Classical Music

On a contemporary trip:

Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote this brilliant orchestral piece in the 90s. It's pretty underrated, I think.

If you've seen Arrival, you've heard this. 

This short fusion Western/South Asian Classical piece

Arve Henriksen is a Norwegian composer who is usually categorised as jazz, but it's definitely a crossover.

Loadbang are a contemporary ensemble who commission pieces. These "Gutteral" works are fun.

  On 5/9/2021 at 5:12 PM, Thu Zaw said:

On a contemporary trip:

 

Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote this brilliant orchestral piece in the 90s. It's pretty underrated, I think.

 

If you've seen Arrival, you've heard this. 

 

This short fusion Western/South Asian Classical piece

 

Arve Henriksen is a Norwegian composer who is usually categorised as jazz, but it's definitely a crossover.

 

Loadbang are a contemporary ensemble who commission pieces. These "Gutteral" works are fun.

 

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All good stuff, for sure. Off topic slightly- Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Sylvian collaborations are awesome.

modern classical classic

proper dystopian dissonance

I've heard this performed so many times it's ridiculous, but for Finns it's of the utmost importance. It's actually a protest piece against increasing Russian censorship. Play it to a Finn and they will be silent and still for the whole duration, and you'd better make sure you do, too. I like the hymn version better than the instrumental. Everything about this piece is amazing - this version is a bit fast, though.

  On 5/19/2021 at 10:34 PM, dcom said:

I've heard this performed so many times it's ridiculous, but for Finns it's of the utmost importance. It's actually a protest piece against increasing Russian censorship. Play it to a Finn and they will be silent and still for the whole duration, and you'd better make sure you do, too. I like the hymn version better than the instrumental. Everything about this piece is amazing - this version is a bit fast, though.

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This trombone player approves

  On 5/28/2021 at 1:13 PM, brian trageskin said:

 

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Stumbled across this yesterday, worth checking out if you like Max Richter/Jóhann Jóhannsson

lol 

very amazon...

saweet

  Quote

The sixth symphony by Allan Pettersson took a long gestation, being written between 1963-6. This long gestation, unique in Pettersson’s œuvre, testifies to an intensive and arduous process of composition but is also explained in purely physical terms by the composer's first serious rheumatic episode and the associated health complications. It was premiered on January 21, 1968, performed by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Stig Westerberg.

Within the group of works from the 1960s, the Sixth established a specific, self-contained musical style, a secure foundation that made it possible for the Seventh, Eighth and Ninth Symphonies to be completed in rapid succession. This development is expressed both in the details, the dramaturgy of the motivic elaboration and also, more generally, in the mastery of formal aspiration, and also includes the concentration of varied emotional spheres. The concept of a single-movement structure with its own inner logic, proceeding without a break remains unchanged, though it is totally redefined in this symphony with its extremely clear formal disposition.

The work starts with a slow introduction, followed by two extensive sections of different expressive character. The first section is characterized by closely interrelated intensifications that follow each other in rapid succession. By contrast the second has a calmly striding pace and creates the impression of being a coda, although it accounts for almost half of the duration of the entire symphony.

The first part starts slowly, cautiously. A phrase from the strings presents what will become the main theme, which is formed by repeated variations. Soon, the first threatening phrases emerge. The tragic atmosphere is developed with multiple aggressive attacks of metals and percussion. The strings presents violent sharp passages. The jumps of the metals passing from low notes to high ones produce an enormous tension. The environment becomes weird, taking us to impetuous situations full of aggressive force. A series of notes are repeated obsessively. In the final part a kind of anthem appears on the trumpet, which takes us to a more reassuring section, preparing the next section.

The second part begins with a kind of funeral march, marked by percussion, on aggressive figures of the wind. The tragic theme slowly emerges through tonal phrases. We find a new approach with Mahler's tragic style. The tonality becomes more stable than in the violent first part. A broad theme develops on the strings. A powerful hymn presents us with all its strength a painful situation. We could also compare it with Shostakovich's tragic slow movements. The trumpet recites an exciting sentence full of pain. But we could also interpret it as a form of resignation. The percussion and the basses of the orchestra obsessively mark the rhythm of funeral march. The expressivity slowly increases, taking us to an episode violently marked by percussion. The sharp entrances of the strings produce a chilling effect. The music becomes totally tonal, playing a comforting hymn that leads us to the coda.

With this symphony, Pettersson began to be known outside his homeland. It is his so-called metaphysical period that comprises his central symphonies. His personal experiences are fully integrated into his work. His style has become more harmonic, especially if we compare it with his previous symphony. With this he achieves a greater approach to the listener. Its tragic grandeur is comparable to that expressed by Tchaikovsky in his last symphony. We reproduce Pettersson's sentences with respect to his work.

"Someone has said that I compose as in a form of self-pity. Not to mention it! Does anyone think that I could compose what I have composed, think that someone could write a simple note that has life in itself, sitting and feeling sorry for oneself? What I express is not self-pity but pure information. A compassionate feeling for all those who suffer."

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