Not trying to be arrogant here, but who listens to this?

[TSX]

Topic for attention

One of the main reasons I got into Roon was music discovery. Both genres I listen to already, but also new genres/artists. I fell over this music (on the radio but still) one day, and I’m presumable just not smart or sophisticated enough to understand the music. It sounds like some random guy sitting down just hammering aimless away on the piano

Are any of you listening to this kind of music (what (sub)genre is it?), and what exactly are you enjoying in the music? I’m serious and don’t want to put anyone down, I’m just very curious, as I don’t understand it and want to learn how and why other people listen to this kind of music.

Thanks!

Direct link to YouTube video

 

[ZolaIII]

It's not a sub genre, just a modern piano peace based on disharmony and perfectly OK and corresponding (music theory/Estetic) if you find it ugly (as category).
I got out and discovering old fashion way (digging around and trough archive).

 

[Rednaxela]

It’s contemporary classical music.

 

[ahofer]

Messiaen wrote some beautiful pieces. This isn’t my favorite.

The less tonal the music, the more acquired the taste, generally speaking. I once brought some friends to a see Maurizio Pollini at Carnegie. The whole second half was Schoenberg and Stockhausen. They didn’t speak to me for a while. I’ve never really acquired the taste for strict serialists (you can look up that term if interested).

I think the gateway drug to appreciating some more modern stuff may be listening to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. I didn’t like it first time through, but now I think it rocks.

Another gateway composer is Hindemith. My wife performed Der Schwanendreher. The second movement is among my favorite bits of music now.

Messiaen’s predecessors are among my favorites as well-Ravel, Debussy, Satie. So much contemporary pop and show music is built on their elegant harmonic ideas (along with plagiarizing Chopin).

I guess I’m saying it’s a journey. I still don’t like a lot of modern music, but there are some gems.

 

[TSX]

It’s contemporary classical music.

Sorry for my ignorance, but does all contemporary classical music sound like this?

 

[ahofer]

Sorry for my ignorance, but does all contemporary classical music sound like this?

No. Serialism sounds even more like this, if you will, but there is also minimalism, post-Impressionism, etc. contemporary composers in the concert/classical tradition are always trying to create new sounds and ways of using the instruments. Many experiments fail.

 

[TSX]

Messiaen wrote some beautiful pieces. This isn’t my favorite.

The less tonal the music, the more acquired the taste, generally speaking. I once brought some friends to a see Maurizio Pollini at Carnegie. The whole second half was Schoenberg and Stockhausen. They didn’t speak to me for a while. I’ve never really acquired the taste for strict serialists (you can look up that term if interested).

I think the gateway drug to appreciating some more modern stuff may be listening to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring (non-serialist atonal, like Messiaen). I didn’t like it first time through, but now I think it rocks.

Another gateway composer is Hindemith. My wife performed Der Schwanendreher. The second movement is among my favorite bits of music now.

Messiaen’s predecessors are among my favorites as well-Ravel, Debussy, Satie. So much contemporary pop and show music is built on their elegant harmonic ideas (along with plagiarizing Chopin).

I guess I’m saying it’s a journey. I still don’t like a lot of modern music, but there are some gems.

Thanks. Just took a listen to Stockhausen Kreuzspiel - not my cup of tea.

 

[TSX]

No. Serialism sounds even more like this, if you will, but there is also minimalism, post-Impressionism, etc. contemporary composers in the concert/classical tradition are always trying to create new sounds and ways of using the instruments. Many experiments fail.

Ok thanks. I guess I'm not ready for this music adventure yet

 

[sergeauckland]

Yes well, that's Messiaen innit?

Seriously, there is another thread https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ing-very-very-wrong-with-today’s-music.36342/
where I mentioned that so much modern 'classical' music sounds like somebody throwing a piano down the stairs. No melody, no tune, just plink plonk crash.

Why? who knows, maybe these modern composers think it's too infra-dig to compose something that people can hum along to! If it's incomprehensible, it must be deep.

S.

 

[ahofer]

Thanks. Just took a listen to Stockhausen Kreuzspiel - not my cup of tea.

Heh. Mine either. He also made some remarks after 9/11 that were…unwelcome.

There are some modern music aficionados on this site. I expect they will chime in. (@Robin L ?)

 

[Rednaxela]

I don’t understand it and want to learn how and why other people listen to this kind of music.

This is probably useless to you but in NL there was one person whom one would turn to with questions like these - Reinbert de Leeuw.

 

[Berwhale]

"Tune!? This is Jazz!"

 

[ahofer]

Ok thanks. I guess I'm not ready for this music adventure yet

Try Rite of Spring. On a good system too!

Live performances also make it very different.

I recently went to a lecture/performance of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols. I love it now.

 

[Rednaxela]

Sorry for my ignorance, but does all contemporary classical music sound like this?

Try Samuel Barber.

 

[charleski]

Messiaen was one of the major composers of the 20th century. As the description states, this piece is one of a set that was based on phrases derived from birdsong. Like many composers from the first half of the 20th century, he was interested in exploring alternate approaches to music rather than just repeating the same old progressions. Some experiments worked better than others.

Unfortunately, in the end most just gave up, as Western musical taste is deeply conservative, as can be seen from any survey of popular music whose greatest 'innovation' (hip-hop) is over 40 years old and was itself merely a refinement of musical styles that had evolved over the previous 30 years. There are still a bunch of contemporary composers who are bravely trying to push at the barriers, but the fact is that Western music has just been treading water for a long time now.

 

[TSX]

"Tune!? This is Jazz!"

LOL :-D

 

[TSX]

Messiaen was one of the major composers of the 20th century. As the description states, this piece is one of a set that was based on phrases derived from birdsong. Like many composers from the first half of the 20th century, he was interested in exploring alternate approaches to music rather than just repeating the same old progressions. Some experiments worked better than others.

Unfortunately, in the end most just gave up, as Western musical taste is deeply conservative, as can be seen from any survey of popular music whose greatest 'innovation' (hip-hop) is over 40 years old and was itself merely a refinement of musical styles that had evolved over the previous 30 years. There are still a bunch of contemporary composers who are bravely trying to push at the barriers, but the fact is that Western music has just been treading water for a long time now.

You're probably right. But I'd very much like music to be something that makes me want to move or moves me in some way or another. Physical or mentally. "This piano stress" does makes me want to move, but that's as far away from the piano as possible

 

[bluefuzz]

It’s contemporary classical music.

I wouldn't really call Messiaen a 'contemporary' classical composer as he died over 30 years ago ...

 

[Rednaxela]

All right. Happy to stand corrected. What would be the right term?

 

[FrantzM]

Hi

All right. Happy to stand corrected. What would be the right term?

20th century?