Friday, September 30, 2022

CCCXCIV. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Symphony #40 in G Minor, K. 550

CCCXCIV. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

Symphony #40 in G Minor, K. 550 (1788)
1. Molto allegro
2. Andante
3. Menuetto. Allegretto -- Trio
4. Finale. Allegro assai
Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra
Andrés Orozco-Estrada, cond.
(27:10)


  • See Post XCV for the concept of #39-41 being a trilogy.
  • Of all 41 symphonies, only two are in a minor key, and both in G Minor (the other is #25, K. 183).
  • Mozart completely re-scored the wind parts, after having decided to add clarinets (which were just being developed into what we know as the modern clarinet). This score shows you where Mozart made the changes.
  • It is uncertain whether Mozart actually got to hear a performance of this magnificent work ...
First Movement

Naturally a little gloomy (minor key), the descending theme nevertheless conveys a sense of optimism as it rises, only to fall again:



































He decorates the second appearance of the theme with winds:



































This second chromatic theme moves to the relative major -- B-Flat. Look how he divides this between strings and winds!






















Development: Following a tutti tonic chord followed by a diminished seventh, Mozart weaves his way into a modulation in F-Sharp Minor!



































In the following pages, Mozart whizzes through a variety of key changes -- breaking up the thematic motif into small pieces -- and then the recap -- finally -- reappears in G Minor completely unexpectedly:



































The secondary theme in the tonic minor:



































and the movement closes with a tutti I-V progression:




































Second Movement

A lyrical 6/8 in the key of E-Flat Major (the submediant). Check out all the leading tones Mozart uses to enrich the music; and the quick little 32nd-notes:



































A move to B-Flat Major:



































Section two begins with a surprise chromatic movement suggested a far-off A-Flat Minor -- the 32nd-note riff is now prominent -- and the bass rises  chromatically until we reach the tonic major:





































Third Movement

Not a minuet you are likely to dance to ... notice how the theme is divided into measures of three, then four:



































The next section is fantastically imaginative -- the violins decorate the theme (in the winds) with a different phrase, and soon he has the violins playing in staggered entrances:




































The Trio (G Major) is more danceable, very Haydn-like, except Mozart uses the wind instruments unlike anyone else (which Beethoven often copied) ...




































Fourth Movement

The theme is divided into an eight-bar call-and-response which is repeated:



































Lots of scaling until we reach the second theme in B-Flat Major:




































Like Movement One, the development section spins through a wide variety of key centers -- creating an unsettling feeling:




































Did Mozart realize he created an 11-tone row here?






[every note in the chromatic scale except G!]

**

The recap is preceded by a loud F-Sharp diminshed seventh chord and six beats of silence:



































and

Thursday, September 29, 2022

CCCXCIII. WASSENAER, Unico Wilhelm van: Concerto Armonico #3 in A Major

CCCXCIII. WASSENAER, Unico Wilhelm van (1692-1766)

Concerto Armonico #3 in A Major (1725-40)
1. Grave assai sostenuto / 2. Canone di Palestrina (3:26)
3. Largo Andante (2:36)
4. Vivace (3:04)
Aradia Ensemble
Kevin Mallon, cond.



In Post CCII, I mentioned how Stravinsky thought he was recycling the music of Giovanni Battista Pergolisi (1710-1736), but recent scholarship has discovered the true authors of some of that music.

Unico Wilhelm van Wassenaer was one of them. Of course there's a story behind the mis-attribution!

**

The Van Waaenaers were a distinguished family in the Netherlands, tracing their ancestry back to 1200. Originally nobility, they rose to power and influence during the Eighty Years' War against Spain from 1568-1648.

His father was a general and diplomat at various German courts, where luxury and the arts flourished. He studied with Quirinus van Blankenburg, the famous cembalo master.

But composing was not a proper profession for someone of such importance, and he became -- like his father and brother -- a diplomat, well respected in France both as a noble and as a musician.

It is now believed that Wassenaer composed his concerti armonici in The Hague where he played them with friends, including the Italian violinist Carlo Ricciotti (1681-1756) and Count van Bentinck (1704-74).

**

In 1980, the Dutch musicologist Alfred Dunning was exploring the palace library at Twickel. Here he discovered the scores for the six concerti, with a forward by the composer:

"Score of my concertos, engraved by Signor Ricciotti ... I allowed him to make a copy; when all six were ready, he asked my permission to have them engraved. Upon my refusal, he enlisted the aid of Count Bentinck, to whose strong representations I finally acquiesced, on condition that my name did not appear anywhere on the copy, and that he put his name to it, as he did.

1. Grave assai sostenuto / 2. Canone di Palestrina

The strings are divided in seven parts (four violin, viola, cello and bass). The short introduction is painfully beautiful.

Notice that the copyist (mis-attributionee?) has crossed out the name Palestrina!




































3. Largo Andante

Intense F-Sharp Minor, with a constant dotted-eighth/sixteenth rhythm:






































4. Vivace

An energetic gigue-type dance movement ...



Wednesday, September 28, 2022

CCCXCII. BACH, J.S.: Cantata #67: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67

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

Cantata #67: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ, BWV 67 (1724)
1. [Coro]: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ
2. Aria (Tenore): Mein Jesus ist erstanden
3. Recitativo (Alto): Mein Jesu, heißest du des Todes Gift
4. Choral (Coro): Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag
5. Recitativo (Alto): Doch scheinet fast
6. Aria (Basso, Coro): Friede sei mit euch
7. Choral (Coro): Du Friedefürst, Herr Jesu Christ
Netherlands Bach Society
(13:28)


Are you a doubting Thomas?


Reubens, c. 1611

There's nothing wrong with that -- healthy skepticism is an important aspect of the human experience!

Thomas was a disciple who had trouble with the concept of Jesus's resurrection, until (as John 20:24-29 relates), Jesus appeared to him and said:

"'Put your finger here: see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"

Bach's unknown librettist compares Thomas to the Christian in general. The seven-movement structure is wrapped around a chorale (#4) and features several repetitions of the line Friede sei mit euch (Peace be with you).

**

Bach writes for a corno da tirarsi, which is called for in only two other cantatas (BWV 46 and 162). The instrument is a mystery.

**

1. [Coro]: Halt im Gedächtnis Jesum Christ

The sinfonia is a wondrous piece of music. The chorus loudly proclaims Halt, there is an instrumental-only section and delicious fugal passages:



Hold in remembrance Jesus Christ, that He has risen from His entombment.

2. Aria (Tenore): Mein Jesus ist erstanden

Declarative E Major; the grace notes in the strings add a certain unsteadiness:




































My Savior is arisen,

So why should I now fear?
However firm my faith may be
My heart from strife is never free.
Oh come, my Savior dear.

3. Recitativo (Alto): Mein Jesu, heißest du des Todes Gift

My Jesus, fear of death didst Thou dispel,
And art become the dread of Hell.
What then is there to fear or daunt us here?
Thyself has taught our thankful voices
This song with which mankind rejoices.

4  Choral (Coro): Erschienen ist der herrlich Tag

Now dawns for us a glorious Day
Whose joy no power can gainsay.
Our Blessed Lord triumphant rose
Victorious over all His foes. Alleluja!



































5. Recitativo (Alto): Doch scheinet fast

But still it seems
That certain of my foes
Who yet remain with threats of further woes,
Will leave me no repose.
When Thou hast overcome then in the end,
Help me, with foes within me to contend, ah
See how already now Believers, are sure, O Prince of Peace,
That by Thine aid our troubles soon will cease.



6. Aria (Basso, Coro): Friede sei mit euch

Bach interrupts this cascade of strings (including fast 32nd-notes in the violins) in a basic I-V harmonic progression in A Major four times -- to introduce the voice of Jesus, accompanied by the woodwinds playing a dotted 1/8th-16th rhythm:



















































Peace be unto you.
All's well, guards us from disaster,
All our foes He now will master.
Devils, Satan, go.
Peace be unto you.
Jesus ends our struggles dreary,
Gives new life to worn and weary souls and brings them peace.
Blessed unto you.
O Lord, help us to an outcome glorious
That thru death we be victorious,
Heaven High to view! Peace be unto you.

7. Choral (Coro): Du Friedfürst, Herr Jesu Christ




You prince of peace,
Lord Jesus Christ,
True man and true God,
You are a strong helper in distress,
In life and death
Therefore we only
In your name
Cry to your Father!

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

CCCXCI. GOLIJOV, Osvaldo: Ayre

CCCXCI. GOLIJOV, Osvaldo (1960-       )

Ayre (2004)
Ilana Davidson, soprano
Todd Palmer, clarinet
Alexander Sevastian, accordion
Dan Wions, French Horn
Barbara Allen, harp
Kathe Jarka, cello
Jonathan Bagg, viola
Laura Gilbert, flutes
James Baker, percussion
Jered Egan, bass
Jeremy Flower, laptop
(46:03)


Golijov was inspired to composer Ayre by Luciano Berio's Folk Songs (see Post XIII). Deutsche Grammophon apparently agreed, as the two compositions are coupled on the 2005 CD ...


Ayre -- meaning "air" or "melody" in medieval Spanish largely centers on southern Spain with its intermingling of three cultures -- Christian, Arab, and Jewish -- in an era before the expulsion of the Jews in the late 15th century.

This magnificent performance of an important work of contemporary music deserves to be heard and seen!

1. Mañanita de San Juan (Dawn, St. John's Day)
Traditional Sephardic romance

'Twas dawn: St. John's Day
When Moors and Christians went out to war.
They were battling, they were dying
Five hundred on each side.

Rondale, admiral of the seas,
Was taken captive.
His sword broke and in the middle of the battle
He found himself in prison and started to cry.

The princess heard him from the heights of her castle:
"Don't cry, Rondale, don't hurt yourself.
Marry me, my vineyards, and my brooks
And I will give you 100 gold marks and
Whatever else you want."

"May evil fires burn your vineyards,
Your brooks and your homes.
I have a wife in Paris: that's the one I marry."

When the princess heard this
She had him killed.

2. Una madre comió asado (A mother roasted her child)
Traditional Sephardic song after "The Lamentations of Jeremiah"

And a mother roasted
And ate her cherished son:

"Look at my eyes, mother,
I learned the law with them.

Look at my forehead, mother,
I wore the philacteries there.

Look at my mouth, mother,
I learned the law with it."

3. Tancas serradas a muru (Walls are encircling the land)
Lyrics and Music by Melchiorre Murenu (Sardinia, c. 1820)
Francisco Ignazio Mannu (Sardinia, c. 1795)

Walls are encircling the land
The land seized with greed and in haste,
If Heaven was on Earth,
They would grab it too.

Moderate your tyranny, Barons,
Otherwise, I swear on my life:
I'll bring you down from your horses!
War is now declared
Against your superiority!
You have exhausted
The people's patience.

4. Luna (Moon)
Music by Gustavo Santaolalla (instrumental)

5. Nani
Traditional Sephardic lullaby

Sleep my sweetheart, sleep,
Sleep, apple of my eye.
Your father is coming,
And his spirits are high.

"Open the door, wife.
Open the door
Because I'm coming
And I'm tired from plowing the fields."

"I will not open to you.
You are not tired.
I know you are coming
From your new love."

6. Wa Habibi (My love)
Traditional Christian Arab Easter song

My Love, what has befallen you?
Who saw you and grieved for you,
You who are righteous?
My Love, what is the sin of our times and
Our children?
These wounds have no cure.

7. Aiini taqtiru (My eyes weep)
Traditional Christian Arab Easter song

My eyes weep without pause
For there is no rest until God reveals Himself
And gazes from the sky.
I raised my prayers in Your name, O God.
Do not without your ear.
Listen to my voice and come today.

8. Kun li-guiari wataran ayyuha al-maa' (Be a string, water, to my guitar)
Poem by Mahmoud Darwish (from "Eleven Planets in the Last Andalusian Sky")

Be a string, water, to my guitar,
Conquerors come, conquerors go ...
It's getting hard to remember my face in the mirrors.
Be memory for me
So I can see what I've lost.
(Who am I after these paths of exodus?
I own a boulder that bears my name
On a tall bluff overlooking what has come to an end.
Seven hundred years escort me beyond the city walls.
Time turns around in vain to save
My past from a moment that gives birth
To the history of my exile
In others and in myself.)
Be a string, water, to my guitar.
Conquerors come, conquerors go ...
Heading south as nations decompose
On the compost of change.
I know who I was yesterday,
But who will I be tomorrow
Under the Atlantic flags of Columbus?
Be a string to my guitar, water, be a string.
There is no Egypt in Egypt, no
Fez in Fez, and Syria is too far away.
No hawk on the flag of my people,
No river running east of a palm tree besieged
By the Mongols' swift horses.
In which Andalusia did I meet my end?
Here, in this place?
Or there?
I know I've died, leaving behind what is
Best of what is mine in the place: my past.
I've got nothing left but my guitar.
Be a string, water, to my guitar
Conquerors come, conquerors go.

9. Suéltate las cintas (Untie your ribbons)
Lyrics and Music: Santaolalla

Untie the ribbons of your hair and of your skirt:
Let's devour the night until dawn comes, just like this.
Barefoot girl.

We don't need the sky when you have my back
And I embrace our waist of moon, just like this.
Your silvery waist.

If tomorrow, in the village, you laugh by yourself, wait,
Keep the secret in which you carry me, just like this.
Weed, flower, honey and sand.

10. Yah, annah emtza'cha (O God, where shall I find you?)
Poem by Yehudah Halevy (c. 1112)
The second half of poem #8 is recited over this song

O God, where shall I find You?
Your place is high and hidden.
And where shall I not find You?
Your glory fills the World.

11. Ariadna en su laberinto (Ariadne in her labyrinth)
Lyrics: Traditional Sephardic romance

("Why do you cry fair child?
Why do you cry, white flower!)

"I cry because
You leave me"

Monday, September 26, 2022

CCCXC. LIGETI, György: Piano Études (Book Two)

CCCXC. LIGETI, György (1923-2006)

Piano Études (Book Two)
VII. Galamb borong (1988) (2:47)
VIII. Fém (1989) (3:06)
IX. Vertige (1990) (3:02)
X. Der Zauberlehrling (1994) (2:19)
XI. En suspens (1994) (2:06)
XII. Entrelacs (1993) (2:55)
XIII. L'escalier du diable (1993) (5:17)
XIV. Coloana infintă (1993) (1:41)
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano



"How did I get the idea of composing highly virtuosic piano études? The initial impetus was, above all, my own inadequate piano technique."

VII. Galamb borong



VIII. Fém














IX. Vertige















X. Der Zauberlehrling














XI. En suspens










XII. Entrelacs

--

XIII. L'escalier du diable
















XIV. Coloana infinită





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 #...