guest2
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« on: May 09, 2009, 03:50:04 pm » |
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Recently I have come into possession of a recording of Henze's first six symphonies, none of which I have previously heard. Until now I have heard only seven, eight, nine (the choral), and ten. The composer himself conducts, and I am rather excited about it!
Henze's music was quite popular in West Germany in the mid-sixties. I well remember picking up amplitude modulation broadcasts from the West-Deutsche Rundfunk which used to drift in and out of the static background as reception conditions changed. But it was usually extracts from Undine then, not the symphonies.
He said once that he always tried in his compositions to have as much going on simultaneously as he could. I think Lindberg says very much the same thing! That is a plus in music isn't it? - one has only to think of Bach - although on the other hand it might make things difficult for their male listeners since it is said that whereas women can perform several tasks at once men can usually handle only one. But probably that observation applies to more mundane tasks than music appreciation.
So which of the Henze symphonies would people recommend?
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smittims
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« Reply #1 on: May 10, 2009, 10:28:42 am » |
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Those first six Henze Symphonies are the only works of his I really like , and especially nos. 2,3 and 4. I have admired nos. 8 & 10 but can't enjoy them so much and I'm afraid his operas and vocal works leave me unmoved.
I've no doubt this is a temperament thing, as with those people who (inexplicably to me) don't like Elgar's music. But then .we're all different.
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guest2
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« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2009, 02:13:30 pm » |
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Following member Smittims's recommendation I have made a start with Henze's second symphony, the work of a very young man. It evokes with a curious and pleasant nostalgia the atmosphere of the fifties avant-garde. Its construction is much simpler than that of anything of Brahms, say. The first movement, slow throughout, with some nice harmonies and textures, reaches just the one climax right at the end. The second is very short and scherzo-like - its rhythms are a great improvement upon those of a certain contemporary Russian who shall remain nameless - and again it reaches just one loud climax right at the end. The third movement is slow again. Mr. Morris in his book relates that the chorale "How brightly shines the morning star" is embedded somewhere here, but I missed that the first time round.
The MGG claims that this second symphony contains elements of a "neoclassical style" - which I do not see/hear at all!
Also I noted no outstanding melodiousness, although it can be said that of all the elements of music melody is the one which changed least during the course of the twentieth century.
What a rich and varied life Herr Henze has led!
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Roehre
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« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2009, 02:57:48 pm » |
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The MGG claims that this second symphony contains elements of a "neoclassical style" - which I do not see/hear at all!
MGG: Das bedeutet dass Sie wenigstens Deutsch lesen und vielleicht auch mal reden?
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guest2
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« Reply #4 on: May 26, 2009, 11:46:12 am » |
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The MGG claims that this second symphony contains elements of a "neoclassical style" - which I do not see/hear at all!
MGG: Das bedeutet dass Sie wenigstens Deutsch lesen und vielleicht auch mal reden? Actually I found it floating around the Internet after member Roehre had mentioned it elsewhere in connection with Reznicek. Gould does appear in the "Riemann Musiklexikon," a slightly smaller package.
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Roehre
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« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2009, 05:26:35 pm » |
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The MGG claims that this second symphony contains elements of a "neoclassical style" - which I do not see/hear at all!
MGG: Das bedeutet dass Sie wenigstens Deutsch lesen und vielleicht auch mal reden? Actually I found it floating around the Internet after member Roehre had mentioned it elsewhere in connection with Reznicek. Gould does appear in the "Riemann Musiklexikon," a slightly smaller package. It is very instructive to compare the "old" MGG with the MGG2-personenteil: the people who got an article, whose articles have been drastically edited (either "streamlined :) , or extended) and the way musicology is now much more neutral regarding biography than it say some thirty years ago still to some extent was. The old MGG (I've got the 1989 pb-edition) and the recently (i.e. 2008) completed 2nd edition are with 16 and 28 volumes real beasts on the shelves. I prefer both to Sadie's Grove's (let alone its newest edition) for the integrality of their approach (caused by the fact that the MGG is a Konversations lexicon and the Grove's a mere encyclopaedia). On top of that I've got the feeling that the Germans are more reliable as well in especially the work lists and bibliographies.
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guest2
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« Reply #6 on: June 13, 2009, 08:22:02 am » |
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Thanks to member Smittims's recommendation I have greatly enjoyed getting to know Henze's second, and will start on his third to-morrow. Does the second have any programme does any one know? Just now I have posted a link to his fifth, which I taped long ago but had forgotten about!
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Roehre
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« Reply #7 on: June 13, 2009, 11:09:58 am » |
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I like 3 and 4, perhaps "encouraged" by their "non-symphonic" background. Called Wagner Beethoven 7 a dance symphony, Henze's 3rd definitely is one, a kind of ballet in symphony-form.
Henze 4 is much more bucolic -if you like-, with its strong relations to the opera König Hirsch. To me is has similarities with the orchestral suite made out of Janacek's Cunning little Vixen (I actually do spin the suite and the Henze quite often the same day, for that reason)
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