...Maddalena and The Fiery Angel (1919-27) are more densely scored, full of chromatic, blurring, inner parts, often doubled in 3rds and 6ths, against obsessive pedal basses, and of wedge-shaped textures whose angularly-widening melodic shapes wrench themselves against chromatic bass lines. Their often clashing harmonic dissonances are the result of the superimposition of sonorous textural strands - sometimes chordal in themselves - along with measured chromatic glissandos and tremolo effects of all sorts. -- The New Grove Russian Masters 2I just wanted to share this precious little piece with someone. Who says music isn't a visual medium?
Huh. I'm a musician and when I read that I didn't pick up on the visual metaphors. All those words made sense to me in terms of music. The only term I've never encountered before in a musical context is "wedge-shaped," but a sonic image came into my mind far more quickly than I can interpret the incoherent phrase "wedge-shaped texture" as a visual description. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! I do like Prokofiev.
Granted, it probably only sounds visual to the untrained ear (Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!) - what I mean is that those are originally visual words, at least. It was the angularly-widening melodic wedge-shaped textures that threw me. The rest makes sense if I concentrate a little (as a non-musician). I like Prokofiev as well (did you know he influenced Danny Elfman's scores?), but in terms of "sonorous texural strands" I prefer the other Russian masters: Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich, Rachmaninov. Anyway, thanks for indulging.
I like the whole Romantic Era. Debussy, Chopin, Ravel, Satie, etc., and all those Russians. "The Lark Ascending" by Vaughan Williams and "Metamorphoses" by Strauss are my two favorite orchestral compositions. They're as opposite as, literally, night and day and the latter really stretches the definition of "orchestra." I haven't read much about Danny Elfman but since his early days with The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo it was clear that he is your Compleat Musician.
rachmaninoff. thats the guy, right there. his music reminds me of an early spring after a harsh winter. muddy, clear, wet, fresh, and ready to turn into something completely different at any moment.
