Berio: Orchestral Transcriptions

Track Listings

1. Modification And Instrumentation Of A Famous Hornpipe As A Merry And Altogether

2. Contrapunctus Xix (Die Kunst Der Fuge)

3. Quattro Versioni Originali Della "Ritirata Notturna Di Madrid"

4. Variations On The Papageno's Aria '"Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen"

5. Allegro

6. Andante

7. Allegro

8. Allegro Appassionato

9. Andante Un Poco Adagio

10. Allegretto Grazioso

11. Vivace

Tracks:

Modification And Instrumentation Of A Famous Hornpipe As A Merry And Altogether
Contrapunctus Xix (Die Kunst Der Fuge)
Quattro Versioni Originali Della "Ritirata Notturna Di Madrid"
Variations On The Papageno's Aria '"Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen"
Allegro
Andante
Allegro
Allegro Appassionato
Andante Un Poco Adagio
Allegretto Grazioso
Vivace

Customer Reviews:

Ingenious transcriptions performed a bit tamely by Chailly.......2006-02-19

All three reviews below express oddball reactions to this very enjoyable CD. Luciano Berio made an art of transcritption, attracted as he was to traditional music, both folk and classical, while being wedded to a modernist idiom. He picks up where Schoenberg left off in his famous transcription of the Brahms first pinao quartet, which in Schoenberg's hands was expanded into the "Brahms Fifth."

Like his predecessor, Berio is fascinated by the unlimited potential of orchestration, and his addition of a multi-color palette to Purcell and Bach is affectionate; a Boccherini slow march gets turned into a full street procession with a brass band. Papageno's second aria gets deconstructed a la Webern, veyr wittily, almost completely disguising the original melody.

The two main works here are, first, "Rendering," Berio's completion of Schubert's sketches for a Tenth Symphony, which are so fragmentary that he has plenty of room for modernist intervention, as he did with the Mahelr Second in Sinfonia. Berio's dreamy interludes are highly effecitve;; this is like a dozing visitation by Schubert's distrubed ghost. It's by far the most we will ever get out of the bits and pieces, in themselves not inspiring, that the composer left behind.

The other major item here is an orchestral transcription of a late Brahms sonata for either viola or clarinet, transformed by Berio into a surprisingly moving clarinet concerto. The solo line remains faithful to the original, while the orchestral part is emotionally amplified, in the mode of Schoenberg's treatment of the piano quartet, very lush and highly colored.

In all, this is exemplary creative use of previous musical materials, a tribute to each composer rather than a hijacking. Chailly and his new Italian orchestra perform everything very well, if a bit tamely, and Decca's sound is impeccable. If only the cover weren't so extremely drab. It misrepresents the high spirits of what's inside.

Berio for the Masses--"Avant Garde is the last refuge of the aesthetically impotent" -R.E. Morris.......2005-12-11

Unless you are a minimalist freak, belted at the hip to Papa Boulez' dying vision(with nearly or did destroy classical music), this disc is going to be intriguing. The first track is a delicious little ditty, despite the dominating snare, which even, laughably, gives the piece even more character. rendering is berio's completion of Schubert's unfinished symphony and believe it or not, berio fans, another recording followed this one by several months, which is better. But that doesnt mean this one is not good.
Basically every track on this album will appeal to everyone, there is nothing vulgarly modern(I love modern music, by that i mean petris vasks, rautavarra, Tubin,-composers who can actually can produce a melody, produce beautiful music, etc-not the avant garde, which is the last refuge of the intellectually and aesthetically impotent. If you enjoy this disc, it does not mean you are going to enjoy Berio. And Berio fans will probably hate it because there is actually music on this disc.

borrow it .......2005-10-15

Rem Koolhaas has a wonderful essay entitled "Junkspace",you should read it, Rem is quite intelligent;/, for many music products now have entered this ;excrement; space of nothingness, an emotive void "Vuota" where things may fall of the overly consumed objects,garbage,materials as the excrement of civilization, things someone says we need but really could live without; we don't need. In the case of mnay times perceptive Luciano Berio why an excellent composer wastes his time, and our time on useless transcriptions is anybody's guess,He doesn't need to practice orchestration(or perhaps he thinks he needs to) but this is a waste of time,it truly reveals when one's creative odyssey runs out, where you have nothing left to say, well teach!I cannot agree more with the other reviewer,And with all the excellent composers out there who are never heard to have a producer get behind this is a form of :aesthetic criminality:, I thought if you are a practicing avant-garde modernity icon, as Berio, that that experience is suppose to teach you something about construction, and giving, rendering shape to a musical object, if such object is worthy. All these pieces do quite fine, profoundly alone, no messing-up-around is necessary.

"The Week" lied.......2005-10-05

In a usually reliable weekly news magazine, "The Week" this CD received a rave review and several stars. I made the purchase decision on this recomendation. Disappointed. At best this will pass for nondescript movie music that you will never read the credits to see what the music was. Boring and not particularly engaging. This music has none of the flare or genius of a Vaughn Williams. It crescendos for no reason and becomes pale for the same unintelligible reason. Waste of my hard earned money. My fault really for taking the review from a news magazine instead of the always reliable "ClassicFM".

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Here on Earth

1. Modification And Instrumentation Of A Famous Hornpipe As A Merry And Altogether
2. Contrapunctus Xix (Die Kunst Der Fuge)
3. Quattro Versioni Originali Della "Ritirata Notturna Di Madrid"
4. Variations On The Papageno's Aria '"Ein Madchen Oder Weibchen"
5. Allegro
6. Andante
7. Allegro
8. Allegro Appassionato
9. Andante Un Poco Adagio
10. Allegretto Grazioso
11. Vivace