Sunday, October 31, 2021

LX. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van: Symphony #1 in C Major, Op. 21

LX. BEETHOVEN, Ludwig van (1770-1827)

Symphony #1 in C Major, Op. 21 (1800)
1. Adagio molto -- Allegro con brio
2. Andante cantabile con moto
3. Menuetto: Allegro molto e vivace
4. Adagio -- Allegro molto e vivace
Vienna Philharmonic
Herbert von Karajan, cond.
(24:31)

Armed with a letter of introduction Beethoven seems to have met Mozart in 1787, when he was 17 years old. on his first trip to Vienna.

Mozart -- unhealthy and probably in the midst of writing some masterpiece or the other -- received the young man coolly.

"Play something," he barked. Beethoven played the opening of Mozart's Piano Concerto #24 in C Minor.

"Not that," said Mozart. "Anybody can play that. Play something of your own."

Beethoven did so, and Wolfgang excitedly ran into the other room, where his wife was entertaining some friends.

"Stanzi, Stanzi -- watch out for that boy! One day he will give the world something to talk about!"

**

He agreed to take him on as a pupil, but the death of Beethoven's mother recalled him back to Bonn.

By the time he finally made it back to Vienna in 1792, Mozart was dead.

His musical education continued with his studies with Haydn and Albrechtsberger, although he privately concentrated on studying Mozart's music.

He began to make a living as a pianist, playing his own first two concerti, and finally boldly premiered this symphony in 1800.

It is crucial in understanding Beethoven's genius to realize what a remarkable step forward this was.

**

The first movement begins on a "wrong chord" -- the dominant of the subdominant -- F Major:


The next bar features a deceptive cadence moving to A Minor. He then introduces another dominant chord in the "wrong" key -- D7 going to G.

By the time the Allegro begins, the (educated) audience would have realized how they'd been fooled.

**

The second movement (8:05) (in F Major) starts with this beautiful, simple theme in the second violins:


Later (11:35), he adds this delicious counterpoint in the celli:


I was 10 or 11 when my late sister Lynn (z'l) gave me the old grey Eulenberg scores for the Nine Symphonies as a Chanukah present.

As I sat under the piano, listening to Toscanini, following along with the score, I was transported by this counterpoint in the celli. I grabbed my trombone and played along with the record -- constantly moving the needle back so I could do it again and again ...

**

The third movement (14:39) -- titled "Menuetto," the traditional third movement of a symphony -- is instead, in fact, a scherzo. This would become a trademark of his later symphonies -- nearly always replacing the minuet with a fast scherzo.


**

The fourth movement (18:38) again starts with what can only be a musical joke:


The dominant G7 starts and stops until finally Beethoven begins a very fast, lively, but simple, melody.

Saturday, October 30, 2021

LIX. REICH, Steve: Music for 18 Musicians

LIX. REICH, Steve (1936-       )

Music for 18 Musicians (1974-76)
eighth blackbird
(1:05:55)

Earlier, I spoke about my unhappiness with musical labels, like Minimalism. There are so many variations in musical compositions that it seems a shame that a great work of art gets stuck with any type of label. But society seems to demand it.

Reich wrote this masterpiece based on the idea of phasing. Reich's earlier works -- and those of Terry Riley -- used phasing as a tool to create unusual, distorting effects, like Riley's In C and Reich's It's Gonna Rain.

Here -- for over an hour -- Reich produces a subtler hypnotic feeling by using a large ensemble of players, playing a cycle of 11 different chords, producing a psycho-acoustic effect.

Make available an hour of your life and be transported by music unlike anything else you've ever heard!



Friday, October 29, 2021

LVIII. ROSSINI, Gioachino: La Gazza Ladra (Overture)

LVIII. ROSSINI, Gioachino (1792-1868)

La Gazza Ladra (Overture) (1817)
Mannheimer Philharmoniker
Boian Videnoff, cond.
(9:38)


Funny how a great filmmaker like Stanley Kubrick can turn a 19th-century piece into an earworm! At least in my case, this music will always conjure up an image of the disturbing rape scene in A Clockwork Orange.

But Rossini wrote a ton of music. And he wrote quickly:

"A 19th-century biography quotes him as saying that the conductor of the premiere performance locked him in a room at the top of La Scala the day before the premiere with orders to complete the opera's still unfinished overture. He was under the guard of four stagehands whose job it was to toss each completed page out the window to the copyist below." [Wikipedia]



Thursday, October 28, 2021

LVII. BARTÓK, Béla: String Quartet #3

LVII. BARTÓK, Béla (1881-1945)

String Quartet #3 (1927)
1. Prima parte: Moderato
2. Seconda parte: Allegro
3. Ricapitulazione della prima parte: Moderato
4. Coda: Allegro molto
The Juilliard Quartet
(16:29)

This might be the most adventurous of the six quartets. His use of sul ponticello, col legno and -- above all -- massive glissandi make for an exciting listening experience.

The work is played without pauses between movements. Bartók was probably greatly influenced after hearing Alban Berg's Lyric Suite (1926), although this work is not serial.


The beginning:




Wednesday, October 27, 2021

LVI. BOULANGER, Lili: Pie Jesu

LVI. BOULANGER, Lili (1893-1918)

Pie Jesu (1917-18)
Eric Lebrun, organ
Isabelle Sabrié, soprano
Francis Pierre, harp
Raphaëlle Semezis, cello
Magali Demesse, viola
Aude Perin Dureau, violin
Olivier Charlier, violin
Emile Naoumoff, cond.
[scrolling score]
(4:16)


Nadia spoke often about this work. Lili was on her deathbed, and basically dictated it to Nadia, à la Mozart to Antonio Salieri, if you take the film Amadeus as truth.


(Here's the reality of that situation: Mozart was indeed commissioned to compose a Requiem Mass by an anonymous benefactor ... the patron turned out to be Count Franz von Walsegg, who was grieving after the death of his wife, and not Salieri disguised as the ghost of Mozart's father ...)


Emile Naoumoff

I met Emile at our Wednesday night analysis class. He was nine years old! We were studying the Mozart C Minor Fantasia (see my post XL) and Nadia chose Emile to play the piece, as we discussed and analyzed it. What a prodigy! He was without a doubt Nadia's favorite and continued his studies with her until her death in 1979.

I have a recording which utilizes a boy soprano, which elicits an even greater sense of chill.

Imagine what music we would have had from her! (as it is, we still have several masterpieces; click on the top link) ...

This is why Nadia decided to devote her life to teaching. She told me that her composition skills were "useless" compared to her little sister.

But I thank God every day that I had the opportunity to study with her for nearly two years.

Tuesday, October 26, 2021

LV. FAURÉ, Gabriel: Requiem, Op. 48

LV. FAURÉ, Gabriel (1845-1924)

Requiem, Op. 48 (1887-90)
1. Introit et Kyrie
2. Offertoire
3. Sanctus
4. Pie Jesu
5. Agnus Dei et Lux aeterna
6. Libera me
7. In Paradisum

Two versions

1. Radio Filharmonisch Orkest en Groot Omroepkoor
Laurence Buillod, soprano
Thomas Tatzi, baritone
James Gaffigan, cond.
(39:11)


2. New York Philharmonic
The Choral Art Society
Reri Grist, soprano
Donald Gramm, baritone
Nadia Boulanger, cond.
(38:40)


The first version is a live performance by an excellent Dutch ensemble.

The second version is Nadia Boulanger from 1962.

Wikipedia.

Sunday, October 24, 2021

LIII. VARÈSE, Edgard: Poème électronique -- original version with Le Corbusier images

LIII. VARÈSE, Edgard (1883-1965)

Poème électronique -- original version with Le Corbusier images (1958)
(8:27)

Here's the story:

Le Corbusier was commissioned by Philips to present a pavillion at the 1958 World Fair in Brussels. He insisted on involving Varèse (against the sponsor's wishes) and 400 speakers were dispersed throughout the hall, creating the experience of sound moving through space.



Thursday, October 21, 2021

L. BACH, J.S.: Partita #3 for Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 -- "Preludio"

L. BACH, J.S. (1685-1750)

Partita #3 for Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 -- "Preludio" (1720)
Hilary Hahn, violin
(3:41)

What a strange backwards journey I took in discovering Bach's solo violin partitas and sonatas.

When I was 15, I heard this work by Lukas Foss (1922-2009) called Phorion (New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein, cond. [10:04] ...

It was years later that I discovered the source!

Here's yet another version, by the virtuoso banjoist, Béla Fleck:

Video






Wednesday, October 20, 2021

XLIX. KHACHATURIAN, Aram: from Gayane Suite #3: Sabre Dance

XLIX. KHACHATURIAN, Aram (1903-1978)

from Gayane Suite #3: Sabre Dance (1943)
Berlin Philharmonic
Simon Rattle, cond.
(2:35)

Who can resist this one?

The insistent sharpness of the Major Seventh interval is what makes this so interesting.

Its use in popular culture is documented here.



Sunday, October 17, 2021

Saturday, October 16, 2021

XLV. TAKEMITSU, Tōro: Visions -- 1. Mystère; 2. Les Yeux clos

XLV. TAKEMITSU, Tōro (1930-1996)

Visions (1990)
1. Mystère
2. Les Yeux clos
Danubia Symphony Orchestra
Ricardo Casero, cond.
(12:52)

Largely self-taught, Takemitsu's journeyed from being a Japanese composer who only wanted to write Western-style music to one who later incorporated traditional Japanese instruments into a pleasing mixture of both -- to a composer of avant-garde stuff like the sound of water droplets -- to composing film scores for the likes of Akira Kurosawa (Ran and Dodes'ka-den).

His music is unusually rich and delicate, surprising and delightful ...

Friday, October 15, 2021

XLIV. OBRECHT, Jacob: Salve crux, arbor vitae

XLIV. OBRECHT, Jacob (1457-1505)

Salve crux, arbor vitae (15th c.)

Two versions

1. (motet for voices)
Pro Cantione Antiqua
Bruno Turner, cond.
(12:24)


2. Arrangement for recorder ensemble
Sarah Jeffrey, Anna Stegmann, Yi-Chang Liang, Kyuri Kim, Lyida Arnold, Dodó Kis, renaissance recorders
(6:49)

From around the same time as the more famous Josquin, but equally talented at composing sublime, beautifully-voiced motets and masses, like this one.

The second video is a shorter arrangement for recorder ensemble -- including both a contrabass and subcontrabass recorder!

Thursday, October 14, 2021

XLIII. XENAKIS, Iannis: Ergma

XLII. XENAKIS, Iannis (1922-2001)

Ergma (1994)
JACK Quartet
(8:47)

Xenakis led a most fascinating life. After nearly getting killed during the Civil War in Greece in 1944 against the British, he moved to France and studied architecture with Le Corbusier.

He began studying music on his own, was rejected by several teachers -- including Nadia Boulanger -- but her assistant, Annette Dieudonné (my solfège and sight-singing teacher!) recommended him to Olivier Messiaen, with whom he studied for several years.

Although initially drawn to pure serialism, his works became more closely based on his mathematical ideas and constructions.

This quartet is a good example of that.

Tuesday, October 12, 2021

XLI. RILEY, Terry: A Rainbow in Curved Air / Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band

XLI. RILEY, Terry (1935-       )

A Rainbow in Curved Air / Poppy Nogood and the Phantom Band (1969)
(40:40)

I've always filed this under Classical, although I guess it could go either way.

In any case, this album was the soundtrack of my Paris years, although even all these years later, I cannot go a month without listening to both sides.

Rainbow is sunny, psychedelic music, while Poppy Nogood is dark, mysterious and surprising.

The back cover [sigh]:

And then all wars ended / Arms of every kind were outlawed and the masses gladly contributed them to giant foundries in which they were melted down and the metal poured back into the earth / The Pentagon was turned on its side and painted purple, yellow & green / All boundaries were dissolved / The slaughter of animals was forbidden / The whole of Lower Manhattan became a meadow in which unfortunates from the Bowery were allowed to live out their fantasies in the sunshine and were cured / People swam in the sparkling rivers under blue skies streaked only with incense pouring from the new factories / The energy from dismantled nuclear weapons provided free heat and light / World health was restored / An abundance of organic vegetables, fruits and grains was growing wild along the discarded highways / National flags were sewn together into brightly colored circus tents under which politicians were allowed to perform harmless theatrical games / The concept of work was forgotten



Monday, October 11, 2021

XL. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475

XL. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

Fantasia in C Minor, K. 475 (1785)
Valentina Lisitsa, piano
(11:38)










This amazing work was the subject of our Wednesday night analysis class in 1971-72 when I studied with Nadia Boulanger.

And every single week, she would go speechless when this modulation from B Minor to D Major occurs: 2:25.















"You cannot describe this beauty."

Sunday, October 10, 2021

XXXIX. HANDEL, George Frideric: "Lascia ch'io pianga" from the opera Rinaldo

XXXIX. HANDEL, George Frideric (1685-1759)

"Lascia ch'io pianga" from the opera Rinaldo (1711)
Voices of Music
Kirsten Blaise, soprano
(5:33)

Discovered this gorgeous aria after watching Lars von Trier's Antichrist (2009).


It is also featured in the film Farinelli (1994) by Gérard Corbiau. Farinelli (18th c.) was considered the greatest castrato singer of all time.



The glorious music:






































Lascia ch'io pianga
Mia cruda sorte,
E che sospiri
La libertà.

Il duolo infranga
Queste ritorte,
De' miei martiri
Sol per pietà.

Let me weep
My cruel fate,
And that I
should have freedom.

The duel infringes
within these twisted places
In my sufferings
I pray for mercy.

Saturday, October 9, 2021

Friday, October 8, 2021

XXXVII. ADAMS, John: Century Rolls

XXXVII. ADAMS, John (1947-       )

Century Rolls (1997)
1. First Movement
2. Manny's Gym
3. Hail, Bop
Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra
Karolis Variakojis, cond.
Lukas Geniušas, piano
(39:07)


No matter what label you put on it, this piano concerto is a beautiful piece of music.

The use of the word "minimalism" as descriptive of any one particular composer reminds me of the early 70's when the word "fusion" became a dirty word in jazz circles.

It is the end result of a composer's musical intentions, no matter what you call it.

Thursday, October 7, 2021

XXXVI. GESUALDO, Carlo: Madrigal: Moro lasso, al mio duolo

XXXVI. GESUALDO, Carlo (1566-1613)

Madrigal: Moro lasso, al mio duolo (1611)
Ensemble Aedes
Mathieu Romano, director
(3:37)

It is difficult to say which is the more popular reason for Gesualdo's fame -- the homicides he committed [see story in above link] -- or the ahead-of-their-time almost polytonal madrigals he composed, such as this very chromatic one, which superimposes several different key centers simultaneously.














Moro lasso, al mio duolo
E chi mi può dar vita,
Ahi, che m'ancide e non vuol darmi alta!
O dolorosa sorte,
Chi dar vita mi può, ahi, mi dà morte.

I die, alas, in my suffering,
And she who could give me life,
Alas, kills me and will not help me.
O sorrowful fate,
She who could give me life,
Alas, gives me death.


INDEX TO CLASSICAL BLOG N-Z

A-M NANCARROW, Conlon / Sonatina for Piano / CCCXXXIII NANCARROW, Conlon / Study #3C / DCCCXXIX NANCARROW, Conlon / Study for Player Piano #...