tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post5724168131657575318..comments2024-03-27T23:06:03.736-05:00Comments on The Music Salon: Concerto Guide: Stravinsky, Concerto in D for violin and orchestra (1931)Bryan Townsendhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-11161978821121423702015-07-11T11:40:46.710-05:002015-07-11T11:40:46.710-05:00Well, the concerto, like all of Stravinsky's n...Well, the concerto, like all of Stravinsky's neoclassical works are a bit mixed in quality I think. There are moments that shine but others get too muddy with the typical neoclassical ugliness. The first movement is especially muddy. The other movements are actually very nice.Rickardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08084578675339015204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-33506143096818069322015-07-08T11:41:36.823-05:002015-07-08T11:41:36.823-05:00I have read something to that effect. At the same ...I have read something to that effect. At the same time, Schoenberg got together to play tennis with George Gershwin quite often, who also lived in the same neighborhood in Hollywood. I had never heard of the "Genesis Suite" before!! Fascinating. Now I have to listen to it. Sounds like Haydn's The Creation crossed with Diabelli's variation project.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-52260846293672134812015-07-08T11:36:22.022-05:002015-07-08T11:36:22.022-05:00Thanks, Ken. Now that we are well into the 21st ce...Thanks, Ken. Now that we are well into the 21st century, I think it is time for a new history of music in the 20th century--one that looks at it from an ideologically-neutral stance (if that is possible!).Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-13916704254569373932015-07-08T11:36:19.633-05:002015-07-08T11:36:19.633-05:00On the same subject, Schoenberg and Stravinsky nev...On the same subject, Schoenberg and Stravinsky never met after 1912, even though they both lived in Los Angeles from WW II on. They both attended the same parties, and apparently Stravinsky, at least, wanted to meet Schoenberg. They were also (I think) in the same room when the "Genesis Suite" was recorded (they both wrote pieces for it). They probably never met, but (Mrs.) Vera Stravinsky visited (Mrs.) Gertrud Schoenberg and (daughter) Nuria at the Schoenberg's home in Los Angeles.Ken F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08296737421194767997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-77436847533157767212015-07-08T11:31:03.734-05:002015-07-08T11:31:03.734-05:00I believe it was on the album notes for the record...I believe it was on the album notes for the recording of the concerto that Craft and Stravinsky made in the Complete Works series (early 1960s). Of course, by that time, it could be a Craft pseudo-Stravinsky quote. Another quote by Stravinsky (or Craft), when the Schoenberg project was going to be cancelled: "No Schoenberg, no Stravinsky!"Ken F.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08296737421194767997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-55873540077215433632015-07-08T10:50:23.954-05:002015-07-08T10:50:23.954-05:00Thank you Anonymous for this interesting quote. Do...Thank you Anonymous for this interesting quote. Do you recall where it is from?<br /><br />Like all statements from composers in the last century, especially those from Stravinsky, it must be taken with a few grains of salt. No, of course the Violin Concerto was not modeled on any particular piece, but there are certain elements that give it a neo-classical sound. As a model he prefers Bach to the later composers. Interesting that he singles out the Schoenberg concerto for mention. This suggests to me that the quote is from fairly late, when Stravinsky was gravitating towards the 12-tone method.Bryan Townsendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09482696991279345516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8827040061563065922.post-9047546467470278122015-07-08T08:06:58.926-05:002015-07-08T08:06:58.926-05:00Stravinsky later made this statement about his Vio...Stravinsky later made this statement about his Violin Concerto: "The Violin Concerto was not inspired by or modeled on any example. I do not like the standard violin concertos - not Mozart's, Beethoven's, or Brahms'. To my mind, the only masterpiece in the field is Schoenberg's, and that was written several years after mine. The titles of my movements, Toccata, Aria, Capriccio, suggest Bach, however, and so to some extent does the musical substance. My favorite Bach solo concerto is the one for two violins, as the duet with a violin from the orchestra in the last movement must show. But the Violin Concerto contains other duet combinations, too, and the texture of the music is more chamber music in style than orchestral."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com