Page 299 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained

CONTEMPORARY 297

Luciano Berio With minimal words Witold Lutosławki’s The American
uses collage and and no intervals, 25-minute Fourth composer Eric
quotation to compose Philip Glass’s Symphony is Whitacre adapts his
a kaleidoscope of Einstein on the Beach performed as one instrumental work
musical texture subverts the traditional continuous movement October to a choral
in Sinfonia. narrative of opera. of two sections. setting in Alleluia.

1968 1976 1993 2011

1967 1969 1977 2000

Toru Takemitsu Eight Songs for a Mad Canadian composer Jennifer Higdon
juxtaposes Eastern King by Peter Maxwell Raymond Murray composes and
and Western musical Davies, based on the Schafer’s biblically premieres blue
traditions in the words of King George III, inspired Apocalypsis cathedral, a work
orchestral work presents a new type of features multiple choirs, that epitomizes a
November Steps. “music theatre.” conductors, and orchestras. return to lyricism.

and his contemporaries, eventually against it. In place of complexity, who composed for Western and
finding inspiration in chaos theory some young composers advocated Japanese instruments, and the
and fractal mathematics. simplicity, or minimalism. Pioneered cross-cultural music of Kaija
As restrictions on the arts lifted by Terry Riley and given fresh Saariaho. Classical composers
in Poland, Krzysztof Penderecki impetus by Philip Glass and Steve also absorbed ideas from popular
and others leapt at the chance to Reich, the style was characterized culture, incorporating elements
create a new musical language, by repetition and the most basic of pop and rock music as well as
composing pieces for conventional of harmonies, partly inspired by jazz into their work, while also
instruments in “blocks” of sound the hypnotic qualities of some embracing the possibilities of
reminiscent of electronic music African and Asian music. A new technology. British composer
or, like Witold Lutosławski, they number of composers encouraged Thomas Adès’s In Seven Days,
introduced elements of chance improvisation by the performers. for example, is a multimedia
into their work. This eclectic In Riley’s In C, the order, duration, work, while American composer
approach to musical composition, and tempo of the composition are Eric Whitacre has explored the
incorporating elements of different determined by the musicians. possibility of “virtual” ensembles,
styles, was also a feature of the assembled via the Internet.
music of Luciano Berio, who Cross-cultural trends It is too early to say which
embraced musical collage. In the late 1960s, as political, direction classical music will take
social, and technological horizons in the 21st century, or what the
The birth of minimalism widened, the fusion and cross- next musical movement will be. But
Much of this new music perplexed fertilization of musical cultures history suggests that composers
and alienated listeners, and in became increasingly evident, will continue to find many new
1960s America, there was a reaction as in the work of Toru Takemitsu, means of musical expression. ■

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