Classical Music II

[hectorberlioz]

Here's what I have Gershwin-wise.

I have a disc called "Oscar Levant plays Gershwin"...and it includes the Piano Concerto in F, both Rhapsodies, IGR Variations, and three solo piano preludes.

The sound is pretty...dense, but I really love both rhapsodies, and I don't know why No.2 isn't more famous!

I have heard the Cuban Overture and the symphonic poem An American in Paris, when I checked out a cd from the library...but I didn't keep it out long enough to get familiar with the music.

May as well talk about the other American Music I own....

I have the Naxos disc of Copland's three famous ballets, I have Paul Creston's first three symphonies, I have a great three-disc collection of Bernstein's Best-Of, and I have a copied disc of Ive's First and Fourth Symphonies. And then I have a disc of Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon, Niagra Falls, and Mississippi River suites.

I probably have more...but I'm wracking my brain now...

[trolls' bane]

LOL! True.

They're great. Especially American in Paris.

Why do they call it a symphonic poem?

[hectorberlioz]

Because it tells a story...well, lots of music tells stories, but the intent of Symphonic Poems (or Tone Poems) is to tell a story. Kinda like the first film music, except way more original. It was franz Liszt's formal invention, but he got it from Berlioz, whose Symphonie Fantastique could probably be called the first Symphonic Poem...but then there's Beethoven's Sixth, which isn't too far off itself, though the "story" is more general....and then we get into this long discussion about what was truly the first descriptive piece of music blah blah blah.

Much better to go from Berlioz to Liszt, then on forward....

Btw, I recommend these symphonic poems to you:

Dvorak's "The Water Goblin"

Honegger's "Pacific 231" (You'll really love this one...)

Liszt's "Mazeppa"

Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel"

Sibelius' "Night Ride & Sunrise"

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Because it tells a story...well, lots of music tells stories, but the intent of Symphonic Poems (or Tone Poems) is to tell a story. Kinda like the first film music, except way more original. It was franz Liszt's formal invention, but he got it from Berlioz, whose Symphonie Fantastique could probably be called the first Symphonic Poem...but then there's Beethoven's Sixth, which isn't too far off itself, though the "story" is more general....and then we get into this long discussion about what was truly the first descriptive piece of music blah blah blah.

Much better to go from Berlioz to Liszt, then on forward....

Btw, I recommend these symphonic poems to you:

Dvorak's "The Water Goblin"

Honegger's "Pacific 231" (You'll really love this one...)

Liszt's "Mazeppa"

Richard Strauss' "Till Eulenspiegel"

Sibelius' "Night Ride & Sunrise"

Thanks.

[Fat middle]

Last Christmas I made a stop in my Bach's cantatas study and devoted myself to Mahler (all his symphonies and songs) mainly under Bernstein's direction. I've rediscovered great treasures within those works and I've specially discovered the 3rd Symphony, that to the date haden't any special relevance for me.

I've been also listening to Sibelius symphonies and, in my returning to the baroque world I've focussed into some Telemann's works and also some french baroque music. I recommend you all the christmas oratorio by Telemann 'Die Hirten an der Krippe zu Bethlehem'. Simply delicious.

Now I think I'm prepared again to return to Bach's Cantatas

[hectorberlioz]

Well, there are sure plenty of Bach's Cantatas to go around aren't there?

Funny that you went back to Mahler, I just did myself after a long time listening to Bach - mostly Die Kunst der Fuge - and I've gotten back to Sibelius as well. His Fifth Symphony! Before my fav was No.3, and No.1...but I can't stop listening to No.5 now!

Mahler's Third is toughie, and it took me awhile also to get to know it. The 3th Mvt is my favorite, and I also like the vocal parts. Take a look at the length of the first movement! 30 odd minutes! Longer than most of Sibelius's symphonies.

I recently ordered Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie paired with Poulenc's Organ Concerto (an Andre Previn EMI set), Elgar's Third with Colin Davis, Mahler's Fifth with Abbado and the Berlin (I have him with the Chicago already), and Shostakovich's 11th with Rostropovich and the LSO.

Gosh Fat Middle, you spoiled...cat, where've you been?

[hectorberlioz]

Yesterday I bought [one of] Karajan's Beethoven Ninths. OLD cd, from 1986

[hectorberlioz]

Also bought Gardiner's set of Beethoven Symphonies. I've been listening to all my version of the Ninth. His is very different! There's a bit in the Fifth that sounds jazzy!

[hectorberlioz]

New to my collection:

Beethoven Symphonies/Gardiner ORR/Archiv
Brahms-Dvorak Piano Quintets/Rubinstein Guarneri Quartet/RCA
Messiaen-Poulenc Turangalila Symphonie/Concertos /Previn/EMI
Shostakovich Sym.No.11/Rostropovich/LSO LIVE
Tavener The Protecting Veil/Isserlis/Virgin
Prokofiev Ivan the Terrible/Gergiev/Philips
Elgar Sym.No.3/Davis/LSO LIVE
Mahler Sym.No.5/Abbado Berlin/DG
Mahler Sym.No.6/Karajan/DG
Nielsen The Symphonies/Blemstedt/Decca

The highlighted ones are still on their way.

I've really enjoyed Gardiner's Ninth. There's so much more woodwind presence in it than in other versions...

[hectorberlioz]

Gee, I sure feel lonely in this thread...

[hectorberlioz]

Thought I'd bring this back...maybe Fat Middle will see it.


Favorite Kind of Bach: (i.e. Keyboard, choral...)
Fav Bach Organ Work:

Name Four Handel Operas (NOT Oratorios):

Favorite Mozart Work:
How many symphonies did Mozart write?:

Favorite Beethoven Work:
Beethoven's "Wellington's Victory" is pro or con Napoleon?:

Schubert wrote what number of symphonies?:

Antonio Salieri's pupils include: Schubert and Liszt, true or false?

Favorite English Composer:
Holst or Britten?:

On a scale of 0-100, what do you rate Wagner?:

Have you ever heard of Rikard Nordraak?:

In Your Opinion is Mahler; supreme or just a big whiner?:
Bruckner or Mahler?:

Best Mahler Conductor?:

Favorite Czech Composer:

Favorite Scandinavian Composer:

Favorite Concerto:
Fav Violin Concerto:
Fav Wind/Brass Concerto:

Favorite Symphony:

Favorite Opera:

Favorite String Quartet:

Favorite Sacred/Secular Choral Work:

Favorite Solo Keyboard Work:

Can You Name One Belgian Composer?:

Favorite Russian Composer:
Rachmaninov or Shostakovich?:

Who wrote the symphonic poem "The Water Goblin"? Choose from: Liszt, R.Strauss, Dvorak, Enescu, Howard Hanson.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Sir Malcolm Arnold died... ...

If you don't know his name from Symphonies or Concertos etc, you might know it if you watched "bridge on the River Kwai"...he wrote that whistle tune and the rest of it in ten days...

Correction: the "Colonel Bogey March" was not written by Arnold, it's by some other guy named Alford....
Sorry about that.

[hectorberlioz]

TB, post already!

[trolls' bane]

Post.

[hectorberlioz]

Not good enough...

What have you been listening to?

[trolls' bane]

Movie scores mostly. Especially those of science fiction shows.

And American things. Like Copland's En Salon Mexico.

[hectorberlioz]

I'm writing an essay contrasting/comparing Beethoven's Ninth and Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique"

[trolls' bane]

I'm rather excited. I recently came into possession of (and it was by no means cheap! There's a little anecdote to that one later.):
-The complete score to Planet of the Apes, plus the suite for Escape the Planet of the Apes, both, of course, by Jerry Goldsmith.
-Peter Boyer's Ellis Island.

I bought them at Borders via two gift cards. One had a full $25 on it, while the other had $1.91. The combined cost of the two CDs was $26.92. That's right. One penny short. Now it gets even better. I had walked a few miles from the Barnes & Noble at the Westfield Mall in Palm Desert, to the Borders at the River in Rancho Mirage (where I got the CDs). On the way, I stopped at a USA gas station and bought a 44 oz Dr. Pepper to drink on the road. As I was leaving, I dropped a penny. Having the two dimes or so I also got back, I just left it thinking, "Hey, it's just a penny."

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

I'm rather excited. I recently came into possession of (and it was by no means cheap! There's a little anecdote to that one later.):
-The complete score to Planet of the Apes, plus the suite for Escape the Planet of the Apes, both, of course, by Jerry Goldsmith.
-Peter Boyer's Ellis Island.

I bought them at Borders via two gift cards. One had a full $25 on it, while the other had $1.91. The combined cost of the two CDs was $26.92. That's right. One penny short. Now it gets even better. I had walked a few miles from the Barnes & Noble at the Westfield Mall in Palm Desert, to the Borders at the River in Rancho Mirage (where I got the CDs). On the way, I stopped at a USA gas station and bought a 44 oz Dr. Pepper to drink on the road. As I was leaving, I dropped a penny. Having the two dimes or so I also got back, I just left it thinking, "Hey, it's just a penny."

Funny stuff like that happens. This girl once told me that she found $5 outside a grocery store, and she gave it to a homeless guy. When the cashier was done ringing up her groceries, she was five dollars short.

[Grey_Wolf]

Something nice for y'all to listen to...

http://www.doubledivas.co.uk/Streame...sic/mp3ss6.htm