October 19, 2015.Liszt, Ives and Berio.Three very different composers were born this week: two “modernists,” Charles Ives and Luciano Berio, and one great Romantic, Franz Liszt.Liszt, born on October 22nd, 1811, was a tremendous virtuoso.While he was still concertizing (he quit at the age of 35 at the height of his career) he was much more famous as a pianist than a composer.Liszt wrote a number of extremely difficult piano pieces.In his time, he was one of the very few, if not the only one, capable of pulling them off.During the last 20 years or so we’ve been witnessing a revolution in pianism.These days the technique of many young musicians is on a level that was only achieved by very few just a generation ago.Of course technique alone is not enough – one needs to have keen musicianship to become a complete artist, but extraordinary technique can create excitement that’s lacking in more subdued performances.Liszt’s piano pieces are perfectly suited for such feats.KhatiaBuniatishvili is one of the young pianists who can dazzle – or infuriate, as the case may be.Some compare her with the young Martha Argerich, and, though they are quite different musically, the drive, energy and the superb technique lend credence to the comparison.Here’s Khatia playing, live, Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz no 1.The recording was made in 2011 at the Verbier Festival.One can find faults in this performance, both technical and musical, but the visceral pleasure is all there.
Charles Ives was born on October 20th of 1874.He’s now considered to be very important to the development of American music, the first truly international composer of major talent.During his lifetime, though, he was almost completely ignored.Practically all his adult life Ives worked in the insurance business and was very successful at that; he’s considered the pioneer of estate planning, on which he wrote a treatise.Composing was done in his spare time.His most productive period was from the early 1900s to about 1920 (he didn’t compose much in the second half of his life.He died in 1954).Ives started composing the Concord piano sonata around 1911 and worked on it till 1915.It’s a remarkable piece of music, especially considering the time of the composition.The sonata consists of four movement, each titled after American writers: "Emerson," "Hawthorne,” "The Alcotts" (after Bronson Alcott and Louisa May Alcott), and "Thoreau.”As many of Ives’s piece, it’s long, running about 45 minutes; even 100 years later it’s challenging but very much worth listening to.Here’s the second movement, "Hawthorne,” in the performance by Alexei Lyubimov, a wonderful Russian pianist and a student of Heinrich Neuhaus.
Luciano Berio, one of the most interesting composers of the second half of the 20th century, was born on October 24th of 1925.We wrote about him in some detail last year.To celebrate Berio’s 90th birthday, here’s Sequenza IXa for clarinet, one of the pieces in a set of 14 for solo instruments.It’s performed by Joaquin Valdepeñas.
Liszt, Ives and Berio 2015
October 19, 2015. Liszt, Ives and Berio. Three very different composers were born this week: two “modernists,” Charles Ives and Luciano Berio, and one great Romantic, Franz Liszt. Liszt, born on October 22nd, 1811, was a tremendous virtuoso. While he was still concertizing (he quit at the age of 35 at
the height of his career) he was much more famous as a pianist than a composer. Liszt wrote a number of extremely difficult piano pieces. In his time, he was one of the very few, if not the only one, capable of pulling them off. During the last 20 years or so we’ve been witnessing a revolution in pianism. These days the technique of many young musicians is on a level that was only achieved by very few just a generation ago. Of course technique alone is not enough – one needs to have keen musicianship to become a complete artist, but extraordinary technique can create excitement that’s lacking in more subdued performances. Liszt’s piano pieces are perfectly suited for such feats. Khatia Buniatishvili is one of the young pianists who can dazzle – or infuriate, as the case may be. Some compare her with the young Martha Argerich, and, though they are quite different musically, the drive, energy and the superb technique lend credence to the comparison. Here’s Khatia playing, live, Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz no 1. The recording was made in 2011 at the Verbier Festival. One can find faults in this performance, both technical and musical, but the visceral pleasure is all there.
Charles Ives was born on October 20th of 1874. He’s now considered to be very important to the development of American music, the first truly international composer of major talent. During his lifetime, though, he was almost completely ignored. Practically all his adult life Ives worked in the insurance business and was very successful at that; he’s considered the pioneer of estate planning, on which he wrote a treatise. Composing was done in his spare time. His most productive period was from the early 1900s to about 1920 (he didn’t compose much in the second half of his life. He died in 1954). Ives started composing the Concord piano sonata around 1911 and worked on it till 1915. It’s a remarkable piece of music, especially considering the time of the composition. The sonata consists of four movement, each titled after American writers: "Emerson," "Hawthorne,” "The Alcotts" (after Bronson Alcott and Louisa May Alcott), and "Thoreau.” As many of Ives’s piece, it’s long, running about 45 minutes; even 100 years later it’s challenging but very much worth listening to. Here’s the second movement, "Hawthorne,” in the performance by Alexei Lyubimov, a wonderful Russian pianist and a student of Heinrich Neuhaus.
Luciano Berio, one of the most interesting composers of the second half of the 20th century, was born on October 24th of 1925. We wrote about him in some detail last year. To celebrate Berio’s 90th birthday, here’s Sequenza IXa for clarinet, one of the pieces in a set of 14 for solo instruments. It’s performed by Joaquin Valdepeñas.