Dedication to Polls and Voters: Notated Music Since 1890 - Voting and Discussion Thread

I know the Elektra recording of Górecki's Third was super popular for some reason, this is what Wikipedia says:

A 1991 recording with the London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Zinman and featuring the soloist Dawn Upshaw, was released in 1992 by the Elektra imprint Nonesuch Records. Within two years, the recording had sold more than 700,000 copies worldwide; the recording climbed to number 6 on the mainstream UK album charts, and while it did not appear on the US Billboard 200, it stayed at the top of the US classical charts for 38 weeks and stayed on for 138 weeks. The Zinman/Upshaw recording has sold over a million copies. It probably counts as the best selling contemporary classical record of all time.

The writer Michael Steinberg described the symphony's success as essentially a phenomenon of the compact disc, and while live performances are still given, they do not always sell out. Some critics, wondering at the sudden success of the piece nearly two decades after its composition, suggest that it resonated with a particular mood in the popular culture at the time. Stephen Johnson, writing in A guide to the symphony, wondered whether the commercial success of the work was "a flash in the pan" or would turn out to have lasting significance. In 1998, the critic Michael Steinberg asked, "[are people] really listening to this symphony? How many CD buyers discover that fifty-four minutes of very slow music with a little singing in a language they don't understand is more than they want? Is it being played as background music to Chardonnay and brie?" Steinberg compared the success of Górecki's symphony to the Doctor Zhivago phenomenon of 1958: "Everybody rushed to buy the book; few managed actually to read it. The appearance of the movie in 1965 rescued us all from the necessity."Górecki was as surprised as anyone else at the recording's success, and later speculated that "perhaps people find something they need in this piece of music…. Somehow I hit the right note, something they were missing. Something, somewhere had been lost to them. I feel that I instinctively knew what they needed."

I have that record and it's pretty good, and like sund4r I did put the piece in the lower half of my ballot, but I wonder why this piece in particular has become the most popular piece of contemporary classical (not counting movie scores)? Obviously it's nice to the ears and not "difficult" in the way a lot of contemporary compositions are, but Górecki is hardly the only example of that.

For example, you'd think Max Richter would've become super popular based on those same qualities (nice to the ears, traditionalist compositions that are still stark and modern enough not to sound corny to dilettantes), but I don't think he has?

I think the back-story probably helps Gorecki's signifiance there

I don't have the link for the ballots yet so feel free to keep voting.

Yeah, the back-story definitely helps.

This is completely coincidental, but we're talking Polish composers, and I went to a pressscreening for a rerelease of Kieslowski's Blue today, which is sort of a Polish film about composers that was a big succes the same years Gorecki sold millions. But the music in Blue is so weird, so kitchily romantic, completely without the sorrow of Gorecki or the horror of Penderecki, not to say the willful avantgardeness of what actually were the 'biggest' composers in France at that time - Boulez and other Darmstadt composers. It's such a weird idea of contemporary 'mitteleuropa' music.

Unaccountably missed this up until now so I'm pleased voting is still open, but I don't understand the google form. What is the difference between weighted, unweighted and mixed ballots, and how will that affect the way the ballots are counted? If I have say 20 pieces that I want to vote for in an order of preference, should I paste them in descending order and mark it "weighted"?

yeah the music in Blue sounds like watered down Beethoven -- I think Kieslowski was going for the idea of some hugely important figure whose music was held up as part of the national identity ala LVB. The music in Red is kind of the same idea, but watered down Ravel -- I actually like it as film music, but probably wouldn't to listen to it much outside of that

If I have say 20 pieces that I want to vote for in an order of preference, should I paste them in descending order and mark it "weighted"?

Yes

Thanks!

You can have until 11:59 pm Eastern time on Friday night to submit late ballots. Results so far are fascinating!

I don't really think you're going to see much consensus tbh.

This seems accurate so far.

@Dominique: Yeah, the whole thing is very weird. Kieslowski and his composer Zbigniew Preisner also invented a Dutch 19th century composer named Van Den Budenmayer, who's music is incorporated in the Song for the Unification of Europe from Blue. Which, with Brexit and all that, is also a pretty weird name for a piece of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lJeQAFyJgQ
The text is 1 Corinthians 13. The chapter on love.

Sorry, this is probably for a different thread. The disconnect between what is presented as important late 20th century music, and what actually was important late 20th century music, just interests me. I'll stop now.

i really loved that van den budenmayer song when i heard it in the film. it has got a metaphysical, spiritual quality to it. the female voices are extremely high. i had totally forgotten that it was called the "song for the unification of europe" which sounds prophetic these days.

Some of Morricone's best stuff didn't get nominated, but I wasn't around for that so I can't complain. His score for Mussolini ultimo addo ("The Last Days of Mussolini") is amazing!

I forgot, Bruno Nicolai wrote the main theme though.

Didn't I nominate The Thing, come to think of it? Or maybe for a few dollars more was my only ennio nom

I think Lonely Child does for me what Gorecki's 3rd does for the world.

Two more days!

Yikes. Forced myself to vote, even if the nom list is so formidable -- which is obv actually AWESOME in a cornucopia sense -- that my knowledge and ballot feel somewhat inadequate. :-)

oh man Kurt Atterberg was not nommed. There goes three symphonies I would have listed

Huh, I didn't know of that composer at all. It's good to see more votes coming in. Last day to vote, everyone!

Also not nominated but good to check out after the rollout: Simeon ten Holt's Canto Ostinato for four pianos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDCsOL2vBJc

Yeah, I really liked that one. Long but really enjoyable.

Would anyone be up for helping out with a Spotify playlist for the final list? I think it would be widely appreciated.

I could, if I happen to be around at the same time that the rollout is happening. The 15 year poll all rolled out while I was out of the house.

I can definitely do it. I just got overwhelmed by the sheer enormity of the nominations list. Countdown list will be super easy by comparison.

Frankly I trust Jon not Jon to pick the best recordings over my own random selections. :)

Awesome. Thanks, Jon!

Zero consensus on the #1 notated piece since 1890.

yeah the nominations list is impossible to build.

Did any piece get more than one #1?

Nope. Two composers got two #1 votes each, but for different pieces in both cases.

And they share a first name!

Claude or Gustav?

Btw sund4r for communicating about playlist building & rollout, remove the Qs:

jqonqcroaq✧✧✧@gmq✧✧✧.c✧✧✧

Ugh it redacted that. Just send me an ilxmail it goes to the same address. And incl your email in it

I have the final results and we should be able to start tomorrow. I'm thinking of going through 10 pieces per day out of the top 100. To warm you up, here are Pierre Boulez's top 10 pieces of the 20th century: http://www.wnyc.org/story/10-great-works-20th-century-pierre-boulezs-90th-birthday/

so you plan doing the rollout the next 10 days?

This Boulez quote stuck out at me:

I don’t want to criticize my century, but the process of absorbing what is composed during this century is a very slow process, much too slow for me.

good list from Boulez, bit safe but yes feeling it

The rollout has started (and it's awesome!)

And I just listened to Ginastera's second cello concerto for the first time: wow!