I also love his Wind Quintet from 1948 (only the second movement, I couldn't find the first by the same group) even though it's not really as representative as the works linked above. Sad, I thought maybe he would live forever. posted by invitapriore at 9:12 PM on November 5, 2012
He had a long and productive life. He left us a lot of creative music to listen to.
...Thank you Elliot.
. posted by quazichimp at 9:30 PM on November 5, 2012
Oh, sad. :-( posted by cytherea at 9:50 PM on November 5, 2012
In the percussion world, his Eight Pieces for Four Timpani (one player) are a standard of the advanced repertoire. They are each amazing works, complex in ways and simple in others that explore the possibilities of the instrument in ways that few other works do.
I attended the centenary concerts at Tanglewood in '08, and Carter himself was there generously applauding the performances. The two pieces that stood out were the Variations for Orchestra and the Clarinet Concerto.
A long, successful life. Amazing to be composing in his 90s and beyond. Also appreciate his uncompromising modernity; an intellectual program that at times seems collapsing into irrelevance. I was lucky to take a class on "music since 1968" from a professor who was a bit of a Carter protégé, or at least admirer. Working my way through one of his String Quartets and resolving it from total chaos into something I could understand and appreciate was an excellent learning experience. Honestly I've never gone back to listen to it again, but I think understanding Carter created some space for understanding Beethoven and appreciating Webern. posted by Nelson at 7:21 AM on November 6, 2012
I remember the snippet of Carter sheet music in my 20th century music textbook. Brutal stuff. I aspire to reach his tenacity and skill. posted by spamguy at 7:37 AM on November 7, 2012
posted by Egg Shen at 7:40 PM on November 5, 2012