Ives Concord Piano Sonata, but with a warning: it is a thorny, difficult work.

 

I'll mention a composer and a good introduction to his work


Griffes - three tone pictures
Delius - walk to the paradise garden
Koechlin - les heures persanes
Sorabji - Gulistan
Szymanowsky - third symphony
Scriabin - Prometheus
Tomasi - Trumpet concerto
Fanelli (the man who inspired Debussy) - Tableaux symphoniques
I think that Messiaen and Takemitsu too could be mentioned, at least for certain works.

 

I'll mention a composer and a good introduction to his work

Griffes - three tone pictures
Delius - walk to the paradise garden
Koechlin - les heures persanes
Sorabji - Gulistan
Szymanowsky - third symphony
Scriabin - Prometheus
Tomasi - Trumpet concerto
Fanelli (the man who inspired Debussy) - Tableaux symphoniques
I think that Messiaen and Takemitsu too could be mentioned, at least for certain works.

Griffes and Koechlin! Classical music's best kept secrets, especially Koechlin.

 

Ives wrote certainly impressionistic music (I'm thinking especially many of his songs, but I don't think the Concord sonata could be considered like that). It's free atonality closer to Schoenberg than to Debussy in my opinion.

 

 

Sorabji, in nocturnes like Le jardin parfume and Djami. Messiaen's preludes. You could also try Deodat de Severac - I forget which pieces are the more "impressionistic" ones though, it's been years since I've heard his work.

 

A historically and musically curious one is Clairs de lune by Abel Decaux. Remarkably modern for something started in 1900 and the only thing he ever published. Here it is on YouTube; I'd recommend the recording by Hamelin:

 

Thanks for mentioning those! I remember how I heard them the first time (on Hamelin's CD) and they blew my socks right off. I've always thought it was incredibly strange that Decaux hasn't really composed anything else of note.

 

You might want to hear Villa-Lobos. The best introduction are the Bachianas Brasileiras.

 

I can only think of two more to add.

Joseph Jongen:

And perhaps Jean Cras:

 

You could give Takemitsu's magical soundscapes a go:

 

Is Night Fantasies (Carter) an impressionist piece representing a sleepless night? How about Finnisy's Snowdrift?

Where I'm coming from is that the genre needs to be explained a bit.

 

Is Night Fantasies (Carter) an impressionist piece representing a sleepless night? How about Finnisy's Snowdrift?

Where I'm coming from is that the genre needs to be explained a bit.

I agree that it's a difficult thing to define and I'm far from an expert. To me it seems to be more a symphonic poem type of piece, think Debussy's Prelude to an afternoon of a faun, something that works on creating a feel rather than a logical progression through movements. Sometimes it's kind of nebulous I enjoy lots of hanging strings and ebbs and flows. I don't know if that helps and I certainly cannot explain it from a musicological point of view.

 

Satie shouldn't really be included as an "impressionist".

 

I'd be interested to know why, it might help us define impressionist music better. I will still adore Satie whatever.

 

I like both your posts, I don't particularly understand them but I think what you both said is why I really like both Debussy and Satie above all other composers.

 

I have no doubt that the musical features partly cause the poetic features.

 

The relationship between the poetic and the musical features is quite a complex topic! When addressing the question of how to classify Satie's music, I felt that it might be useful to point out his harmonic affinities with composers who are widely recognized as impressionistic.

However, I certainly didn't mean to imply a one-to-one correspondence between a musical device and a poetic effect. The overall effect is more than the sum of the devices. Also, as you suggested in post #22, extramusical factors also contribute to the impressionistic aesthetic of a piece, such as the titles and the associated poetry (in the case of songs or tone poems with texts, like Afternoon of a Faun).

 

I second Charles Griffes. I've heard a bit of Frederick Mompou that sounded quite impressionistic. Certain works of Messiaen, but he had a wide variety of styles.

I agree, the "impressionist" style is one of my favorite things in all of classical music. It is something I can really feel.

 

Getting a chance to explore these recommendations slowly and so far I am absolutely loving Decaux (the only piece he ever published!!) and to a slightly lesser extent the Griffes. I'm currently listening to Koechlin's Les Heures Persane and it's also tremendous. Still got a long way to go but so far that Hamelin CD looks like an essential purchase. Many thanks to everyone, I love this kind of music.

 

Though I wouldn't label him impressionist, Scriabin's Preludes are quite Debussy-esque.

As for the word 'impressionism', the reason it fits so perfectly for me is that the music of Debussy and Ravel always always sounds to me like the perfect soundtrack to a Monet painting. It is impressionism in the visual arts in musical form and of the same time period so it makes sense whether Debussy or Ravel like it or not...:tiphat:

 

Though I wouldn't label him impressionist, Scriabin's Preludes are quite Debussy-esque.

I agree some pieces sound like that. But it was just a phase, around the time he wrote the second sonata, it seems. I'm not quite sure he actually knew Debussy's music. Anyway, he moved on to greater things.

 

Szymanowski (Polish) was more or less a contemporary of Ravel & Debussy. One writer described him as "dangerously intoxicating". There is a lot of his music on youtube.

 

After checking youtube I see that I've previously watched/listened to his 'Masques' for piano. Played by Piotr Anderszewski. I'm listening to Metopes now. It is a sort of blend between 'impressionism' and the new music to come.

 

Spent all day listening to some of these pieces recommended. Some truly amazing music but quite a few of them are bit spiky and difficult I found. I was quite tired by the end of the day. Many thanks to everybody and don't hesitate to make any remark on what may be termed Impressionist music as I have a voracious appetite for new information.