Wednesday, January 31, 2024

DCCCLXXXII. SCHUBERT, Franz: Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 99

DCCCLXXXII. SCHUBERT, Franz (1797-1828)

Piano Trio in B-Flat Major, Op. 99 (1827)
1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante un poco mosso
3. Scherzo (Allegro)
4. Rondo (Allegro vivace -- Presto)
Janine Jansen, violin
Torleif Thedéen, cello
Itamar Golan, piano
(49:38)

 

1. Allegro moderato






















2. Andante un poco mosso










3. Scherzo (Allegro)





















4. Rondo (Allegro vivace -- Presto)



Tuesday, January 30, 2024

DCCCLXXXI. MENDELSSOHN, Felix: Sonata in F Major for Violin and Piano

DCCCLXXXI. MENDELSSOHN, Felix (1809-1847)

Sonata in F Major for Violin and Piano (1820)
1. Allegro (4:23)
2. Andante (5:34)
3. Presto (3:02)
Nomos Duo
Nicholas Milton, violin
Nina-Margrét Grímsdóttir, piano

From the pen of the 11-year-old prodigy ...

1. Allegro






















2. Andante


3. Presto

Monday, January 29, 2024

DCCCLXXX: CHADWICK, Roland: Carabella Suite

DCCCLXXX. CHADWICK, Roland (1957-       )
Carabella Suite
1. Toarmina
2. Serendipity
3. Commuter Cowboys
Roland Chadwick, steel guitar
(10:54)

Sunday, January 28, 2024

DCCCLXXIX. MAMLOK, Ursula: 2000 Notes

DCCCLXXIX. MAMLOK, Ursula (1923-2016)
2000 Notes (2000)
1. Gruff (1:19)
2. Quartet Note + Sixteenth Note = 72+ (1:40)
3. Quartet Note = 48 (3:15)
4. Dotted Eighth Note = 100 (1:18)
Garrick Ohlsson, piano

Saturday, January 27, 2024

DCCCLXXVIII. BARTÓK, Béla: Petite Suite

DCCCLXXVIII. BARTÓK, Béla (1881-1945)
Petite Suite (1936)
1. Slow Dance
2. Whirling Dance
3. Quasi Pizzicato
4. Ruthenian Dance
5. Bagpipes
Chris Beemer, piano
(6:25)

 

Reduction of 5 of the 44 Duos for Violins.

Friday, January 26, 2024

DCCCLXXVII. MATSUMURA, Teizo: Totem Ritual

DCCCLXXVII. MATSUMURA, Teizo (1929-2007)

Totem Ritual (1969)
Tokyo Symphony Orchestra
Tokyo Philharmonic Chorus
Hiroshi Ishimaru, cond.
(11:14)

Thursday, January 25, 2024

DCCCLXXVI. DEBUSSY, Claude: Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp

DCCCLXXVI. DEBUSSY, Claude (1862-1918)

Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp (1915)
1. Pastorale: Lento, dolce rubato
2. Interlude: Tempo di Minuetto
3. Finale: Allegro moderato ma risoluto
Emmanuel Pahud, flute
Yulia Deyneka, viola
Aline Khouri, harp
(17:57)

1. Pastorale: Lento, dolce rubato





















2. Interlude: Tempo di Minuetto





















3. Finale: Allegro moderato ma risoluto



Wednesday, January 24, 2024

DCCCLXXV. GLAZUNOV, Alexander: Les Ruses d'amour

DCCCLXXV. GLAZUNOV, Alexander (1865-1936)

Les Ruses d'amour (1900)
1. Introduction et Scène I
2. Récitatif mimique
3. Sarabande
4. Farandole et Sc
ène II
5. Danse des marionettes
6. Sc
ène III
7. Sc
ènes IV et V
8. Variation
9. Sc
ène VI, Marcia
10. Sc
ène VII, Grande Valse
11. Sc
ènes VIII-XI
12. Ballabile des paysans et des paysannes
13. Grand pas des fiancés
14. Variation
15. La Fricassée
USSR Symphony Orchestra
Yevgeny Svetlanov, cond.
(56:43)


A respectable, if overused, plot.

Isabella, the daughter of a duchess, is betrothed to the Marquis Damis, but resolves to test his love by disguising herself as a servant. The Marquis eventually agrees to elope with her. She then reveals her true identity, satisfied at last that her betrothed loves her for herself and not for her title.

Although seldom performed these days, Glazunov's music is full of sparkle and wit. That inventive Russian orchestration is evident throughout the ballet ...

1. Introduction et Scène I






















2. Récitatif mimique





















3. Sarabande



































4. Farandole et Scène II



































5. Danse des marionettes



































6. Scène III



































7. Scènes IV et V



































8. Variation



































9. Scène VI, Marcia



































10. Scène VII, Grande Valse



































11. Scènes VIII-XI



































12. Ballabile des paysans et des paysannes



































13. Grand pas des fiancés



































14. Variation



































15. La Fricassée



Tuesday, January 23, 2024

DCCCLXXIV. HAYDN, Franz Joseph: String Quartet #3 in D Major, Op. 1, No. 3

DCCCLXXIV. HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)

String Quartet #3 in D Major, Op. 1, No. 3 (1751)
1. Adagio
2. Menuetto
3. Scherzo: Presto
4. Menuetto
5. Finale: Presto
Piccolo Concerto Wien
(16:30)

First movement





















Second movement












Third movement









Fourth movement





















Fifth movement


Monday, January 22, 2024

Sunday, January 21, 2024

DCCCLXXII. VAN de VATE, Nancy: Chernobyl

DCCCLXXII. VAN de VATE, Nancy (1930-2023)

Chernobyl (1987)
Polish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra
Szymon Kawalla, cond.
(12:55)

Saturday, January 20, 2024

DCCCLXXI. SAINT-SAENS, Camille: Carnival of the Animals

 DCCCLXXI. SAINT-SAËNS, Camille (1835-1921)

Carnival of the Animals (1886)
1. Introduction (0:59)
2. Royal March of the Lions (1:34)
3. Hens and Roosters (1:28)
4. Wild Asses (0:49)
5. Tortoises (2:00)
6. The Elephant (2:00)
7. Kangaroos (1:35)
8. Aquarium (2:41)
9. People with Long Ears (1:13)
10. The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Forest (1:59)
11. Aviary (1:25)
12. Pianists (1:48)
13. Fossils (1:38)
14. The Swan (3:47)
15. Finale (2:16)
Peter Schickele, narrator
Ralph Markham, piano
Kenneth Broadway, piano
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Yoel Levi, cond.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Poems by Schickele.

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Wednesday, January 17, 2024

DCCCLXVIII. STRAVINSKY, Igor: Septet

DCCCLXVIII. STRAVINSKY, Igor (1882-1971)

Septet (1952-53)
1. 1/4-note = 88
2. Passacaglia, circa 1/4-note = 60
3. Gigue, dotted-1/8th = 112-116
Emilio Ferrando, clarinet
Julio Pallás, bassoon
Amadeo Catalám, French horn
Juan Carlos Segura, piano
Victor Parra, violin
Carlos Seco, viola
Zsolt G. Tottzer, cello
Juan José Olives, cond.
(14:37)

Stravinsky goes 12-tone! This period of his life was always talked about like it was such a big deal when I was growing up in the 60's and 70's.

In fact -- a lot like Berg -- he used the rigid systems of serialism to explore and diversify his omnipresent love of all things classical -- thus neo-classicism.

The final movement is fugues and double fugues, with the series notated above the parts, and a tapestry of connections with previously-heard music.

First movement





















Second movement





















Third movement

Tuesday, January 16, 2024

DCCCLXVII. HAYDN, Franz Joseph: Symphony #86 in D Major

DCCCLXVII. HAYDN, Franz Joseph (1732-1809)

Symphony #86 in D Major (1786)
1. Adagio -- Allegro spiritoso
2. Capriccio: Largo
3. Menuetto: Allegretto
4. Finale: Allegro con spirito
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Colin Davis, cond.
(26:23)

First movement

After an appropriately royal adagio introduction, Papa immediately pulls a fast one!

 











using a secondary dominant (B -- V/ii) for his opening phrase; these little surprises that quickly resolve appear throughout ... but he then barks out a tutti -- the orchestra playing three 1/8th-notes, while the first violins fill the 1/8th-rst with a few 16ths ...




































Nothing particularly noteworthy in the development and recap. A very militant D Major.

Second movement

In the dominant G Major, Haydn begins with yet another simple arpeggio.



































but Haydn gives the simple tonality grace and foundation with the combination of 16ths and 32nds ...





































Third movement

Menuet



































and Trio:



































Fourth movement

Con spirito, indeed. Still decorating arpeggios with passing tones, at this tempo  the music is moving along.



































These




Monday, January 15, 2024

DCCCLXVI. DEBUSSY, Claude: En blanc et noir

DCCCLXVI. DEBUSSY, Claude (1862-1918)

En blanc et noir (1915)
1. I
2. II
3. III
Martha Argerich, piano
Iddo Bar-Shai, piano
(17:10)

This is some of Debussy's greatest work. It is amazing what our geniuses created during periods of intense suffering.

Inside and out. He had cancer and had decamped to Normandy -- and his country was at war with a seriously deranged enemy ...

The title certainly references the keys of the piano, but Debussy added an additional explanation in his correspondence:

"These pieces need to draw their colour, their emotion, simply from the piano, like the 'grays' of Velázquez, if you understand me."

Each movement is preceded by a literary quotation.


1. I

Qui reste à sa place
Et ne danse pas
De quelque disgr
âce
Fait l'aveu tout bas
    -- Barbier & Carré, Romeo et Juliette (Gonoud)





















2. 
II

Prince, porté soit des serfs Eolus
En la forest ou domine Glaucus
Ou privé soit de paix et d'espérance
Car digne n'est de posséder vertus
Qui mal vouldroit au royaume de France
  -- Villon, Ballade contre les ennemis de la France

Quotes the Lutheran hymn Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott.


3. III

Yver, vous n'este qu'un villain
  -- Charles d'Orleans


CMLXVIII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Serenade #6 in D Major ("Serenata notturna"), K. 239

CMLXVIII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791) Serenade #6 in D Major ("Serenata notturna"), K. 239 (1776) 1. Marcia  (4:24) 2. M...