George Rochberg - String Quartet No. 3 (1971)

Part A
[0:00] I. Introduzione: Fantasia
[6:52] II. March
Part B
[9:57] III. Variations
Part C
[25:51] IV. March
[30:12] V. Finale: Scherzos and Serenades

[@RaymondDoerr]

The march is really good, the harmony is so satisfying

[@johnpcomposer]

which march?

[@RaymondDoerr]

@@johnpcomposermovement 2

[@seniorskateboarder5958]

Kamzeubnida Jihun for uploading this beautiful, little played music.

[@johnpcomposer]

I like the intro with it's alternating harsh episodes with no tonal center and neo-romantic music...It's not really developed much, but the transitions are striking and very effective. It's juxtaposition is perhaps a sign-post of the two extremes we'll be hearing throughout: The 1st march is Bartokian. The Variations are clearly Brahmsian and are quite beautiful, but perhaps go on longer than they should. Doubtless there is an intention behind this juxtaposition of stylistic extremes which I can't grasp the reasoning of on a 1st listen. Is this intended as polystylism? Just listened to his entire 6th symphony yesterday and was very impressed with all of it, except a short stretch in the last section where a marching band quality becomes a bit too blatant and out of character with the rest of the symphony. There are lots of reasons composers are neglected and no century has more undeservedly neglected composers than the 20th century...but you wonder if it is in the ways some of this very well-written music does not quite hang together that makes performers shy away from it. Does it have a logical consistency or does it push and pull us in too many directions? And are they just too imitative for us to care? It could be the formal aspects of a work like this. It's rather unwieldy for a quartet at 47 minutes, with 3 shorter movements and two rather massive ones. The 2nd march brings us back to his Bartokian mode. The very long finale then alternates strident agitated sections with serenades that now sound like bittersweet paeans to Mahler....the 2nd scherzo sounds like distorted Mendelssohn. Then another Mahlerian serenade. almost quoting the end of Mahler's 9th. The final scherzo is back to the Bartokian harshness, coming full circle to the motif from the opening of the work and repetitive flurry to end. Not sure what to make of it all, but it's not something I would return to because if I want to listen to Bartok, Brahms, Mahler or Mendelssohn then I will listen to them.

[@ethanmiller5223]

Super cool, some parts sound like bartok

[@femboyfanservice6138]

did you go to brevard 2022?

[@lokanoda]

Also Mahler... "The work of a 20th century composer who, having lost his own expressive voice, is trying to find it through the voices of others." -- Robert Greenberg

[@geoffroymb]

The second movement is very similar to the second movement of Hindemith's 4th quartet