DCCCIV. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Sonata in B-Flat Major for Harpsichord and Violin, K. 8

DCCCIV. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

Sonata in B-Flat Major for Harpsichord and Violin, K. 8 (1763)
1. Allegro
2. Andante grazioso
3. Menuet I & II
Rachel Podger, violin
Gary Cooper, piano
[scrolling score]
(12:14)

Yes, the kid was nine.

These early sonatas were dedicated to a Countess. Leopold didn't miss an opportunity to try to impress the nobility with his trained musical monkey.

DCCCIII. LIGETI, György: Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet

DCCCIII. LIGETI, György (1923-2006)

Ten Pieces for Wind Quintet (1968)
1. Molto sostenuto e calmo
2. Prestissimo minaccioso e burlesco
3. Lento
4. Prestissimo leggiero e virtuoso
5. Presto staccatissimo e leggiero
6. Presto staccatissimo e leggiero
7. Vivo, energico
8. Allegro con delicatezza
9. Sostenuto, stridente
10. Presto bizzarro e rubato, so schnell wie möglich
Eclectic Wind Quintet
Sho Kato, flute, alto flute, piccolo
Jillian Honn, oboe, English horn
Sammy Lesnick, clarinet
Ivy Ringel, bassoon
Thea Humphries, French horn
(15:08)

"The number of movements comes from the idea of composing a small, virtuosic concertino piece for each of the five instruments, with five ensemble pieces for balance. The 'concerto movements' are No. 2 for clarinet, No. 4 for flute, No. 6 for oboe, No. 8 for horn, and No. 10 for bassoon.

The ninth piece is an ensemble piece for piccolo, oboe and clarinet only. These three instruments can produce a piercing sound in the upper register. I deliberately exploited the effect of combination tones (specifically, difference tones): pitches not actually fingered by the instrumentalists, but which result from them playing together. I heard this acoustic phenomenon as a young child, when several girls with high voices would sing Hungarian folk songs in less than perfect unison: it was an amazing sound, much lower than the one being sung or played, and one does not know from which direction it is coming.

In writing the five short concertino pieces, I used all my knowledge of the five wind instruments, checking the most adventurous passages in rehearsal to see if they could be played ... this is not virtuosity for its own sake, but rather in the service of formal plans of tension and extreme expression. My goal was to create something new ... from within the very sound of the music." -- GL

DCCCII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus: Symphony in F Major, K. App. 233 (19a)

DCCCII. MOZART, Wolfgang Amadeus (1756-1791)

Symphony in F Major, K. App. 233 (19a) (1765)
1. Allegro assai
2. Andante
3. Presto
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Neville Marriner, cond.
(10:38)

With a manuscript in Leopold's hand, this symphony was only recently discovered -- in Munich in 1981.

We can assume that papa probably helped the nine-year-old in some aspects -- but it is also clear that Wolfgang was quite capably composing all sorts of music at this very young age.

The work is certainly original in musical materials, if not form.

First movement

A fine combination of melody (first violins), sustained harmony (winds) and broken chords (seconds/violas) and repeated notes (bass).

A cadence on the dominant (C Major) introduces a second theme:

Mozart repeats the material, but moves from dominant to tonic in the repeat.

Second movement

The oboes sit out. A lovely melodic idea. Check out the interesting viola part!

Third movement

A traditional gigue, perhaps made a little more exotic by the lad's exposure to the hornpipe, reel or highland fling dance during his stay in London.

DCCCI. MAHLER, Gustav: Symphony #7

DCCCI. MAHLER, Gustav (1860-1911)

Symphony #7 (1904-05)
1. Langsam -- Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo
2. Nachtmusik I
3. Scherzo
4. Nachtmusik II
5. Rondo Finale
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Alan Gilbert, cond.
(1:29:52)

Although he was just beginning to receive appreciation for his composing, Mahler had a steady conducting gig, and was still composing his symphonies during the summer months at his retreat at Maiernigg.

He spent the summers of '04-'05 revising the Sixth and working on the Seventh.

1. Langsam -- Allegro risoluto, ma non troppo

Under an insistent, stuttering B Minor pulse, the Tenorhorn (much confusion: the Tenorhorn is pitched in E-Flat, while Mahler specifies the instrument in B-Flat, more like the baritone horn) belts out this melody:

Moving to E Minor, the horns pronounce the main theme, accompanied by the same jittery motif, but in the violins ...

The second theme is introduced in the violins -- typical heartache Mahler with fermata holds to increase tension, accompanied by rolling arpeggios in the celli:

The first violins must play a high F-Sharp!

The exposition wraps up; the development section develops and we reach a new short motif, which introduces a long section described as a "religious vision":

2. Nachtmusik I

Rembrandt: The Night Watch (1642)

Though of course Mahler never intended it to be a literal interpretation, he compared his intentions with the feeling of this Rembrandt painting.

Two horns call-and-response; the second horn muted ... the ensuing "bird-call" triplets and trills in the woodwinds evoke an eerie feeling ...

The horns introduce a new theme, which is further developed -- shrouded in ambiguity as Mahler freely switches back and forth between C Minor and C Major:

Cowbells quietly ring out -- surely a sound Mahler must have heard from his lakeside cabin!

3. Scherzo

Another painting which illustrates Mahler's musical intentions:

Henry Fuseli: The Nightmare (1781)

As one musicologist points out, this movement is really "a most morbid and sarcastic mockery of the Viennese waltz."

Like scary footsteps in the night, a half-step between timpani and low strings gradually raise to D Minor, as the muted violins play a ghoulish stop-and-start riff:

Switching to D Major, Mahler introduces a more realistic waltz melody:

A somewhat warmer theme is introduced in the Trio by the oboes:

fffff = pluck so hard that the strings hit the wood!

4. Nachtmusik II

Like many of Mahler's large-scale works, here he reduces the gigantic orchestra to a chamber music ensemble. A solo violin introduces a gentle melody on the clarinet and oboe:

And soon a French horn -- with delicate plucks from a guitar and harp -- croons out a simple melody:

The movement resolves peacefully, in anticipation of the oncoming finale:

5. Rondo Finale

The timpani introduce a fanfare-like figure which is repeated in the winds and horns:

The spirit of the finale fails to equal to the four preceding movements -- it seems stuck in a somewhat banal celebratory feeling. Unison passages feel trite in comparison. This theme pops up frequently, seemingly forcing some joyfulness:

Nevertheless, the last two bars are marvelously exciting, with the brass holding a C Augmented chord resolving to pure C Major:

DCCC. BACH, J.S.: Fugue from Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541

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

Fugue from Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541 (1708-17)

Two versions

Bernard Winsemius, organ
(4:26)

Swingle Singers
(3:13)

DCCXCIX. SAARIAHO, Kaija: Innocence

DCCXCIX. SAARIAHO, Kaija (1952-2023)

Innocence (2018)
Magdalena Kožená, La Serveuse
Sandrine Piau, La Belle Mère
Markus Nykänen, Le Marié
Jukka Rasilainen, Le Prêtre
Lucy Shelton, La Professeure
Tuomas Pursio, Le Beau-Père
Lilian Farahani, La Mariée
Vilma Jåå, Etudiante 1 (Markéta)
Beate Mordal, Etudiante 2 (Lilly)
Julie Hegel, Etudiante 3
Simon Kluth, Etudiante 4
Camilo Delgado Díaz, Etudiante 5 (Jerónimo)
Marina Dumont, Etudiante 6
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir
London Symphony Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki, cond.
(1:48:35)

DCCXCVIII. STOCKHAUSEN, Karlheinz: Oberlippentanz

DCCXCVIII. STOCKHAUSEN, Karlheinz (1928-2007)

Oberlippentanz (Upper-Lip-Dance) (1983)
Markus Stockhausen, piccolo trumpet
(12:56)

See the comments under the YouTube video.