Dohnnanyi and the Cleveland on searing form here recorded the best rendition of Ameriques one is ever likely to hear. It is an early work, given that scores left in Europe were destroyed in a warehouse fire. Varese re-wrote a few from memory but his important music was composed in the USA. Chailly's set remains the obvious focus for Varese in the round but during Dohnanyi's time with the Cleveland Orchestra he took the precision and grace of Szell and developed his semi-fellow countryman's art to a modern repertoire. A downside of his occasional best performances of Varese pieces was to show that the ItaloFranco-Burgundian composer was a "rabbit hole" composer. I think, now in my 7th decade, that those of us who heard Varese in our 20s or even 30s were thrilled by the raw, percussive and harmonic potential as events rather than music related to other trends of the time. Many academics said that they had wished for more works and some equilibrium but events in the composer's life took him into grandiose projects based in Europe, most of which fell through although 'Poeme Electronique' in a couple of forms remained. To be truthful, the music has little development and, rather like 'Ameriques', the repeated "slabs" of music sound like a set of special effects with padding in between. Other electronics composers, notably Stockhausen, had the same pedigree as Varese in formal training but also knew the limitations of technology in general as well as as a phase i n post-WW2 development. With hindsight, much of Varese's music is more procession of what he called "organized sound" than in possession of "hooks" such as motifs which lead to shape. Although Varese was praised in his lifetime and influenced numerous musicians for a while there is a sense of his output being frozen in its time. Of truly great composers perhaps only Birtwistle applied the "slabs" used by Varese but the British genius seldom let go of a narrative element and sense of shape. I knew Birtwistle quite well and he did not acknowledge much 'Varesian' in his own music except for one of his purely orchestral works which he said needing pruning a bit. Any guesses? Thus, Varese produced a portfolio of interesting and exciting music but influence and staying power are other matters.
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Incredible piece.
Dohnnanyi and the Cleveland on searing form here recorded the best rendition of Ameriques one is ever likely to hear. It is an early work, given that scores left in Europe were destroyed in a warehouse fire. Varese re-wrote a few from memory but his important music was composed in the USA.
Chailly's set remains the obvious focus for Varese in the round but during Dohnanyi's time with the Cleveland Orchestra he took the precision and grace of Szell and developed his semi-fellow countryman's art to a modern repertoire.
A downside of his occasional best performances of Varese pieces was to show that the ItaloFranco-Burgundian composer was a "rabbit hole" composer.
I think, now in my 7th decade, that those of us who heard Varese in our 20s or even 30s were thrilled by the raw, percussive and harmonic potential as events rather than music related to other trends of the time. Many academics said that they had wished for more works and some equilibrium but events in the composer's life took him into grandiose projects based in Europe, most of which fell through although 'Poeme Electronique' in a couple of forms remained. To be truthful, the music has little development and, rather like 'Ameriques', the repeated "slabs" of music sound like a set of special effects with padding in between. Other electronics composers, notably Stockhausen, had the same pedigree as Varese in formal training but also knew the limitations of technology in general as well as as a phase i n post-WW2 development.
With hindsight, much of Varese's music is more procession of what he called "organized sound" than in possession of "hooks" such as motifs which lead to shape.
Although Varese was praised in his lifetime and influenced numerous musicians for a while there is a sense of his output being frozen in its time. Of truly great composers perhaps only Birtwistle applied the "slabs" used by Varese but the British genius seldom let go of a narrative element and sense of shape.
I knew Birtwistle quite well and he did not acknowledge much 'Varesian' in his own music except for one of his purely orchestral works which he said needing pruning a bit. Any guesses?
Thus, Varese produced a portfolio of interesting and exciting music but influence and staying power are other matters.
Earth Dances?