Articles

Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik

Don’t let the spoofy title put you off. George Crumb’s Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik owes nothing to Mozart’s elevator music classic. But as the title implies, the music certainly is dark in mood, taking advantage of the resonant qualities of the piano, augmented by the sostenuto pedal, stopped harmonics, and plucked strings. As it turns out,… Read more »

Written By

NewMusicBox Staff

Don’t let the spoofy title put you off. George Crumb’s Eine Kleine Mitternachtmusik owes nothing to Mozart’s elevator music classic. But as the title implies, the music certainly is dark in mood, taking advantage of the resonant qualities of the piano, augmented by the sostenuto pedal, stopped harmonics, and plucked strings. As it turns out, Crumb’s musical springboard is Thelonious Monk’s tune “‘Round Midnight,” here rendered into the sort of permanent darkness one would expect deep inside the artic circle in the dead of winter. Maybe save listening to this one until the next cold, pitch-black night, just add parka.

—RN