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Amazon.co.uk Review
Composed by Elliott Carter at the ripe old age of 84 and debuted in 1998 (a time when the composer was more prolific than ever), Symphonia could be one of the contemporary music maverick's grandest works to date. In about 45 minutes, the piece--inspired by the 17th-century poem Bulla by Richard Crenshaw--sonically mimics an airborne bubble, bouncing from one environment to the next until--you guessed it--it's gone for good. The opening movement, Partita, swings between atmospheric string passages and sharp clusters of percussion and brass. The second, Adagio tenebroso, is a melancholy cauldron (and the composition's darkest moment), and Allegro scorrevole, the finale, is where the composer pulls out all the stops and creates even more sharp contrasts, which gradually make the bubble (one can assume) explode. Even in its atonal and ragged state, there's a gorgeous poetry at work here. 1996's Clarinet Concerto is an added bonus, a composition where the lone clarinet part threads its way through various instrumentations (and themes), creating an unexpected, but delightful ending. Throughout these atmospheric and challenging works, the London Sinfonietta and the BBC Symphony Orchestra deliver remarkable performances. A great pairing of world premieres. --Jason Verlinde
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brucknerian Vision,
By
This review is from: Carter: Symphonia and Clarinet Concerto (Audio CD)
The mixed range of responses from the other reviews showing here suggest that a further opinion may help to put this music into a wider perspective.
It's surely an error of fairly high order to dismiss Carter's output as "just not musical". The song cycles, the soaring trumpet solo that opens the Symphony of Three Orchestras, the passionate viola cadenza in the 2nd quartet, the central wind chorale in the Double Concerto, the cloud-like clusters of pianissimo strings the conclude the piano concerto, the seemingly effortless elegance of Dialogues (the late "second" piano concerto), the lento espressivo of the 5th quartet - these are just a few examples of truly poetic musicality in Carter. So let's not worry on that point. Indeed I would add the awesome devastation of the slow movement of the big Symphony here as a further example of Carter at his most deeply human. I also doubt that it's helpful to make glib comparisons between one and another composer as though they were being numbered above or below one another in this week's hit parade. It's not unfair to comment that the Symphony here has leanings to the portentous, and I have some sympathy with another comment here that the music is exposed to criticism for being "in ragged state", although to my ears Carter's music is far less open to criticism on this count than some others mentioned. I give this disc five stars because - I think the performances are mightily impressive - I think the quality of the recorded sound is fine - I think the music is full of attractive writing and often marvellous invention; and - I love Carter's originality of language. Actually the clarinet concerto falls on my ears as a slightly angular piece - generally I am more an admirer of Carter's purer thought-forms than of his concertante writing. If you want to get to know Carter's sound world, then you should certainly start with earlier music of his than that presented here. But once you are caught up in his manner, you'll surely come to appreciate this excellent disc. I particularly admire the absence of the finale to the Symphony - it has a direct link back to Bruckner's 9th as a musical ancestor in this respect, aside from the direct relationship in the grandeur of the respective slow movements. Best wishes on your aural travels ... this disc is well worth the effort.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece,
By Tancredi (Manchester) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Carter: Symphonia and Clarinet Concerto (Audio CD)
This is not easy music but it is deeply satisfying and profound music, a great Symphony for our age. The difficulty is because of the richnesss of the musical thought, there is a lot to take in and repeated concentrated listening is needed, helped by this wonderful performance.
It is not for someone who has not come to terms with complex music such as Bach, or someone frightened by the level of dissonance found in say Bartok's 5th quartet, but if you believe music can say things that can not be said in any other medium, try it,more than once, it is life affirming.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
clarinet concerto:exciting twists and turns of invention,
By Brian Gomberg (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Carter: Symphonia and Clarinet Concerto (Audio CD)
i disagree with the general thrust of the reviewer below.The orchestion isn't all that remarkable (the only attribute apparently)but there's enough teeming invention to hold the attention in the recent Clarinet Concerto (one of his most vital scores)and even parts of the more portentious Sinfonia.
In the league table,i'd put Carter below both Stockhausen and Babbitt,but at his best he's a force to be reckoned with eg.string Quartet no.3,Variations or the Piano Concerto.By the way,i'm talking in terms of communication,NOT whether or not the piece fills up pages of an analysis book.
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