Schoenberg & Stravinsky
Feb. 23rd, 2013 11:18 amOkay, I just listened to Arnold Schoenberg's Five Orchestral Pieces (Fünf Orchesterstücke, 1909), and it didn't seem all that weird. I suppose he got weirder later, but then again maybe time has tamed him. We'll see what I make of Webern's Six Orchestral Pieces.
I can thank Alex Ross's book, The Rest Is Noise, for persuading me to give these pieces a try. Ross depicts Schoenberg and Stravinsky as the two poles around which European classical music of the early 20th century rallied. Now I'm listening to Stravinsky's Petroushka (the 1911 version, conducted by Stravinsky himself), which I don't think I've ever heard before, although I've long known it was one of his most popular pieces. Once again the influence it's had (including on Daniel Catán) seems immediately obvious.
I can thank Alex Ross's book, The Rest Is Noise, for persuading me to give these pieces a try. Ross depicts Schoenberg and Stravinsky as the two poles around which European classical music of the early 20th century rallied. Now I'm listening to Stravinsky's Petroushka (the 1911 version, conducted by Stravinsky himself), which I don't think I've ever heard before, although I've long known it was one of his most popular pieces. Once again the influence it's had (including on Daniel Catán) seems immediately obvious.