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Re: Atonalism
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