Review: Antheil's Legendary "Ballet Mécanique" in the Insane Original Version

[@davidmayhew8083]

I listened to this recording last night. For me music like this is very visual. Evokes big city madness in a cartoon like visual style. Enjoyed it very much.

[@geraldmartin7703]

Antheil composed luscious soundtrack music for "The Pride and the Passion" (1957), with Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Frank Sinatra, and a giant cannon.

[@christopherjohnson2422]

Antheil also scored the bizarre, surrealistic experimental horror film “Dementia” (1955). This film is, I understand, difficult to obtain in its original form, due to a copyright claim. It’s easier to find in an alternative version called “Daughter of Horror,” with a voiceover narration (read by Ed McMahon) added.

[@HassoBenSoba]

Yes, I also mentioned it in my comment above. It is glorious. Note: in summer, 1975, I visited the Library of Congress, where I was able to view Antheil's short score of "Pride & Passion". It was great; the title page was dated July 22, '57, and had a big black ink fingerprint on it (the composer's, I'm sure). Somehow or other, I ended up with xerox copies of the main title and the Holy Week processional, both the orchestral and choral scores. In some ways, I seriously think Antheil's talent reached its pinnacle in this music. LR

[@sehnsuchtshafen]

So nice! "Ballet Mécanique" is a film score, actually. But, I know, you know that already. Another interesting Antheil film score is "Hunter Of The Deep" (1954). In my opinion, it's a major but totally forgotten work of his.

[@austinhan6998]

Upon cursory inspection, Antheil's life sounds like a random character generator from a DnD RPG. A composer for pianollas and airplane propellers, who had a full-fledged journalism career, performing recitals by locking the exit doors and pulling out a revolver, who happened to collaborate with a Hollywood star in inventing the precursor to Bluetooth technology.

[@bingbongtoysKY]

thank you for this one Dave! I love George Antheil! I love this work- also if you guys are interested, he wrote an incredible autobiography called "the Bad Boy of Music"- a total blast! ❤

[@johnmontanari6857]

We seem to be in the midst if an Antheil boomlet. Naxos just released a fine set of his really cool violin sonatas. And Patricia Kopatchinskaja just did the whacky Sonata No. 1 on her latest release. There is definitely more to Antheil than the Ballet Mécanique.

[@ericleiter6179]

You are quite right about this...I can report (from the hot cornfields of Indiana) that the music of Antheil is alive and well (and not the mechanique)...One of his violin sonatas was just on a great program I just saw and in March, the local civic orchestra programmed his Jazz Symphony...and they nailed it, who would have guessed?!?!

[@SoiledWig]

i found out about the BMOP label just a few months ago when i was looking for some music by Dello Joio. i love the work they're doing. They're sort of carrying on what CRI did.

[@steveschwartz8944]

Years ago, there was a recording purporting to be the original version of Ballet Mechanique, conducted by Maurice Peress. Anybody know the difference between that recording and Rose's, as far as "original" goes?

[@AlanvYYolinC]

The Maurice Peress version used the old piano rolls, which to my understanding, is only an approximation of what Antheil wrote. The entire piece is (due to hardware limitations, forcefully) split into 3 disjointed sections. Modern recordings uses digital means to get the pianolas to play, so no splits necessary. That said, I still find the Maurice Peress recording the most convincing of them all. The sound is clear and well balanced. Sirens appropriately soaring. The piano articulation appropriately "tasteful". Although old, the piano rolls were well made! On the contrary, the Boston Modern recording makes the music sound dead in comparison. A very loud, dead, wash of sound. I speak as a huge fan of George Antheil's music.

[@steveschwartz8944]

@@AlanvYYolinC Thank you!

[@steveschwartz8944]

@AlanvYYolinC I find the work remarkable and Antheil a composer who consistently interests me.

[@1-JBL]

Kids say "you can't take my music" -- usually some sort ot growler metal stuff -- and I direct them to Ballet Mecanique, which I love. Guess who gives up first. It's the original proto-techno rave music!

[@richfarmer3478]

I have this work on a Naxos disc and always assumed it was the original. Anybody know if I'm wrong?

[@perryyoung1491]

If you mean the Naxos disc conducted by Daniel Spalding and released in 2001, then it is not the original. According to the Naxos website, that recording follows Antheil's 1953 revision.

[@christopherjohnson2422]

Are you referring to the 1999 recording by Daniel Spalding and the Philadelphia Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra? If so, that’s Antheil’s 1953 revision, which is shortened and simplified to make it more practical for live performance. It’s my understanding that performances of the original only became possible about 20 years ago, when the mechanical player pianos could be replaced by precisely synchronized electronic instruments.

[@Ortiz-Morales]

I dedicated more than 10 years of my life to preparing my doctoral thesis on the so-called “synchro-ciné”, a pioneering French system of mechanical synchronization (since 1921) between the projection of a film and various musical or sound components (a score that is simultaneously displays, a phonograph with recorded sounds, electrical circuits of bells or rings, or a player piano, for example). It was the system in which Antheil and Léger desperately tried to synchronize the original soundtrack and the film of the “Ballet mécanique” from the end of 1923 and which, in mid-1924, they definitively gave up due to technical impossibilities. In this investigation, very interesting things were discovered, such as, for example, that it is completely impossible for this version of the ballet from 1926/7 to be the one used as the original soundtrack (as has been attempted on several occasions); among other things because (apart from being much longer) it ends with some isolated chords and silences of such a duration that, as music, they are brilliant; but as a soundtrack it is totally impossible to square with any version of the film ballet that we know (you just have to listen to them and compare them). And another thing is that, possibly, the short and generally despised version from 1952 corresponds infinitely better to the original attempt at the film's soundtrack, except that, in the beginning, it started with a single player piano, bells and electric chimes, all automatically synchronized (with the synchrociné system). Therefore, if we accept that this later and independent symphonic version is great, but it is not the original soundtrack, and we want good synchronization with the images, we must turn to the known version of 1952/3, which is nothing more than an expanded orchestration of the schematic player piano with bells from the original soundtrack, but exactly rigorous with the initial plan, and to demonstrate it, the thesis test was carried out (which can be found on KZbin as “Ballet mecanique canonical version”) with the excellent version by the Ensemble Modern of Frankfurt. In any case, if you are really interested in the topic, nothing is lost by listening to it: I highly recommend the experience, in any case. And if you don't agree, I'm willing to accept your criticism gladly. And, of course, thanks to Mr. Hurwitz for such instructive and informative videos on great musical works. Magnificent channel: congratulations.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thanks for the very thorough discussion. I hope you got your doctorate!

[@Ortiz-Morales]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Indeed, although undeserved, I ended up with a doctorate in archaeotechnology "cum laude". Thank you so much.