The Music of Milton Babbitt: Premiere Works

Milton Babbitt (Composer), Tony Arnold (Conductor), Jeffrey Milarsky (Performer), Charles Neidich (Performer), Ayako Oshima (Performer), William Anderson (Performer), Oren Fader (Performer), Cygnus Ensemble (Performer), Gregory D'Agostino (Performer), Allen Blustine (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jeffrey Milarsky, Charles Neidich, Ayako Oshima, William Anderson, Oren Fader, et al.
• Conductor: Tony Arnold
• Composer: Milton Babbitt
• Audio CD (September 30, 2003)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Bridge Records, Inc.
• ASIN: B0000D8I12
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #329,423 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Milton Babbitt remains a controversial figure on today’s musical scene, with his ideas more frequently discussed than his music is actually listened to. This recording contains the premiere recordings of five Babbitt works that span a quarter of a century. The CD opens with a performance of Babbitt’s exquisite "Quatrains", sung by the brilliant young American soprano, Tony Arnold. Set to a text by a Babbitt favorite–John Hollander–"Quatrains" is a work of great delicacy and subtlety. "Manifold Music" shows Babbitt adapting his language to the organ in a most original manner. Exploiting the instrument’s potential for colorful registration, Babbitt’s demanding score is a spectacular workout for the hands and feet of organ virtuoso, Gregory D’Agostino. "My Ends Are My Beginnings" has, since its composition in 1978, been regarded by many as one of most difficult-to-play works for a solo woodwind instrument. The work’s dedicatee, Allen Blustine (long-time clarinetist! for Speculum Musicae), gives a heroic reading of this 17 minute solo. "Soli e Duettini" is one of three works with this title. This work, for two guitars, is played by dedicatees William Anderson and Oren Fader. (This premiere recording was previously issued on BRIDGE 9042). The final work is Babbitt’s just completed "Swan Song No. 1". It is a remarkable composition for the unusual combination of flute, oboe, mandolin, guitar, violin and cello. CD Annotator Matthias Kriesberg writes, "The experience of hearing Milton Babbitt, who for so long played off the boundaries of musical dimensions against one another, now reign in the extremes so dramatically as to focus the ear on the centered drama of calm voices interacting, is certainly extraordinary. But should we really be surprised? After all, there is a long, rich history of composers who, having definitively proven their ability to wrest music in an entirely new direction, turned their attention inward, ever inward, to contemplate that place, in the words of W.B. Yeats, ‘where all the ladders start.’"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Challenging music, November 6, 2005

By 

Wayne A. (Belfast, Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Music of Milton Babbitt: Premiere Works (Audio CD)

Briefly, Babbitt is one tough nut but once his music has been cracked it's a wonderful experience. This is an excellent collection of pieces that are more easily related to because of the instruments used--you want to listen and understand. There's no way to describe Babbit's music (most attempts--pro and con--seem to miss the mark), an explorer simply has to take the plunge somewhere. This is a good place to start.

Note to the record label--THIS IS WITHOUT QUESTION THE WORST ALBUM COVER IN THE LONG HISTORY OF RECORDED AND MARKETED ART MUSIC. GENERALLY, YOUR GRAPHICS ARE SIMPLY TERRIBLE ANYWAY BUT THIS PARTICULAR RELEASE TAKES THE GRAND PRIZE. ITS HIDEOUS, GROTESQUE, OFF-PUTTING, AND DAMNED UGLY. IT'S DIFFICULT RECOMMENDING SUCH A VISUALLY VILE THING. PLEASE TRY TO FIND BETTER GRAPHIC ARTISTS, IT WILL HELP YOUR SALES!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars swan Song No.1 is the overwhelming highlight for me, January 15, 2006

By 

Peter Heddon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Music of Milton Babbitt: Premiere Works (Audio CD)

By a hairs breath,this disc has the edge on the recently issued Naxos compilation of Babbitt's music.
The composers word setting is shown to brilliant advantage in Quatrains (1993):a nice balance between exquisite moment to moment detail and sense of whole.Tony Arnold is the expert and characterful soprano.There's real passion here.
Manifold Music (1983)might be the most controversial piece on the disc as the organ isn't the instrument which springs to mind when one thinks of Babbitt's penchant for finely tuned dynamic shadings and deft figuration.However,repeated hearings reveal that unmistakable wit and astute sense of pitch shining through.There's also a sense of the perverse in the textural problems,a real sense of struggle.
My Ends are my Beginnings (1978)is a very subtle work which i find harder to get a hold of...plenty of delicious detail to savour but it's a very abstract journey and one longs for more contrast between the three movements.Certainly,Allen Blustine seems to have the measure of this 16minute piece.
Soli e Duettini (1989)falls into the same category of cool abstraction which doesn't quite take off.
Swan Song no.1 (2003)is the overwhelming winner for me.Nothing in the least bit resigned about this capricious little gem.
There seem to be some teasing references to Stavinsky's Agon at the beginning and some beautifully judged unisons and moments of genuine warmth (eg.01:19)
Excellent programme notes are another added advantage over the obscure/self indulgent prose on the Naxos disc.

5.0 out of 5 stars Assorted lovelies, February 4, 2011

By 

Kekevan "kekevan" (York, PA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Music of Milton Babbitt: Premiere Works (Audio CD)

I agree with Wayne A. that this CD's cover is so ugly as to defy belief, but don't let that put you off this music.
These pieces, mostly later Babbitt, are for a varying assortment of solo and small ensemble forces; even so, the collection comes together pleasingly. I was blown away, in particular, by Manifold Music, Babbitt's organ solo (it feels strange even to write that) -- entirely Babbitt and entirely organ, it's a singularly improbable beauty. The endless variety of kinds of moment-to-moment ecstasy that was Babbitt's special gift to us hardcore listeners is richly present in these works.
R.I.P. Milton Babbitt 1916-2011