Rostropovich # Britten - Anyone has that?

If you like that, check out the solo sonatas and then move on to Kodály

For something slightly less modern, and more classical, there is a wonderful recording also on Decca with these two of the Arpegione Sonata by Schubert, which is coupled with the Violin Fantasy in C Major played by Szymon Goldberg with Rudy Lupu on piano. {it used to be on a decca twofa with the marvelous Curzon recording of the Trout Quintet, and quite probably is still out]. That is one of my favourite sets.

I prefer Britten the pianist to Britten the composer! I played enough of his music over the years and whilst the notes are not hard to play, the way he wrote them out adds to the confusion!

ATB from Fredrik!

Thanks,

I'll check those.

Huwge: Kodály? Pardon my ignorance, I never heard the name before.

Fredrik: I happen to like Britten, but my wife and her best friend can't stand him. At any rate, what a pianist!

Claude

Claude - Zoltan Kodály was a Hungarian composer influenced by Bartok and Debussy but also quite original. I guess the Hary Janos suite would be considered his most popular work, incorporating folk tunes into its essence.

I think it was the film Les Amants du Pont Neuf that got me into the Britten and whilst I had heard the Kodaly previously, my then fave record shop directed me to Kodaly as a natural step from the Britten. Can't fault them - don't know how many versions of the Kodály are now in my possession on either CD or vinyl. Janos Starker on Delos is a good place to start.

Huw

I'm rather a fan of Britten, and while I don't know the sonata, you might like to try some of the strong quartets. There's a lovely recording from the Belcea quartet on EMI.

My favourite of his works to be found among his operas. Decca have been releasing many of the composer's own recordings at very low prices (the first such box includes many of the most famous: Peter Grimes, Albert Herring and Billy but, though also the rather weaker Owen Wingrave). The only downside is that there are no librettos (but it is in English).

As far as Rostropovich goes, I'm also a fan. His Bach cello suites wonderfully emotional (though Fredrik doesn't care for them) as are some of his recordings as a conductor of Shostakovich. DG recently did a box to celebrate his 80th birthday (sadly he died not too long after). There's a wonderful Dvorak cello concerto with Karajan and the Berlin Phil and a lovely Schubert string quintet.

Not being a musician, I can't comment on the ease of playing his music, but I don't think confusion is a fair term for much of it.

regards, Tam

Britten's music usually fits without confusion in the end, but it is sometimes complicated more than necessary by a way of writing. For example, ritenutos written out entirely in musical notation rather than letting a natural rit happen when indicated. This actually can make keeping a pulse very difficult, as it disassociates the pulse from the written notation by displacing the main beats from their expected place in the bars, which is unprecedented even in the music of Stravinsky, which really can be very complex to fathom the intended rhythm. Of course this dislocation is to be found but even in Haydn, and the Hemeola is a kind of it found even in Bach and Handel, where the pulse is beautifully cast about in seemingly strange fashion, but the dislocation must have a natural feel to it if ensemble is to be nicer than egg-shell brittle.

He also has a way of writing main beats "off" the beat and thus removing the pulsation that usually occurs at bar intervals [in clearly and easily read, though not necessarily easily played music, like Beethoven or particularly Haydn, which is especially hard to play, if easy to read], even if these bars are not all the same length as in more modern music, - an early example of the use of irregular bar lengths is to be found in the music of Borodin [Second Symphony], where it feels perfectly natural. This means a sort of huge concentration on the mathematical side of "keeping the place" when the feel ceases to have a natural feel.

Another thing he does [at least for bass players!] is ask for a scordutura retuning "during the course of music." What he would have known if he played the instrument is completely impossibility of achieving this in the time he allows - in some instances as little as only a bar and a half. If one lets say the bottom E string down to D, the other three string will go sharp! No altering the fact that with less tension on it that the bass will raise in the front [table] thus pulling up the tuning of the other strings. The players practical response will be to accurately tune the whole instrument [which is inherently difficult to tune because of the low pitch, and the softeness of the harmonics necessarily used] with the lower tuning and play the rest in a more awkward finguring. Accrately tuning a bass with much else going on is really very nearly impossible with a retuning like this, except over a period of perhaps an hour, as the instrument adjusts to the changed tension. But then Britten will ensue that the retuning is absolutely necessary [to be correct technically] by writing harmonics on the E string that can only be played if the tuning actually is E except when the lower D is required. Getting round this is simple but alters the tone of the result, by actually playing the note as a natural stopped note on a higher string. In practice this make no dicernable difference if the bass is not playing solo, which blessedly is rare indeed in his music! The consequence of this sort of added difficulty will be that two bass-player are used to play all the notes of the single line in ideal circumstances.

This kind of thing implies a real detactchment from the realities of string playing, and do not breed much amiability towards the composer by players in many cases! "Clever s++! Silly b+++++!" is somthing I have heard in this connection more than once. Followed by, "Don't bother, It sounds better if you fake it!"

ATB from Fredrik

Hi Claude,

I have the CD to which you refer. Sounds like you pretty much summed it up really - at the right moment it can take your breath away and make time stand still. Mark of any good music. I feel Britten atually plays with understatement that suits the tone of all the pieces. No ego involved just musicianship and service to the music. This CD even works in the car. Highly recommended.

Cheers

Norman

I also own the CD
Very enjoyable - the sound is good too
Britten's Cello symphony, I have the naxos recording, is enjoyable too
The Kodaly on naxos is one of the CDs I play to friends to show what my system can sound like