Stockhausen helicopter quartet .. it is actually quite good (in my opinion) but it takes a while.
Four members of a string quartet in 4 helicopters trying to be in sync. And they are listening to ‘click tracks’ on their headphones. Stockhausen wanted the sounds of the helicopter to be part of the piece. Each member of the quartet says in sequence 1, 2, 3, 4 to show they are in sync.
It is rarely performed.
It grows on you …
[Stockhausen came from the star Sirius but when informed it was a star he decided he came from a planet around Sirius]
Perhaps not a real challange, but the listening mood needs to be right. After a while one can simply go with the flow and enjoy all the small nuances, even if it can feel slow and repetetive at first listen.
The linguist M.A.K Halliday said that his young son called music ‘Bartok’ - while I do enjoy Bartok, I ensure I’m alone in the house before this one. ROSZA: Violin Concerto in D, Op. 24; BARTOK: Violin Concerto No. 2 – Roman Simovic, violin L.S.O. Simon Rattle/ Kevin John Edusel
Well the Times reviewer at the first British performance in 1944 wrote: ‘It must be the most violent violin concerto in existence and sounds like nothing so much as a man stopping a tank with a rapier.’ I think this is still challenging for many listeners to classical music. And Patricia Kopatchinskaja perhaps the most exciting soloist conducted in 2012 by Peter Eötvös. I think some music should be challenging and there are considerable rewards in listening to Bartok.
If you know the background to 4’33”, it can unlock the piece, IME. I’ve heard it performed (if that’s the right word; IMO it is) a few times and it always surprises me.
Whether it’s a piece of music or a way of responding to an interesting philosophical question or an interesting experiment is a completely separate question.
I like the point about it lasting 273 seconds, though this could be coincidental since it is divided into three movements: 30”, 2’23” and 1’40” long, if you’re interested.
No Mike I didn’t even know there was one, I’ll check it out thanks. My son got me into Pavement with Slanted and Enchanted in the early 90’s. Think I have most of their stuff and caught them live a few times, both as band and solo projects of Steve Malkmus.
I’ve not “heard” it in concert, but I do wonder about audio-only recordings. I did once see a short running album on which Cage’s piece was accompanied by another completely silent work. I was a bit tempted!
Interesting! I do find some Bartok hard going, the first two piano concertos and some of the string quartets for example. But I love the violin concerto. It’s very mercurial, so demands concentrated listening, but well worth the effort. I hear echoes of other works, Miraculous Mandarin, for example, as well as Hungarian folk music.
