I usually put a lot of time between videos of the same composer, but I'm posting this as a "celebration" of hearing Chin's Double Concerto today, another masterpiece of orchestration (like basically all her pieces)! (A score video for that is here th-cam.com/video/2ewjXmd9qGQ/w-d-xo.html)
This is my interpretation of this piece, but only after one listen so it’s subject to change over time: The first movement begins with the soft sound of the music box, which is telling us a story. We start out hearing little more than the music box in front of us, but soon we start seeing the whole world within the music. We see splendid and terrifying machinery and magic, we see man-made devices more powerful than any man, and we see a terrifying fate of the protagonist of our story to come. Then, the song of the music box ends, and the vision ends with the last few notes of its melody. To me, this first movement can be viewed as the experience of watching someone get transported into a story or piece of art, and thus we are brought into that art with them. The second movement begins in the warm safety of Nathaniel’s bedroom. He has heard the stories of the sandman, who sprinkles sand in the eyes of kids who refuse to sleep so that they fall out and he can take them to his children on the moon, and when he sees what he believes to be the sandman in his house, he decides to follow. This is Coppelius, a man who works with his father, and Nathaniel decides to follow him into a secret room where Coppelius and his father are performing unholy experiments with alchemy and machinery. This is where Nathaniel gets traumatized: he sees the already fantastical and horrifying activities his father is performing, and his young mind twists them into something so much greater and darker. He sees Coppelius as the sandman, threatening to steal his eyes to use in the twisted machinery they’re creating, only to be stopped by the father. But then something goes terribly wrong. Something blows up, and Nathaniel watches his father die in the explosion and Coppelius escapes. By now, his mind is almost completely unable to distinguish reality from the horrifying visions in his mind. The third movement starts up much later, when Nathaniel is much healthier and mostly recovered, in his early 20’s. An extremely humanoid mechanical doll that Nathaniel believes to be human is dancing, with mechanical movements like the shifting of its gears and the squeaking of its axles. I don’t hear much representation of this within the music, but within the context of the fairy tale, Nathaniel likes this doll because it is willing to believe his stories and listen to him while his friends won’t. At this time, nobody knows the doll isn’t human, but most people think something is weird with it except for Nathaniel. The fourth movement is the climax of the story. It is the perfect blend of the mechanical clockwork and the clouded fantasy of Nathaniel’s trauma that comes to haunt him. Horns blow, there is a crowd of people forming as the clockwork girl begins to fall apart in front of him when Coppola, a doppelganger of Coppelius takes the eyes of the doll back. Nathaniel’s last bit of reality shatters, and he is left stuttering and broken in a fantasy world, eventually hurling himself off of a balcony with a loud thud.
The youtube channel Tale Foundry has a really good telling of the story of the Sandman that this piece is based on. The video’s name is “the sandman is darker than you think” or something like that. I highly recommend listeners of this piece check it out!
Hi There Cmaj, I am a huge fan of your Channel. I love the Perfect Fool by Gustav Holst. I was wondering could I use that recording? I am working a project regarding my Lego. I wanted to get Permission from you.
And so what? Continuing in the vein of Xenakis and variously related boring 20th C "sound events-and gestures is music" clan? Can we not escape the continous-held notes Droning on anymore? How many measures *don't have* at least one !? 😮
All of this "modern" music is structured the same way. They start with pianissimos and harmonies that sound a bit nice and then, they unload the dog s...t. The disgusting clusters of sound that make no sense whatsoever. The orchestration makes up for it but not by much.
That's sort of like criticizing classical era symphonies for all starting with sonata form. You have to actually *listen* to the music. If you don't like the sound, then spend your time listening to anything else! Nobody is forcing you to listen to this! I find it quite interesting personally and it seems like many others do to.
All of these "classic" pieces of literature are structured the same way. They start with small expositions that are fairly tame and then, they unload the dog s...t. The disgusting rising action and climax. The storytelling and characters and ideas make up for it but not by much.
Someone could so perfectly make an animated short film to fit this music. Such descriptive atmospheres and storytelling!
I usually put a lot of time between videos of the same composer, but I'm posting this as a "celebration" of hearing Chin's Double Concerto today, another masterpiece of orchestration (like basically all her pieces)! (A score video for that is here th-cam.com/video/2ewjXmd9qGQ/w-d-xo.html)
That second movement has secured Unsuk Chin as one of the greatest orchestrators of all time.
Oh this has to be a new favorite of hers for me! Wonderful piece which really well encapsulates all her strengths in orchestral writing.
Finally someone...
A very talentfull musician. So atmospheric piece of music.
Her orchestration is so elegant.
Exciting, engrossing piece of meaningful moodiness and intensity. Very pleased you uploaded this! 😊🎵
A lot of marvelous orchestration techniques and textures here. Thanks for uploading!
Thanks for uploading!
Stunningly imaginative music!
Oh that contra solo at the end was fkin lovely
This is my interpretation of this piece, but only after one listen so it’s subject to change over time:
The first movement begins with the soft sound of the music box, which is telling us a story. We start out hearing little more than the music box in front of us, but soon we start seeing the whole world within the music. We see splendid and terrifying machinery and magic, we see man-made devices more powerful than any man, and we see a terrifying fate of the protagonist of our story to come. Then, the song of the music box ends, and the vision ends with the last few notes of its melody. To me, this first movement can be viewed as the experience of watching someone get transported into a story or piece of art, and thus we are brought into that art with them.
The second movement begins in the warm safety of Nathaniel’s bedroom. He has heard the stories of the sandman, who sprinkles sand in the eyes of kids who refuse to sleep so that they fall out and he can take them to his children on the moon, and when he sees what he believes to be the sandman in his house, he decides to follow. This is Coppelius, a man who works with his father, and Nathaniel decides to follow him into a secret room where Coppelius and his father are performing unholy experiments with alchemy and machinery. This is where Nathaniel gets traumatized: he sees the already fantastical and horrifying activities his father is performing, and his young mind twists them into something so much greater and darker. He sees Coppelius as the sandman, threatening to steal his eyes to use in the twisted machinery they’re creating, only to be stopped by the father. But then something goes terribly wrong. Something blows up, and Nathaniel watches his father die in the explosion and Coppelius escapes. By now, his mind is almost completely unable to distinguish reality from the horrifying visions in his mind.
The third movement starts up much later, when Nathaniel is much healthier and mostly recovered, in his early 20’s. An extremely humanoid mechanical doll that Nathaniel believes to be human is dancing, with mechanical movements like the shifting of its gears and the squeaking of its axles. I don’t hear much representation of this within the music, but within the context of the fairy tale, Nathaniel likes this doll because it is willing to believe his stories and listen to him while his friends won’t. At this time, nobody knows the doll isn’t human, but most people think something is weird with it except for Nathaniel.
The fourth movement is the climax of the story. It is the perfect blend of the mechanical clockwork and the clouded fantasy of Nathaniel’s trauma that comes to haunt him. Horns blow, there is a crowd of people forming as the clockwork girl begins to fall apart in front of him when Coppola, a doppelganger of Coppelius takes the eyes of the doll back. Nathaniel’s last bit of reality shatters, and he is left stuttering and broken in a fantasy world, eventually hurling himself off of a balcony with a loud thud.
The youtube channel Tale Foundry has a really good telling of the story of the Sandman that this piece is based on. The video’s name is “the sandman is darker than you think” or something like that. I highly recommend listeners of this piece check it out!
sodelicious.............................
TY
Hi There Cmaj, I am a huge fan of your Channel. I love the Perfect Fool by Gustav Holst. I was wondering could I use that recording? I am working a project regarding my Lego. I wanted to get Permission from you.
Oh YES!!!
❤
based
based Unsuk
And so what? Continuing in the vein of Xenakis and variously related boring 20th C "sound events-and gestures is music" clan?
Can we not escape the continous-held notes Droning on anymore? How many measures *don't have* at least one !? 😮
I agree , I am tired of all these clichés. It is so academic and pompier.
テクニックは素晴らしいすが、又、このパターンか、と。現代音楽も全般的にパンチが無くなった気がします。そのうちゲームミュージックか何かの一枠になったりして。暴言多謝
Bored after 10 measures. Pretty sounds, the notes mean nothing.
no
All of this "modern" music is structured the same way. They start with pianissimos and harmonies that sound a bit nice and then, they unload the dog s...t. The disgusting clusters of sound that make no sense whatsoever. The orchestration makes up for it but not by much.
No generalisation at all there!
maybe it isn't for you then......
I think it’s cool
That's sort of like criticizing classical era symphonies for all starting with sonata form. You have to actually *listen* to the music. If you don't like the sound, then spend your time listening to anything else! Nobody is forcing you to listen to this! I find it quite interesting personally and it seems like many others do to.
All of these "classic" pieces of literature are structured the same way. They start with small expositions that are fairly tame and then, they unload the dog s...t. The disgusting rising action and climax. The storytelling and characters and ideas make up for it but not by much.