Music to my ears
What the classical world has been listening to this month
Howard Goodall Composer One recording that has a particular resonance for me is Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms, with Simon Preston conducting the Choir of Christ Church, Oxford, and the Philip Jones Ensemble in 1975 – it had a huge impact on me as a teenager, shortly before I joined the choir as a student. There’s a muscularity to the singing which in those days was very unusual. Simon developed this much tougher, edgier sound at Christ Church, which, for me, works incredibly well in Stravinsky.
The genius of Richard Strauss is something I’ve come to appreciate more and more as I’ve got older. Normally as a composer, when you hear someone else’s music, you find yourself deconstructing it and scoring it in your head. With Strauss, though, I switch that part of me off and just let the interwoven waves of beauty wash over me. Der Rosenkavalier – particularly the last 15 minutes – is sublime, and conductor Edo de Waart’s recording is the one that does it for me.
Hamilton is a huge throwing down of the gauntlet to all of us to reassess how we write
I’ve been listening a lot to the Broadway cast’s album of Hamilton, the musical by Linmanuel Miranda. It’s a unique masterpiece, and I’ve seen it live in the theatre twice. It is so exhilarating and moving to be around at a time when something which is as brilliant as this first arrives on the scene. It totally redefines the musical, and is a huge throwing down of the gauntlet to all of us to reassess how we write pieces and how we perceive our audiences.
And also… Recently I had a free day to spend in Houston, so we went to the city’s Museum of Fine Arts. It is a fantastic gallery with a huge mix of art – I love museums where you can turn a corner and be surprised by what you see next. There’s a huge amount of space there, too, so you really to get a picture to yourself in a way that is rarely possible in smaller galleries. Howard Goodall’s Invictus: A Passion is released on The Sixteen’s CORO Connections label on 31 Aug
Karl-heinz Steffens Conductor At the beginning of my career I listened to lots of different recordings, but now I don’t listen to any at all unless I want to get inspired again, in which case I’ll put my favourite recording of a piece on. Wilhelm Furtwängler’s interpretation of Schumann’s Fourth Symphony is one of the best recordings he ever did. It’s a great example for conductors like me to see how he takes a piece and reinvents the whole thing. He actually makes the piece better than Schumann wrote it!
I’m currently rehearsing Dvo ák’s New World Symphony with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, so I’ve inevitably ended up listening to Václav Talich’s recordings with the Czech Philharmonic. He was one of Dvo ák’s near-contemporaries, and has made many fantastic recordings of this symphony that are so fresh and disciplined. He shows off the quality of the orchestra in the years before the Second World War, which was very high. They formed the perfect union together.
I used to play a lot of jazz, and recently discovered a new compilation of John Coltrane’s music. There’s always something new to discover in the world of
music, and I just heard some reviews of this and decided to listen online. Coltrane was so different to Miles Davis and Cannonball Adderly – he was a universe in himself. He was selfish – his solos could be up to 20 minutes long – but such an impressive musical character.
And also… I’ve been reading Harvey Sachs’s biography of Arturo Toscanini, which I think all artists should read. It shows Toscanini as not only a fantastic conductor and musician, but also as a very courageous man who stood up against fascism. He was an absolute master – a dictator of the stage who also spoke out against injustice. I didn’t know how strong he really was until I read this book.
Karl-heinz Steffens conducts the Hallé at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall on 20, 23 & 26 September
Rebecca Dale Composer I’ve been really enjoying a lot of Dobrinka Tabakova recently. I love her String Paths album with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra. The second movement of her Cello Concerto in particular is absolutely stunning, and the cello playing is beautiful. I love Tabakova’s choral music as well, like her Alma Redemptoris Mater. She hits the mark in terms of writing music that moves me. Her language is tonal but she’s still creating unusual and new things.
I recently spent some time at the Macdowell Colony in America. It was an incredible, rejuvenating place to work. You’re basically staying in the middle of a forest, and there’s lots of space, beauty and tranquillity. You feel the ghosts of Copland and Bernstein wandering round in a benign, helpful way. I enjoyed walking the woods listening to Adam Schoenberg’s debut orchestral album, played by the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. It’s full of colour. You can hear that he is an heir of Copland.
I’ve had Requiems on the mind recently. John Powell’s first choral album Hubris came out recently, and it includes his Prussian Requiem. I was actually at the premiere at the Royal Festival Hall. There’s a moment in the final movement that really got me. It’s basically about the misguided pomposity of the generals marching into war, and they are represented by two soloists. When they finally realise the consequences of this hubris, they begin what can only be described as musical wailing.
And also… I’ve been watching ITV’S Love Island. I have no shame about this. When people talk about this dating reality show being downmarket, they’re missing the point. In the end when we watch and listen to things, we’re trying to connect with it and be moved. There’s nothing that moves more than affairs of the heart. People go through these extreme emotions, and struggle with these fundamental issues every day. Of course, it’s entertainment as well. Rebecca Dale’s Requiem For My Mother will be reviewed next issue