They were both so elegantly handsome as young men. Both gracefully intelligent and precociously gifted, as well. Funny that Menotti reminds us of the conservatism of Barber’s music. Brahms, of course, who he’s quick to reference-almost out of the blue, it seems, until the connection is so meaningful-was painted with the exact same epithet. Yet both composers are now credited with rigorous craftsmanship and no paucity of generative powers, innovative gestures and fresh, uncharted sounds. Their “academic” discipline is rarely listed as a fault now, as it was relentlessly in their day. By contrast, the great, radical innovators of various eras perhaps gathered more acclaim in their lifetimes, yet who today adores Willaert, Berlioz or Liszt? Who’s breaking down concert hall doors to hear Schoenberg, Webern, Boulez or Stockhausen? We could hear a pin drop waiting for that answer. Brahms was the greatest composer between Beethoven and Stravinsky. And Barber, though he’ll never dethrone Stravinsky, matches Ravel in compositional skill, and Prokofiev in the density of lyric ideation in his works, and in my opinion surpasses Copland and Shostakovich as the greatest tonal Modernist of the 20th century.
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A true gem, thank you so much for uploading this!
Incredible artists
They were both so elegantly handsome as young men. Both gracefully intelligent and precociously gifted, as well.
Funny that Menotti reminds us of the conservatism of Barber’s music. Brahms, of course, who he’s quick to reference-almost out of the blue, it seems, until the connection is so meaningful-was painted with the exact same epithet. Yet both composers are now credited with rigorous craftsmanship and no paucity of generative powers, innovative gestures and fresh, uncharted sounds. Their “academic” discipline is rarely listed as a fault now, as it was relentlessly in their day. By contrast, the great, radical innovators of various eras perhaps gathered more acclaim in their lifetimes, yet who today adores Willaert, Berlioz or Liszt? Who’s breaking down concert hall doors to hear Schoenberg, Webern, Boulez or Stockhausen? We could hear a pin drop waiting for that answer.
Brahms was the greatest composer between Beethoven and Stravinsky. And Barber, though he’ll never dethrone Stravinsky, matches Ravel in compositional skill, and Prokofiev in the density of lyric ideation in his works, and in my opinion surpasses Copland and Shostakovich as the greatest tonal Modernist of the 20th century.
Thanks for posting.
There's a new film out about Samuel Barber. It's called Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty.
So glad you mentioned this-I had no idea, and I love Barber.
❤️
Very interesting what Menotti says about the "boaring Brahms" in Milano...
Boring? Britten thought Brahms the v worst of composers.
How can one pay attention to anyone who hated Brahms and slept with Peter Pears.
Pollack's new bio tells us that Barber called "Johnny" the love of his life, but for GC it was "Tommy".
幸せそう
Brahms is a Fantastic Composer, funny how these things go in and out of fashion.
Yep. I'm waiting for Menotti and Barber to come back in fashion.
A Dog Named Handsome, I am too! 🥰
Once you get used to Brahms, you worship him