favorite pieces

I think Monzo just did a post regarding musical works that would
endure over the ages...here's some of my all time faves, both songs and
artists (in no particular order)..."Machine Gun," by Hendrix; "Firebird
Suite," Stravinsky; "Solo Violin Sonatas/Partitas, JS Bach" (performed
by Kazuhito Yamashita on guitar...this may very well be the one CD I
take to the desert island...an unbelievable, and I mean it, experience);
"Mother Goose Suite," Maurice Ravel; "Jeux," Debussy; "Howlin Wolf,
Rockin Chair Album" (still gives me chills after 30 years); "Hank
William's Greatest Hits;" "Beauty In The Beast," Wendy Carlos; "Personal
Manager," Albert King; "Bird Is Free," Charlie Parker; "Giant Steps,"
Coltrane; "Trout Mask Replica/Lick My Decals Off, Baby," Captain
Beefheart; "Over, Under, Sideways, Down," Yardbirds; "Bluesbreakers/Eric
Clapton;" and, many recorded performances by Sabicas, Paco De Lucia, BB
King, Bartok ("Music For Strings, Percusion, and Celesta" in
particular), Bobby Bland, Mudddy Waters, Ali Akbar Khan, Django
Reinhardt (my absolute favorite guitarist), John McLaughlin (esp "Inner
Mounting Flame" and "Electric Guitarist"), Joe Pass, and if Dan Stearns
had a CD out, it would be #1 on my modern electric guitar list. Of
course, over the course of the years, I listen to tons of music that I
like...these are the ones that immediately come to mind...how about the
rest of youse guys/girls...? Hstick

All rather off-topic, but I read Hstick's list with some interest;
mainly to discover the lack of coincidence. I suppose i need to add
to that by giving a list (again in no particular order) of mainly 20th
centuary music which I think will survive, or ought to in a proper
world (:-)

Lutoslawski's String Quartet [1965] (one of the best from the last
centuary); Montagues' String Quartet #1 [1989-93]; Birtwistle's opera
"Gawain"; Birtwistle's opera "Punch and Judy"; Judith Weir's opera
"King Harald's Saga" [1979]; Bartok "Duke Bluebeard's castle", and
string quartets; Xenakis, many works (well actually all!), but Haar
and Ikhoor stand out; Ali Rakha; Ustaad Villyat Khan; Schnittke's
Concerti Grossi; (and for the microtonal fans) Seamus Ennis,
especially his slow airs; Wagner of course; JS Bach (one of the gods
with Wagner and Xenakis), especially the 'Cello Suites; Nancarrow
studies or player piano; Tippett's operas,especially Priam and
Midsummer Marriage, and Ice Break, and New World, and ......; oh and
his string quartets, #5 for choice; Bruckner #9; Janacek string
quartets and operas (why do string quartets feature in this list? I
used to hate the violin!); Balamurali Krishna; Warren Burt's dissonant
sonatas, especially #13; R.Strauss's Metamorphosen, and the 4 last
songs....

There are other things I like but cannot convince myself that they are
cosmic, like Billy Brag and Woody Guthrie (I had to include some
guitar I guess), Roy Orbison, John Lennon, and Puccini.

I also like Boulanger's At last, Free, and my own Drums and Different
Canons #1, but those are not really the same.

The above does not mention Haydn, or Dowland, with whom I seem to
share a common world-view.

Like Hstick I listen to a great deal of music, most of the day and
evening actually (Part and Schnittke tonight), and some things stand
out, but Bach, Haydn, Wagner, Bruckner and Xenakis are above the crowd.

What I do notice is the lack of commonality with Neil's list except
for a passing reference to Bartok. And a lack of 'popular' music in
my list, and I am not very interested in the guitar.

==John ffitch

--- In tuning@y..., "Neil Haverstick" <STICK@U...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_20266.html#20266

Hello Neil!

You have here a VERY eclectic and modern list... I think we should
have you come to New York and help with our Composers Concordance
concert programming... I think we'd get large and varied audiences
this way!

_______ _____ _____ ____
Joseph Pehrson