Antheil: Ballet Mecanique

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
George Antheil's reputation as the Bad Boy of Music (the title of his fascinating autobiography) was earned largely with his Ballet Mécanique, written to accompany an abstract silent film by the artist Fernand Leger. It was composed for player pianos and percussion, with harsh, driving rhythms, and it caused the kind of riots in Paris that were useful to a composer's reputation. Today, that reputation may keep Antheil from being taken seriously. But when you hear the Ballet (as rescored in 1953 for an early mono recording) today, it's a substantial and exciting piece of music, formally tight and not at all hard on 21st century ears. The remainder of this program shows more of Antheil's range. The Serenade is a lovely piece of Americana, with a particularly touching slow movement. The Symphony and Concert owe much to Stravinsky's "neoclassical" style; both hold up very well. Spalding drives the Ballet hard, and it sounds more frenetic than that old mono recording, but the music can take the heat. This and the remaining performances are splendidly played by the excellent chamber orchestra, and the recording is clear, well-balanced, and realistic in sound. Another Naxos winner. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Ballet Macanique
Serenade For String Orchestra, No. 1: Allegro
Serenade For String Orchestra, No. 1: Andante molto
Serenade For String Orchestra, No. 1: Vivo
Symphony For Five Instruments: Allegro
Symphony For Five Instruments: Lento
Symphony For Five Instruments: Presto
Concert For Chamber Orchestra

Amazon.com

George Antheil's reputation as the Bad Boy of Music (the title of his fascinating autobiography) was earned largely with his Ballet Mécanique, written to accompany an abstract silent film by the artist Fernand Leger. It was composed for player pianos and percussion, with harsh, driving rhythms, and it caused the kind of riots in Paris that were useful to a composer's reputation. Today, that reputation may keep Antheil from being taken seriously. But when you hear the Ballet (as rescored in 1953 for an early mono recording) today, it's a substantial and exciting piece of music, formally tight and not at all hard on 21st century ears. The remainder of this program shows more of Antheil's range. The Serenade is a lovely piece of Americana, with a particularly touching slow movement. The Symphony and Concert owe much to Stravinsky's "neoclassical" style; both hold up very well. Spalding drives the Ballet hard, and it sounds more frenetic than that old mono recording, but the music can take the heat. This and the remaining performances are splendidly played by the excellent chamber orchestra, and the recording is clear, well-balanced, and realistic in sound. Another Naxos winner. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

The Bad Boy and the Bad Boy Tamed.......2001-11-30

The main problem with the early works of George Antheil, self-styled "Bad Boy of Music," is also its chief virtue: It's derivative of Igor Stravinsky. But then if you're going to slavishly follow a model, you probably couldn't choose a better one. In the Ballet Mechanique, Antheil's most famous work, you'll hear the percussion effects of "The Rite of Spring," "L'histoire," and especially "Les Noces." But you'll also note that the contours of the melodic snippets played by the tuneable percussion are Stravinskian as well, sounding like the Russian folk melodies that give "Les Noces" such impetus.

To be fair to Antheil, his music has its own merits, for one thing being entirely trusted to the percussion and an eccentic mix of instruments at that, including airplane propellers and electric bells among the more standard piano, drums, glockenspiel, xylophones, and such. It does create a uniquely extravagant and arresting sound. And then the music's multirhythms and off-rhythms give it the enlivening thrust that so many of this century's percussion extravaganzas lack. Overall, an interesting and appealing piece.

The "Symphony for Five Instruments" and "Concert Music for Chamber Orchestra" recall the neoclassical Stravinsky of the "Octet" and "Symphonies for Wind Instruments," but the quirky instrumentation of Antheil's symphony, with the prominence given to the sometimes clownish antics of the trumpet, abetted by the trombone, recall (or anticipate) Poulenc as well. Playful and enjoyable stuff despite its obvious hommage to Stravinsky. The "Concert" is more sullen and sober-sided and so is a bit more facelessly neoclassical.

Perhaps my favorite work here is the relatively late (1948) "Serenade for Strings No. 1," a gentle, very American piece with a skittish, syncopated first movement that has elements of the barn dance along with what seems like Latin dance rhythms. The tender, deeply felt slow movement is the high point of the work. The agreeably tipsy last movement returns us to the dance. This piece shows that Antheil never lost his Stravinskian belief that, as the Russian master said, "Rhythm is all."

The performances by the Philadelphia Virtuosi are indeed virtuosic but also highly sympathetic and even loving in the serenade. The recording, made in the War Memorial building of Antheil's native Trenton, New Jersey, is wonderfully vibrant and detailed. In all, a fine tribute to this mostly forgotten composer that should garner renewed interest in his music.

New Anthiel Recording Hits Budget Market.......2001-10-23

Most readers will question the validity of introducing the works of such a little-known composer to the shelf, but this CD shows that even historical underdogs deserve their moment in the sun. The Philadelphia Virtuosi bring vibrancy and energy to Antheil's vivid soundscapes, which are amoung the most progressive works of the 1920's. To put Antheil's contributions into relief, the Ballet Mechanique on the present recording was first performed in 1926, predating the other famous avant-garde work for percussion ensemble of the era, Edgard Varese's Ionasation, of 1931-33. Of additional note on the record is the exemplary solo playing of the participants in Antheil's quirky quintet, the Symphony for Five Instruments of 1923. However, for those interested in the profound pinnacles of early 20th Century music, this disc may fall short of such inflated expectations. The music on this disc is primarily intended to divert and to delight. Influences of the Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat and of the early works of the so-called "Les Six" group conjure a reasonable example of what Antheil's witty scores have to offer. The program notes by Joshua Cheek unfortunately leave much to the imagination of the listener. For instance, the respective ensembles of the Symphony and the Concert are not enumerated, leaving the listener guessing as to the timbres he is hearing. Otherwise, congratulations to the Philadelphia Virtuosi and to Naxos for an interesting, welcome program with fine playing, polished sound and an alluring price tag.

Ballet Mecanique and other Works for Player Pianos, Percussion, and Electronics

Average customer rating:

Great Modern Music
If you like lots of pianos and drums...

Ballet Mecanique and other Works for Player Pianos, Percussion, and Electronics
George Antheil , UMass Lowell Percussion Ensemble , Jeffrey Fischer , and Paul D. Lehrman
Manufacturer: EMF Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

George Antheil: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; a Jazz Symphony; Jazz Sonata
Antheil: Ballet Mecanique

ASIN: B00004Y6MX
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

Double Music: John Cage and Lou Harrison
Shoot the Piano Player: Richard Grayson
Mister 528: Richard Grayson
Ritmica No. 5: Amadeo Roldan
Ritmica No. 6: Amadeo Roldan
Saltarello-Presto from Symphony No. 4: Felix Mendelsohn
Ballet Mecanique: George Antheil

Product Description

George Antheil's Ballet Mecanique, a wild, highly rhythmic composition combining industrial age sounds and jazz, is one of the most notorious musical moments of the 20th century. Antheil, an American composer living in Paris in the 1920s, composed the first version of Ballet Mecanique in 1924 for 4 player pianos, then almost immediately expanded the instrumentation to 3 xylophones, 4 bass drums, tamtam, 2 pianos, siren, 3 airplane propellors, 7 bells, and 16 synchronized player pianos. He revised it again for performances in Paris in 1926 and New York in 1927. Following the New York performance, so badly received that it almost ruined his career, he visited Berlin, then went to Hollywood where he pursued a career as film composer. He revised the work again in 1953, and that version, more practical than earlier versions, has been performed several times. The expanded 1924 version, however, was never performed until its premiere, produced by Paul Lehrman, at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell in November 1999. And this CD, a recording of that performance, is a major event!

Customer Reviews:

Great Modern Music.......2006-01-04

Experimental music is hit and miss on recordings, but such love and preparation was put into the making of this CD project, that it is an all-around success.

John Cage and Lou Harrison, both pretty well-known 20th century American composers, collaborated on the percussion quartet entitled Double Music. After deciding on tempo and meter, both composers completed separate sections of the same work: Cage wrote parts 1&3, while Harrison wrote parts 2&4. Scored for a battery of percussion including Water Buffalo bells, brake drums, sleigh bells, thunder sheet, water gong, etc., the piece, even though composed separately, works well when the parts are put together.

Richard Greyson, a California music professor, is represented here with two works for player piano(s) and electronic devices. Shoot the Piano Player or Shoot the Player Piano, is a throwback to the old wild-west saloons. Occasional off-beat dances and tunes come through, but it is a mish-mash of wild-west film ideas, complete with a gun fight; literally. His other work, Mr. 528, refers to the title "Mr. 88" one used to call a piano player. This work was composed for 6 piano players (multiplied by 88 gives the title) and electronic sounds. Completely tonal with unusual sound effects, the work is almost meditative with various sections of virtuosic piano flourishes.

The Cuban composer Amadeo Roldan is believed to be the first composer to write for percussion ensemble. Unfortunately, he only lived to be 39 years old. The works on this disk, Ritmicas 5 & 6, use Cuban percussion instruments, pitched and unpitched. Both evoke Hispanic dance rhythms, and while short in length, are interesting miniatures.

Additionally, on this disk, is an arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn's Saltarello movement from his Symphony No. 4 "Italian" arranged for 16 player pianos. Designed to be an expansion of Liszt's ultra-virtuosic transcriptions of orchestral works for piano, the 16 pianos playing the full orchestral score, surprisingly, isn't outlandishly ridiculous. The music from the Romantic Era is melodic and with the influence of the Italian dance, the Saltarello, is an exciting work.

The American-born composer George Antheil was interested in combining machines and classical music, an innovation of the time, and he was sorely mocked for it, and now, well-known for it. The Ballet Mecanique is a prime and famous example of this combination. Composed for 16 player pianos, 2 human played pianos, 3 xylophones, 4 bass drums, gong, 7 bells, siren, and 3 airplane propellers, the piece really was ahead of the technology and never quite worked. Today we usually hear a reduced and limited version (1952) that is less outrageous and watered-down, but thanks to the time and effort of the people on this recording project, we have probably the only original 1924 version available on CD. The CD liner notes provide many anecdotes on the failings of technology and public reactions. The music is unashamedly outlandish. Not particularly melodic, but primarily rhythmic and a-tonal, the pianos have huge glissandos and cluster chords, the xylophones have virtuosic moving lines, and the percussion gives the work the metrical and important timbre qualities. The sounds of buzzers, bells, and propellers just add to the chaos. Metrical times include 64/4, 7/32, and 10/16, and at a length of 30 minutes, the work ends up almost having a "mantra" or meditative feeling once you get into it, interestingly enough. The last few minutes uses varying units of silence as opposed to the first 20+minutes of unrelentless wash of sounds. Not something everyone will want to listen to, it is historically important, and a unique composition.

As mentioned before, experimental music usually loses something on record, but this CD of various premiered versions of 20th century music is a success. Please make sure you like this type of music before buying. A good buy for the rest of us.

If you like lots of pianos and drums..........2000-09-03

This is the recording of the first performance of George Antheil's 1924 Ballet Mecanique for 16 player pianos, percussion, siren, airplane propellors, and bells, that has been written up in Wired, Electronic Musician, Keyboard, Mix, Sound on Sound, Piano Today, etc. etc. and was later played at Carnegie Hall and by the San Francisco Symphony. It's totally wild, and great fun. Along with the half-hour of cacophony, there are some clever player piano pieces by Richard Grayson, and percussion pieces by John Cage, Lou Harrison, and Amadeo Roldan, plus a version of a Mendelssohn symphony for 16 player pianos that will knock your socks off. A party record for high-tech types if ever there was one. (You can check out samples at http://antheil.org.)

Fighting the Waves: Music of George Antheil

Average customer rating:

Ballet Mechanique - sounds of the Machine Age

Fighting the Waves: Music of George Antheil

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music

Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

George Antheil: The Complete Works for String Quartet

ASIN: B000003FU0
Release Date: 1996-07-16

Tracks:

Printemps I - Jagdish Mistry
Ballet Mecanique - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Fighting The Waves - Martyn Hill
A Jazz Sym - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Lithuanian Night: Moderato - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Lithuanian Night: Presto - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Jazz Son - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Con - Ens Modern/HK Gruber
Vn Son No. 1: Allegro Moderato - Jagdish Mistry/Hermann Kretzschmar
Vn Son No. 1: Andante Moderato - Jagdish Mistry/Hermann Kretzschmar
Vn Son No. 1: Funebre: Lento Espressivo - Jagdish Mistry/Hermann Kretzschmar
Vn Son No. 1: Presto - Jagdish Mistry/Hermann Kretzschmar
Printemps II - Jagdish Mistry

Customer Reviews:

Ballet Mechanique - sounds of the Machine Age.......1999-12-04

When not hanging out in Paris with Stravinsky, Joyce, and other 20's hipsters, Lowell, Mass native George Antheil contemplated his love for the sound machines.

He spent an entire year writing a piece that couldn't be played... until recently.

Ballet Mechanique was written for something like sixteen player pianos, xylophones, gongs, sirens, airplane propellors... the list sounds like the basement of a mad musical scientist than a score order.

Which is just as well - the music sounds like someone set someone loose in a piano factory with a sledgehammer and a couple of tabs of microdot.