What work would you like to have written?

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 5:37 pm

In response to a question in another thread I asked myself what work would I like to have written....my answer was Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez.

What single work would you like to have composed

ravel30 · Post by **ravel30** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:20 pm

Hi Fergus,

Very interesting thread indeed. On the top of my head and on my mood today I would say Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe. This piece has everything. A choir, impressionism music, complex score, dances and is amazing (in my opinion).

I could also add other pieces by Ravel like his Piano Trio or his Tombeau de Couperin (the piano version).

I really like your choice too Fergus.

Matt.

ContrapunctusIX · Post by **ContrapunctusIX** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:26 pm

Bach's Chaconne in D Minor.

jbuck919 · Post by **jbuck919** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:33 pm

"Candle in the Wind." Oh, you mean a classical piece.

"Ceremony of Carols." Durn, do I have one-track mind or what?

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:50 pm

If I am correct in Fergus' thinking here, the 'Work you would have liked to have written' doesn't have to be your favourite work...

if that is the case, I will make a surprising choice for you to consider..

R. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 'Pastoral'

This work has received more than its fair amount of criticism over the years, but it was conceived whilst RVW was on war service in France in 1916, before being committed to paper in 1921. Profoundly shocked by what he had seen, the four slow movements, which he described as 'Almost entirely quiet and contemplative' are a kind of 'Requiem'; an elegy for a lost generation. How can a composer return from something this shocking, the like of which the world had never seen before, and articulate both the barenness of the landscape and the despair and death he saw around him, as an anthem for doomed youth? When you consider the contrasting jauntiness of his Symph No 2 'London' completed only a few years before, at the end of the Edwardian age, this to me demonstrates both an incredible dexterity of style, and a desire to immortalise the same truths in musical score that Picasso's Guernica later portrayed on canvas...

yes, I think I would like to have written this symphony..

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 7:00 pm

jbuck919 wrote:"Candle in the Wind." Oh, you mean a classical piece.

Not necessarily....I am interested in all offerings

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 7:04 pm

Jared wrote:R. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 'Pastoral'

This work has received more than its fair amount of criticism over the years, but it was conceived whilst RVW was on war service in France in 1916, before being committed to paper in 1921. Profoundly shocked by what he had seen, the four slow movements, which he described as 'Almost entirely quiet and contemplative' are a kind of 'Requiem'; an elegy for a lost generation. How can a composer return from something this shocking, the like of which the world had never seen before, and articulate both the barenness of the landscape and the despair and death he saw around him, as an anthem for doomed youth? When you consider the contrasting jauntiness of his Symph No 2 'London' completed only a few years before, at the end of the Edwardian age, this to me demonstrates both an incredible dexterity of style, and a desire to immortalise the same truths in musical score that Picasso's Guernica later portrayed on canvas...

yes, I think I would like to have written this symphony..

Very interesting choice indeed Jared

My memory of that work was of it being more of a Requiem than a Symphony, in essence....I promise to give that one another listen soon

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 8:53 pm

Perhaps Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique , to my mind it was an astonishing piece for its time. Second choice? Bizet's Carmen

jbuck919 · Post by **jbuck919** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 9:02 pm

Seán wrote:Perhaps Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique , to my mind it was an astonishing piece for its time. Second choice? Bizet's Carmen

Very interesting, Seán. Both singular pieces by composers who did not produce a large number of great works. My facetious post aside, I was actually mulling over an answer along the same lines, since it seems rather ridiculous to think that you could get to one work of, say, Beethoven without having composed a bunch more as well. Of course, realistically, even Cav and Pag would have been beyond my talents, but I could imagine myself a one-hit wonder, with that hit being something I was proud of.

Adair · Post by **Adair** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 9:03 pm

I wish that I had written...
Schoenberg's Second String Quartet.

Chalkperson · Post by **Chalkperson** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 9:38 pm

Comfortably Numb...

bricon · Post by **bricon** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:23 pm

I wish that I had written .......
Eleanor Rigby.

Carnivorous Sheep · Post by **Carnivorous Sheep** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:39 pm

I wish I wrote Schubert's Unfinished, and then maybe it coulda been finished

IcedNote · Post by **IcedNote** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:47 pm

I'll let you know once I've written it.

-G

Heck148 · Post by **Heck148** » Sat Jan 09, 2010 11:13 pm

Jared wrote:R. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3 'Pastoral'

This work has received more than its fair amount of criticism over the years, but it was conceived whilst RVW was on war service in France in 1916, before being committed to paper in 1921. Profoundly shocked by what he had seen, the four slow movements, which he described as 'Almost entirely quiet and contemplative' are a kind of 'Requiem'; an elegy for a lost generation.

yes, this was one side of VWms reaction to the horrors of WWI. It is quiet, elegaic, and the 2nd mvt has the most gorgeous trumpet solo. I'd put it on the audition list for orchestra trumpet candidates...

Then his fury erupted in the 4th Symphony - one of the angriest pieces ever written...the gnashing, tearing, ripping of modern mechanized war, totally de-humanized into mass butchery.

How can a composer return from something this shocking, the like of which the world had never seen before, and articulate both the barenness of the landscape and the despair and death he saw around him, as an anthem for doomed youth?

how could you not be affected??

another creative and talented man to serve in the trenches was JRR Tolkien - who served in the British Army. he served at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, right in the thick of some of the very worst carnage..

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:02 am

Heck148 wrote:yes, this was one side of VWms reaction to the horrors of WWI. It is quiet, elegaic, and the 2nd mvt has the most gorgeous trumpet solo. I'd put it on the audition list for orchestra trumpet candidates...

quite right, Dave.. his inspiration came from seeing a young bugler practising, on the front line; an idea he used, to signify 'the last post'.

Then his fury erupted in the 4th Symphony - one of the angriest pieces ever written...the gnashing, tearing, ripping of modern mechanized war, totally de-humanized into mass butchery.

I couldn't have put it better myself.. of course all his Symphs 3-6 were in one shape or form, emotional outpourings as a consequence of the two world wars... 5 & 6 are my favourites, but the initial articulation of translating trench warfare into a Symphony for the dead, has to get my vote..

another creative and talented man to serve in the trenches was JRR Tolkien - who served in the British Army. he served at the Battle of the Somme in 1916, right in the thick of some of the very worst carnage..

and, as I've said on CMG before, George Butterworth's 'Is My Team Ploughing?' brings a tear to my eyes whenever I play it (he was killed in the Somme Offensive, July 1916).

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:06 am

Carnivorous Sheep wrote:I wish I wrote Schubert's Unfinished, and then maybe it coulda been finished

Michael... how much doubt is there, as to whether or not it was finished? A number of commentaries I've read suggest that it was probably a 2-part Symphony..

absinthe · Post by **absinthe** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:22 am

Jared wrote:
Carnivorous Sheep wrote:I wish I wrote Schubert's Unfinished, and then maybe it coulda been finished
Michael... how much doubt is there, as to whether or not it was finished? A number of commentaries I've read suggest that it was probably a 2-part Symphony..

He did start a 3rd movement - scherzo - but only a few bars of the outline remain. Some publishers add it in short-score (just 2 staves, like a piano score in this case) after the second movement.

Schubert wrote several unfinished symphonies and you might even class the 7th as the Unstarted. (Not really - he left a few sketches around but nothing that looks symphony-shaped!)

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 5:28 am

absinthe wrote: Schubert wrote several unfinished symphonies and you might even class the 7th as the Unstarted. (Not really - he left a few sketches around but nothing that looks symphony-shaped!)

yes, Marriner has recorded fragments of his 7th... I have the Mackerras recording of his 2 early fragments in D major D615 & D708a as well as his Symph No 10 D936a..

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:55 am

Seán wrote:Perhaps Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique , to my mind it was an astonishing piece for its time. Second choice? Bizet's Carmen

Interesting and surprising choices Seán

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:57 am

Adair wrote:I wish that I had written...
Schoenberg's Second String Quartet.

I have not heard that work but I put it on my Wish List in early December. Is there a particular performance that you would recommend?

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 6:59 am

bricon wrote:I wish that I had written .......
Eleanor Rigby.

Excellent choice....I remember being stunned when I first heard it as a youngster

SaulChanukah · Post by **SaulChanukah** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 11:48 am

My works, and you know what I did write them!

Adair · Post by **Adair** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:34 pm

I have not heard that work but I put it on my Wish List in early December. Is there a particular performance that you would recommend?

Absolutely: the performance by the Ramor String Quartet with soprano Maria Theresa Escribano. It came out on Vox lps in the 60's and is available on the Tuxedo cd label (see Qualiton website). This is superior to the Julliard String Quartet versions in my opinion, especially the vocals.

Donaldopato · Post by **Donaldopato** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 12:36 pm

Luciano Berio's Sinfonia, an incredibly influential and outstanding piece.

Fergus · Post by **Fergus** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:45 pm

Adair wrote:
I have not heard that work but I put it on my Wish List in early December. Is there a particular performance that you would recommend?
Absolutely: the performance by the Ramor String Quartet with soprano Maria Theresa Escribano. It came out on Vox lps in the 60's and is available on the Tuxedo cd label (see Qualiton website). This is superior to the Julliard String Quartet versions in my opinion, especially the vocals.

Thank you very much for that

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:28 pm

If we can enter the sphere of imaginary glory with any question, this one will do!

I've got to admit that these days, I'm more likely to wishfully imagine myself playing something I admire, rather than seeing myself as a composer.

But many years ago as I began to learn about the world inhabited by the great composers, I thought I'd like to do that - even tried my hand at a few things, all of which have mercifully disappeared. And I (modestly) thought that I wouldn't shoot too high - maybe I'd be satisfied if I could reach the level of a Schubert! (forgive a pretentious pre-teenager!)

In the meanwhile, many real musicians have taught me just how pretensious that was, and I've come to appreciated how quintessentially musical and great Schubert's work is. And so I come back to a more modest fantasy - like wishing I could play Schubert's G Major Sonata.

ChrisX · Post by **ChrisX** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 7:33 pm

Ravel's Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte: the way the melody gets treated and how the whole atmosphere is set up is just simply stunning IMHO.

And I wish I had written this song:

The original version is for full band but this acoustic version is probably just as gorgeous (although for its purposes they have cut out the uptempo section of the song). There is something both in the melody and surely in the words that just tugs very much at my hearstrings. It was especially the chorus that kept on playing in my mind when I sat beside my father's bed during his final few hours on this planet.

What can I say?
What can I do you for you?
Some are here for but a moment
Then are taken in an instant to eternity
Remember life and what's been shared with you
That you have shared

It's funny how we feel closer
With the ones that we love
When they're farthest away
You can feel them so near
Just 'round the corner the memory still clear

"Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there I did not die."
I say to you I will see you again
On the other side someday

"There's never endings only discovery,"
I tell myself over and over again
Some leave their mark in our hearts then go

It's hard to continue onward
When forever comes down it comes down so heavy
Too final to forget
You've got to believe there's something more

"Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there I did not die."
I say to you I will see you again
On the other side someday

After the song is over
The dance goes on, so dance away
When all is said and done
Remember what's been given, not taken away

Left with cold distance
I'll always be with you
We weather the cycle
I'll always be there
So fragile to balance
Too potent to harness
Life charges past the mortal in man

"Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there I did not die."
I say to you I will see you again
On the other side someday

After the song is over
The dance goes on, so dance away
When all is said and done
Remember what's been given, not taken away

Remember all the life you shared every day
There's never any endings
...but I'll never be the same

Marc · Post by **Marc** » Sun Jan 10, 2010 9:16 pm

ContrapunctusIX wrote:Bach's Chaconne in D Minor.

Yes!
This one, and that organ one in C minor: BWV 582, the sublime Passacaglia! (See also the 'adjective' thread

.)

Fergus wrote:
bricon wrote:I wish that I had written .......
Eleanor Rigby.
Excellent choice....I remember being stunned when I first heard it as a youngster

Here's another one!

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 5:52 am

ChrisX wrote:And I wish I had written this song:

Goodness me, Chris... never thought I would see an Echolyn video posted on a CM site!

I have to be honest, I did own 'As The World' years ago, but it wasn't really my cuppa..

Post by **Lance** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:16 am

I would have liked to have written Felix Mendelssohn's ELIJAH oratorio. What a glorious work, orchestrally, chorally, indeed, in every way!

Post by **Lance** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:18 am

I would have liked to have written Robert Schumann's Fantasy in C Major for solo piano.

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 11:53 am

Lance wrote:I would have liked to have written Felix Mendelssohn's ELIJAH oratorio. What a glorious work, orchestrally, chorally, indeed, in every way!

agreed, Lance..

as a matter of interest, how in your opinion, does St Paulus compare? I've never heard it, but am aware its not as well known or indeed as often performed as Elijah.. why would that be?

ChrisX · Post by **ChrisX** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 12:59 pm

Jared wrote:
ChrisX wrote:And I wish I had written this song:
Goodness me, Chris... never thought I would see an Echolyn video posted on a CM site!

I have to be honest, I did own 'As The World' years ago, but it wasn't really my cuppa..

Well, my signature is a line from this song so I was bound to happen at one time or another.

As The World is one of my all time favourite rock albums. It is a very daunting album and it took me about 10 years before I really, really understood what was going on. It is also a very busy album with a lot going on at the same time. But not only musically but certainly as well lyrically this is not your average progrock album. Echolyn are one of the few bands in the world of which I both care deeply about the music and about what they have to say

Jared · Post by **Jared** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:12 pm

ChrisX wrote: Echolyn are one of the few bands in the world of which I both care deeply about the music and about what they have to say

I understand this completely... ProgArchives had a staunch group of loyal Echolyn fans (usually the same ones as for Salem Hill), which I greatly respected..

Seán · Post by **Seán** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 1:14 pm

Fergus wrote:
bricon wrote:I wish that I had written .......
Eleanor Rigby.
Excellent choice....I remember being stunned when I first heard it as a youngster

Why? What's so special about it

No wait, I couldn't care less actually!

Brendan · Post by **Brendan** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 8:18 pm

MacBeth

Post by **Lance** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:19 pm

After hearing—many years ago—a wonderful Vox LP recording of Mendelssohn's Elijah, I went out searching for Mendelssohn's other oratorios and then acquired St. Paulus. For me, there was absolutely no comparison in the inner beauty between these works. While St. Paulus came first in 1836, a decade later when Elijah was composed, Mendelssohn had matured so much with the integration of choruses with orchestra that there is really no similarity between these two biblical settings. There was another oratorio started named Christus of which only a few extant excerpts remain. Alas, Mendelssohn did not live long enough to complete the work.

Jared wrote:
Lance wrote:I would have liked to have written Felix Mendelssohn's ELIJAH oratorio. What a glorious work, orchestrally, chorally, indeed, in every way!
agreed, Lance.. as a matter of interest, how in your opinion, does St Paulus compare? I've never heard it, but am aware its not as well known or indeed as often performed as Elijah.. why would that be?

Imperfect Pitch · Post by **Imperfect Pitch** » Mon Jan 11, 2010 9:49 pm

Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618. It exhibits succinctness and eloquence, grace and depth, sorrow and joy, humanity and transcendence ... an entire universe in less than 50 measures. In short, I find it to be the musical definition of perfection.

Adair · Post by **Adair** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 5:17 am

Lance, I first heard the Elijah oratorio live in Berlin about three years ago, and I was struck by its power and originality. On the same program was the First Walpurgisnacht, which seemed harmonically ahead of its time. Before this concert, I had not listened intently to Mendelssohn. What recordings of the Elijah do you recommend? As for the Walpurgisnacht, I have only found a live transcription under the baton of Igor Markevitch, which is very good, but I would welcome other versions.

vavaseur · Post by **vavaseur** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 8:57 pm

Absolutely anything by Beethoven!!!

Post by **Corlyss_D** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:45 pm

Imperfect Pitch wrote:
Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, K. 618. It exhibits succinctness and eloquence, grace and depth, sorrow and joy, humanity and transcendence ... an entire universe in less than 50 measures. In short, I find it to be the musical definition of perfection.

My choice as well. I struggled with this question because there are several I would have liked to have written, and Ave Verum Corpus is right at the top. Others:

Girl with the flaxen hair, and just about all of Debussy's piano music. I would have liked to orchestrate it as well
Brahms' Intermezzo Op. 118/#2
Bach's first prelude to WTC
Schubert's Der Leiermann
Monteverdi's Beatus Vir from his Scared Concerts and the Vespers of 1610
Monteverdi's Lamento della Ninfa
Perotin's Beata Viscera
All the Las Cantigas, Llibre Vermell, the Calixtine Codex, and Carmina Burana (original)

Post by **Lance** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:15 pm

I have two copies of the Markevitch live performance, one on Memories [4193-94] and another on Archipel [0148]. Given the sonics of that performance on either label, I would really recommend another recording no matter how much I admire Markevitch (and I personally admire him greatly). One I would suggest—with absolutely gorgeous sound and extraordinary forces—is on Telarc [80184] with the Cleveland Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Christoph von Dohnányi. This is the performance I broadcast as frequently as I can.

Adair wrote:Lance, I first heard the Elijah oratorio live in Berlin about three years ago, and I was struck by its power and originality. On the same program was the First Walpurgisnacht, which seemed harmonically ahead of its time. Before this concert, I had not listened intently to Mendelssohn. What recordings of the Elijah do you recommend? As for the Walpurgisnacht, I have only found a live transcription under the baton of Igor Markevitch, which is very good, but I would welcome other versions.

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