Penderecki
 

who else is into Penderecki? this shit is awesome. Genuinely terrifying at certain points, even.

He's an odd one - I always struggle to place him. There's such a massive difference between the avant and the later stuff, he's almost like two composers. Great, but I sort of feel he's a bit gimmicky.

What's your favorite stuff by him, Glice? I'll admit I have only heard a little bit by him, but I have something by him mysteriously called "matrix 5"
that I find particularly impressive.

Seven Gates of Jerusalem is probably the one I listen to most. That Matrix 5 is a collection of his noisier early pieces, right? I tend to think that the 'noise'/ enharmonic aesthetic was something he sort of explored for effect, rather than because of an immediate interest in the sound itself (unlike, say, Ligeti or Xenakis). I don't know, he's definitely good, but he's sort of more of a minor figure, in my mind. You should probably check out Stabat Mater though, that's one of the 20th century's better choral things (NB I don't really like choral music except Tallis and Bruckner)

Saragossa Manuscript soundtrack is a big favorite.

Cool, thanks, informative as always; yeah, Matrix 5 is noisey in parts, almost DUMITRESCU ish, which is what attracted me to him to begin with. Seven Gates of Jerusalem is another one I have that I really really like.

[quote= (NB I don't really like choral music except Tallis and Bruckner)[/QUOTE]

Have you listened to any of morton feldman's choral stuff? Rothko chapel is an obvious one but so so good! Christian Wolff in cambridge is another good one. I generally am not a fan of choral music either but Feldman has a really cool approach.

Feldman is G_d of all. But I think of him for his piano works more. And Rothko chapel isn't that Choral-y (at least, by comparison to something like Spem In Alium). But you make a good point. In as far as no thread should seriously be allowed to pass without mentioning that Feldman is amazing.

Feldman rips my balls off.

Try "Some Bright Stars For Queens College" by David Bedford.
80 schoolgirl voices and plastic wind tubes.

I've had an LP of Penderecki's Magnificat for a while. I apparently didn't listen to it properly before, as it's really quite good. The vocal glissandi are pretty impressive - it's made me think there's a 'middle period', rather than tonal/ enharmonic switch. Of course, liturgical works tend to be a composer's best stuff.

I read somewhere (wikipedia most likely so you know it's reliable ha ha) that someone suggested he change the title from OP. 67 or whatever to "Threnody To The Victims Of Hiroshima" and low and behold it helped increase people's awareness of him..... Fucking great composer and that's a great tune but I'll always remember that particular little anecdote.........

It's an interesting point about the avant-garde in general - if you attach it to a recognisable narrative, it makes it more popular. He could've stuck to the original title (which was its length in time, I think?) but it would've been less easy to give the mess of noise a recognisable identity.

hey dude, welcome to the board, I just read some of your recent posts, and you seem pretty awesome.

stabt mater of his is great. i really need to listen to more of his stuff.
and yes, feldman is amazing.
there is something in his textures that blows me away, also because a lot of his stuff, like rothko chapel, seems pretty, dare i say, simple. and yet e achieves so much with his sparcity.