Wow this NTT is a real stumper. Who composed quirky little tonal clarinet pieces who died in the past five years? Is György Kurtag still alive? Those seconds at the end of the clip make me think it could be a slightly Bartok-influenced composer.
I was thinking that perhaps it could be a film composer type person who was stepping out into the world of chamber music, but now I've got my actual guess: Rodion Shchedrin. No idea when he died, but I feel like it was recently.
NTT: Will, you couldn't have been more surprised than I was at figuring out last week's NTT. If I hadn't been fortunate to see the new 1975 revival in Vienna of Notre Dame, an opera rarely performed outside Austria or Germany, I doubt I would have figured out the answer.
For this week, the NTT immediately brought to mind the wit and jazzy idioms of Milhaud (something akin to his Le Bœuf sur le toit) and Stravinsky (like his Circus Polka). Of course, they have been gone much longer than 5 years. But their influence is still with us.
And I suspect the composer is someone more well known from the musical, pop, or film genre who has classical training.
So, because of the clue that the composer died within the past 5 years, my basket will include names I wouldn't normally have chosen for this.
One is Stephen Sondheim who was steeped in classical music. He has said he was influenced by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky (amd he studied with Milton Babbit). And he wrote some classical pieces early on. Plus, his lovely Send in the Clowns features solo clarinet (although that might have been a decision made by his orchestrator).
Another is Burt Bacharach, who actually studied with Darius Milhaud, and who wrote some classical pieces during his studies.
I'll also add Vangelis, probably best known for his Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire, because he wrote a piece for solo clarinet and string orchestra.
I would have added Frank Zappa perhaps, but he died in 1993. And I would have added Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and film scores and especially John Williams, famous for practically every movie, except they're both still with us.
NTT: Most of this gave me folksier American vibes. I know Ned Rorem died recently, so I'll go with him. I don't think I'd necessarily say this fits him stylistically, but since Rzewski also died in the past couple of years, I'll drop him in as wel..
Wow this NTT is a real stumper. Who composed quirky little tonal clarinet pieces who died in the past five years? Is György Kurtag still alive? Those seconds at the end of the clip make me think it could be a slightly Bartok-influenced composer.
I was thinking that perhaps it could be a film composer type person who was stepping out into the world of chamber music, but now I've got my actual guess: Rodion Shchedrin. No idea when he died, but I feel like it was recently.
NTT: Will, you couldn't have been more surprised than I was at figuring out last week's NTT. If I hadn't been fortunate to see the new 1975 revival in Vienna of Notre Dame, an opera rarely performed outside Austria or Germany, I doubt I would have figured out the answer.
For this week, the NTT immediately brought to mind the wit and jazzy idioms of Milhaud (something akin to his Le Bœuf sur le toit) and Stravinsky (like his Circus Polka). Of course, they have been gone much longer than 5 years. But their influence is still with us.
And I suspect the composer is someone more well known from the musical, pop, or film genre who has classical training.
So, because of the clue that the composer died within the past 5 years, my basket will include names I wouldn't normally have chosen for this.
One is Stephen Sondheim who was steeped in classical music. He has said he was influenced by Ravel, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky (amd he studied with Milton Babbit). And he wrote some classical pieces early on. Plus, his lovely Send in the Clowns features solo clarinet (although that might have been a decision made by his orchestrator).
Another is Burt Bacharach, who actually studied with Darius Milhaud, and who wrote some classical pieces during his studies.
I'll also add Vangelis, probably best known for his Academy Award-winning score to Chariots of Fire, because he wrote a piece for solo clarinet and string orchestra.
I would have added Frank Zappa perhaps, but he died in 1993. And I would have added Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead and film scores and especially John Williams, famous for practically every movie, except they're both still with us.
NTT: Most of this gave me folksier American vibes. I know Ned Rorem died recently, so I'll go with him. I don't think I'd necessarily say this fits him stylistically, but since Rzewski also died in the past couple of years, I'll drop him in as wel..
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