Classical Music II

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I'm looking to add A) Handel's Messiah, and B) Dream of Gerontius to my library. Can anyone recommend a particular recording of either of these?

[hectorberlioz]

Yes I can .

There are several safe recommendations of "Messiah". One is conducted by Paul McCreesh with the Gabrieli Consort & Singers. Another good one is Neville Marriner's with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Those are the two that I own, and I love both. Also: Sir Colin Davis (Philips), and Higginbottom (Naxos).

As for "Dream of Gerontius" (to words by Newman, as you no doubt know) look to Sir Adrian Boult on EMI Classics.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

What can you tell me about the two versions of Messiah you mention? Especially the soloists (especially the contraltos; are they, or are they mezzos?)

[hectorberlioz]

It really depends on which recordings you get. Some conductors like to switch the singers around, replacing sopranos with mezzos, basses with baritones etc...the arias aren't all written specifically for one type of voice. My McCreesh recording uses five soloists. Bernarda Fink (contralto), Dorothea Roschmann (soprano), Susan Gritton (soprano II), Charles Daniels (tenor), and Neal Davies (bass).

This version is also the Foundling Hospital Version of 1754. All this means is that Handel switched some things around, might have reorchestrated something, etc. Don't try to get THE VERSION, because almost every version is slightly different. The constant switching around has more to do with circumstances of performance (what forces are available to a conductor) than it does with any definitive version.

The Marriner version is more traditional. His singers are Emily Ameling (sop), Philip Langridge (tenor), Anna Reynolds (alto), and Gywnne Howell (bass).

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I know; I was really just concerned about finding a recording with a real contralto, not just a low mezzo, coz I like contraltos quite a bit, and a lot of recording stick mezzos in their parts.

[hectorberlioz]

So I guess you'll go for the McCreesh then? It's great, let me just say that now . Clear textures, great singing, and great music-making in general. I don't have a single complaint. Except maybe that Charles Daniels has a slight lisp.

[hectorberlioz]

Ten Concertos Everyone Can Enjoy

1. Vivaldi: Concerto rv548
2. Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
3. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20
4. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3
5. Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3
6. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1
7. Amy Beach: Piano Concerto in A minor
8. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1
9: Poulenc: Harpsichord Concerto
10. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos

I'm going to expand and explain when I have time tomorrow, but for now I just wanted to get the list down. Some changes to be made as I consider the list tomorrow throughout the day. I'll also do a list like this for great choral works.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

So I guess you'll go for the McCreesh then? It's great, let me just say that now . Clear textures, great singing, and great music-making in general. I don't have a single complaint. Except maybe that Charles Daniels has a slight lisp.

Both Fink and Reynolds are mezzos, so that won't enter into my decision!

Having peeked at amazon, the Marriner is 13 dollars, and the McCreesh is 62. I think I'll go Marriner.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Ten Concertos Everyone Can Enjoy

What about Tchaikovsky's piano concerto's?

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Both Fink and Reynolds are mezzos, so that won't enter into my decision!

Having peeked at amazon, the Marriner is 13 dollars, and the McCreesh is 62. I think I'll go Marriner.

But...it says Fink is a contralto

Good choice, though if you buy the McCreesh used, it's not so bad

Originally Posted by Eärniel

What about Tchaikovsky's piano concerto's?

Thank you! I knew I was missing one of the big ones.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

But...it says Fink is a contralto

Exactly why I was enquiring. (Telegraph, Hyperion Records, Bach Cantatas, and Wikipedia all agree she's a mezzo, so I'm convinced. )

Good choice, though if you buy the McCreesh used, it's not so bad

I might keep an eye open for it.

[hectorberlioz]

What's wrong witth the other eye? Golly Gwai, you just don't trust me do you?

Btw, I know you don't like Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky" score, but it has a really great aria for, er, um, Mezzo .

Why don't you like mezzo?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Oh, I do. One of my favourite singers, Vivica Genaux, is a mezzo. I recently made a CD with different soprano voices I love, and next on my project list is a mezzo CD. There are scads of mezzo arias I like. I just prefer to have soprano and contralto soloists for choral works (especially if they're going to have duets), because I find that a soprano and a nice, rich contralto voice contrast well with one another.

[hectorberlioz]

This is a list I've put together of works in a specific genre: the concerto. Now, concertos are in some ways the more accessible way into classical music. They are, in fact, quite similar to the modern song in layout. There is a featured soloist (the "singer") or group of soloists, backed up by the orchestra (the "band"), and this contrast between musicians is more familiar to those mostly interested in popular music.

What I've done below is chosen ten of the best works that anyone can pick up and listen to and enjoy, without any hardship. That's not to say you'll like all ten on here, because I've chosen works throughout the panorama of history. Enjoy the list, but more importantly go find this music!

1. Vivaldi: Concerto rv548
Actually, quite a few of Vivaldi's concertos woulc be on this list. I chose this one because it features the Mandolin. This IS NOT, however, the Mandolin Concerto that is so famous. This is what you'd call a "Concerto grosso," where groups of instruments are the stars. In this one, violins, woodwinds, and the mandolin take turns being the star. It's a very lively, spirited, and quite short (around 10 minutes) work.

2. Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
There are a lot of great Trumpet Concertos from the Baroque and Classical periods (not least, Vivaldi's concerto for two trumpets & orch). But this one is probably the most endearing. The music contains not a trace of freneticism (as does Mozart's), it just breezes along happily.

3. Mozart: Piano Concerto No.20
When Mozart went out of fashion during the Romantic era, this was one of the few works of his that stayed in the orchestral repertoire. Let's just say for now that when the Romantics were deciding what music from the past they liked, they were interested in a certain emotional quality. They found it in Beethoven and Schubert, and to a lesser extent in Mozart. In any case, this work is far removed from the Mozart you know from the "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik." It's a darker mood that prevails here, but not without a good dose of irony. Lots of strange twists of emotion.

4. Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.3
In some ways, this is actually a hard piece of music to listen to. Mostly because of the length, you might find it necessary to skip the middle movement. There's nothing wrong with this (NEVER be a listening Nazi). I usually listen to the work in disorder, with the last mvt first, then the first mvt second, and by that time I'm in the mood for the slow second mvt. As long as you allow yourself this freedom, you'll find that this Beethoven concerto is majestic, with enough sense of nobility to make you think you're royalty.

5. Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3
Everyone assumes that just because Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 is more popular and is used in movies, that it must be the best. Actually, I'm not a fan. In fact, it's the only one of Rachmaninov's four piano concertos that I don't like. I feel that what Rachmaninov said in the 2nd, he said better in this one, the 3rd. It's a slam-bang-er that outdoes most other concertos in difficulty of performance. And it shows. Just thank me after you listen, Ok?

6. Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.1
This is the only work on here that I had qualms choosing. At first you think it's going the way of Rachmaninov, but then Prokofiev throws in twists of modern irony etc, and generally acts like Prokofiev. And that's a good thing, once you get used to it. If this work were just another Ultimate Romantic Russian Work, it wouldn't be very unique. So it may take a while getting used to Prokofiev's twists and turns, but once you do, he's just enjoyable as all the rest of the dead white European males on here---and one American woman, as I'm about to explain.

7. Amy Beach: Piano Concerto in A minor
This work needs more exposure, period. It's a masterpiece of not just American classical music, but in all other ways. I intend for you to listen to it. It's a very lyrical and melodious piece.

8. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1
9: Poulenc: Harpsichord Concerto
10. Bach: Brandenburg Concertos


NOTE: I'LL FINISH THIS LATER

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

This is a list I've put together of works in a specific genre: the concerto. Now, concertos are in some ways the more accessible way into classical music. They are, in fact, quite similar to the modern song in layout. There is a featured soloist (the "singer") or group of soloists, backed up by the orchestra (the "band"), and this contrast between musicians is more familiar to those mostly interested in popular music.

Isn't it usually an instrument accompanied by an orchestra, not a singer?

[Mari]

Yay, another series ^_^
Will you write one on choral pieces as well?

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

Isn't it usually an instrument accompanied by an orchestra, not a singer?

I was making a comparison, you foolish lad.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by Grey_Wolf

Have any of u heard of a classical singer called Madalena Cousino?

Would be glad if u could send me a link or info on her.

best
gw

If that is an alternate spelling for Magdalena Kozena, I've seen several CDs (and a couple DVDs) with her name on them, but I've never heard her.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Originally Posted by Mari

Listening to Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E flat right now and before that Orpheus and Eurydice by Gluck. Unfortunately I don't have the entire performance, only several parts.
Ahh, great music it is. *relaxes completely while listening and reading a book*

Who sings Orfeo in the Gluck you heard?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Since I just mentioned my favourite mezzo, here's a recording from her for your delectation. She has a very unique style (at least, I've never heard anything like it), so keep that in mind:

Vivica sings Vivaldi

For a little contrast, here's Cecilia Bartoli singing the same piece:

Bartoli

I first heard her on a CD of arias written for Farinelli, the most famous castrato. I don't really like the music very much (as sometimes happens with Baroque music, and as even his contemporaries sometimes said of Farinelli, it is excessively ornamental, with more emphasis on virtuosity than on beautiful music). I realised, however, that I quite liked the singer, so I've gotten some other CDs from her; she's become one of my three favourite opera singers, along with Natalie Dessay and Philippe Jaroussky.