1888 in Music

My music reviews for music published in 1888.

Gymnopédies (10/10)

These are more famous than the Sarabandes in part, I believe, because they appear even more radical, given their brevity and their dissonance. This is music that I appreciate the radicalness of only in juxtaposition to what literally everyone else was writing at the time.  To me, a child of the late 20th century, they sound pleasant and the furthest thing from revolutionary. But my ear was raised in w world where these ideas were already long incorporated into music.

2. Richard Strauss: Violin Sonata in E-flat, op. 18 (8/10)

I am a fan of this kind of barely-contained ‘straining against tradition’ stuff almost as much as I am a fan of the ‘completely breaking with tradition’ stuff that I absolutely adore, and so I like this, and I wish I would get around to listening to more Strauss.

3. Claude Debussy: Arabesque No. 1. Andantino con moto (7/10)

This is a pretty piece but it is relatively traditional given Debussy’s later music (he was relatively young).

4. Emmanuel Chabrier: Suite Pastorale (7/10) [Four pieces from Pièces pittoresques but orchestrated)

When I was young, I didn’t care about whether a piece was original or an orchestrated adaptation. But I’ve come to prefer the original piano pieces to so many of these things, once I actually get to hear them. Orchestration appears to be an attempt to turn a profit, by making a piece or set fit for the symphony circuit.

It’s hard to imagine these pieces as piano pieces. Maybe that’s a good thing, as maybe Chabrier transformed his music enough when he orchestrated it. But I remain skeptical.

5. Leos Janacek: Idyll (7/10)

The ‘Idyll’ strikes me as slightly less idyllic than the earlier suite, at least in its opening movement. It’s the kind of piece that typifies Romantic music.  It’s certainly a nice thing, but it’s hardly revelatory.

6. Gabriel Faure, Andre Messager: “Souvenirs de Bayreuth” (7/10)

I barely know Wagner at all, so this parody is mostly lost on me but at least one of the themes is familiar and is pretty funny.

7. Alexander Glazunov: Slavonian Feast, op. 26a (6/10)

This is a very light piece that really does nothing for me at all. It may have been based on a string quartet of his, but that’s just a guess. Nothing doing. When I heard it next to later music I wrote:

But frankly the ‘Slavonic Festival’ doesn’t belong at all. It’s of an entirely different mood and, unsurprisingly, from an entirely different time in Glazunov’s career. Frankly, it makes me not want to listen to his early works. It’s so ridiculously jovial.

8. Cesar Franck: “Psyche” (???/10)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.