Dolce Suono Trio Plays George Crumb's Vox Balaenae Part 1 of 2

Dolce Suono Trio - Mimi Stillman, flute, Yumi Kendall, cello, Charles Abramovic, piano - perfoms George Crumb's Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale) at Haverford College, PA (October, 2007). www.mimistillman.org www.dolcesuono.com

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• flute
• cello
• piano
• Mimi
• Stillman
• Yumi
• Kendall
• Charles
• Abramovic
• Dolce
• Suono
• Trio
• George
• Crumb
• Vox
• Balaenae
• Voice
• of
• the
• Whale
• contemporary
• new
• music

[Scriabin28]

@emprerzorg -- This gets awfully philosophical, but all those words and expressions you've used -- "otherworldly allure", "bizarre" and "hostile" -- all describe things that are part and parcel of the human experience: You wouldn't have those words to describe them with if they weren't. The idea that a tonal centre is somehow more inherently human than these things is really very odd to me.

[boomgungun]

freaky! first word comes to mind, rather than some impersonal forces of nature. so weird... dunno if i have the gift to learn to like this stuff.

[PurpleComic]

The piece is full of tonal centers. But even Mozart has passages without a solid tonal center. This isn't my favorite Crumb piece--I don't get the Strauss quote, even though I know why it is there--but to say it's without tonal centers is to not know what that term means. BTW, it's a fine performance, but the mask stuff is silly with street clothes, and where's the blue light?

[tubbytalisman]

I would also wear a mask if made "music" that sounded like that!

[efserra]

It's not even that odd sounding, really - it just sounds like folk music in new settings mostly as far as the tonality of it goes. I think there's a better performance though on other youtube videos. I was really enjoying this one..

/watch?v=fsXrXpeBbxc&feature=r­elated

[FancySushi]

The person recording does such a bad job of catching the right players at the right time. :(

[NevinJarek]

@Scriabin28 well, in a way, we can still interpret cadences, timbres, etc, but not in the classical "emotional dynamic between the interrelation of pitches" that was established as being the 'music' that we know, because modern music can do a lot of things and we can make feelings in many ways but not like tonal music. I think we shouldnt argue if it is or not, categorical problems suck, a new labeled is called for.

[Zillacello]

One of the great 20thc. masterpieces of Art Music. It's a shame it wasn't performed in the proper setting. The hall is to be totally darkened, with the performers illuminated by blue lighting. Crumb suggests that it takes the human element from the performance, allowing the audience to be focused on the sounds only.

I performed this piece 20 years ago- it was a transcendental experience.

[TheTimeTraveler100]

WOW.

[kevinm4435]

this is some of the best music i've ever heard.

[PleaseGoAway1000]

Just when I thought I couldnt get any more bored.

Thanks!