Search - Urban Malmberg, Matthias Pintscher, Klangforum Wien :: Matthias Pintscher: Fünf Orchesterstücke; Musik aus Thomas Chatterton; Choc

Thrilling

Josef Krebs | Seattle | 06/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I confess, I love Ligeti and Boulez and Webern. And I love this. Pintscher's music is the music of a possessed youth. His melodies (yes, melodies) are spare and expressive and his orchestrations change mood so rapidly as to give you whiplash. His Five Orchestra Pieces are superb. Especially the violent no. 2, where he's exciting as anything in Beethoven. His Choc is arguably the real masterpiece here. His language is one of conversation. The sharing of melodic lines between instruments that is such a strong component of Webern's music is exploded. Each instrument interjects it's own personality into the mix - the whole is shattering, shocking. Buy it, learn something about where music is going and marvel at the freshness that this 30-something has brought to the sometimes dry academia of atonal music."

A fresh voice. We'll see where he goes...

S. C Rice | 08/05/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I felt I had to comment when I saw the other two reviews. This music doesn't seem particularly modern to me. If anything, I found it quite conservative. Pintscher reminds me of Schoenberg or Berg. I love the 2nd Viennese, but the emotional content of his pieces isn't as complex as with Schoenberg and Berg, which I found disappointing. Pintscher was born in 1971. He's new on the scene and it may be interesting to listen and `keep an ear' on him as time goes by, but he's like Ades- not a mover and shaker, but a youthful voice. Compositionally things are well crafted; there is formal balance and effective control of dramatic content.



Also, the amazon "orchestra piece in 5 parts" is amusing... The title is obviously a little nod to the Orchesterstuecke(n) of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg, so it probably would be best to say "Five Orchestral Pieces."



Overall, I would listen to this to know who is out there, but it's probably not going to be something that I play again and again through the years. If you're looking for something "shockingly modern" or think that this sounds modern, you might look at Helmut Lachenmann, Kaija Saariaho, Tristan Murail, Brian Ferneyhough, Peter Eotvos (Eoetvoes), etc to hear some music of the elders that is still making waves right now.

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