Sessions and serialism

[eschiss1]

Sessions turned to serialism, as I recall (he claimed ) because he found it was appearing in his music more and more naturally, of its own accord as it were (in his 2nd string quartet, other works - then in the opening bars of his solo violin sonata which became a serial work when he noticed that the main theme was a row.)
(In any case I find his 2nd symphony more dissonant and harder to take than the 3rd, but the 2nd is all the same definitely in an extended D minor and the 3rd symphony is one of his earlier serial works, though it ends with a unison statement of the row and a definite D-flat cadence.)


(Footnote- one may find his first string quartet and first piano sonata worthwhile if one enjoys his first symphony. I prefer the quartet particularly but I only know the CRI recording of the first symphony and not Davies'.
I listened again to Davies' recording on Argo of the 6th symphony - while under anaesthetic for dental work, which probably had something to do with this... erm... - and found his account of the first movement held together much better than I remembered it doing (I also have a tape somewhere, I think, of Prausnitz's account, undigitized, which is still better, but I keep criticizing Davies' CD and his ability to hold things together as a conductor in music that definitely does require firm rhythm-shaping and a sense of "the long line"... and am no longer so sure he deserves that criticism.)

(My favorite Sessions works remain the 4th symphony - with its finale, which is bleak, but not "empty" or "cerebral", and sounds more like an Elegy than the middle movement that has that name - and the general skeleton of a sonata in its first movement (without the key area groups of course, but a central brass fugato that's quite appealing at least in Christian Badea's conducting on New World) - and the contemporaneous string quintet which has the - stroppiness? - of Brahms' 1st quintet at least in its finale. I admit to gratitude to Professor Spies at Princeton for introducing me to this music, though I was a poor student.) Both date from the late 1950s. (1958, 1957-8).

[thalbergmad]

As a wind up, someone bought me the score to the Sessions Piano Concerto for Christmas and left it on my piano.

I really don't "get" this music and I doubt if I ever will should I live to 100. After listening to it, I had only one question.

Why??

Thal

[eschiss1]

Well, since I've been only able to locate the 2-piano score to the work (published, anyhow), since you have the full orchestral score and have no further use for it, send it on to me?

[thalbergmad]

Mine is the 2 piano score my friend. I would let you have it, but I have found that it is exactly the right thickness to level my piano stool.

At least it has some use

I do keep trying to educate myself with the world of 12 tone music, but thus far it is an effort with little reward and I keep having to revert back to romanticism to bring me back to sanity. Anyway, I can add Sessions to my list of "experiences".

Thal