Damn, that was awesome. Triple time! I love Sessions' take on quasi-atonal neoclassicism. It's so different than Stravinsky's (I adore Stravinsky) and appears to echo nobody, just entirely _sui generis_ Roger Sessions music.
@@artofthedream I _adore_ The Black Maskers. I love all his symphonies, too (my fave is the Fifth). As for his early tonal period, I can't say enough about the first movement of the First, which has jazz influences that must've blown Aaron Copland's and Leonard Bernstein's minds ;)
How about the opening figure? It's pretty jagged, but I'm holding it my memory as I'm listening. One of the things I love about Sessions is that even in his late, 12-tone period, he's a damn good melodist.
It's not for everyone! I like a good "theme" too, something to hum & remember, but I would say that this type of music is more about events, interesting moments that couldn't be achieved with prior Romantic practices. As for the funding, I don't know personally. I think that several of his compositions are still unperformed (many decades later). Believe it or not, there are still a few people out there who love his music, and some of them passionate enough to raise enough money to keep the flame of early Modernism alive.
@@artofthedream What I love about Sessions' late "difficult" work is that although he respected Schoenberg, he arrived at his own homegrown flavor of serialism (which he just decided one day that that's what he was writing) independent of Darmstadt and the Second Viennese School. It's _never_ integral serialism, tone rows but no combinatorics, no musical sudoku, always his intuitive imagination at play.
@@Snardbafulator You know, I think you might be right. Upon repeated listening, I am fond of it. Sadly, it reminds me of the old days of my youthful exuberance for Sessions. I sill love his first piano Sonata. I heard Beverage Webster play his Sonata No. 2, which was very powerful.
What a novel instrumentation.
Damn, that was awesome. Triple time! I love Sessions' take on quasi-atonal neoclassicism. It's so different than Stravinsky's (I adore Stravinsky) and appears to echo nobody, just entirely _sui generis_ Roger Sessions music.
I totally agree. If you haven't heard it already, I recommend Session's Black Maskers Suite, which I also made a score-video for.
@@artofthedream I _adore_ The Black Maskers. I love all his symphonies, too (my fave is the Fifth). As for his early tonal period, I can't say enough about the first movement of the First, which has jazz influences that must've blown Aaron Copland's and Leonard Bernstein's minds ;)
Imagine the average concertgoer hearing this in only used to Brahms Tchaikovsky just getting used to Sibelius!
Those fucking commercials drive me nuts!
Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie
Who is the conductor?
János Kulka.
@@artofthedream Thank you!
Ok, now sing for me one theme from this behemoth. Just one! Also, where did they get the funding to record this?
How about the opening figure? It's pretty jagged, but I'm holding it my memory as I'm listening. One of the things I love about Sessions is that even in his late, 12-tone period, he's a damn good melodist.
It's not for everyone! I like a good "theme" too, something to hum & remember, but I would say that this type of music is more about events, interesting moments that couldn't be achieved with prior Romantic practices. As for the funding, I don't know personally. I think that several of his compositions are still unperformed (many decades later). Believe it or not, there are still a few people out there who love his music, and some of them passionate enough to raise enough money to keep the flame of early Modernism alive.
@@artofthedream What I love about Sessions' late "difficult" work is that although he respected Schoenberg, he arrived at his own homegrown flavor of serialism (which he just decided one day that that's what he was writing) independent of Darmstadt and the Second Viennese School. It's _never_ integral serialism, tone rows but no combinatorics, no musical sudoku, always his intuitive imagination at play.
@@Snardbafulator You know, I think you might be right. Upon repeated listening, I am fond of it. Sadly, it reminds me of the old days of my youthful exuberance for Sessions. I sill love his first piano Sonata. I heard Beverage Webster play his Sonata No. 2, which was very powerful.
From people with better ears thsn you and the 1st pf.Sonata tells all he id a genius!