grahamwebb2000
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« on: 22:04:00, 03-08-2008 » |
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My love for the Planets hasn't waivered since I first heard it as a child, likewise for the Rite of Spring and Verdi's Requiem. Can anyone recommend other pieces of a similar nature? I don't know what musicologists call these musical paintings, but for me the common theme is the sophistication of the orchestration - Mozart's requiem to me is very sequential and tidy compared to Verdi's (which really does get me on my knees!) and the planet suite obviously well known for creating mental imagery. Is there anthing comparable to Holst's Planets? I wonder what a synesthete would make of it?!
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #1 on: 22:11:17, 03-08-2008 » |
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musical paintings Other 'colourful', powerful orchestral works you might like to investigate, graham, could well include Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Respighi's The Pines of Rome (and The Fountains of Rome) as well as other Stravinsky ballet scores, such as The Firebird; all big, colourful, orchestral scores. I'm sure other members will come up with other tempting suggestions! The term 'musical paintings' to me suggests 'tone poems', where the music is depicting a particular thing or event; Liszt, Sibelius and Richard Strauss, amongst other composers, wrote many of these. |
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« Last Edit: 22:12:56, 03-08-2008 by Il Grande Inquisitor »
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Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency
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Reiner Torheit
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« Reply #2 on: 22:36:25, 03-08-2008 » |
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As IGI suggested, the Stravinsky ballet scores are all excellent, rich and dramatic pieces which are in the general ambit of THE PLANETS. If you fancied something else down a Russian kind of vein, Rimsky-Korsakov might be worth looking into... THE ISLE OF THE DEAD is a marvellously dramatic work, and the rather well-known SCHEHEREZADE suite should be easily available anywhere. Another good one might be Prokofiev's score for ALEXANDER NEVSKY, although that has some choral singing in it... I don't know if that's up your street or not?  Staying in E Europe, and trying to pick pieces that are roughly contemporary with Holst, Janacek's SINFONIETTA is a good listen. And if synesthesia interests you, there's always Scriabin, who was extremely interested in that field himself - if you enjoy "full-on" orchestral works, THE POEM OF ECSTASY and PROMETHEUS might not be a waste of your time  Let us know what you find? |
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"I was, for several months, mutely in love with a coloratura soprano, who seemed to me to have wafted straight from Paradise to the stage of the Odessa Opera-House"
- Leon Trotsky, "My Life"
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #3 on: 22:36:41, 03-08-2008 » |
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Bearing in mind the close link between Holst and Vaughan Williams, then the latter's symphonies and the 'Masque for Dancing' Job would be a natural place to start. Other big works that work for me would include Shostakovich's symphonies (particularly the Fourth, Fifth, Seventh, Eighth and Tenth for starters), and two more ballets: The Warriors, by Percy Grainger, and Daphnis and Chloë by Ravel. I'd add the third of Respighi's Roman Trilogy, Feste Romane, to IGI's list, too. I can always add more later, Graham.... |
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grahamwebb2000
Posts: 10
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« Reply #4 on: 22:46:54, 03-08-2008 » |
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Thank you for your suggests Inquisitor. I am familiar with Mussorgsky et al and have many of Sibelius' tone poems. I haven't heard Respighi's work so I look forward to hearing more. However, I have always felt that the Planets is 'in a different league' in terms of its ability to take the listener far away from the 'orchestral work'. Perhaps I am being lazy and the Planets is simply easier to listen to at different levels of abstraction. As a child I used to sit back in a reclining chair with the headphones on in a dark room and by the time Neptune's ascending chorus was heard, I was somewhere no amount of LSD could take me (not that I've tried LSD!). There are moments in other pieces, but I haven't found anything so complete and continuous as the Planets.
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grahamwebb2000
Posts: 10
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« Reply #5 on: 22:51:00, 03-08-2008 » |
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Gosh, lots of suggestions! Fortunately I have the next two weeks off, so a lot to look forward to, many thanks. I will report back.
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Il Grande Inquisitor
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« Reply #6 on: 22:51:10, 03-08-2008 » |
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Another personal favourite among Respighi works is the suite he drew from his ballet Belkis, Queen of Sheba - big, 'hollywood' score which requires huge orchestral forces.  I'd second Reiner's recommendation of Scheherazade - amazed I left it off my first reply! |
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Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency
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grahamwebb2000
Posts: 10
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« Reply #7 on: 23:09:19, 03-08-2008 » |
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Reiner, yes the section 'lost in a barrel at sea' from the Tale of Tsar Saltan is quite special. Also on a watery theme I enjoy the build-up of the river Moldau in Smetana's Má vlast, and listen out for a solitary triangle that releases the torrent.
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Turfan Fragment
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« Reply #8 on: 00:42:10, 04-08-2008 » |
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As for synesthusiasts, Messiaen comes to mind as well. Chronochromie is literally colorful, as is the Turangalila Symphony.
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #9 on: 00:46:04, 04-08-2008 » |
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If you like the Verdi Requiem, you might like the one by Berlioz. I know I do.
I'm also going to suggest Stravinsky's Les Noces as a move from the Rite but I somehow think that both Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin and Debussy's Jeux are equally good calls.
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #10 on: 00:52:18, 04-08-2008 » |
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And Varèse's Arcana. And possibly Koechlin's Les Bandar-Log.
And then there's the extraordinary music of John Foulds and Charles Ives....
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Kittybriton
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« Reply #11 on: 01:16:05, 04-08-2008 » |
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Don't miss Stravinsky's "Petrouchka", and the Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes" for some dramatic imagery.
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Click me -> About meor me -> my handmade storeNo, I'm not a complete idiot. I'm only a halfwit. In fact I'm actually a catfish. |
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harmonyharmony
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« Reply #12 on: 18:07:51, 05-08-2008 » |
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Ravel's Daphnis et Chlöe might tickle your fancy after the Holst. I'm listening to it now! |
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'is this all we can do?' anonymous student of the University of Berkeley, California quoted in H. Draper, 'The new student revolt' (New York: Grove Press, 1965) http://www.myspace.com/itensemble |
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Descombes
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« Reply #13 on: 21:54:30, 05-08-2008 » |
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Musical paintings with rich orchestration? What about Elgar (Enigma Variations or Falstaff - sometimes coupled together on a CD), Walton (Portsmouth Point) or Tchaikovsky (Romeo and Juliet)?
Or linking Verdi Requiem and Stravinsky, what about Orff (Carmina Burana) or Walton (Belshazzar's Feast)?
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offbeat
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« Reply #14 on: 22:24:14, 05-08-2008 » |
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Hi Graham
For shimmering musical paintings Debussy's Nocturnes and La Mer have great colour and atmosphere.
If you are into Sibelius tone poems then also try Bax's November Woods or Delius's North Country Sketches
nature music at its best imo
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