Greetings! Anyone with any particular axe to grind on Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski? A German composer, born 1949.
There are three Naxos CDs devoted to his music (Symphonies 3 and 4, Cello Concerto, Violin Concerto 2, and some Symphonic Poems), but Naxos has - for reasons unknown to me - restricted the distribution of these CDs to Germany. Hence I sneak him in since he is at least unsung in the UK.
Ever curious, I obtained one of the CDs - and was glad I did. Hardly at the cutting edge of contemporary composition, but nonetheless rather affecting, sincerely expressed music, and firmly rooted in the romantic tradition. And good performances and a splendid recording to boot.
Being of a mischievous inclination I'd rather like to blindfold colleagues on this site, tell them I was going to play a new and undiscovered composer of whose work Sterling had released a recording, and sit back and see what happens. But doubtless my mischief would bring about a rebuke!
Anyone listened to this stuff?
Peter
Peter: some while ago - on the previous forum before it got hacked - we had a long and very fruitful thread on Schmidt-Kowalski. In fact, contact was made with the composer himself.
It seems that S-K is something of a one-off: a contemporary composer writing music in an idiom that is an extension of late-Romanticism. Extraordinary and quite wonderful: memorable melodies galore, wonderfully rich orchestration and real feeling.
A wonderful composer he is. And a while back he offered to send, gratis, autographed copies of his CDs. I have every one produced by Naxos and have had no disappointments listening to his lovely music.
Yes, plaudits from me too. Long may he compose.
As opposed to my wish for Stockhausen: Long may he decompose!
Many thanks Alan, Mark and Wunderkind for those immediate and very positive responses.
I was unaware of the discussion on the previous forum, and now feel chuffed that my hunch that this was music of real quality has been amply vindicated. I phased my initial enquiry in a somewhat cautious way. Having no knowledge at all of Schmidt-Kowalski or the estimate of others about his works, I was confronted by the dilemma of deciding between: 1 This really is significant music of very real worth, and 2 My judgment is gone to pot and is quite defective. Being very much an amateur (but one hopefully with a pair of discerning ears) I thought maybe option 1 is less probable than option 2.
I should be more confident! What perhaps held me back was my general view that much recent & contemporary composition is either outrageous or self-consciously 'clever', and once one has seen through the gimmicks, there's not much of substance there to be found; or the stuff is written in a traditional way but when its saccharine qualities are abstracted, then again there's not a lot to be found. OK, a mere generalisation and there are sharp exceptions to be found (for example, in my view, David Matthews), but I'm prepared to put my head on the block as to the general truth of that generalisation! So when I encountered Schmidt-Kowalski I thought, struth, this is exceptionally well crafted music, is deeply serious, and is wonderfully affecting. Thus, given it goes against the former generalisation, it must be more probable that my critical faculties have gone gaga.
Hence, whacko and a reason for joyfulness: another contemporary composer to celebrate! Thanks for your patience in my voyage of discovery.
And very naughty of you, Alan, to take a swipe at Stockhausen. Thoroughly agree. But actually I think there are certain figures around right now who are not yet decomposing - but I really wish they would speed up a little and get to that state! Most naughty of me to think such things!
Peter
I notice the mention of David Matthews. After listening to the music offered on the Dutton discs - I'd say that Schmidt-Kowalski is a composer head and shoulders above Matthews.
There's another interesting name to ponder - Jon Ward Bauman. His orchestral music (symphonies and tone poems) - not up to the S-K quality - is affecting and quite well-crafted, and it also sounds nice. :)
Many thanks for the tip, Wunderkind - generous of you to take the trouble.
In fact I have somewhere the CD of Jon Ward Bauman's 4 string quartets. But, helas, I didn't find it rewarding. I'll dig it out and try again. My memory was of an American academic composer: all very slick but not hugely interesting. Maybe I missed out on something.
Peter
Allow me to add my voice to this chorus of accolades for S-K. I have very much enjoyed his CDs. I don't know whether he gets performed in concert much, but I sure hope he begins receiving more recognition. Compared to the other drek by living composers that I have to sit through in concerts, S-K's music would be a genuine relief. And I can imagine that most audiences would much prefer his music to the latest aimless ambling "atmospheric" music that seems currently in vogue.
Quote from: petershott@btinternet.com on Saturday 20 March 2010, 02:30
Many thanks for the tip, Wunderkind - generous of you to take the trouble.
In fact I have somewhere the CD of Jon Ward Bauman's 4 string quartets. But, helas, I didn't find it rewarding. I'll dig it out and try again. My memory was of an American academic composer: all very slick but not hugely interesting. Maybe I missed out on something. Peter
Peter: The orchestral music is better than the quartets. None of it rates top billing, and some could be described as more or less "academic." However, the symphonies - especially Symphony No.4 - Archangels Symphony - are entertaining. And, they are
unsung - which qualifies them for inclusion hereon. :P
Thanks again, Wunderkind. Your persistence has paid off. I shall increase my debts by ordering the 4th Symphony. It always takes quite a campaign to get me to try anything American. One of my many prejudices - and I expect the missiles to come flying thick and fast - is that so much American music is woefully dull if not downright silly stuff. Much of it is composed with fluency, and sometimes real cleverness, but ye gods, is superficial and tiresome to listen to. No matter how hard I try I experience blank incomprehension when it comes to Elliott Carter, and wonder if the Carter enthusiasts and I live on different planets. (But I do make an exception with Ellen Zwillich - I find her compositions satisfying. Likewise with the works I know of Benjamin Lees). I find the same, for that matter, with American literature. This, after all, is the chap who almost came to fisticuffs with an American literature professor when I declared the only American novel worth anyone's attention was 'Moby Dick'. But I don't apologise for the prejudice: I just think of all those supposedly 'great American novels' and groan deep inside. I ramble - and that indicates I should shut up! Thanks again for your valiant attempts to expand my horizons!
Peter
Re American music - it's really not all that bad. ;) (Although, in general, I am with you on Carter - except for his First Symphony.)
You ought to try the marvelous Piano Concerto of Vittorio Giannini. This is a lush, powerful work in the style of Rachmaninoff. It's on Naxos, coupled with a very good Symphony No.4. Here are sound clips - http://www.classicalarchives.com/album/636943935224.html (http://www.classicalarchives.com/album/636943935224.html)
And, also, the upbeat and echt-American music of Don Gillis.
(PS - Peter - I would take serious issue with you re American novels. But that's another subject!)
I was fortunate to have received four of his CDs. Sometimes you feel transported to era of the past and then you think...why aren't more people writing like this?
Great stuff.
I certainly agree with you, Wunderkind, about Don Gillis. I find his music very entertaining and, unlike some 20th Century moderns, he doesn't take himself too seriously. ;D
Could someone please give me full details of the Naxos Schmidt-Kowalski CDs . I've been unable to find them on the Europadisc web site either under the composer's name or under "symphonies". Sadly, I missed that special offer from the composer last year. :'(
For a reason unknown to me the CD's are only available in Germany. See
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/home/search?fastsearch=schmidt-kowalski&rubric=classic&pd_orderby=score (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/home/search?fastsearch=schmidt-kowalski&rubric=classic&pd_orderby=score)
I'm looking forward to the release of Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski's Piano Concerto and Viola Concerto!
Many thanks, Peter, for the information and the link. I've now orderd the 2 symphonies and the cello sonatas, making use of my 5 Euro voucher which JPC kindly sent me some time back.
I'm resurrecting this old thread because I've been listening again to S-K's wonderfully lyrical and luminous 3rd Symphony, which I'd say was probably as good as anything he wrote. This is the CD involved:
http://www.amazon.de/Symphonie-Nr-3-Cellokonzert-Schneider/dp/B0000918QC/ref=sr_1_2?s=music-classical&ie=UTF8&qid=1421794244&sr=1-2&keywords=schmidt-kowalski (http://www.amazon.de/Symphonie-Nr-3-Cellokonzert-Schneider/dp/B0000918QC/ref=sr_1_2?s=music-classical&ie=UTF8&qid=1421794244&sr=1-2&keywords=schmidt-kowalski)
If you've had a bad day, the Cello Concerto coupling will do you a power of good too!
I've been listening to the latter Schmidt-Kowalski symphonies for a while now, but it has left me curious for the first two. Can anyone tell me whether they've been recorded?
Not as far as I can ascertain:
http://www.schmidt-kowalski.de/english/index_eng.htm (http://www.schmidt-kowalski.de/english/index_eng.htm)
It seems that interest in S-K's music has stalled since his death two years ago. While hardly surprising, this is a great shame...
It's the story of almost every Unsung we celebrate here....
Interesting, though. I recently downloaded the cello sonatas based on what I heard in the symphonys. I have to say that I'm not so sure that they, or at least part of them, even falls within the UC remit. Anyone else have that experience??
Jerry
I must demur, Jerry. For those who don't know this music, here are some audio samples ;
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Thomas-Schmidt-Kowalski-1949-2013-Sonaten-f%FCr-Cello-Klavier-op-41299/hnum/4889963 (https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Thomas-Schmidt-Kowalski-1949-2013-Sonaten-f%FCr-Cello-Klavier-op-41299/hnum/4889963)
And here's the brief review at Records International:
The first two sonatas here date from 1978 and 1980, showing that Schmidt-Kowalski's adoption of a conservative, late Romantic style went back very early. We know he abandoned avant-gardism in his conservatory days but the opus number 4 proves that, if he composed anything in that vein, he did not acknowledge it. You'll know what to expect here from the three orchestral discs we offered last month: appetizing, high-calorie Germanic late Romanticism in a personal, non-pastiche style. (emphasis added)
http://www.recordsinternational.com/cd.php?cd=08N014 (http://www.recordsinternational.com/cd.php?cd=08N014)
So, no problem with the idiom of these works falling within our remit...
Worth noting that a subscription to the Naxos site allows you to listen to these pieces (one track at a time). They are also available on Spotify.
I've seen some messages in this thread about Stockhausen. And when I read them, I just couldn't believe them.
Well, he passed away in 2007, so he probably is decomposed now, but still he's my favourite composer of all time, alongside Richard Wagner.
Stockhausen's electronic works are just incredible because they really remind me of ambient (and they sound like it as well), and so my favourite works of his are Freitag, Montag & Dienstag aus Licht, & Momente. Momente is something different, a cantata with lyrics I can't hear nor understand, but the harmony is absolutely well done.
Another great piece by Stockhausen is Orchester-Finalisten, which is scene 2 of Mittwoch aus Licht.
QuoteStockhausen's electronic works are just incredible because they really remind me of ambient (and they sound like it as well)
Ambient what?
U.M.- there are, despite appearances, some posters (still) on this forum who do enjoy more than just one or two of the very many threads of the tapestry of 20th century music (not just neo-Romanticism)- though some of us, lately, tend to be a bit quiet about it based on past experience, which can give the impression that we don't exist. (It's still become a forum for the discussion of a quite limited slice of (even unsung) musical experience, despite the name of the forum, but that doesn't mean people who enjoy other portions of it aren't here, even actively here. One does hesitate of course to respond to irrelevant side-swipes; threads should be held on-topic...)
Still, nil desperandum, or some such fake-Latin expression... &c &c &c
E
...and so back to S-K, please. I'm sure there are plenty of other forums (fora?) where Stockhausen can be discussed. In any case, he's hardly unsung, is he?
Nope, just unsingable ;D
I like it ;D ;D
Well, I have already wrote an email to Naxos asking for availability in this side of the pond. Let's see what they reply. Meanwhile, as someone noted before, the only option is listening on spotify although it lacks the cello sonatas/nocturnes.
If you are happy with a download, the cello sonatas/nocturnes are available from The Classical Shop (aka Chandos Records)
http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=NA 1273 (http://www.theclassicalshop.net/Details.aspx?CatalogueNumber=NA%201273)
but only as a 320 kbps MP3. They also have the three albums of orchestral music as MP3's and in various lossless formats as well.
As far as I can see from their terms and conditions there don't seem to be any restrictions as to where in the world you can download them from.
The music was all new to me and rewarding to listen to - especially the Cello Concerto.
...and don't forget that his marvellous String Sextet No.1 is still available via our downloads section!
Thanks for noting the downloads. As expected, the reply I got is that sale is forbidden out of Germany due to copyright reasons. No details were given but well, at least it ain't a marketing or whatever. Such a shame, his music is hands some of the most "listenable" made in recent times.
Quote from: Savoir_Faire on Tuesday 03 February 2015, 10:38
Nope, just unsingable ;D
Actually I have to comment on this. I heard an interview with Stockhausen after the premiere of Stimmung, in which the interviewer asked, "Well, it's not exactly something you could sing in the bath, is it?" Stockhausen replied, "I don't know. I don't see why you can't sit in the bath going AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU?"
Anyway, back to the thread topic. I have been listening to the S-K music available on Spotify, and it is really clear that he has an individual voice. I was reminded a bit of Pfitzner, and checked to see if he had studied with him, but no, there is no direct descent. Indeed, it seems that his teachers were modernists. It has me wondering if S-K himself had any pupils who are now turning out more unsung neo-romaticism.
The Wikipedia article on S-K is rather dumb, comparing his music to Dvorak and Saint-Saens. What?? If, anything, Bruckner would be a better comparison.
Or better yet, they should follow Wikipedia policy (or what was W-policy back when I was a frequent editor there, anyway- don't know what's changed), and stick with the reasonably objective. NPOV: here's the facts we were able to come up with that seem fairly certain, the opinions you are free to come up with on your own...
I'd classify S-K under the 'late romantic' heading. I tend to think of composers like Barber as 'neo-romantic' because they combine elements of modernism with a basically melodic idiom. Barber's own VC would be an example of this - two movements in a very melodic idiom, although a recognisably 20th century one, followed by a much more modern-sounding finale. S-K's music, by contrast, is much more conservative in idiom, fusing, it seems to me, elements from several composers in the 19thC/early 20C German tradition, e.g. Wagner, Bruckner, Strauss.
Quote from: Alan Howe on Sunday 15 February 2015, 23:01
Barber's own VC would be an example of this - two movements in a very melodic idiom, although a recognisably 20th century one, followed by a much more modern-sounding finale.
...and thus only 2/3 suitable for this forum... ;)
Actually more than 80%. The finale is very short... ;)
Quote from: Alan Howe on Sunday 15 February 2015, 23:01
I'd classify S-K under the 'late romantic' heading. I tend to think of composers like Barber as 'neo-romantic' because they combine elements of modernism with a basically melodic idiom. Barber's own VC would be an example of this - two movements in a very melodic idiom, although a recognisably 20th century one, followed by a much more modern-sounding finale. S-K's music, by contrast, is much more conservative in idiom, fusing, it seems to me, elements from several composers in the 19thC/early 20C German tradition, e.g. Wagner, Bruckner, Strauss.
Actually, I think most musicologists would put it the other way round - Barber is "late romantic" because he is in continuity with those composers in the 20th C (like Rachmaninoff) who eschewed 12-tone ideas. S-K, on the other hand is jumping back stylistically to somewhere around 1890, and is therefore "neo-romantic", just as "neo-classicism" has no continuity to Haydn and Mozart.
But generally, these terms are vague and very difficult to apply in a rigorous manner. For instance, I would distinguish between nationalists and romantics, though this is not easy to partition either.
Incidentally, I can't agree about the Barber VC - the finale is just faster than the other movements (and harder to play). Stylistically, it's all Barber.
QuoteActually, I think most musicologists would put it the other way round
I agree that these terms are hard to define. But as far as I can see Barber is more frequently termed a neo-romantic:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/18/samuel-barber (http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/nov/18/samuel-barber)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excursions_%28Barber%29 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excursions_%28Barber%29)
http://www.fuguemasters.com/barber.html (http://www.fuguemasters.com/barber.html)
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Samuel_Barber.aspx (http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Samuel_Barber.aspx)
...not least in this important book:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Wilderness-Neo-Romantic-Composers-Traditionalist/dp/0810857286 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Voices-Wilderness-Neo-Romantic-Composers-Traditionalist/dp/0810857286)
QuoteIncidentally, I can't agree about the Barber VC - the finale is just faster than the other movements (and harder to play). Stylistically, it's all Barber.
Well, it's certainly all Barber. But Barber wrote in more than one style - which the history of the genesis of the work certainly suggests.
Anyway, back to S-K, please...
... most musicologists would certainly not agree with Gauk, from anything I've read anywhere actually _by_ musicologists and informed peeps. But that's a conversation that can be carried on elsewhere (perhaps not in this forum, I suppose, and since we won't discuss it here, sideswipes at it from either side should likely be avoided.) (Was John Cage a neo-romantic or a user of 12-tone ideas? Don't answer that, just think.)
As I said, back to S-K, please..