aworks :: "new" american classical music

Three Tales (2002). Steve Reich

Sundar Subramanian, on I Love Music, speaks highly of the visuals in the DVD of Three Tales:

the visuals are often just dazzling and are, even just aesthetically, a perfect complement to the music

In C (1964). Terry Riley

Listened again to the 25th Anniversary Concert recording  on New Albion Records of In C.  It is surprisingly dramatic and colorful and makes the old SUNY Buffalo Columbia recording sound mechanical and lifeless.  Terry Riley is quoted as saying the performance is the best yet.

The Oak of the Golden Dreams (1970). Harold Budd

On the [email protected] email list, The Oak of the Golden Dreams was compared to Charelemagne Palestine or LaMonte Young. The Database of Recorded American Music quotes the liner notes to say that it was a drone with a modal improvisation, in the manner of John Coltrane's sheets of sound. Te music was played on, for the time, state of the art electronics called the "Buchla Electronic Music System."

String Quartet No. 1: From the Salvation Army (1897-1900). Charles Ives

The Poz Life doesn't like the music of Charles Ives. He was supposed to yet again play an Ives string quartet at a chamber music workshop but managed to be able to play something else. Clearly, too much Ives is a problem for all of us...

aworks files this under String Quartet No. 1 although that's not clear. Yale's descriptive catalogue does in fact describe the two Ives quartets.

Naive and Sentimental Music (1999). John Adams

Forager 23 grooves down the highway to Naive and Sentimental Music (as well as Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Saint-Saens, Century Rolls, and Lollapalooza [the Adams work, not the festival]).

...first, I listened to John Adams' Naive and Sentimental Music, performed by the L.A. Philharmonic, as I drove south down routes 7 and 22A. The blend of Coplandish Americana and French Romanticism fit perfectly with Vermont's rural sophistication.

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Andrew Clements of the Guardian says Naive and Sentimental Music 's orchestration is "subtle" and "transparent" and from a "visionary."

Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Electric Organ (1973). Steve Reich

A Blander Blog has Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Electric Organ as "Today's Song" for September 1st. September 2nd was "Modulation #2" by Otomo Yoshihide. aworks is not familiar with this one...

Make Prayers to the Raven (1996-98). John Luther Adams

Allan Kozinn reviews a concert by the Locrian Chamber Players including "Make Prayers to the Raven" by John Luther Adams, not to be confused with John Adams of Berkeley.  He says the piece avoids sinking into New Age by its varied textures.

Harmonielehre (1985). John Adams

Listed as the "top tune" by Kalvos from a total of 100 desert island selections. And his compatriot Damian chooses Terry Riley's "In C" as #1 (and Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats" as #23). Both lists have well-known modern works as well as the obscure. Damian also lists Ollivier Messiaen's colossal "Turangalîla Symphony" as #3.

Company (1984). Philip Glass

An urban policy major recommends the string orchestra version.

Prayers of Kierkegaard (1954). Samuel Barber

A music major complains that drum corps can be too avant-garde, with a hodge-podge of works, including Barber's Adagio and Prayers of Kierkegaard.