Music Lane It's all about the music, dude! Sit down, relax and listen to some tunes.

---

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] Thread: [ Display  All  Email ] [ Music Lane ]

---

[ Alert Moderator ]

---

Thanks to rbolaw, John Marks and Analog Scott.

Posted by Rick W on October 24, 2014 at 15:29:44

I bought/listened to the pieces you guys recommended when I recently lamented the lack of rap here about NEW compositions/composers, and asked for rec's.

I enjoyed 'em all - Vasks Str. Quartet, Vasks flute concerto, Salonen piano concerto. I bookmarked the thread and will be getting some other pieces in the near future by composers other inmates recommended. Thanks to all the participants in that thread.

The flutist - Michael Faust - playing the Vasks flute concerto is absolutely amazing. My main axe is saxophone, and one of my doubles is flute. I only mention it because I know ridiculously hard flute parts when I hear 'em, and that piece is ridiculously difficult. Suffice it to say, I can't relate to the level of chops Faust has. Wow! VERY interesting concerto, and very different from other Vasks pieces I've heard.

I definitely liked Vasks' str. qt., but I need to listen again without distractions that were going on the first time I put the cd on.

There were no distractions last night when I listened to the Salonen piano concerto. Gotta say, I haven't been that blown away by a piece in quite some time. I really have no idea if its the case, but I wonder if he's been influenced by contemporary jazz. Salonen may have everything written in various time signatures, but some sections reminded me of rubato playing jazz groups do, gliding from one mode/scale to another collectively and unpredictably.

The writing is sorta pseudo modal, maybe using manufactured scales as modes. Its full of one surprising scalar/textural shift after another, and the colors he gets out of the orchestral palette - including the piano - are nothing short of fantastic. The piece is loaded with colors and textures on steroids.

The pianist, Yefim Bronfman, must have passed out after the last note. Can't imagine anyone playing this piece better. I wonder how long it took him to get the piece down, and how many rehearsals the orchestra had.

The only thing I didn't like was the damn near complete lack of space. Seemed like there was something complex and dense going on non-stop. Lovers of melody won't like it, but though I felt the piece was overall too busy, I was still enthralled from beginning to end. It was one surprise after another. I hope Salonen allows himself enough time away from conducting to write more.

So.......thanks, guys!

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

VH Audio

---

[ Top of Page ] [ Contact Us ] [ Support/Wish List ] [ Copyright © 2024, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]

---

[ General ] [ Speakers ] [ Tubes ] [ Vinyl ] [ Digital ] [ Hi-Rez ] [ Video Asylum ] [ Cables ] [ Tweaks/DIY ] [ Music ] [ Films ]

---