Re: Atonalism

[Keith Weston <jkweston@email.unc.edu>]

On Tue, 16 Sep 1997, Robert C. Kunath wrote:

> Dear Minors,
> 
> 	I am absolutely unqualified to discuss the artistic merits of Schoenberg,
> but I do think there is a real case to be made for them.  Long doses of
> atonal music are wearying, at least for me, but relatively short pieces are
> fascinating (I think above all of the "5 Pieces for Orchestra").  Kristen
> mentions the 'bare-bones' aspect of atonal composition, but I'm not so sure
> that applies entirely to Schoenberg: before he went atonal, his orchestral
> works are positively lush late romanticism (I think of Guerrelieder and
> Verklaerte Nacht), and a composition like the "5 Pieces for Orchestra"
> strikes me as lush in its own way.  Kristen's description sounds like a
> perfect description of Webern, though, for whom I would have expected Gould
> to have more enthusiasm than he did (I know he expressed enthusiasm for
> Webern, but he doesn't seem to have recorded much).
> 

Prehaps it should be pointed out that all these composers transcribed old
JS, too:  Webern's Ricercare a 6 from "Musical Offering", Schoenberg's
arrangement of BWV 552: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat.  Now, these and
transcriptions by Stokowski, Hideo Saito, and Stravinsky are all avaiable
for sampling on "20th Centry Bach" with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa (Philips 432092). 

Interesting thread.  If this be music, play on (to abridge a phrase).

Keith "Tran Scribe" Weston
WUNC-FM
Chapel Hill, NC