#ccmp

Alfred Schnittke - Concerto Grosso No. 1

I - Preludio

II - Tocatta

III - Recitativo

IV - Cadenza

V - Rondo

VI - Postludio

And starting off strong, we have Schnittke's Concerto Grosso No. 1.

It's an interesting work because if you analyze the structure, it's very similar to a baroque-era concerto. The instrumentation is also very similar, consisting of two violin soloists, string orchestra, and harpsichord. The only difference is the addition of a prepared piano (which is a piano where stuff has been put between the strings in order to give it a different sound).

However, the piece itself is very modern. There are a few execptions, specifically the beginning of the Tocatta and various places throughout the Rondo.

This is a very eldritch-horror-esque piece due to its use of Ligeti-esque micro-polyphony. What Schnittke does is he takes each induvidual section of instruments and splits it up, similar to divisi. However, he subdivides it into 8 or 12 parts instead of a more normal two or three, leading to a very dissonant and unique sound.

Honestly, if you want to start listening to this, listen to the Rondo first; it's the most accessible movement in my opinion, but whatever order you take this in is up to you.

Performance provided:

Soloists: Gidon Kremer, Tatiana Grindenko

Orchestra: Chamber Orchestra of Europe, cond. Heinrich Schiff

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Krzysztof Penderecki - St. Luke Passion

Part I:

O Crux ave

Et egressus

Deus meus

Domine, qui habitabit

Adhuc eo loquente

Ierusalem

Ut quid, Domine

Comprehendentes autem eum

Iudica me, Deus

Et viri, qui tenebant illum

Ierusalem

Misere me, Deus

Et surgens omnis

Part II:

Et in pulverem

Et baiulans sibi crucem

Popule meus

Ibi crucifixerunt eum

Crux fidelis

Dividentes mero

... in pulverem mortis

Et stabat populus

Unus autem

Stabant autem iuxta crucem

Stabat mater

Erat autem fere hora sexta

[Alla breve]

In pulverem mortis/In te, Domine, speravi

[side note: i was typing the above on my phone and it took like twenty minutes ::( ]

So. Penderecki's St. Luke Passion. Where do we begin?

The St. Luke Passion is an interesting one, because out of all the gospels Penderecki could have chosen, he picked the one that Bach never made into a passion. And the references don't stop there, whether it be the use of a baritone to represent Jesus, or the B-A-C-H (Bb-A-C-B) motif.

The work is totally atonal, and there are a lot of jumpscares. Like a lot. The music is also incredible, and its use of timbre is incredible. (listen to the "Et surgens omnis")

In addition, Penderecki makes great use of the choir, using them for vocal effects alongside singing (listen to the "Popule meus").

Performance provided:

Soloists: Izabella Klosińska (soprano), Adam Kruszewzki (baritone), Romuald Tesarowicz (bass), Krzysztof Kolberger (Narrator/"Evangelist")

Choir: Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir, Warsaw Boys' Choir

Orchestra: Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Antoni Wit

Link to Spotify Album

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George Crumb - Black Angels: 13 Images from the Dark Land

I - Departure

1 - Threnody I: Night of the Electric Insects

2 - Sounds of Bones and Flutes

3 - Lost Bells

4 - Devil-music

5 - Danse Macabre

II - Absence

6 - Pavana Lachrymae (Der Tod und das Mädchen)

7 - Threnody II: Black Angels!

8 - Sarabanda de la Muerte Oscura

9 - Lost Bells (Echo)

III - Return

10 - God-music

11 - Ancient Voices

12 - Ancient Voices (Echo)

13 - Threnody III: Night of the Electric Insects

Okay, do you remember what I said at the top about the music getting weird? Well this is peak weird.

Black Angels is written for string quartet with a few interesting modifications. The score requires you to use electric instruments, which are a weird choice. In addition, the score calls for each player to also use a series of percussion instruments and their voice in addition to playing their instrument.

And there are the avant-garde aspects of this as well. Every modern playing technique in the book is used in this, such as playing on the wrong side of the fingerboard, applying large amounts of pressure to the bow, bowing behind the bridge, and plenty more.

I'm gonna be entirely honest: this music sparks a weird reaction. If I try to listen to it as background music, it makes me dissociate a solid 80% of the time. So apporach at your own risk.

Oh yeah, and also there are a lot of jumpscares.

Performace Provided:

Miró Quartet

Daniel Ching (vln), Sandy Yamamoto (vln), John Largess (vle), Joshua Gindele (vcl)

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Alexander Scriabin - Piano Sonata No. 5 in F# Major (Op. 53)

Okay, we're finally venturing back into more tonal territory. And we're coming back with my favourite lunatic composer of all time: Alexander Scriabin.

I'll talk about him a little bit later along the list cause I have a better piece to reference, but for now just know that he once tried to end the world with music. Anyways, back to the sonata.

The 5th Piano Sonata is in one movement and spans a lot of keys. It contains some really pretty moments, as well as some moments that make you feel a bit overwhelmed. It's also very hard. But nontheless, it's still an amazing piece, and much more accessible than his later works.

Performance Provided: Sviatoslav Richter (pfte)

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Alberto Ginastera - Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (Op. 25)

I - Allegro giusto

II - Molto moderato

III - Liberamente capriccioso - Vivace

i'm just gonna be entirely honest with this one: the whole piece slaps.

Alberto Ginastera was an Argentinean composer more commonly known for his Danzas Argentinas (Op. 2). But nonetheless, the Harp Concerto, the Piano Concerto No. 1 (we'll get to that one later), and the Piano Sonata No. 1 (not on this list) all slap.

Performance provided:

The Harp Concerto is probably the most accessible out of the three works I just mentioned, and that's because it goes hard. Because the harp can only be tuned to 7 different pitch classes at a time, and since they cant be tuned to double flats or sharps, it forces the music to be very tonal.

And this is they key to the work: the limitations of the harp are easily dealt with, and the harp doesn't feel overused.

Soloist: Nancy Allen (hrp)

Orchestra: Orquesta Filarmónica de la Ciudad de Mexico, cond. Enrique Bátiz

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