The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four

Track Listings

1. Shard
2. Luimen
3. Tempo e Tempi
4. Tempo e Tempi
5. Tempo e Tempi
6. Tempo e Tempi
7. Tempo e Tempi
8. Tempo e Tempi
9. Tempo e Tempi
10. Tempo e Tempi
11. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
12. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
13. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
14. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
15. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
16. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
17. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
18. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Volume Four of Bridge's outstanding Elliott Carter series features one of his masterpieces, Eight Pieces for Four Timpani, along with fascinating recent shorter works. Virtuoso guitarist David Starobin makes the most of "Shard," which packs more harmonic and rhythmic variety into its kaleidoscopic two and a half minutes than many much longer works. "Shard" reappears within the longer Luimen, a delicately colored piece that exploits its unusual instrumentation--trumpet and trombone joining the plucked instruments guitar, mandolin, harp, and vibraphone. Tempo e Tempi is a cycle of eight songs to poems by Italian poets for soprano and a quartet of winds and strings, fascinating in its rhythmic complexity and coloristic subtleties. Soprano Susan Narucki is the flawless high-flying soprano, coaxing lovely melodies from Carter's uncompromising writing. The timpani piece is bound to be a favorite of anyone with a taste for percussion instruments or with the curiosity to discover how much variety and nuance can be derived from the instrument. It's brilliantly performed here by Daniel Druckman. Bridge's first-class sonics and informative booklet notes add to the attraction of a must-have CD for Carterites and anyone interested in contemporary music. --Dan Davis

Classicstoday.com
Carter continues to write challenging, stimulating music.

Album Description
With this release Bridge continues its award winning series devoted to the music of Elliot Carter. This volume contain the premiere recordings of two recent Carter scores- the highly inventive Luimen and the stunning song style on Italian poetry, Tempo e Tempi. Performing on this CD are members of Speculum Musicae- the ensemble that has been most closely associated with Carter's music during the past 30 years. The disc opens with Shard, performed by the work's dedicatee, guitarist David Starobin. Shard is the second solo guitar work Carter has composed for Starobin, and is a brief, but highly volatile opener. Shard in its entirety was incorporated into Carter's next work- the shimmering Luimen. Speculum's performance of Luimen shows all the traits that have made Carter's recent music so intriguing- great rhythmic freedom and superb control of form in combination with high spirits and good humor. Tempo e Tempi is a set of eight songs based on poems by Eugenio Montale, Salvatore Quasimodo, and Giuseppe Ungaretti. Called by annotator Malcolm McDonald, "one of the most beautiful song-cycles of recent times," Susan Narucki's radiant performance captures these songs to perfection. Finishing this program is Eight Pieces for Four Timpani in its first complete performance on CD. It is performed by Speculum and New York Philharmonic percussion virtuoso Daniel Druckman, son of the late, great American composer Jacob Druckman.

The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four

The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four, Music, Elliott Carter, William Purvis, Speculum Musicae, David Starobin, Chamber, Chamber Music & Recitals, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Guitar Solo, Mixed Chamber Ensemble with Keyboard, Percussion Chamber Music, Solo Voice(s) and Small Ensemble, Vocal

Average customer rating: Excellent - Both Technically and Emotionally Great Artists brisk through a difficult repertoire

The Best Of The New York Woodwind Quintet, Volume 1 Manufacturer: Boston Skyline ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Barber | Barber, Samuel | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Carter | Carter, Elliott | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Nielsen | Nielsen, Carl | ( N ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sweelinck | Sweelinck, JanPieterszoon | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Best Of The New York Woodwind Quintet, Vol. 2 20th Century Wind Quintets A La Carte - Short Works for Winds Scandinavian Wind Quintets French Music for Wind Quintet ASIN: B000001UOG Release Date: 1996-02-29

Tracks:

1. Summer Music
2. Eight Etudes And A Fant: Etudes No. 1-8
3. Eight Etudes And A Fant: Fant
4. Vars On A Folk Song
5. Qnt in E flat, Op.88 No.2: Finale
6. Pastorale Variee Dans Le Style Ancien
7. March
8. Qnt, Op.43: 1st Movt
9. Qnt, Op.43: 2nd Movt
10. Qnt, Op.43: 3rd Movt

Customer Reviews:

Excellent - Both Technically and Emotionally.......2006-02-08

Great Artists brisk through a difficult repertoire.......2001-09-27

The disc contains a variety of music ranging from the 17th Century to the present day, the latter represented above all by two eminent American composers, namely Samuel Barber and Elliot Carter. I'm afraid I've always held Elliot Carter in deep suspicion, purely a personal view since Carter, like so many of the avant garde, does not construct the musical linguistics as he goes along; thus the listener has no common musical linguistic base on which to comprehend the music inwardly. At best, to me, the music comes over as 'interesting'. In this work, at least he shows he can write something of a fugue in the fantasia. However, he commands a following and I'm bound to agree that the New York Woodwind Quintet make his music listenable.

Barber's Summer Music is a different matter entirely. The work is as approachable as any Barber and is pure summer. It begins with a lazy, laid-back (and horribly difficult intro for the bassoon which is exposed in the most upper reaches of its register); soon to dissolve into dance-like themes in rapid staccato, so light and airy they could be nothing other than summer. Then more drifting under rolling clouds set in a perfect blue sky. A beautiful work in which Barber shows he is as much at ease composing for a woodwind quintet as any other medium.

I was snared by the sensitivity of these artists, more so because their expressiveness comes across in these historic recordings without being forced. I've heard other, mechanically accurate recordings of the Neilsen and Barber but nothing that approaches the expressive qualities of this ensemble. They deserve never to be forgotten.

Average customer rating: Fabulous late Carter--shame it's only half the disc

The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Four Manufacturer: Bridge ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Carter | Carter, Elliott | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Percussion | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Guitar | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: The Music of Elliott Carter, Volume Five - Nine Compositions (1994-2002) The Music of Elliott Carter, Vol. 6 The Music of Elliott Carter Vol. 7; Boston Concerto, Cello Concerto, ASKO Concerto, Dialogues Elliott Carter: The Complete music for Piano The Music of Elliott Carter, Vol. 1: Vocal Works (1975-1981) ASIN: B00005T5UW Release Date: 2001-11-01

Tracks:

1. Shard
2. Luimen
3. Tempo e Tempi
4. Tempo e Tempi
5. Tempo e Tempi
6. Tempo e Tempi
7. Tempo e Tempi
8. Tempo e Tempi
9. Tempo e Tempi
10. Tempo e Tempi
11. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
12. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
13. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
14. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
15. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
16. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
17. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani
18. Eight Pieces for Four Timpani

Amazon.com

Album Description

Customer Reviews:

Fabulous late Carter--shame it's only half the disc.......2003-11-28

1997's Shard, for solo guitar, is a wide-ranging whimsical two and a half minutes with a delightful ending, and it is perhaps no surprisng that Carter should have gone on from it to incorporate it wholesale in a larger work, the ten-minute sextet Luimen, for the unusual ensemble of trumpet, trombone, harp, mandolin, guitar and vibraphone. This is a truly delightful piece, with a wonderfully lighthearted weightless atmosphere that mirrors the very best sides of the classical-era divertimenti.

Tempo e tempi (1999) is a cycle of eight songs for soprano, oboe, clarinet, violin and cello, based on poems by Eugenio Montale, Salvatore Quasimodo and Guiseppe Ungaretti. Once again, this music is imbued with the lightness common to much of Carter's music since the Allegro scorrevole that concluded his Symphonia. The solo line is a wonderful fount of atonal melody, the accompaniment delicate, restrained and always to the point.

Less recommendable is the older piece, Carter's Eight Pieces for Timpani. In concert performance, percussionists ususally select only two or three of these pieces, and it's easy to see why. The task of writing 25 minutes of good music for timpani is one that would probably defeat any composer, and I find Carter--despite his exceptional talents--is unequal to the task.

Nonetheless, this disc is well worth hearing for the half hour of recent music on it. It strikes me that Carter's recent works have come closer to evoking the spirit and feel of the classical era than any of the self-consciously retro composers of our day. His technique, harmony and melody may have nothing whatsoever to do with Haydn and Mozart, but his recent music's expressiveness has everything to do with it. Long may he continue.

Music Review:

1. Turina: Danzas Fantasticas, Sinfonia Sevillana, La Procesion del Rocio
2. Veress: Hommage a Paul Klee, Concerto, Csardas / Holliger, Schiff
3. Very Best of Classical: For Reading
4. Victor Herbert: Babes in Toyland; The Red Mill
5. Victorian Parlour Evening
6. Violin & Piano
7. Violin Concertos/Sinfonia Concertante
8. Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos [Import]
9. Weinberger: Svanda dudák (Svanda the Bagpiper)
10. When the Rabbi Danced: Songs of Jewish Life

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