Richard Taruskin died on 1 July. This American was the greatest and most famous musicologist of his time. He was also of great importance to non-professionals, as this show will clearly demonstrate!
Richard Taruskin (1945-2022) was not averse to a little controversy. Colleagues, musicians, composers – no reputation was sacred. But the insights he had often led to discussion and deeply influenced the music world. The music you hear as a concert-goer and listener also has something to do with it.
In this show, we will listen to music that had Taruskin’s special interest, in one way or another. To begin with, we will hear Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps. Taruskin showed how ‘Russian’ and folkloristic the music was – something the composer always denied.
Next, we will listen to music by Pierre Boulez. Taruskin questioned avant-garde music. He unleashed a debate between proponents and opponents that is still being fought today.
Finally, we turn to Telemann, the great hero of the Early Music movement. Taruskin argued that the way in which Harnoncourt, Herreweghe and Brüggen started playing Early Music from the 1970s onwards says more about our times than about the times in which the music was written. Not exactly what the champions of ‘authentic’ practice wanted to hear!
Richard Taruskin made us think about music like no other. After his contributions, you listen differently to pieces you have heard twenty times before. Good music only gets better as a result.
Playlist
1. Igor Stravinski – Le sacre du printemps (version for two pianos)
2. Pierre Boulez – Le marteau sans maître
3. Georg Philipp Telemann – Quartet no. 6 in E minor
4. Georg Philipp Telemann – Quartet no. 1 in D major
5. Georg Philipp Telemann – Fantasy No. 7 in E flat major for violin solo
