Tonal music today.

[Mandryka]

I believe Le chemin de Jerusalem for viola da gamba is part of this set

[flash=480,300]https://www.youtube.com/v/17pvGLx78RU[/flash]

I am a tonal composer willing to turn music's entire heritage -- from Monteverdi to Janacek to Stokhausen -- to my advantage.

This is a perfect example of how he is able to blend music of the past with the present.

Listening now to a Hersant string quartet, Starry Sky. And I'm thinking, is this bland?

[Mandryka]

Enjoying Jean Louis Florentz, L'enfant des îles. Tonal (I think) and very melodic and with a really distinctive lightness and colourfulness.  This guy could write tunes.

Not quite today's music, he died 20 years ago though, so I guess I'm cheating.

[Mandryka]

Listening now to a Hersant string quartet, Starry Sky. And I'm thinking, is this bland?

I may have to eat my words but Hersant seems to me more interesting in earlier pieces. The extraordinary first cello concerto is every bit as satisfying as, for example, Dutilleux. But not tonal or today!

[Mandryka]

Hersant, Fantasies sur le nom de Sacher. I've not actually heard the one above, which appears to be for orchestra - the one I have is a bootleg of a concert with the Hermès Quartet. Pretty tonal, and at first I thought meh, but with repeated listenings (I guess something must have made me do that) I am finding lots of interesting details and ideas. Worth a shot, a nice little bit of music.

[Mandryka]

Thierry Escaich. Fabulous little quartet, ebullient, called Scènes de bal. The French do seem to be good at this modern quasi tonality stuff.

[Karl Henning]

Disclosure: I studied with Judith at UVa.

[Mandryka]

There's a real strange feature of Rautavaara's True and False Unicorn - there's always a feeling of déjà vu, and yet - it's quirky and unpredictable. I guess that's exactly what quasi-neo-post-post-tonal music at its best is like.

What I can say is this: I thought it was real easy to listen to, thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding in terms of pleasure. I also think it's real creative music, not just derivative. But I don't know how to support that thought yet.

[Mandryka]

Franco Mannino's double bass sonatina  - thoroughly tonal and great fun

[Mandryka]

I crossed paths with Kancheli again not long ago when I was exploring settings of Paul Celan, so I listened to his work Exil. You can see my Amazon review here. I was really baffled by this piece. Rarely have I heard songs that so fail to engage with the poetry they set. It's certainly the odd one out among the wide array of Celan settings that we have at our disposal.

I can't see your review. Anyway, I'm enjoying psalm 23 this afternoon - I like the way it is so relentlessly desolate. And tonal but unlike any other tonal music I know - hence I've moved it here.

[Kalevala]

There's a real strange feature of Rautavaara's True and False Unicorn - there's always a feeling of déjà vu, and yet - it's quirky and unpredictable. I guess that's exactly what quasi-neo-post-post-tonal music at its best is like.

What I can say is this: I thought it was real easy to listen to, thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding in terms of pleasure. I also think it's real creative music, not just derivative. But I don't know how to support that thought yet.

The title and your description is quite fascinating.  I'll try and see if there's a way that I can find to listen to it.

K

[Mandryka]

It's here @Kalevala

[Kalevala]

It's here @Kalevala

Thanks!  I'll listen to it soon.   

K

[AaronSF]

It's here @Kalevala

It is also available on Apple Music.

[Mandryka]

Well Arvo Pärt's 3rd symphony is 1971 - when Boulez and Darmstadt were very much in vogue I guess - but I'll put it here even though it's not a work of "today" but it is defo a work which is "tonal" Pre-echos of tintinnabuli and Sibelius. A perfectly pleasant Goldilocks piece of music, not too rough, not too smooth.