I heard/saw some Kagel many years ago, and have looked at several scores -- formed the opinion back then that he was a fraud, one of many from his time (Boguslaw Shafer was another, as I recall). But perhaps that was one of those too-hasty judgments. Haven't heard any or seen mention for years.

@DaveTubaKing said:

Poeme Electronic is one of those pieces ...

Just a quick formal (german [[;)]] ) correction: the famous "Poème electronic" is by Edgar Varèse. The Ligeti piece is called "Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes".

@DaveTubaKing said:

Volumina does things to an organ that you wouldn't want your mother-in-law to hear but is enormous fun - at least I think so. Oddly it seems to me that pre Horn Trio Ligeti was vital and full of the excitement of youth but post Horn Trio he's become too full of his own importance and concerned with his comercial success and consequently lost that vitality and relevance. But don't quote me on that.

I agree with that. But please don´t quote me either! [:D]

Can we please "get real" about Ligeti's Horn Trio. I don't like it as much as Atmospheres or Volumina or the Piano Etudes. But can we stop talking about it as if he wrote it as a way to get heavy rotation exposure on Top Forty radio stations!

Guy

@"mathis said:

Just a quick formal (german [[;)]] ) correction: the famous "Poème electronic" is by Edgar Varèse. The Ligeti piece is called "Poème symphonique for 100 metronomes".

oops! quite right - love Varese' piece too - now there's a guy who wasn't tempted over to the dark side.

DTK

It's good to know it is not just me with the hopless memory !

Kagel has written some music I think is great. I'm not usually keen on theatre (with or without music) so some of the more stagey pieces aren't my favourites, but I think MM 52 is very good. The Piano Trio is great. Also Tactil, Rrrrrrr...5 Jazz Pieces, Fürst Igor Strawinsky There seems to be quite a few pieces where the "humour" (another thing I generally dislike in music) goes wrong, but when it's done right (I think Tactil is a good example) you feel as though your'e floating somehow on a cushion of audacity and invention. Time moves differently.
I agree with Dave TK about fun vs pretentiousness. Fun is a different from humour.

best,
John

Thanks for the specifics about some kagel pieces -- will try to find them, somehow, live or recorded ?or videotaped if that's necessary?

Poeme Electronique by Varese is a fascinating work. It would have been fantastic to hear it in its original presentation on 400 speakers in a huge pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair.

Also - it is MICROTONAL! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

@gugliel said:

Thanks for the specifics about some kagel pieces -- will try to find them, somehow, live or recorded ?or videotaped if that's necessary?

There is a series of Kagel releases on disques montaignes including variété, which I forgot about before. DGG released Tactil on their budget 20th Century series with Music for Renaissance Instruments a few years ago. I recommend starting with these 2.

best,
John

@William said:

Poeme Electronique by Varese is a fascinating work. It would have been fantastic to hear it in its original presentation on 400 speakers in a huge pavilion at the Brussels World's Fair.

Also - it is MICROTONAL! HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Äh, why is Poème Electronique microtonal?

It doesn't even use notes. It is entirely sounds warped in various ways, including pitches that correspond to non-chromatic tones.

Maybe that isn't strict microtonality, but what is? To me the world is microtonal.