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Topics - karelm

#1
Though Richard Wagner is about as sung as it gets, I was very curious about his more unsung son, Siegfried, since as a composer, he lived well into the 20th century - long enough to have heard developments such as Mahler, then the Second Viennese school, etc. 

Is there any similarity in style between the two?  I would imagine since Richard was such a dominent personality that it would be hard for the son to shake the influence.  Does his music have any of the characteristics of Richard, the gravitas, the lush harmonies, etc.?  Does it form a bridge between Richard and post Mahler at all or is it really just second rate? 
#2
Composers & Music / Trends versus fads?
Thursday 24 May 2012, 02:01
What would you say are recent compositional/musical trends in the last quarter century or so?  Which of these do you think are fads instead of trends?  I'd define the difference between trend and fad in that a trend is adopted beyond the composers reach whereas a fad might cause a composer (or group of) to embrace and share a common approach even with some zeal but it is short lived and fizzles. 
#3
Has anyone heard any details about Maxwell Davies's latest symphony?  Though he said he completed his cycle with No. 8 over ten years ago, there is now a No. 9.  The composer says his Ninth Symphony will be a deeply serious work embodying reflections on the events of the Queen's reign, including "good and bad, happy and sad".  It sounds very interesting.  Let's hope there are hope to come!

#4
Composers & Music / Derek Bourgeois
Sunday 11 December 2011, 16:37
Everything I heard from the extremely prolific, Derek Bourgeois (b. 1941), I have enjoyed.  His early works written around the 1960's have a William Walton/Shostakovich/Prokofiev feel.  Some of his later works sound more like George Lloyd and Malcolm Arnold, but all are composed with skill.  I think the only reason he is less known is because he writes so much so fast, there is no time to promote, schedule a performance before he's moved on to the next thing.  He has completed 68 symphonies to date but I'm sure that will be out dated by the time I finish this post.  To me, his early works are more to my liking with their adventurousness, but I'd love to hear more than the Symphony No. 2, variations, and Trombone concerto (on BIS no less), and some brass pieces.  There are some performances on youtube but mostly in concert band arrangements and lacking the quality of a modern studio recording.

Does anyone know of any plans to record some of his finer works by some of the labels that focus on neglected repertoire?