Carl Ruggles(1876-1971)

[Dundonnell]

Many thanks to Philaphan for providing a link to make it possible to download the complete works of Carl Ruggles

Ruggles was a strange man of considerable musical ability, well ahead of his time in many ways, but also possessed of some unpleasant and unattractive opinions.
His complete works(from Wikipedia) appear to be:
    Toys (1919), song for soprano and piano
    Angels (1921), for muted brass. (Originally for six trumpets. In 1940, Ruggles rescored the work for trumpets and trombones.)
    Men (1921), for orchestra
    Vox Clamans in Deserto (1923), for soprano and orchestra
    Men and Mountains (1924), for orchestra
    Portals (1925), for string orchestra
    Sun-Treader (1931), for large orchestra - at 16 minutes, Ruggles' longest and best-known work
    Evocations (1943), a set of four pieces, existing in two versions, for orchestra and for solo piano
    Organum (1947), for orchestra
    Exaltation (1958), his last completed work, a hymn dedicated to the memory of his wife.

I certainly had 'Organum' played by the Japan Philharmonic/Akeo Watanabe and 'Men and Mountains' played by the Polish National Radio Orchestra/William Strickland on a New World-CRI cd coupled with Lou Harrison's Symphony on G but it is splendid to have the complete Ruggles in the Michael Tilson Thomas versions.

Remarkable, if odd, music

[eschiss1]

I recall a review of a CD some years back that included fragments, early versions, etc. compiled, edited (again etc. by someone regarded as a major Ruggles scholar) and played (by the same person) on piano and organ - which a Ruggles completist at least would probably want, anyway, whether or not it affected the list of "complete works" exactly. I saw the review again recently since I still have that issue of Fanfare somewhere, but have again forgotten the details- will have to check or look up that CD online. Seemed interesting even though I am not that familiar with Ruggles' music myself yet!