What Classical Music Are You listening to Now? III

[Mandryka]

Orff
Prometheus
Roland Hermann, Colette Lorand, Fritz Uhl, Josef Greindl,
Choir and Orchestra of Bavarian Radio, c. Rafael Kubelik
Rec. 1/2 October 1975
Orfeo C240012 (2-CDs)

Is it an opera? Is it ritual theatre? A play with music?
What's in a word?

Whatever it is, this is certainly hard-core Orff, using Aeschylus's original Greek text, mainly spoken and violently percussive. And this performance (taken from two live concerts) under Kubelik grips like a vice, though you'll need Orfeo's synopsis to follow the broad outlines of what's going on. A truly heroic performance from Roland Hermann makes this the best available version of an extreme and still controversial work.

Never heard that one, and it's entertaining me right now, so thanks for mentioning. Harry Partch vibes.

[Master Jacques]

Do you think he changed his political views after WWII, having ostensibly disgraced himself by supporting the Nazis? Or is this a mistaken reputation? It would be good to have the truth - I have never head any of his music, apart from "that" overplayed and over-exploited passage from Carmina Burana.

He was always left of centre. Some of his earliest, motoric choral works pre-Carmina Burana are settings of Brecht. Though his music was certainly appropriated by the Nazis before the war - notably when he wrote the hit of the 1936 Olympics ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfksoSrPrPw

It was sufficiently divorced from the regime to be repeated by this riff for the 1972 Olympics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uKlDSf-eNQ

His behaviour during the war remains murky. He retreated to the Bavarian woods, was involved with the anti-fascist "White Rose" movement, but may possibly have informed on them to the authorities (that's unproven). "The truth" is hard to gauge, but essentially he wanted to write his own music in peace, which meant not getting himself killed for his politics.

After the War, he was rehabilitated quickly, and soon became a "national treasure" in the new West Germany.

[Serial_Apologist]

He was always left of centre. Some of his earliest, motoric choral works pre-Carmina Burana are settings of Brecht. Though his music was certainly appropriated by the Nazis before the war - notably when he wrote the hit of the 1936 Olympics ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfksoSrPrPw

It was sufficiently divorced from the regime to be repeated by this riff for the 1972 Olympics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uKlDSf-eNQ

His behaviour during the war remains murky. He retreated to the Bavarian woods, was involved with the anti-fascist "White Rose" movement, but may possibly have informed on them to the authorities (that's unproven). "The truth" is hard to gauge, but essentially he wanted to write his own music in peace, which meant not getting himself killed for his politics.

After the War, he was rehabilitated quickly, and soon became a "national treasure" in the new West Germany.

OK thanks.

[RichardB]

I believe that what happened was that Orff sat the war out quite comfortably, having done a few shameful things like writing new incidental music for “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to replace the proscribed score by Mendelssohn. Then, after the war, he claimed to have been involved with the White Rose, which there’s no evidence to support, although he was acquainted with at least one person who was. So his behaviour was pretty spineless throughout. Nevertheless I think his Greek ‘trilogy’ is a unique and powerful achievement, especially when compared to a potboiler like “Carmina Burana”.

[RichardB]

Although I should add that most of what has been said and written about Orff’s conduct and denazification has been subject to dispute. A running theme, all the same, was that during the Nazi period he seems to have regarded his artistic career as being more important than whatever humanistic principles he might have had, in which he was not alone of course.

[Master Jacques]

Although I should add that most of what has been said and written about Orff’s conduct and denazification has been subject to dispute. A running theme, all the same, was that during the Nazi period he seems to have regarded his artistic career as being more important than whatever humanistic principles he might have had, in which he was not alone of course.

"Subject to dispute..." is the best way to put it. Much the best thing is to remember him as the great stage composer he was, not only in the Greek Trilogy but also Der Mond, Die Kluge and - most perfect of all his works for me - Die Bernauerin.

(That incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream is pretty strong too, on its own terms).

[Bryn]

Morton Feldman: Violin and String Quartet (Apartment House)

http://www.anothertimbre.com/feldmanvsq.html

Arrived in the post, today.

[RichardB]

"Subject to dispute..." is the best way to put it. Much the best thing is to remember him as the great stage composer he was, not only in the Greek Trilogy but also Der Mond, Die Kluge and - most perfect of all his works for me - Die Bernauerin.

(That incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream is pretty strong too, on its own terms).

“Der Mond” is one of my favourites although for some reason I have never got to know “Die Kluge” or “Die Bernauerin”, and I’ve avoided the “Sommernachtstraum”. I think “De temporum fine comoedia” is a masterpiece though.

[Master Jacques]

“Der Mond” is one of my favourites although for some reason I have never got to know “Die Kluge” or “Die Bernauerin”, and I’ve avoided the “Sommernachtstraum”. I think “De temporum fine comoedia” is a masterpiece though.

I'm sure you'll enjoy Die Bernauerin, if you do listen to it sometime. It always moves me deeply, and represents Orff at that perfect cross-over point between popular (folk) and high drama, play and opera.

The Eichhorn CD set on Orfeo is excellent, with a tremendous central performance from actress Christine Ostermayer:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Orff-Die-Bernauerin-Carl/dp/B000028B18

And so too is this small-scale, German staged production on DVD, though it seems to have got ridiculously pricy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Carl-Orff-die-Bernauerin-allemand/dp/3795778328

For Die Kluge, I'd (predictably!) recommend the CD set with Lucia Popp, rather than the alternative with Schwarzkopf. There used to be a good puppet-drama version on YouTube, to the Eichhorn/Popp set - the piece suits that way of doing it very well.

[RichardB]

I'm sure you'll enjoy Die Bernauerin, if you do listen to it sometime. It always moves me deeply, and represents Orff at that perfect cross-over point between popular (folk) and high drama, play and opera.

I will listen to it as soon as I have a chance, maybe tonight. I used to have a single LP of excerpts from it, from a 1960 recording conducted by Ferdinand Leitner, but as I say I didn't get to know it - the excerpts chosen were mostly spoken, with a few musical items here and there, and back then my German wasn't up to it (there was no translation of the text with the LP, which clearly was intended only for domestic consumption).

[kindofblue]

Morton Feldman: Violin and String Quartet (Apartment House)

http://www.anothertimbre.com/feldmanvsq.html

Arrived in the post, today.

Reaction...!?

[Bryn]

Reaction...!?

Beautifully played and recorded. Until now, the Rundel/Pelegrini Qt recording (hat[now]ART) has been my preferred option (I balk at the vibrato deployed by Fong in her recording with the Rangzen Qt). However, this new recording has the edge, for me. I think it's partly down to the recording, quite close and capturing more than just beautiful string sounds. There's a 'wartiness' to some of the sounds, too. I look forward to attending the same musicians' London performance in the autumn (date to be announced).

[Beresford]

Rebecca Saunders premiere

The premiere of Rebecca Saunders 40 minute orchestral piece - "Wound" - was broadcast on France Musique last Friday (23rd June) from Paris, followed by an interview in English with French translation. It can be heard from the schedules, or under France Musique - Podcasts - Classical - Concerts.
The title derives, I would guess, from Samuel Beckett's last Textes pour Rien - "....whose the screaming silence of no's knife in yes's wound, it wonders."

In the interview she said she is working on her first opera, 90 minutes, no Intervals. A new phase. I am unsure whether that is good news, as my experiences with modern opera are mostly unsatisfactory; maybe my difficulties are something to do with words, as I have no problems listening to modern instrumental music.

[smittims]

I used to give new operas a fair hearing, but so many of them turned out to be shouted plays with orchestral sound effects. I know it sounds corny, but I do wonder if opera has to have melody. Maybe we need to ask 'why do we want to watch and hear an opera?' Does the genre need a Gluck-or-Wagner revitalisation?

[Bryn]

The premiere of Rebecca Saunders 40 minute orchestral piece - "Wound" - was broadcast on France Musique last Friday (23rd June) from Paris, followed by an interview in English with French translation. It can be heard from the schedules, or under France Musique - Podcasts - Classical - Concerts.
The title derives, I would guess, from Samuel Beckett's last Textes pour Rien - "....whose the screaming silence of no's knife in yes's wound, it wonders."

In the interview she said she is working on her first opera, 90 minutes, no Intervals. A new phase. I am unsure whether that is good news, as my experiences with modern opera are mostly unsatisfactory; maybe my difficulties are something to do with words, as I have no problems listening to modern instrumental music.

Is that the Munich premiere from last September? I will try and chase it up.

[Ah, no, it's the recent French premiere: https://www.radiofrance.fr/francemus...nders-8724042]