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Holger
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« Reply #15 on: August 31, 2012, 01:26:26 pm » |
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Very interesting, because my feelings regarding Shchedrin's music do not differ much.
In fact, I really like Shchedrin's earliest pieces a lot, e.g. the Humpbacked Horse or the First Piano Concerto. These may be conformist pieces and examples of Socialist Realism, but for me, this music is very charming and attractive, nothing sophisticated at all but just nice, tuneful and pleasant.
However, Shchedrin's music written after 1960 fails to leave a lasting impression on me at all. Though the reasons may differ from piece to piece, a main feature is that in many Shchedrin pieces, I miss a sort of clear intention, an inner drive within the music. It somehow starts, takes a while, some things may happen but when it's over I fail to remember much of it, not do I have the feeling of any consequence or organic process. It's somehow empty.
Other pieces are too glaring for my taste (I am thinking of the Seagull, for example). Also, when Shchedrin intends to create tension it often sounds a little strained, anyway not very attractive in my view.
In any case, I have not found any piece in Shchedrin's later output so far which really impressed me.
Of course, these are only personal statements, but I found it remarkable to read Neil's statement in comparison to my own experiences.
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