Composers - Painters - Writers

[Florestan]

We are all familiar with such equivalences as Mozart - Rafael or Beethoven - Michelangelo, which might or might not be true. Less frequent, though, are comparisons between composers and writers. What I propose in this thread then is to list any such equivalences that you find true or meaningful between composers and painters or/and writers.

I'll start with

Tchaikovsky

The (apparent) neurosis and mawkishness of much of his music might on a superficial level suggest an affinity with many of Dostoevsky's characters, but on closer inspection I find them to be just the shell in which an extremely sensitive and delicate soul wraps her essentially lyrical, intimate and humane self. Therefore, it seems to me that the closest literary equivalent of Tchaikovsky is Turgenev, what with his lyrical, intimate and humane heroes and heroines. Moreover, I think it's not mere coincidence that both of them were accused of being too Westernized for a Russian.

For instance, imagine Fathers and Sons as a staged play. I can think of no more appropriate music for that than bits and pieces from the Rococo Variations, the Seasons, the First, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth symphonies --- with two obbligato numbers: Andante cantabile from SQ 1 and Allegro giusto from SQ 2.

As for painters, beside Levitan (which is not a bad match imho) I'm not very familiar with other 19C Russian painters, maybe @vandermolen can be of help here. Outside the Russian space, though, I think Renoir (an exact contemporary of Tchaikovsky) is equally lyrical, intimate and humane.

Okay, you got the idea, which hopefully might be of interest to you --- so it's your turn.

[Mandryka]

Schumann and Basilitz - strength and dreaminess and uncertainty

[vandermolen]

Repin comes to mind but as he painted Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov I'd have to link him with them!
I've recently thought that the eerie last movement of Vaughan Williams's apocalyptic 6th Symphony conveyed something of the atmosphere of Wilfred Owen's poem 'Strange Meeting' (which also features in Britten's 'War Requiem').

[Florestan]

Haydn

What with his tender humor and down-to-earth yet gentle and optimistic approach to life and art, he resembles Charles Dickens.

For the same reasons, he reminds me of those rustic hunting and rustic partying scenes that Dutch and Flemish painters of the 17th and 18th century were so fond of.

I relish the resolute normality and the extrovert nature of his, and their, art.

[DavidW]

Haydn

What with his tender humor and down-to-earth yet gentle and optimistic approach to life and art, he resembles Charles Dickens.

Except Dicken's humor isn't tender, it is biting! Underneath, it is filled with an unbridled rage. I would equate Dickens closer to Shostakovich. And Haydn would be more like Anthony Trollope.

[Florestan]

Except Dicken's humor isn't tender, it is biting! Underneath, it is filled with an unbridled rage. I would equate Dickens closer to Shostakovich. And Haydn would be more like Anthony Trollope.

Haven't read any Trollope. Any recommendation?

[DavidW]

Haven't read any Trollope. Any recommendation?

Barchester Towers. Boy, come to think of it, I read that so long ago, I could reread it!

[Florestan]

Barchester Towers. Boy, come to think of it, I read that so long ago, I could reread it!

Thanks, will surely give it a try.

[JBS]

Haven't read any Trollope. Any recommendation?

 Can You Forgive Her?
And in general the other Palliser novels.

Barchester Towers is Trollope's genial/satiric side.  The Palliser novels lean more to the Dickensian dark side, although usually not as dark as Dickens himself.

[Florestan]

Liszt

From the most insignificant trifles to the loftiest flights of imagination and everything in between; in turns noble and vulgar, spiritual and erotic, honest thinker and superficial poseur, Socialist and Christian, rebel and conformist --- always the womanizer and drinker: Victor Hugo.

[Florestan]

Can You Forgive Her?
And in general the other Palliser novels.

Barchester Towers is Trollope's genial/satiric side.  The Palliser novels lean more to the Dickensian dark side, although usually not as dark as Dickens himself.

Why do you folks consider Dickens dark? How do you rate Dostoevsky then?

[Florestan]

Why do you folks consider Dickens dark?

I mean, his good guys and girls are always rewarded, his bad guys and girls are always given a chance to repent, even if they don;t always explicitly take it.

This is apokatastasis. What more optimistic than that?

[Florestan]

Chopin

On this you'll have to trust me on my word: Eminescu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihai_Eminescu

Honestly, for me the closest equivalent of Eminescu's poetry is Chopin's music, or viceversa --- what with the euphony and melancholy of both.

[JBS]

Why do you folks consider Dickens dark? How do you rate Dostoevsky then?

A lot of his writing was an expose of social problems, as in Bleak House (the courts) or Oliver Twist (orphanages and the criminal underworld). Remember Scrooge being shown the vision of Poverty and Ignorance?  There's little to none of that in Trollope--at most Trollope satirizes or describes the flaws and hypocrisies of high society. There's some fleeting satire of the Times in the Barchester novels, for instance. But not a detailed portrayal of a widespread social problem.