So here, to celebrate, are two caprices, played by two of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, David Oistrach (caprice no. 17, recorded in 1946) and Jascha Heifetz(Caprice no. 13, in a somewhat unnecessary arrangement for the violin and piano, with Brooks Smith, recorded in 1956).
Last week we wrote about Liszt’s first book of Années de pèlerinage and didn’t have time to mark the 89th birthday of the Italian composer Luciano Berio, who was born on October 24th of 1925.Berio was one of the most interesting composers of the second half of the 20th century.Born into a musical family (both his father and grandfather were organists and composers) he started studying music at an early age.During the war he was conscripted by Mussolini’s Republic of Salò, but injured himself in training and spent most of the time in a hospital.When the war was over, he went to Milan to study piano and composition but his injured hand cut short his piano aspirations.His early compositions were written in the neo-classical style of the Stravinsky type, but he soon became interested in the avant-garde music and especially in serialism.In 1952 he went to the US to study with Luigi Dallapiccola in Tangelwood.Dallapiccola, also an Italian, was the major proponent of serialism, being influenced by Webern and Berg.
Berio then attended several of the International summer courses in Darmstadt, at that time the epicenter for new music in Europe.Darmstadt was the place for young composers and music theoreticians to listen to music, lecture, argue, and share ideas.Among the participants were Stockhausen, Boulez, Ligeti, Milton Babbit, Hanz Werner Henze and many others.Theodor Adorno, the leading philosopher and musicologist, was one of the active participants.In the 1960s Berio spent a lot of time in the US, teaching at Tanglewood and Juilliard.Interested in electronic music, he went to Paris and became a co-director of IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), a place associated with the name of Pierre Boulez and one of the leading centers of research in new music in general and electro-acoustical music in particular.After returning to Italy in the 1980s, Berio created a similar center in Florence, called Tempo Reale.Though he was a sought-after teacher and traveled constantly, he bought some land and buildings in the village of Radicondoli, not far from Siena.That became his base, especially after his third marriage to Talia Pecker, an Israeli musicologist.Berio continued to actively travel, conduct and compose till the end.He died in Rome on May 27, 2003.
Berio possessed a wonderful intellectually curiosity which went well beyond music.In the 1950s he collaborated with Umberto Eco, a philosopher, novelist and literary critic.Together they produce several radio programs on language and sound - for example, words that are formed by sounds that describe their meaning (like “cuckoo,” for example, or “roar”; the fancy name for it is “onomatopoeia”).Eco also got Berio interested in semiotics, the study of symbols and signs.Later in his life Berio collaborated with the writer Italo Calvino and the architect Renzo Piano.
Berio worked in many different styles, from pieces for solo instruments to orchestral works for operas.He wrote a series of works for different instruments calls Sequenza.The first Sequenza, for flute, was written in 1956, the last Sequenza XIV, for cello, in 2002.From 1950 to 1964 Berio was married to Cathy Berberian, an American mezzo-soprano (they met in Milan, while studying at the conservatory).Sequenza III, for voice, written in 1965, and dedicated to her.And here she is, singing this piece.Berio’s Sinfonia was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered in 1968.Here’s the first movement, performed by the Orchestre National de France under direction of Pierre Boulez, with and the Swingle Singers, 1969.
Paganini and Berio, 2014
October 27, 2014. Paganini and Berio. Today is the birthday of Niccolò Paganini, who was born in Genoa in 1782. As a composer he’s best known for his 24 caprices for violin solo and several violin concertos. So here, to celebrate, are two caprices, played by two of the greatest violinists of the 20th century, David Oistrach (caprice no. 17, recorded in 1946) and Jascha Heifetz (Caprice no. 13, in a somewhat unnecessary arrangement for the violin and piano, with Brooks Smith, recorded in 1956).
Last week we wrote about Liszt’s first book of Années de pèlerinage and didn’t have time to mark the 89th birthday of the Italian composer Luciano Berio, who was born on October 24th of 1925. Berio was one of the most interesting composers of the second half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family (both his father and grandfather were organists and composers) he started studying music at an early age. During the war he was conscripted by Mussolini’s Republic of Salò, but injured himself in training and spent most of the time in a hospital. When the war was over, he went to Milan to study piano and composition but his injured hand cut short his piano aspirations. His early compositions were written in the neo-classical style of the Stravinsky type, but he soon became interested in the avant-garde music and especially in serialism. In 1952 he went to the US to study with Luigi Dallapiccola in Tangelwood. Dallapiccola, also an Italian, was the major proponent of serialism, being influenced by Webern and Berg.
Berio then attended several of the International summer courses in Darmstadt, at that time the epicenter for new music in Europe. Darmstadt was the place for young composers and music theoreticians to listen to music, lecture, argue, and share ideas. Among the participants were Stockhausen, Boulez, Ligeti, Milton Babbit, Hanz Werner Henze and many others. Theodor Adorno, the leading philosopher and musicologist, was one of the active participants. In the 1960s Berio spent a lot of time in the US, teaching at Tanglewood and Juilliard. Interested in electronic music, he went to Paris and became a co-director of IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), a place associated with the name of Pierre Boulez and one of the leading centers of research in new music in general and electro-acoustical music in particular. After returning to Italy in the 1980s, Berio created a similar center in Florence, called Tempo Reale. Though he was a sought-after teacher and traveled constantly, he bought some land and buildings in the village of Radicondoli, not far from Siena. That became his base, especially after his third marriage to Talia Pecker, an Israeli musicologist. Berio continued to actively travel, conduct and compose till the end. He died in Rome on May 27, 2003.
Berio possessed a wonderful intellectually curiosity which went well beyond music. In the 1950s he collaborated with Umberto Eco, a philosopher, novelist and literary critic. Together they produce several radio programs on language and sound - for example, words that are formed by sounds that describe their meaning (like “cuckoo,” for example, or “roar”; the fancy name for it is “onomatopoeia”). Eco also got Berio interested in semiotics, the study of symbols and signs. Later in his life Berio collaborated with the writer Italo Calvino and the architect Renzo Piano.
Berio worked in many different styles, from pieces for solo instruments to orchestral works for operas. He wrote a series of works for different instruments calls Sequenza. The first Sequenza, for flute, was written in 1956, the last Sequenza XIV, for cello, in 2002. From 1950 to 1964 Berio was married to Cathy Berberian, an American mezzo-soprano (they met in Milan, while studying at the conservatory). Sequenza III, for voice, written in 1965, and dedicated to her. And here she is, singing this piece. Berio’s Sinfonia was commissioned by the New York Philharmonic and premiered in 1968. Here’s the first movement, performed by the Orchestre National de France under direction of Pierre Boulez, with and the Swingle Singers, 1969.