Here I sit in my study, surrounded by thousands of records and CDs, pondering what to write for my 100th Crisis music column. Recently, I pontificated on “how to listen” to classical music. Interestingly, that article provoked more reader response than anything I have penned during the last ten years. Many e-mails and letters contained … Read more
There is no 20th-century composer I am more predisposed to like than Robert Simpson (1921-1997). I have been in such sympathy with his endeavors that I was actually a member of the Robert Simpson Society, a group in Great Britain that promotes his music. Since the 1980s, Hyperion Records has brought out a steady succession … Read more
When asked why he had never composed a string quartet, French composer Pierre Boulez responded, “The string quartet is dead.” Boulez (b. 1925) is famous for his musical obituaries. He once declared that “Schoenberg est mort.” By this he did not mean that Arnold Schoenberg’s system of atonality was bankrupt, but that Schoenberg had not … Read more
As I was saying before we were interrupted by the Christmas holidays, the symphony is not dead, did not die, and is alive and well, even here in America. I submit as evidence the works of Libby Larsen (b. 1950), as engaging a young composer as we have today. Hailing from Minnesota, Larsen seems to … Read more
Several years ago, an upset Crisis subscriber confronted me at a dinner and scolded, “I bought some of your recommendations and played them at the office. They were terrible.” “Why?” I asked. “Because I couldn’t work,” he said. “Did it ever occur to you,” I responded, “that you were supposed to listen?” As far as … Read more
Last Christmas, I recommended a number of seasonal works beyond Handel’s Messiah (which is an Easter oratorio, anyway). They included pieces by Frank Martin, Gabriel Pierne, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Pablo Casals, and, of course, Bach. Now, I shall go further afield in search of musical myrrh. Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) was a Swiss composer, thought by … Read more
The death of the symphony has been announced at least as often as that of the novel. Both obituaries have been premature. (I just finished reading Josh Gilder’s brilliant new novel, Ghost Image, a cross between Raymond Chandler and Dostoyevsky.) In the symphony’s case, its demise was diagnosed due to either the supposed exhaustion of … Read more
The Mass has probably been set to music more often than any text in history. Three new CD releases of early- and mid-19th century Masses remind us of the immense treasure contained in the dormant Catholic cultural heritage. We need that reminder in the context of today’s liturgical impoverishment, the musical expression of which gives … Read more
You are going to be marooned on a desert island. You can only take two suitcases. You will not be rescued for at least three months. You have a portable CD player and headset. Your CD carrying case holds 34 discs, and you are standing before a library of some 2,000 CDs. You have an … Read more
I recently returned from a tour as a civilian in Operation Iraqi Freedom. I was surprised to find controversy still swirling through the press as to whether U.S. actions in overthrowing Saddam Hussein were morally justified. As important as this issue no doubt is, during the three months I lived and worked with Iraqis, other … Read more
He earned his place in the record books, did Havergal Brian. The first British composer from the working class. Creator of the biggest symphony ever written. In his day, the most prolific symphonist since Haydn—writing 21 of his 32 numbered symphonies after his 80th birthday. But Brian (1876-1972) was an outsider during his own lifetime, … Read more
Do not go into a war of ideas until you understand the ideas you are at war with. A war of ideas is a struggle over the very nature of reality for which people are willing to die. Such wars are conducted in terms of moral legitimacy. The defense of one’s ideas and the attack … Read more
German composer Claus Ogermann recently made a delightful remark in an interview with British music critic Martin Anderson. He said, “Look back at Donaueschingen [the German Mecca of the avant garde], where they’ve been playing modern music since 1923 or ’24—they’ve premiered 2,000 compositions there, of which none has left any mark. It’s as if … Read more
Twentieth-century music does not get much better than Michael Tippett (1905-1998) in full flower, lending some credence to his advocates’ claim that, in his later years, he was the greatest living British composer. Yet that reputation rested on compositions that came from his first period of work that featured an extraordinary outpouring of luminous, highly … Read more
Last December, Morley Books, the publishing arm of Crisis, launched my book, Surprised by Beauty: A Listener’s Guide to the Recovery of Modern Music. I mention this not to agitate sales, but because the widespread aversion to 20th-century music, well-earned by the cacophonists, makes me sorry for those who, having been aurally battered, shy away … Read more
The Finnish CD label, Ondine, has recently brought to conclusion the first recorded traversal of Einar Englund’s seven symphonies, and the budget Naxos label has issued a magnificent recording of Englund’s Second and Fifth Symphonies, along with his First Piano Concerto. The now-available evidence reveals a major 20th-century symphonist (1916-1999) who was left in the … Read more
It is the Christmas season, and I am writing this article for anyone in danger of being institutionalized if they have to listen to Handel’s Messiah again, or for those shopping for a music lover sure to possess a recording of it already. So let us go beyond that sublime masterpiece to a variety of … Read more
Fall is the season of harvest but also of essential sales of wine and music. That seems fitting since we are headed indoors to enjoy the early and deliciously chilly darkness by a roaring fire. For the wine, pay attention to the bargains from southern France and Spain—about the only bargains left for the indigent … Read more
The Naxos label is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and you should join in the fun. In this short period of time, this astonishing budget label has released more than 2,500 recordings, most of the finest quality, as attested to by the many prestigious awards Naxos and its artists have won. What would otherwise have cost … Read more
I have spent the last several months listening to some of the finest chamber music I have ever encountered by a composer of whom you have probably never heard. Until I began dabbling in and then fanatically pursuing the works of Russian composer Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915), I had not heard of him either. If you … Read more