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Title: Elliott Carter: Night Fantasies [w/ score - 1/2]
Added: Jul 5, 2010
Author: flammesombres
Duration: 10:21
Description:
Carter's irrefutable masterpiece for the piano, Night Fantasies, composed from 1979-80. Performed here by Charles Rosen. (A note regarding the score and the performance: the score here is the revised version [from 1995, I believe,] and Rosen's recording is from 1982). "Night Fantasies is a piano piece of continuously changing moods, suggesting the fleeting thoughts and feelings that pass through the mind during a period of wakefulness at night. The quiet, nocturnal evocation with which it begins and returns occasionally, is suddenly broken by a flight series of short phrases that emerge and disappear. This episode is followed by many others of contrasting characters and lengths that sometimes break in abruptly and, at other times, develop smoothly out of what has gone before. The work culminates in a loud, obsessive, periodic repetition of an emphatic chord that, as it dies away, brings the work to its conclusion.In this score, I wanted to capture the fanciful, changeable quality of our inner life at a time when it is not dominated by strong directive intentions or desires -- to capture the poetic moodiness that, in an earlier romantic context, I enjoy in works of Robert Schumann like Kreisleriana, Carnaval, and Davidsbündlertänze."--Elliott Carter"To this, I might add just a few observations. Night Fantasies is full of melody, even some long melodic lines, but it has no themes, and no motifs--no tune is ever played twice. Textures recur, however, and so do certain intervals and chords, each with a recognizable periodic interval of its own. The rhythms belong to two sequences, which are almost incompatible with each other: the basic ratio is 24 to 25; we hear the rhythms that begin together, draw gradually apart, and then return. This means that the rhythm of the bar lines can never be heard in this piece, and that gives the work its impression of improvisation and freedom. In its variety of moods and expression--lyric, satiric, brutal, dramatic, contemplative and light-hearted--it is perhaps the most extraordinary large keyboard work written since the death of Ravel."-- Charles Rosen (from the liner notes to the Bridge CD "Elliott Carter: The Complete Music for Piano").An excellent article on the piece, written by John Link: http://ww2.wpunj.edu/coac/music/link/JohnLinkSonusPaper.pdf
Related Videos:
Videos related to 'Elliott Carter: Night Fantasies [w/ score - 1/2]'
Channel: Music
Tags: elliott carter charles rosen schumann ravel boulez 90+ piano sonata centenary
elliott carter charles rosen schumann ravel boulez 90+ piano sonata centenary
Youtube Comments: 13
marioguidoscappucci Says:
Apr 5, 2011 - Fantastico
pianopera Says:
Apr 5, 2011 - The rhythms seem incredibly complex to learn.... I think Rosen's performance is excellent and exact. Is Carter, at age 102, still composing? Amazing!
lovesGenet Says:
Apr 25, 2011 - After giving boulez sec sonata dozens of listens and falling in love with just the sheer beauty of the pages and the exactness of teh printing one can relax almost with this. beguiling .Less aggressive but as fanciful & ever changing.Why cant we have repetition ?no themes really there r definite motifs in Carter they depict sensation.i try to find what is life like here.Boulez is so different this feels intimate personal more subjectivehope it takes over my life like Boulez 2nd ¬ations.
lovesGenet Says:
Jul 7, 2011 - I'm beginning to become enamoured of this. Thoughts do race sometimes.Manic perhaps but busy days might rush ,push ideas and theri relations.This is too wonderful for me to try to even say what it mens.i cant get enough.The cello concertoand cello sonata are really almost memorable.This is fabulous music nothing like so much music that seems to pretend to be talking to us but saying noth relevant!
stratguy123456 Says:
Oct 6, 2011 - does anybody know if this is serialism?
aculturemind Says:
Feb 28, 2012 - "this feels intimate"As was Carter's intention.
aculturemind Says:
Feb 28, 2012 - No. It's twelve tone, but not serial. Read up his Wiki page.
flammesombres Says:
Mar 4, 2012 - How is it 12-tone? It's really not. Sure, it uses a huge variety of 12 note all-interval sets, but they are utilised in a completely different way than you would encounter in 12-tone composition. Instead of Wikipedia, look up articles like John Link's "The Composition of Elliott Carter's Night Fantasies"
aculturemind Says:
Mar 4, 2012 - No no. Re-read what I said. Stratguy123456 asked whether this was serial, and I said no. I see what you're meaning about 'twelve tone' versus twelve tone. I mean the latter, like in the manner you explained.
Adsmunk Says:
May 4, 2012 - he couldn't be sight-reading could he? i mean, you would have to learn that over weeks at least to be able to play it at that speed right? trying to follow the score does my head in ;-)
trunks2861 Says:
Feb 4, 2011 - wild