#Penderecki concerto grosso

[n4682]

aight so here we go. as requested by popular demand:

the cryptid classical music list - pt. 1: what

just a quick warning: most of these will be pieces in the "contemporary classical" genre, which means there will most likely be a lot of dissonance. and also most of it is just weird.

also tumblr has an audio limit, so im splitting this into multiple different posts

alright lets get this list started.

Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1

I - Preludio

II - Tocatta

III - Recitativo

IV - Cadenza

V - Rondo

VI - Postludio

And starting off strong, we have Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1.

It's an interesting work because if you analyze the structure, it's very similar to a baroque-era concerto. The instrumentation is also very similar, consisting of two violin soloists, string orchestra, and harpsichord. The only difference is the addition of a prepared piano (which is a piano where stuff has been put between the strings in order to give it a different sound).

However, the piece itself is very modern. There are a few execptions, specifically the beginning of the Tocatta and various places throughout the Rondo.

This is a very eldritch-horror-esque piece due to its use of Ligeti-esque micro-polyphony. What Schnittke does is he takes each induvidual section of instruments and splits it up, similar to divisi. However, he subdivides it into 8 or 12 parts instead of a more normal two or three, leading to a very dissonant and unique sound.

Honestly, if you want to start listening to this, listen to the Rondo first; it's the most accessible movement in my opinion, but whatever order you take this in is up to you.

Performance provided:

Soloists: Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko

Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe, cond. Heinrich Schiff

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Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion

Part I:

O Crux ave

Et egressus

Deus meus

Domine, qui habitabit

Adhuc eo loquente

Ierusalem

Ut quid, Domine

Comprehendentes autem eum

Iudica me, Deus

Et viri, qui tenebant illum

Ierusalem

Misere me, Deus

Et surgens omnis

Part II:

Et in pulverem

Et baiulans sibi crucem

Popule meus

Ibi crucifixerunt eum

Crux fidelis

Dividentes mero

... in pulverem mortis

Et stabat populus

Unus autem

Stabant autem iuxta crucem

Stabat mater

Erat autem fere hora sexta

[Alla breve]

In pulverem mortis/In te, Domine, speravi

[side note: i was typing the above on my phone and it took like twenty minutes ::( ]

So. Penderecki's St. Luke Passion. Where do we begin?

The St. Luke Passion is an interesting one, because out of all the gospels Penderecki could have chosen, he picked the one that Bach never made into a passion. And the references don't stop there, whether it be the use of a baritone to represent Jesus, or the B-A-C-H (Bb-A-C-B) motif.

The work is totally atonal, and there are a lot of jumpscares. Like a lot. The music is also incredible, and its use of timbre is incredible. (listen to the "Et surgens omnis")

In addition, Penderecki makes great use of the choir, using them for vocal effects alongside singing (listen to the "Popule meus").

Performance provided:

Soloists: Izabella Klosińska (soprano), Adam Kruszewzki (baritone), Romuald Tesarowicz (bass), Krzysztof Kolberger (Narrator/"Evangelist")

Choir: Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir, Warsaw Boys' Choir

Orchestra: Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Antoni Wit

Link to Spotify Album

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George Crumb - Black Angels: 13 Images from the Dark Land

I - Departure

1 - Threnody I: Night of the Electric Insects

2 - Sounds of Bones and Flutes

3 - Lost Bells

4 - Devil-music

5 - Danse Macabre

II - Absence

6 - Pavana Lachrymae (Der Tod und das Mädchen)

7 - Threnody II: Black Angels!

8 - Sarabanda de la Muerte Oscura

9 - Lost Bells (Echo)

III - Return

10 - God-music

11 - Ancient Voices

12 - Ancient Voices (Echo)

13 - Threnody III: Night of the Electric Insects

Okay, do you remember what I said at the top about the music getting weird? Well this is peak weird.

Black Angels is written for string quartet with a few interesting modifications. The score requires you to use electric instruments, which are a weird choice. In addition, the score calls for each player to also use a series of percussion instruments and their voice in addition to playing their instrument.

And there are the avant-garde aspects of this as well. Every modern playing technique in the book is used in this, such as playing on the wrong side of the fingerboard, applying large amounts of pressure to the bow, bowing behind the bridge, and plenty more.

I'm gonna be entirely honest: this music sparks a weird reaction. If I try to listen to it as background music, it makes me dissociate a solid 80% of the time. So apporach at your own risk.

Oh yeah, and also there are a lot of jumpscares.

Performace Provided:

Miró Quartet

Daniel Ching (vln), Sandy Yamamoto (vln), John Largess (vle), Joshua Gindele (vcl)

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Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5 in F# Major (Op. 53)

Okay, we're finally venturing back into more tonal territory. And we're coming back with my favourite lunatic composer of all time: Alexander Scriabin.

I'll talk about him a little bit later along the list cause I have a better piece to reference, but for now just know that he once tried to end the world with music. Anyways, back to the sonata.

The 5th Piano Sonata is in one movement and spans a lot of keys. It contains some really pretty moments, as well as some moments that make you feel a bit overwhelmed. It's also very hard. But nontheless, it's still an amazing piece, and much more accessible than his later works.

Performance Provided: Sviatoslav Richter (pfte)

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Alberto Ginastera - Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (Op. 25)

I - Allegro giusto

II - Molto moderato

III - Liberamente capriccioso - Vivace

i'm just gonna be entirely honest with this one: the whole piece slaps.

Alberto Ginastera was an Argentinean composer more commonly known for his Danzas Argentinas (Op. 2). But nonetheless, the Harp Concerto, the Piano Concerto No. 1 (we'll get to that one later), and the Piano Sonata No. 1 (not on this list) all slap.

Performance provided:

The Harp Concerto is probably the most accessible out of the three works I just mentioned, and that's because it goes hard. Because the harp can only be tuned to 7 different pitch classes at a time, and since they cant be tuned to double flats or sharps, it forces the music to be very tonal.

And this is they key to the work: the limitations of the harp are easily dealt with, and the harp doesn't feel overused.

Soloist: Nancy Allen (hrp)

Orchestra: Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de Mexico, cond. Enrique Bátiz

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And thats it for part 1! I didn't even know that there is an audio limit on Tumblr, so I've had to leave some works out of this one, but stay tuned!

[musicainextenso]

Continuing our contemporary composers week, I’m bringing forward one composer whose work I want to get more into. Kryzsztof Penderecki is one of the major names in Polish music of the past century, and he has written across different genre, including symphonies, operas, chamber music, and various choral and orchestral works. He reached international fame through his string orchestral work, Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. Because of his use of tone clusters and uneasy harmonies, his music has appeared on horror and suspense film soundtracks, including Poltergeist [1972], The Shining [1980], and Shutter Island [2010].

Penderecki - Concerto Grosso

This work is a call back to the Baroque genre, and works as a concerto for three cellos and orchestra. Here the composer isn’t only looking backward in genre, but also in his tonal language, which is less shocking as it was in his earlier more avant garde works in the 60s and 70s. But the trio of cellos adds a range of richness over a colorful orchestral backdrop, and has made this work popular with orchestras around the world. It is in one continuous movement.

Stay tuned this week for more music by contemporary composers, here on Musica in Extenso - Nick O

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top 100 pieces of western art music (2020 edition)

it’s been approximately a year since i posted my 2019 list, so here goes nothing!

100. Antonin Dvorak - Symphony No. 8

99. Bohuslav Martinu - String Trio No. 1

98. György Ligeti - String Quartet No. 1

97. G.F. Haas - String Quartet No. 2

96. Arnold Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht

95. William Walton - Violin Concerto

94. Samuel Barber - Violin Concerto

93. Maurice Ravel - Trois Poèmes de Stéphane Mallarmé

92. Bela Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra

91. Krysztof Penderecki - Threnody

90. G.F. Handel/Johan Halverson - Passacaglia

89. Max Grafe - Moon Cycles

88. John Cage - 59 ½ for a string player

87. J.S. Bach - Harpsichord Concerto No. 1

86. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 1

85. Jennifer Higdon - blue cathedral

84. Sergei Prokofiev - Violin Concerto No. 1

83. George Crumb - Makrokosmos III (Music for a Summer Evening)

82. Paul Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4

81. Alban Berg - Violin Concerto

80. Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 10

79. Luciano Berio - Sequenza XIVb

78. Steve Reich - Music for 18 Musicians

77. Charles Ives - The Unanswered Question

76. Eugene Ysaye - Solo Sonata No. 2

75. Tomás Luis de Victoria - O magnum mysterium

74. Sergei Prokofiev - Sinfonia concertante

73. Maurice Ravel - String Quartet

72. György Ligeti - String Quartet No. 2

71. Witold Lutosławski - Partita (for Violin & Orchestra)

70. Pierre Boulez - Anthemes

69. Augusta Read Thomas - Incantation

68. Erwin Schulhoff - Five Pieces

67. Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 6

66. Krysztof Penderecki - Cadenza

65. Steve Reich - Music for Pieces of Wood

64. John Luther Adams - Dream of the Canyon Wren

63. Caroline Shaw - Valencia

62. Brian Ferneyhough - String Quartet No. 6

61. G.F. Haas - Solo (for viola d’amore)

60. Paul Hindemith - Viola Sonata

59. Iannis Xenakis - Metastasis

58. Andy Akhio - to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem

57. Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Sonata

56. Jessie Montgomery - Starburst

55. John Corigliano - Symphony No. 1

54. Kate Soper - Ipsa Dixit

53. Grazyna Bacewicz - Concerto for Strings

52. Alfred Schnittke - Concerto for Piano and Strings

51. Ben Johnston - String Quartet No. 4

50. Igor Stravinsky - Petrouchka

49. Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10

48. Arnold Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire

47. Folke Rabe - Basta

46. Bela Bartok - String Quartet No. 4

45. Jennifer Higdon - Viola Concerto

44. Elizabeth Maconchy - String Quartet No. 11

43. György Ligeti - Lux aeterna

42. Herbert Howells - Elegy

41. Olivier Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps

40. J.S. Bach - Violin Sonata No. 2

39. Arvo Pärt - Fratres

38. Alberto Ginastera - Piano Concerto No. 1

37. Igor Stravinsky - L’oiseau de feu

36. John Luther Adams - The Wind in High Places

35. Alberto Ginastera - Harp Concerto

34. Silvestre Revueltas - La noche de los Mayas

33. William Grant Still - Afro-American Symphony

32. George Rochberg - String Quartet No. 3

31. Jessie Montgomery - Source Code

30. Ben Johnston - String Quartet No. 7

29. Bedrïch Smetana - String Quartet No. 1

28. Caroline Shaw - Entr’acte

27. Igor Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps

26. Alberto Ginastera - Violin Concerto

25. Kaija Saariaho - Nocturne

24. Grazyna Bacewicz - Quartet for Four Violins

23. György Ligeti - Sechs Bagatellen/Musica Ricercata

22. Salvatore Sciarrino - Capricci per violino solo

21. Dai Fujikura - Fluid Calligraphy

20. Sky Macklay - Many, Many Cadences

19. Alberto Ginastera - String Quartet No. 1

18. György Ligeti - Violin Concerto

17. Luciano Berio - Sequenza III

16. Jessie Montgomery - Strum

15. George Crumb - Black Angels

14. Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8

13. Iannis Xenakis - Naama

12. Luciano Berio - Sequenza VIII

11. Toru Takemitsu - Rain Spell

10. Andy Akhio - NO one to kNOW one

9. Alberto Ginastera - String Quartet No. 2

8. Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1

7. Caroline Shaw - Partita for Eight Voices

6. John Luther Adams - Canticles of the Sky

5. György Ligeti - Mysteries of the Macabre

4. Maurice Ravel - Introduction & Allegro

3. Jennifer Higdon - Violin Concerto

2. György Ligeti - Requiem

1. Kate Soper - Voices from the Killing Jar

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TOP 100 PIECES OF WESTERN ART MUSIC - 2019 EDITION

These are my 100 favorite works of western classical music as of June 22nd, 2019, in comparison to the list I posted a significant while ago (2017?)

1. Ligeti - Violin Concerto

2. Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1

3. Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 1

4. Ravel - Introduction & Allegro

5. Ginastera - String Quartet No. 1

6. Bartok - String Quartet No. 4

7. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10

8. Ligeti - Le grand macabre

9. Shaw - Partita for Eight Voices

10. Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps

11. Pärt - Fratres

12. Ligeti - Musica Ricercata (and variant thereof: Six Bagatelles, as transcribed by Ligeti)

13. Crumb - Black Angels

14. Ginastera - Violin Concerto

15. Bacewicz - Quartet for Four Violins

16. Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps

17. Walton - Violin Concerto

18. Ravel - String Quartet

19. Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 9

20. Bernstein - Candide

21. Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht

22. Berg - Violin Concerto

23. Howells - Elegy

24. Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra

25. Montgomery - Strum

26. Dvorak - Violin Concerto

27. Schubert - Erlkönig (and variants thereof: Ernst; Liszt)

28. Saariaho - Nocturne

29. Fujikura - Fluid Calligraphy

30. Barber - Violin Concerto

31. Walton - Viola Concerto

32. Grafe - Moon Cycles

33. Mendelssohn - Octet

34. Higdon - Viola Concerto

35. Dvorak - Piano Quintet No. 2

36. Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5

37. Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 10

38. Ginastera - String Quartet No. 2

39. J.S. Bach - Solo Sonata in G Minor

40. Hindemith - Viola Sonata

41. Shostakovich - Cello Concerto No. 1

42. Maconchy - String Quartet No. 11

43. Ligeti - Lux aeterna

44. Kodály - Cello Sonata

45. Xenakis - Naama

46. Crumb - Makrokosmos

47. Adams - Nixon in China

48. Reich - Music for Pieces of Wood

49. Stravinsky - L’Oiseau de feu

50. Ravel - Tzigane

51. Beethoven - Symphony No. 7

52. G.F. Haas - String Quartet No. 2

53. Sibelius - Violin Concerto

54. Vaughan Williams - Symphony No. 4

55. Mahler - Symphony No. 5

56. Shostakovich - Piano Quintet

57. Ginastera - Estancia

58. Prokofiev - Violin Concerto No. 1

59. Ferneyhough - String Quartet No. 2

60. Rautavaara - Cantus Arcticus

61. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4

62. Beethoven - String Quartet Op. 95 “Serioso”

63. Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2

64. Tchaikovsky - Souvenir de Florence

65. Schoenberg - Drei Klavierstücke

66. Ligeti - L’escalier du diable

67. Berio - Sequenza III

68. Britten - Requiem

69. Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire

70. Paganini - Nel cor píu non mi sento

71. Sarasate - Zapateado

72. Glazunov - Violin Concerto

73. Mahler - Symphony No. 2

74. Tchaikovsky - Capriccio Italien

75. Dvorak - Symphony No. 8

76. Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Overture

77. Shostakovich - Festive Overture

78. Holst - The Planets

79. Chopin - Piano Sonata No. 2

80. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11

81. Walton - String Quartet No. 2

82. J.S. Bach - Chaconne (and variants thereof)

83. Henze - Fantasia for Strings

84. Revueltas - La Noche de los Mayas

85. Berio - Sequenza VIII

86. Schoenberg - String Quartet No. 3

87. Hindemith - String Quartet No. 4

88. Dvorak - String Quartet No. 13

89. Janáček - Idyll

90. Kodály - Duo for Violin & Cello

91. Reich - Clapping Music

92. Handel-Halvorsen - Passacaglia

93. Adams - Short Ride in a Fast Machine

94. Prokofiev - Piano Sonata No. 7

95. Vieuxtemps - Violin Concerto No. 4

96. Ysaÿe - Violin Sonata No. 3

97. MacDowell - Piano Concerto No. 2

98. Penderecki - Cadenza

99. Lutosławski - Cello Concerto

100. Shaw - Entr’acte for String Quartet

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TOP 100 PIECES OF WESTERN ART MUSIC (completely subjective)

100. Beethoven- Creatures of Prometheus Overture

99. Mozart- Violin Concerto No. 4

98. Forsyth- Viola Concerto

97. Saint-Saëns- Symphony No. 3: Organ

96. Sarasate- Zapateado

95. Shostakovich- Suite for Variety Orchestra No. 2

94. Hindemith- String Quartet No. 1

93. Haydn- String Quartet Op. 74, No. 2

92. Elgar- Cello Concerto

91. Bach- Cello Suite No. 3

90. Shostakovich- Fugue in A Major

89. Vitali- Chaconne

88. Ferneyhough- String Quartet No. 2

87. Chopin- Nocturne in C-Sharp Minor

86. Grieg- Peer Gynt Suite

85. Dvorak- String Quartet No. 12: American

84. Verdi- Overture to La Forza del Destino

83. Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 2: Little Russian

82. Mahler- Symphony No. 6

81. Schoenberg- Pierrot Lunaire

80. Britten- Requiem

79. Chopin- Fantasie Impromptu

78. Rachmaninoff- Symphony No. 2

77. Liszt- Paganini Etude No. 3: La Campanella

76. Ligeti- Violin Concerto

75. Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 9

74. Bach- Partita in B Minor

73. Mendelssohn- Violin Concerto

72. Beethoven- Piano Sonata No. 13: Pathetique

71. Prokofiev- Violin Concerto No. 2

70. Tchaikovsky- Serenade for Strings

69. Berlioz- Symphonie Fantastique

68. Bach- Partita in D Minor (excluding Ciaconna)

67. Sibelius- Symphony No. 2

66. Khachaturian- Violin Concerto

65. Walton- Viola Concerto

64. Haas- String Quartet No. 2

63. Mendelssohn- Octet

62. Beethoven- Egmont Overture

61. Strauss- Don Juan

60. Dvorak- Symphony No. 7

59. Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 4

58. Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 8

57. Beethoven- Op. 129

56. Wieniawski- Etude-Caprices

55. Schubert- String Quartet: Death and the Maiden

54. Stravinsky- The Rite of Spring

53. Brahms- Piano Quintet

52. Mendelssohn- String Sinfonia No. 9

51. Rimsky-Korsakov- Capriccio Espagnol

50. Beethoven- String Quartet No. 14

49. Shostakovich- Festival Overture

48. Adams- Short Ride in a Fast Machine

47. Ginastera- String Quartet No. 1

46. Sarasate- Zigeunerweisen

45. Saint-Saëns- Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso

44. Kreisler- Tambourin Chinois

43. Shostakovich- Symphony No. 5

42. Grieg- Piano Concerto

41. Bach- Ciaccona

40. Ernst- Der Erlkönig

39. Milstein- Paganiniana

38. Shostakovich- Symphony No. 11

37. Beethoven- Symphony No. 6

36. Bach- Sonata in G Minor

35. Mozart- Requiem

34. Bloch- Suite Hebraique

33. Pärt- Fratres

32. Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 6

31. Henze- Fantasia for Strings

30. Xenakis- Jonchaies

29. Penderecki- Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

28. Rimsky-Korsakov- Russian Easter Overture

27. Schoenberg- String Quartet No. 3

26. Chopin- Etude Op. 25 No. 11: Winter Wind

25. Dvorak- Viola Quintet in E-Flat Major

24. Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 11

23. Howells- Elegy

22. Holst- The Planets

21. Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 10

20. Walton- String Quartet

19. Ginastera- String Quartet No. 2

18. Shostakovich- Cello Concerto No. 1

17. Verdi- Requiem

16. Hindemith- String Quartet No. 4

15. Bartok- String Quartet No. 4

14. Tchaikovsky- Souvenir de Florence

13. Mozart- Die Zauberflöte

12. Shostakovich- String Quartet No. 3

11. Sibelius- Violin Concerto

10. Berg- Violin Concerto

9. Walton- Violin Concerto

8. Schoenberg- Verklärte Nacht

7. Dvorak- Piano Quintet No. 2

6. Prokofiev- Violin Concerto No. 1

5. Shostakovich- Violin Concerto No. 1

4. Ravel- String Quartet

3. Shostakovich- Symphony No. 10

2. Ravel- Tzigane

1. Schnittke- Concerto Grosso No. 1