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20th Century Classical Guitar Repertoire
George Antheil, The Bad Boy of Music
says :
Related
Rock
guitar : Frank Zappa. Note also the early (1920's) use of sequencers in his scoring for
sixteen synchronized player pianos.
8.559060 ANTHEIL: Ballet Mecanique / Serenade for String Orchestra
"On October 4, 1923, I played in Paris for the first time…
Rioting broke out almost immediately.
I remember Man Ray punching somebody in the nose in the front row.
Marcel Duchamps was arguing loudly with somebody else in the second row.
In a box near by Erik Satie was shouting :
"What precision! What precision!" and applauding…
"
George Antheil, The Bad Boy of Music
In 1926, Antheil gave the first performance of the work that was to mark the zenith and nadir of his career, Ballet Mécanique. Notorious for its orchestra of pianos, percussion, electric buzzers and aeroplane propellers, Ballet was a summation of Antheil's involvement with futurism.
Writing in 1931, Randall Thompson summarised the reputation of Ballet Mécanique in his book, Modern Music:
"In the popular imagination [Antheil’s] music has come to symbolize the very acme of demented modernism"
Antheil himself wrote much in defence of the work, alternately describing it as "the new fourth dimension of music" and an artistic dead end. Originally scored for sixteen synchronized player pianos, xylophones, drums and percussion, Antheil rescored the piece several times.
While the Ballet Mécanique may have once outraged audiences, today, Antheil’s score has found its place, as one of the masterpieces of the early twentieth century.
Tracks:
Ballet Mecanique
01. Ballet Mecanique 15:58
Serenade for String Orchestra, No. 1
02. I Allegro 03:30
03. II Andante molto 07:36
04. III Vivo 04:32
Symphony for Five Instruments (Second Version)
05. I Allegro 05:02
06. II Lento 04:19
07. III Presto 02:30
Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
08. Concerto for Chamber Orchestra 15:38
Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Spalding, conductor
LINKS
Antheil - BIO
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