Listening Project

Well, I managed to find time to listen to 'In Vain' three times this week and its playing again as I try to put some thoughts down.

I managed to find a video of a concert performance of the music and I think this aided greatly my grappling with the basic topography. I read that Haas considers the lighting elements (which I think are marked in the score) as being the '25th player' and I found the changes in lighting were visual clues to the structure of the piece for a first time listener. Once you've seen the music played, it does make just listening to a recording easier.

I found the music emerges in and out of darkness, in and out of focus, slipping away into the distance. When more in focus the music seems to edge closer to what I'll call 'normality', only each time to fall away to something that seems closer to musical dark matter. The first descent into darkness (around 9.30) had me thinking of rain rippling down a window. The same music appears again at around 23.00, extended and at this point there is a wonderful passage on the horns which reminded me so much of Wagner and particularly Rheingold. Again the textures slide in and out of focus, as if the various strands of sound occupied separate lanes. As the Wagnerian horns slip further back into the texture the strings start a steady, steep ascent accompanied by percussion. It's very much a personal view but I found myself being reminded of The Alpine Symphony at this point and in particular the section describing the ascent to the summit. And then the music drops into a rippling descent - as if drawn back down to the darkness by gravity. I think it is this middle section that speaks to me most immediately at present - and of course the terribly purple prose does not do the music much of a service.

One composer who sprang to mind when I listened to this piece was Harry Partch, if only in that the strangeness of music and it seemed to make it a kindered spirit to his work. (I must make sure I listen to some Partch this week). Another was Magnus Hillborg and in particular his 'Eleven Gates' - perhaps these associations will prove false when I sit down and pull these pieces of music out but the spring to mind now. And then I also hear elements of Berg's Three Orchestral Pieces in the climatic sections - partcularly the final Marsch section with the massive orchestration and crushing climaxes.

I am not going to declare In Vain a masterpiece, in part because I always feel posterity is the best judge. But I did find it fascinating and that fascination is not diminishing with each listen. For me that quality alone makes it worth my time, so the CD is in the post!

Chris

The Alpine Symphony is one of my guilty pleasures! Auf dem Gipfel never fails to take my breath away. If I am not mistaken one of the things Strauss does it to invert some of the material from the ascent section to become the descent. I don't think Haas used that effect but just in the way he uses glissandos (I think I am right?) leads to the music gives the impression of ascending and descending at various points. The material I read about In Vain talks about Haas' fascination with Escher and the concept of Penrose staircases and I can see what he is driving at. In Vain may well be a response to a political event but again I was drawn to another comparison, the Myth of Sisyphus, which I am familiar with mainly through Camus' writing. I wonder if the reason Haas' work is less harsh than the theme might suggest is becuase it is less an act of despair and more acceptance of the struggle. Every listener brings their own baggage to a piece of music and so these thoughts are just personal.

I look forward to the Taneyev - it will make a change from all the music in the streets this week during Carnival!

So, no more no less, Herr Haas seems to be a fair successor (even in a "crypto-romantic" way) to Wagner and R. Strauss thanks to this vain sound (and light) fabric! And, in another way, to Berg as well. I trust even himself would not find this as necessary and, possibly, not even a compliment.

The fact that some may identify references (sometimes even close to some great works of the glorious past) does not mean anything as long as these "references" are pulverised in the development and the actual identity of the form and structure of this sound construction, which I wonder, as Graham put the relevant question, in which way it can possibly fit in the Classical Music genre.

Parla

"Great beauty plus sardonic humour"? Fortunately, Aho reminds you, Mark, only of Dmitri and Wolfie (I wonder where you did find his humour sardonic). Another composer excelled in these two qualities, particularly the sardonic humour, that is Gustav M. For some peculiar reason, Mr. Aho didn't remind you of him. So, he cannot be a holdover of the last great Romantic (and post Romantic) composer.

What else the excitement of the first encounter can make you say...

Parla