A Newbie Question About Modern Music

[haydnguy]

I tried to get online at 9am this morning and my ISP was down. Didn't come back up until about 5pm this afternoon. Very unusual, but anyway thanks for the replies everyone. I'll go through them and see what all the recommendations are.

[Chilperich]

To somebody completely unfamiliar with 20th-century music I'd start them with the Prelude to Tristan und Isolde. I'd then direct them to Brahms's Fourth Symphony.

Two 19-century works, right? Bear with me.

After that I'd suggest that they listen to yet another 19th-century work: Debussy's Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune before moving on to the same composer's Nocturnes, La mer and Images.

At this point the three early ballets of Stravinsky could be introduced: the Firebird (probably best heard initially in the 1910 version of the Suite), Petrushka and the Rite of Spring.

Schoenberg has to be introduced via the original string-sextet version of Transfigured Night. (The Tristan Prelude could be played again before this, together with a good dose of Brahms's chamber music (especially the Clarinet Quintet).) Some of Schoenberg's early songs might also be played: for example, Warnung (op. 3/3), Erwartung (op. 2/1) or Erhebung (op. 2/3) together with the Song of the Wood Dove from Gurrelieder.

Then Schoenberg's First String Quartet could be played. (To give this work some context it would be good also to play Zemlinsky's Second String Quartet, op. 15 and Max Reger's op. 74.) This could be followed by the First Chamber Symphony.

Only then would I introduce the Second String Quartet, the Five Orchestral Pieces, op. 16, the monodrama Erwartung, op. 17 (not to be confused with the earlier song of the same name), Pierrot Lunaire and - jumping somewhat ahead - the Variations for Orchestra, op. 31.

I'd then introduce the Lulu-Suite and Violin Concerto by Alban Berg.

Some other works that I'd run past a newcomer to 20th-century music: Milhaud's La creation du monde and Le boeuf sur le toit; Hindemith's Kammermusik No. 5 (op. 36/4), Ludus Tonalis and Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Weber; Scriabin's Prometheus; Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.

[Alpha Centauri]

Nice choices, Chilperich, and I like the "thread" that leads through them

No Shostakovich or Britten, though? The two most individual voices of the C20th for me

[micrologus]

Not to forget: Arthur Honegger - Maurice Ravel - Paul Dukas - Frederick Delius - Gabriel Fauré

[haydnguy]

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to answer this “newbies” questions. I learned years ago when supporting computer users that you sometimes have to answer the question that the user is *trying* to ask rather than what they are actually asking. I think in my questions on modern music that certainly applies. I’m not certain my reference to “musicologists” was what I was trying to say. In any case, you all have given me a wealth of information that I will be able to use for months to come.

What I will probably do is what I did with the original Mahler thread, and that was copy everyone’s replies and paste them to my desktop. I can then refer to them as needed and will be a fantastic reference.

I will be coming back to this thread from time to time with responses and questions (like I did in the Mahler thread) for everyone.

In response to Flo’s question about whether I have Napster… I had been using Napster for about 3 years when I suddenly started having “DRM related” problems. I tried using their “DRM reset” utility but it would not fix it. After a couple of email’s from Napster, they finally referred me to Microsoft. I didn’t even try as I didn’t want to deal with that. So I canceled my membership. I have heard that Rhapsody is decent and I can also can get a subscription from Naxos that would give me the opportunity to listen to all the pieces and see which ones I liked. I could then get a CD from a leading conductor/performer if I wanted to.

[Chilperich]

Originally Posted by Reiner Torheit

Nice choices, Chilperich, and I like the "thread" that leads through them

No Shostakovich or Britten, though? The two most individual voices of the C20th for me

Not at all, Reiner! Shostakovich and Britten are fine. My choices were merely a "starter pack", not an exclusive list. Or, to vary the metaphor, a launching pad for wider exploration of the 20th-century repertoire.

[Despina41]

Ok, this is kind of late, but Chilperich got me thinking about it with those recommendations from the German tradition ("progression" is a loaded word, eh?).

You could do the same with just Scriabin!

Try getting from op 11 to op 74...

[Herzeleide]

Originally Posted by Despina41

Ok, this is kind of late, but Chilperich got me thinking about it with those recommendations from the German tradition ("progression" is a loaded word, eh?).

You could do the same with just Scriabin!

Try getting from op 11 to op 74...

Of Scriabin's oeuvre?

Synthetic harmonies/scales as well as 'odd' time signatures/irrational groupings had been elements of Russian music for decades. His early piano works are of course Chopinesque, but elements of Liszt/The Five (Liszt was highly thought of by the Russian Nationalist composers, if I'm not mistaken) such as dividing the octave symmetrically crept in gradually. Then came along theosophy, and a megalomania that rivals Wagner's, which presumably effected his creative confidence to blossom into what we have in the late works.

[haydnguy]

Originally Posted by Despina41

You could do the same with just Scriabin!

You know I actually mentioned this to my wife day before yesterday. Something someone said made me think of this idea. I didn't know what the opus numbers were though!

[Herr_Direktor]

Here's a very good performance of Bartok by some very talented young musicians. The 4th string quartet is probably the "easiest" to get a hold of formally. If you get a chance, find the Emerson String Quartet recording of all 6 quartets (it won the Grammy for best Chamber Music and Best Classical Recording). Great stuff!!

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-woIQfOMp-c"]YouTube - Bela Bartok: String Quartet No.4 (1)[/ame]