Composed by George Crumb
with Emmy Henz-Diemond
2. Makrokosmos II, for amplified piano
Composed by George Crumb
with Emmy Henz-Diemond
George Crumb: Makrokosmos I + II,George Crumb,Emmy Henz-Diemond,Musiques Suisses,Classical,Coll. of Character/Single-Movement/Misc. Works for Keyb.,Keyboard
Average customer rating:
|
Crumb: Ancient Voices Of Children
Manufacturer: Nonesuch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000005IY6 Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Ancient Voices Of Children: El Nino Busca Su Voz
- Ancient Voices Of Children: Dances Of The Ancient Earth
- Ancient Voices Of Children: Me He Perdido Muchas Veces Por El Mar
- Ancient Voices Of Children: De Done Vienes, Amor, Mi Nino? (Dance Of The Sacred Life Cycle)
- Ancient Voices Of Children: Ghost Dance
- Ancient Voices Of Children: Se Ha Llenado De Luces Mi Corazon De Seda
- Music For A Summer Evening: Nocturnal Sounds (The Awakening)
- Music For A Summer Evening: Wanderer-Fantasy
- Music For A Summer Evening: The Advent
- Music For A Summer Evening: Myth
- Music For A Summer Evening: Music Of The Starry Night
Amazon.com
One of the most important and magical song cycles in contemporary music, Ancient Voices of Children, is the setting of a series of haunting texts by the Spanish poet Federico García Lorca for mezzo-soprano, boy soprano, and chamber orchestra. The piece made a huge impression on audiences at its initial performances. Indeed, this recording became something of a cult phenomenon, much like the Górecki Third Symphony today; and if you weren't around for the initial discovery, now's your chance. Music for a Summer Evening uses essentially the same forces as Bartók's Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion, and creates an evocative, glittering nightscape. Great stuff.--David HurwitzCustomer Reviews:
An Avant-Garde Must Get.......2003-05-07
About a few years after buying the vinyl record, I was looking through some CDs in a store (after I got my first CD player). I've found the Nonesuch CD that had "Ancient Voices of Children" AND "Music for a Summer Evening (Makrokosmos III)." I didn't buy it because I wanted to get it on sale. Well, time passed. One day, I saw one up for bid on eBay. I think I was the only bidder on it. The jewel case may have a few scratches (which I wouldn't worry about) but the CD itself was like new.
I'm glad that I got it on CD. I could listen to the music without any clicks or pops you would hear from a vinyl LP (especially since the music gets very quiet at times). Although you wouldn't get the "warm analog sound" you get from the vinyl. Nevertheless, it does sound very good considering that it's AAD. Whoever likes avant-garde music may want to get this.
One thing I want to let you know. Whoever did the tracking on the CD must've misjudged about the beginnings of "Myth" and "Music of the Starry Night." "Myth" begins at index 8:02 on track 9. Tracks 10 and 11 are the last movement, "Music of the Starry Night." Take note of that when listening to this CD.
Crumb in poetic and eerilie beautiful mood.......2002-06-17
Exceptional.......2002-06-15
Music for a Summer Evening is, perhaps, the lesser signifigant work of the two presented here. Even so, it is an astounding presentation of of Crumb's effective use of extended tequniques, and the ability of his atmospheric writing to stir up strong emotions. Here, Crumb has significantly built on the two pianos/percussion format that Bartok made famous in his Sonata.
Ancient Voices of Children is an important song cycle in the post-WWII repertoire. His extended singing tecniques are used to great effect, and the haunting, mystical effects that he cojours within the limited instrumentation are amazing.
Crumb is one a handfull of composers that can write atmospheric music so well, and pull off these avant-garde tecniques so usefully. If you do not know his music, start with this disc; it's breathtaking.
Just Listen.......2002-06-08
The perfomance is quintessential. Jan DeGaetani was marvelous in this style of music and is sorely missed as a performer. The ensemble is spirited and very precise. The only thing that you miss on this CD is the visual choreography of a live performance, which is hypnotizing.
Macrocosmos III was a new piece to me and is every bit as haunting as other Crumb music. The ending is luminous...en eternal spinning out of music in the Lydian scale.
Be aware, this is avant garde music, though I feel it is quite assessible to those who listen without preconceptions. It is certainly more assessible than Elliot Carter or Boulez. It is not Part or Gorecki...but then not everything has to be. For me, this is not about style but about substance. Crumb moves me every bit as much as more assessible composers. You just have to listen with different ears, that's all.
What is the Opposite of Music? Listen to this and find out!.......2001-11-02
I came at this CD - which I bought thanks to some of the aforementioned 5* which I was foolish enough to believe - with the expectation that it would be modern, avant-garde and probably rather ineffable initially. I am prepared for this, believing that often the best music is not instantly grasped and needs careful auditioning. When I listened to it, however, I found that my expectations were not nearly extreme enough. This is music trying so hard to establish its originality that it appears to have progressed well beyond my definition of what music actually is. It is music as art, as a statement and not music to listen to - think about this a little! Hence my opening line - this is the opposite of music.
Instead, this production seems to be comprised of irrelevant and inconsequential noises, none of them musical. To save you the money, and more importantly the time, I will precis this CD for you:
A womans shriek followed by about 20 seconds of silence.
A sound rather like a large rodent being let loose inside a piano.
Some blocks of wood being banged together.
More shrieking.
More silence.
A voice making a strange sound as if copying a phone ringing.
More silence.
More wood being banged together.
More silence
Etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseam
At some point in this avant-garde nonsense somebody is going to blow the whistle and irreverently point out that the "Emperors New Clothes" do not actually exist. In the service of music, as opposed to "art", I am prepared to do the pointing! This production is nothing more that a deeply unmusical joke against those pseudo-intellectuals who completely miss the concepts of humanity and accessibility in music. "Composers" who write this stuff do so as to hide their lack of musical creativity behind an intellectual argument. Don't believe the hype, leave this one on the shelf!
For those aesthetes and enthusiasts who are intent on heading down a progressive route of "classical" music which yet retains any humanity and sympathy, Part and Gorecki appear to have been able to create music of originality and humanity, proving that it can be done.
Leave this production to those pseuds more interested in wallowing in their own misconceived esoteric intellectualism than in actually enjoying music.
Average customer rating:
|
Complete Crumb Edition, Vol. 8; Makrokosmos Books I & II, Otherwordly Resonances
Manufacturer: Bridge ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0002W18OI Release Date: 2004-09-28 |
Tracks:
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Makrokosmos, Volumes 1 & 2
- Otherwordly Resonances
Album Description
The latest volume in BRIDGE'S award-winning survey of George Crumb complete works presents a new recording of a major Crumb cycle and the premiere of a new composition for two pianos. Makrokosmos I and II have come to be regarded as landmark compositions in the piano repertoire, requiring the pianist to display a virtuoso's control of both the keyboard and the inside of the piano. In addition, the performer is asked to whistle, speak, and sing, while simultaneously playing some of the most dramatic and fantasy-filled piano music of the late twentieth century. Robert Shannon, a leading exponent of Crumb's music, gives the 67 minute cycle of 24 "zodiac" pieces a spectacular reading. The duo piano team, Quattro Mani, has also had a long association with Crumb's music, and can be heard playing Crumb's music on BRIDGE 9105, a disc that received `Best of Year' honors from Fanfare, and highest ratings from France's Repertoire, and the USA's ClassicsToday.com. ! In 2002, Crumb composed "Otherworldy Resonances", a 10 minute quasi-passacaglia for Quattro Mani. Based on a hypnotic four-note motif, this 10 minute composition marks Crumb's return to writing piano music after a hiatus of nearly 15 years. Both of these recordings, as with the rest of this series, were supervised by the composer.Customer Reviews:
Close to perfect.......2007-05-29
I once read a comment by Michael Walsh (music critic for Time Magazine) claiming that Makrokosmos is better if performed by a man. In general, I think he's right -- the shouting and speaking from the pianist in the various pieces just carry more gravitas with a deeper voice. I would also add the caveat that it should be an English-speaking pianist, too -- the recording of Bojan Gorisek on Audiophile Classics (if it's out there anymore) has its distractions thanks to Gorisek's heavy Slavic accent.
Since the recording here has an American man playing, and it's superb. It's not good because he's a man and he's American, but because the whole package is here. The recording quality and phrasing is excellent -- Mr. Shannon paces things perfectly so that you can hear and savor the resoanance that comes from inside the piano. The nutty piano techniques show their edge amazingly well -- for example, in the Phantom Gondolier movement, you can just imagine how hard Mr. Shannon scrapes his thimble-capped fingers on the strings inside the piano to produce the hair-raising sounds. Book 2, which I like less, also comes up a winner. It feels a little recycled after going through the 35 minutes of Book 1, but how often can one hear a coherent piece that demonstrates the effect of placing paper on strings of the piano?
My one gripe is that Mr. Shannon is not a strong vocalist. In some parts of both books, the score asks for "shouting" from the pianist, and he comes up quite short. In the Crucifixus movement of Book 1, his shout of "Christe!" is hardly the jolting climax from the depths of a deathly silence it's supposed to be. And this happens on several occasions. His whistling isn't bad, though.
Otherwordly Resonances seems quaint after getting through the string-plucking and knocking in Makrokosmos. It's pleasant enough, but it definitely takes second fiddle to the headliner on this CD. Which is a shame, because the performers of this work, Quattro Mani, do amazing things with the Makrokosmos III and IV on other Crumb CDs.
I wish Mr. Crumb would have made more comments about what techniques he actually used in his works. Without a score to look at (and they're HUGE, awkward, and expensive), how on earth is anyone supposed to know what we're listening to? The sounds generated from a prepared piano are just as interesting as learning how to prepare the piano in the first place.
I still think this CD is fabulous. It shows Elliott Carter's garbled messes from the same period have some worthy competition.
Average customer rating:
|
Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2: 24 Fantasy Pieces after the Zodiac for Amplified Piano
George Crumb , and Laurie Hudicek Manufacturer: Furious Artisans ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000649NI Release Date: 2002-04-30 |
Tracks:
- Primeval Sounds (Genesis I) Cancer
- Proteus Pisces
- Pastorale (from the Kingdom of Atlantis, ca.10,000 B.C.) Taurus
- Crucifixus [Symbol] Capricorn
- The Phantom Gondolier Scorpio
- Night-Spell I Sagittarius
- Music of Shadows (for Aeolian Harp) Libra
- The Magic Circle of Infinity (Moto perpetuo) [Symbol] Leo
- The Abyss of Time Virgo
- Spring-Fire Aries
- Dream Images (Love-Death Music) Gemini
- Spiral Galaxy [Symbol] Aquarius
- Morning Music (Genesis II) Cancer
- The Mystic Chord Sagittarius
- Rain-Death Variations Pisces
- Twin Suns (Doppleger aus der Ewigkeit) [Symbol] Gemeni
- Ghost-Nocturne: for the Druids of Stonehenge (Night-Spell II) Virgo
- Gargoyles Taurus
- Tora! Tora! Tora! (Cadenza Apocalittica) Scorpio
- A Prophecy of Nostradamus [Symbol] Aries
- Cosmic Wind Libra
- Voices from Corona Borealis Aquarius
- Litany of the Galactic Bells Leo
- Agnus Dei [Symbol] Capricorn
Album Description
In 1971, George Crumb set out to compose a set of piano pieces; the preludes of Debussy and Chopin as well as Well Tempered Klavier of J.S. Bach come to mind as prototypes. What emerged after two years of painstaking distillation, Crumb's Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2 for amplified piano, has proved a worthy heir to its 18th and 19th century analogs. Makrokosmos is a multi-dimensional odyssey through a universe of metaphysical timbres created via a compendium of extended piano techniques. These include the use of metal chains, paper on the strings, wire brush, paper clip, metal thimbles, whistling and Latin incantations. Crumb closes the `magic circle of infinity' with these exceptional works, fusing performer with instrument, music with timbre, primitive with modern, terror with romance, lyricism with violence.Taking advantage of state-of-the-art digital recording technology, producer Marc Wolf & Engineer Jeremy Tressler have captured George Crumb's timeless Makrokosmos in stunning detail, clarity and dynamic range. Furious Artisans newest release promises to take the listener literally inside the guts of a 9 foot Steinway. If you need to own one version of Makrokosmos, this is the one!
Customer Reviews:
Ehh..........2005-06-15
Makrokosmos Vol. 1 & 2.......2002-06-04
Average customer rating:
|
George Crumb: Makrokosmos I & II
Manufacturer: Mode ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00063UEB6 Release Date: 2004-12-07 |
Customer Reviews:
MESMERIZING!!!.......2005-04-29
Average customer rating: |
George Crumb: Makrokosmos I + II
Manufacturer: Musiques Suisses ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B0000045JW Release Date: 1995-03-06 |
Tracks:
- Makrokosmos I: Klange Des Ursprungs (Genesis I)
- Makrokosmos I: Proteus
- Makrokosmos I: Pastorale (Aus Dem Konigreich Atlantis, Ca. 10,000 v. Chr.)
- Makrokosmos I: Kruzifixus (Symbol)
- Makrokosmos I: Der Gespenstische Gondoliere
- Makrokosmos I: Nachtzauber I
- Makrokosmos I: Schattenmusik (Fur Aolsharfe)
- Makrokosmos I: Der Magische Kries Der Unendlichkeit (Moto Perpetuo) (Symbol)
- Makrokosmos I: Der Abgrund Der Zeit
- Makrokosmos I: Fruhlingfeuer
- Makrokosmos I: Traumbilder (Liebestod-Musik)
- Makrokosmos I: Sprial-Galaxis (Symbol)
- Makrokosmos II: Morgenmusik (Genesis II)
- Makrokosmos II: Der Mystische Klang
- Makrokosmos II: Regen - Tod - Varianten
- Makrokosmos II: Zwillings - Sonnen (Symbol)
- Makrokosmos II: Gespenster - Nocturne: Fur Die Duiden Von Stonebenge (Nachtzauber II)
- Makrokosmos II: Wassersperier
- Makrokosmos II: Tora! Tora! Tora!
- Makrokosmos II: Eine Weissagung Nostradamus' (SYMBOL)
- Makrokosmos II: Kosmischer Wind
- Makrokosmos II: Stimmen Aus 'Corona Borealius'
- Makrokosmos II: Litanei Der Glocken Der Milchstrasse
- Makrokosmos II: Agnus Dei (Symbol)
Average customer rating: |
George Henry Crumb: Makrokosmos, Vol. l + ll/Mathé: Der Schlangenträger
Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000001SXC Release Date: 1997-02-18 |
Tracks:
- I. Primeval Sounds (Genesis I) - Cancer
- II. Proteus - Pisces
- III. Pastorale (From The Kingdom Of Atlantis, Ca 10.000B.C.) - Taurus
- IV. Crucifixus (Symbol) - Capricorn
- V. The Phantom Gondolier - Scorpio
- VI. Night Spell I - Sagittarius
- VII. Music Of Shadows (For Aeolian Harp) - Libra
- VIII. The Magic Circle Of Infinity (Moto perpetuo) (Symbol) - Leo
- IX. The Abyss Of Time - Virgo
- X. Spring-Fire - Aries
- XI. Dream Images (Love-Death Music)-Gemini
- XII. Spiral Galaxy (Symbol) - Aquarius
- I. Morning Music (Genius II) - Cancer
- II. The Mystic Chord - Sagittarius
- III. Rain-Death Variations - Pisces
- IV. Twin Suns (Symbol) - Gemini
- V. Ghost-Nocturne: For The Druids Of Stonehenge (Night-Spell II) - Virgo
- VI. Gargoyles - Taurus
- VII. Tora! Tora! Tora! (Cadenza Apocalittica) - Scorpio
- VIII. A Prophecy Of The Nostradamus (Symbol) - Aries
- IX. Cosmic Wind - Libra
- X. Voices From The 'Corona Borealis' - Aquarius
- XI. Litany Of The Galactic Bells - Leo
- XII. Agnus Dei (Symbol) - Capricorn
- Der Schlangentrager (Gelb Und Lila), 1995 - Ophiuchus (Yellow And Mauve), 1995 - Ophiuchus (Jaune Et Mauve), 1995
Track Listings:
- George Gruntz / Allen Ginsberg: Cosmopolitan Greetings
- Glazunov: Orchestral Works Vol. 2
- Gliere: Sirens Op33; Symphony No1
- Great Mass in C Minor
- Harp Sonatas by Rosetti and Dussek
- Heise: Quintet in F; Fantasy Pieces
- Heitor Villa-Lobos: Choros Nos. 8 & 9 - Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra / Kenneth Schermerhorn
- Hommage to Fritz Kreisler Vol.1
- Hugo Alfven: 24 Songs
- Italian String Quartets
Track Listings
Music For Peace in the Middle East
Songs from the Penalty Box, Vol. 3
Nielsen: Symphony No4; Symphony No2
Sing The Hits of Elvis Presley 3CD+G set (Karaoke)
My Own Prison [CD-single] [Import]