Under-appreciated or little known classical music?

[aos]

A quick search of the web found his society. He seemed to have written lots of stage plays. I must've heard of his plays when I was younger. According to the website, the premiere of the opera was in 1930 in Leipzig and was picketed by Nazis. There also seems to be a related cycle of songs, dated 1927.

 

[Tomcat]

Regarding this Brecht guy: He is commonly regarded as one of the greatest German writers of the 20th century. As important to German literature as Thomas Mann or Franz Kafka. Bertolt Brecht is primarily known as a playwright, and with his ideas about an "epic theatre", he tried to disillusion the audience in order to create a reflective distance from the staged reality. With his "alienation effect", he meant to raise the audience's awareness of social grievances and of the inhumanity of capitalist society. His plays (and his couple of operas) were meant as teachings to the audience. Today, there are many people who think, that he has been most brilliant as a poet, and not as a playwright. I'd tend to agree. His poetry isn't as marred by political purpose and is supremely artistic.

I can only agree with Steril and xxhalberstramxx: Wozzeck is a great opera! The 19th century play by Georg Büchner is one of the great classics of German literature (although it's a fragment: the succession of scenes isn't completely clear), and Alban Berg is one of my all-time favourite composers.

If there is something that is clearly underrated in classical music, it is the contemporary or 20th century music. Very often, the lack of customary harmonic structure makes it austere and inaccessible, but Berg is certainly an exception. Although he belongs to the "New Vienna School" of twelve-tone composers (founded by Arnold Schönberg - Anton Webern being the third of them), who did away with traditional harmonic rules, Berg idolized late romanticist composer Gustav Mahler. Therefore Berg doesn't exactly shy away from tonality when the opportunity presents itself. There is a striking lyricism to a lot of his work (to his other opera, "Lulu", as well).

My favourite Berg composition is his last: his "Violin Concerto - To the Memory of an Angel" from 1935. If one isn't deeply moved by it, it's probably better to forget about further excursions into contemporary music.

Another absolute favourite of mine: "Fragments - Silence, To Diotima", a string quartet by Luigi Nono that he wrote for the LaSalle quartet in 1980. This is just music to die for. Okay, your mileage may vary.

 

[aos]

I've read both Mann and Kafka, but I haven't read any Brecht. If he wrote mostly plays and poetry, that'd explain it - I don't read that stuff (meaning Shakespeare neither

). But this is getting way off topic.

If I haven't already, I can recommend symphonies of Prokofiev (5th and 7th). Prokofiev is underrated, maybe thanks to lack of good recordings. I highly recommend Ashkenazy/Concertebow perfomance of 5th. I haven't yet heard a good performance of 7th on a CD.

I'm sure there are lots of 19, 18 and older century composers which are barely known today yet they deserve to be perfomed at least sometimes. Like the Alkan fellow mentioned here a few times - his music is quite listenable. Maybe his stuff isn't super good, but it's not like Beethoven is getting out of grave to continue composing any time soon.

 

[Prune]

Since jude mentioned Alkan...

Jack Gibbons' performance of Op. 39 (12 Etudes, Amazon.com ASIN B0000030PK) is much better than Hamelin's. I don't mean to knock Hamelin, his technical ability is supreme (and I actually talked to him shortly one time after a live performance and he seemed like a nice guy), but Gibbons actually puts feeling in the playing -- as one Amazon.com reviewer put it, "raw fury" -- and that makes all the difference with these tremendous compositions.

 

[daycart1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jude ...Charles-Valentin Alkan's: Grande Sonate 'Les Quatre Ages', Op 33 Sonatine, Op 60 Barcarolle, Op 65 no 6 Le festin d'Esope, Op 39 no 12 Label is Hyperion Records.

Ooooh, I love Alkan! And if you go for Chopin, you must hear Scriabin. There are some nice, inexpensive collections of his Sonatas on ebay. The early preludes and mazurkas, however, sound more like Chopin than Chopin!
After you fall for early Scriabin, you can move on to his very original later music.

 

[Prune]

Scriabin's later stuff seems to me borderline atonal -- not my cup of tea. The romantic period that Alkan comes from is my comfort zone

 

[mikeg]

Some terrific 16th Century music by Plestrina. For example, his Missa Papae Marcelli. Purcell's opera, Dido and Aeneas is also lovely.

 

[Tyson]

Robert Simpson's Symphonies.

 

[sleepkyng]

anyone mention John Adams?

Nixon in China is so bomb!

Anyone checked out Boulez's stuff? sure he was a great conductor, but he was an awesome composer.

i love Scriabin's later sonatas.

and Wozzeck is really great, tho i'm more of a Webern than Berg guy.

Ives isn't really that celebrated (I know he is compared to back in the day but still)

 

[Ferbose]

I think late Renaissance/early Baroque period 1550-1700 (before Bach, vivaldi and Handel) has been largely overlooked by music lovers.
While many people believe Bach is the greatest composer ever, wouldn't it be odd if no great composer exists before him to inspire him.
I am glad that Naxos is putting out some quality performances of outstanding music from this period at nice prices.
For start, I will recommend John Dowland's Lute Songs (Naxos 8.553381).
Dowland's reputation as a lutenist and song writer was held in high prestige across Europe at the time.
IMHO, his songs are on the same artistic level as Schubert's.
The songs are written for countertenors, so the CD would be interesting to people not familiar with this voice type.
Steven Rickards, the countertenor performing in this album, is not among the most famous countertenors out there but his performance in this disc is simply mesmerizing.
This is not just a good recording of some rare but interesting music--it is a great recording of great music. Highly recommended.

 

[KR...]

Super famous yes, but take a closer look at the track list!

 

[JohnFerrier]

http://www.rombaux.be/Klpunt416.htm

Pierre Boulez, "enfant terrible" in younger days. In the pic, notice no baton--Maestro Boulez reportedly boasted that his ten fingers were effectively ten batons. Pli Selon Pli was my introduction to the work of Pierre Boulez. A favorite of mine, but like Berg certainly not for everyone.

What I don't like about Berg and Schönberg is they only go half way. Boulez casts all aspects of orchestral music into new forms. Rituel in Memoriam Maderna is probably the most accessable. Eclat/Multiples is very good. As are Notations, Figures-Doubles-Prismes...

Writing of Postmodernist literature, Brian McHale states: "Whether overdetermined, like the intergral serialism of Pierre Boulez, or underdetermined, like the aleatory music of John Cage, the effect on the reader is one of 'all-overness,' a flood of stimuli all of equal importance, lacking hierachy or syntax." 1987 _Postmodernist Fiction_

In this same vein, Boulez conducting Varese's Ameriques is truly a "barn burner". Current favorite of Boulez the conductor though is Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (esp. March to the Scaffold and Dream of a Sabbath Night).

hehehe... of course, this is modern orchestral music, not as in the thread title "classical music". So, in that regard, I'll recommend one of Boulez's few recordings of classical music: Handel's Water Music Suite--conducted with a striking machine-like precision.


JF

 

[jamont]

Sofia Gubaidulina, "Offertorium" - recorded by Gidon Kermer on DG.

Awesome.

 

[JohnFerrier]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jamont Sofia Gubaidulina, "Offertorium" - recorded by Gidon Kermer on DG. Awesome.

credit: Amazon.com

Yep, awesome recommendation. I like the samples of Hommage à T.S. Eliot, too. That's now in the "shopping cart".

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Here's a chick that knows how to compose orchestral music.

Kaija Saariaho (conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen)

credit: Amazon.com

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If the above selections aren't enough to put you to the edge of your seat (not to mention past wits end), Giacinto Scelsi will likely do it: such as Quattro pezzi / Anahit / Uaxuctum. The Jürg Wyttenbach version is hard to find (local library has a copy). Samples at Amazon Deutschland:
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASI...579418-7189631

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And lest one think all the screws are lose here, I do enjoy the beautiful Debussy, Ravel, and some of the Mahler that Boulez conducts...of course, such composers are not "little known".


JF

 

[00940]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg Some terrific 16th Century music by Plestrina. For example, his Missa Papae Marcelli.

I suppose you meant Palestrina ? Great stuff.

Mahaut is also interesting, a bit in the same vein as Charpentier or Couperin. But it is not classical musique, it's French Baroque.

I think Scarlatti doesn't get the attention he merits. But he's known at least. Other Italian componer of the mid XVIII don't have that chance. Tartini, Gasparini or Abos are names one shouldn't overlook. Stradivaria produced a cd with their respective Stabat Mater, it's one of the best cds I have.

Early polyphonic music is often overlooked while some gems are to be found. The "Messe de Tournai" by Guillaume de Machaut is a very nice piece of the XIV century.