VOTD 5/11/2023

 Hans Werner Henze: Sinfonia No. 6 for Two Chamber Orchestras (Deutsche Grammophon)

Purchased at Jerry's Records from the Duquesne University collection

I thought this was another good find for $3. It is I suppose, and once again having come from the Duquesne collection, this is nearly or completely unplayed. 

What I didn't realize is that I have the collected Henze Symphonies/Sinfonia 1-6 on CD already, (I thought it was 1-5) and it's likely I've had this on before. It's the same performance; I don't assume this work has been recorded twice. The two-CD set cost me $3, once again proving that even at bargain prices, used CDs are generally most cost-effective than vinyl. 

I started looking up what Deutshe Grammophon has available these days. The label was deeply involved with released great quality European avant-garde in the 60s-70s. That is, in addition to standard lit and rep from Bach to Bartok. I suppose the same could maybe be said today. They're still occasionally releasing recordings by living composers, though I must admit I have no clue what their works sound like. I doubt it's the absolute weirdness of some of Stockhausen's DG LPs. I read that his double-LP Kurzwellen was the worst-selling title in their catalog. It is determinately strange, noisy music. Today it's highly collectable.

While not new, I was encouraged to see this box set having a scheduled release date: https://store.deutschegrammophon.com/p51-i0028948356775/various-artists/the-avantgarde-series/index.html

I have some of the LPs but the set, reasonably priced for 21 CDs, sounds like it's worth it.

I noticed that Roger Eno has released albums on the label. There's also an album by Moby that comes in six different collectable variants. Ugh. I know they're in it to sell product, I know they must sustain themselves, but that's just gross. If someone was to give me a copy of my choice, I'd take the double picture disc LP, just for defacement value.

It seems to me this Henze work in particular would be a far more impressive experience in the room live. If it's set for two chamber orchestras, surely there must be at least some spatial characteristic to the work that doesn't translate especially well to a stereo vinyl LP. Moment to moment it's sometimes very interesting, very colorful, but once again I wonder if it adds up to much for me. 

I've posed a question about several other composers on this blog: does anyone play Hans Werner Henze these days? What sort of legacy does he have? Has this era of post-war modernism and avant-garde become an historical curiosity? I'll be the first to admit it's challenging music, and maybe most people don't want challenges. Even I'm left cold sometimes, much as I support artists such as Henze. 

Yet here I am, spending forty minutes (plus writing time) with this piece of history. Maybe somebody needs to remember these things. But also, time for me to work on my own music too.