Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Hans Werner Henze (1926 - 2012)
Yesterday a great German composer passed away. In recent years Henze, the maverick outsider, had come to regarded as the heir to the great German Symphonists. His major orchestral works are often dark and sometimes experimental but always richly scored.
Here is a short Orchestral tour de force by Henze.
Here is a short Orchestral tour de force by Henze.
Weinberg - Ghost Dances #1
There is a special sense of excitement when you hear 'great' music for the first time. When there is a wealth of music by a great composer being 'discovered' and recorded for the first time, you feel truly privileged.
In the last three years Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music has surprised and delighted critics and listeners alike. The rush to record Symphonies, Quartets, Concertos and other works proceeds apace.
What strikes me most about this 'survivor' is his ability to convey in his music the darkest moments of the tragic events of World War 2 and the holocaust and yet remain essentially optimistic and without bitterness.
Weinberg's music is clearly haunted by ghosts from the past.
In the last three years Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music has surprised and delighted critics and listeners alike. The rush to record Symphonies, Quartets, Concertos and other works proceeds apace.
What strikes me most about this 'survivor' is his ability to convey in his music the darkest moments of the tragic events of World War 2 and the holocaust and yet remain essentially optimistic and without bitterness.
Weinberg's music is clearly haunted by ghosts from the past.
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