György Ligeti - Poème Symphonique For 100 Metronomes

curious

brilliant

sounds like a hundred monkeys typing shakespeare...not reading shakespeare

terrible

for the new sound (which I think they could be doing a bit of a better job at). What I think should be crushed is the level of this quasi-Mozartian elitism that is coming out of a lot of new musicians and composers. I feel too many of them are writing new music to set themselves apart intellectually, with the thought being only those who understand it are worthy of listening to it. Dumb. I also agree with you about what attracts people to music in the 1st place. Today's music has lacks

the emotion and character of say a Beethoven symphony or a Strauss tone poem, or even Stravinsky's ballet scores (which are so delicious). As a result of this, a lot more people are turning to music that is not intellectually involved....like lady gaga... which as much as i hate to say it, can offer a connection to a listener far better than something by John Cage.

Also, I was wondering what instrument you play, because you have played Ligeti's Bagatelle's, which is such a good piece.

A good reply. Yes these conversations happen all the time. You are wrong though. 100 years is more than enough time! Ligeti good. Babbitt shit. Its not the emotional character either that they lack but the ability to participate with it, to hum along, to move physically with it, to dance. Emotion meaning is metaphorical which comes later. You can still be invigorated by the movement and modulations and not care what the emotions involved are.

(of a Beethoven symphony say). Where as Ligeti often evokes feeling (fear in the case of vertigo for player-paino) but on cannot dance, throw ones arms around, and pretend to conduct it - you know what I'm saying!!! That's what a musical experience is. Of course Stravinsky's ballets are total genius and much better than some of the later stuff (though not all). I couldn't agree more with people using music as intellectual snobbery but then this happens in all fields.

You have those who know and love the subject and those who benefit from pretending to know. Its nothing new.

When it comes down to it. Its about execution! The reason we haven't had a tonal genius in a while is because poeple have been avoiding the challenge (except Reich) because of a general cultural consensus that we have to move on from tonality. In fact tonality is all we have - its what music is! - and IT isn't redundant, people have just become distracted by less important issues