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Originally Posted by Manny Laureano What composers do you listen to that manage to hold your interest from piece to piece? Tchaikovsky seems very consistent to me but some will accuse himof being unintellectually challenging. I don't hold that view. |
I think the question here is what composers manage to maintain a consistent compositional vocabulary throughout their career while managing to keep their listeners interested.
The composers that come immediately to mind are Bach and Stravinsky. Bach's music is immediately recognizable, if only for the pure genius. Sure, he developed as a composer, learning and incorporating into his works diverse styles throughout his career. But if you ask me, Bach is the only composer to reach a level of genius that the proportion and balance become an aesthetic. When you listen to Bach, you can
hear the genius.
Stravinsky is a little more complex. His aesthetics changed dramatically in his lifetime. Compare his early Symphony in E-flat, Firebird, Rite of Spring, Le Noces and Symphony of Psalms. All VERY different works with very different sounds. You have to listen a little bit harder to hear the cohesion within Stravinsky's catalogue, but its there. When a conductor asks for "Stravinsky-short," you don't have to wonder whether he means circa 1911 or 1950. Similarly, Stravinsky's rhythmic invention permeates his entire catalogue. What is presented not-so-subtly in the Rite can be found to varying degrees in a number of his other works (The Octet, Petrouchka, Symphony of Psalms, even our own Fanfare for a New Theatre).
So back to the original topic, I'm not incredibly familiar with Coplands lesser known works. Maybe he was inconsistent in his vocabulary and his lesser known works aren't as good. Or maybe the aesthetics of his lesser known works are less accessible to the general public and therefore don't get programmed as often (but then how would you explain Elliot Carter?). I can say that in the early 18th century, St. Matthew's Passion was one of Bach's "lesser known works." If it weren't for a mid-century revival by Mendelssohn, it would still be in a subsidiary place in the repertoire. I can't remember what the original question was, but next chance I get I'm going to check out some of Copland's lesser known works (although the clarinet concerto will still be in my top 10 favorite pieces).
-Jimi
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I celebrate the man's entire catalogue. To me, there's nothing better than when he sings "When A Man Loves A Woman."
-Office Space
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