Classical Music

[Mercutio]

Scandinavian Wind Quintets


Very nice!

[Fat middle]

I'm listening a lot to Bach cantatas. It's a very wide world but full of precious jewels.

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

Scandinavian Wind Quintets


Very nice!

I think I liked Johan Kvendal's the best

Aha, Fat Middle! I'm still in the dark about which cantata the theme of "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" is from.

There is a disc I checked out once, called "Voices of Angels: Bach's greatest music for boys voices", and there was a lovely alto solo. That boy in particular reminded me of Edward whatshisname who sang in Fellowship of the Ring.


Added:
Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony
Bach: Cello Suites/Heinrich Schiff
Liszt: Various Piano Music (a two discer from EMI)
Lutoslawski/Seiber/Blake: Music for Clarinet & Orchestra

[Fat middle]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Aha, Fat Middle! I'm still in the dark about which cantata the theme of "Jesu, joy of man's desiring" is from.

Cantata BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" That theme appears twice in the cantata, being the final number of its two parts.

A good aproaching to Bach's cantatas is the 2CD by Joshua Rifkin "6 Favourite Cantatas (BWV 147, 80, 140, 8, 51 and 78)"

There is a disc I checked out once, called "Voices of Angels: Bach's greatest music for boys voices", and there was a lovely alto solo. That boy in particular reminded me of Edward whatshisname who sang in Fellowship of the Ring.

Harnoncourt used boys for the soprano parts in his first recording of St. Matthew's Passion. Quite a radical approach IMHO, but it seems that it was an usual practice in Bach's times. The result is interesting, but far from the vocal splendour you can find when those parts are assigned to proper sopranos.

[trolls' bane]

Has anyone heard of Benjamin Lees? He lives in my neck of the woods, ya know! After recording scene two of Das Rhinegold, I'll be recording some of his music. According to Jimmy (who I now am speaking informally of) on KUSC, he does his own thing when composing music.

[trolls' bane]

I was listening to KUSC and they had these great compositions on, as usual.
I wish I could do one of HB's "this is what I have now", but I am not so lucky as he, so here's a "this is what I WISH I had now":
-Wing on Wing--Esa-Pekka Salonen
-Asyla--Thomas Ades
They are so modern and Jerry Goldsmith-like, I just have to have them!

[Mercutio]

So what do you know about Dvorak's Requiem?

I could play second oboe in it in a few weeks. But I am so busy busy busy, and already doing one oboe thing.

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

So what do you know about Dvorak's Requiem?

I could play second oboe in it in a few weeks. But I am so busy busy busy, and already doing one oboe thing.

Sorry to say, I've never heard of it...
Can you do like...at the beginning of RiB?

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

Has anyone heard of Benjamin Lees? He lives in my neck of the woods, ya know! After recording scene two of Das Rhinegold, I'll be recording some of his music. According to Jimmy (who I now am speaking informally of) on KUSC, he does his own thing when composing music.

does he really! I HAVE HEARD of him!

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by Mercutio

So what do you know about Dvorak's Requiem?

I could play second oboe in it in a few weeks. But I am so busy busy busy, and already doing one oboe thing.

A lot. Well, more than most people. my recording of it is with Karel Ancerl and Soloists Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and some worthy sopranos...
The work itself is very good. Coming directly out of the Berlioz and Verdi fireballs and into the D one, it might not impress you. Especially since Dvorak has that one quality that so many composers lack (for good or bad on their parts): Innocence. And the sections he does really well on are parts like the "Sanctus" and "Pie Jesu". But the "fire and brimestone" sections, especially the "Dies Irae" just don't strike up fiery band as in Verdi's or HB's. dvorak was just too innocent and well meaning to put sincerity into those parts.
Nevertheless, there is plenty to enjoy in the Requiem, there bieng plenty of sections that Dvorak did best at. Karel Ancerl or Istvan Kertesz!

p.s. Before I myself knew about D's R, I'd been browsing on Amazon looking up all the Requiems I knew of (I was really into them back then), and after I'd exausted my knowledge, I tried looking up Requiems by composers whom I wasnt sure had written any. I tries Janacek, I tried Richard Strauss (!!!!), and then, just for the heck of it, I looked up Dvorak. Of course, I said to myself, there's no such thing because Dvorak is a nationalist composer. What came up was Zdenek Macal's recording with the New Jersey Orchestra, paired with the famous Ninth Symphony.

p.p.s. Another Surprise Requiem by an unexpected composer is Schumann! His is a short thirty minute work, and it has some noble stuff...but once again, the fire and brimestone just arent there. (I should note that it is not only F&B that I look for in a Requiem, but they are the parts best by which to judge IMO).

p.p.p.s!!!! MERCUTIO! YOU HAD BETTER ACCEPT THAT OBOE PART!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Fat middle

Cantata BWV 147 "Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben" That theme appears twice in the cantata, being the final number of its two parts.

A good aproaching to Bach's cantatas is the 2CD by Joshua Rifkin "6 Favourite Cantatas (BWV 147, 80, 140, 8, 51 and 78)"

Harnoncourt used boys for the soprano parts in his first recording of St. Matthew's Passion. Quite a radical approach IMHO, but it seems that it was an usual practice in Bach's times. The result is interesting, but far from the vocal splendour you can find when those parts are assigned to proper sopranos.

Alright Fat Middle:
I thought the Boys voices sounded lovely, but of course I havent heard any Bach Cantatas with the Supreme Soprano you speak of.

So far I only own the Mass in B minor as far as Bach's sacred music goes, so I suppose that this Rifkin set is as good a place to continue as any.

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

does he really! I HAVE HEARD of him!

Yeah! I loved whatever it was that I heard him play--you know how classical stations are, you can never quite catch the name of this wonderful sounding score you are listening to, nor do you get the composer's name quite clearly, so you're left trying to decide between several similar sounding names. But anyway, I tried looking him up, but couldn't find anything on Napster. I love Napster, but it doesn't have any modern composers. I couldn't find Essa-Pekka Salonen and his Wing on Wing, nor could I find Thomas Ades and his Asyla.
But I did go to Border's Books today, and bought a book (Robert Zurbin's Case for Mars, if you're curious), and a Gershwin CD, quite simply titled "Gershwin" with the subtitle " 'I Got Rhythm'-Music for 2 Painos" and then the pianists' names, Katia and Marielle Labèque. It has:
-Second Rhapsody (Finally! I've been looking for that since you first mentioned it.)
-6 'I Got Rhythm" variations, including a Chinese variation.
-Two waltzes, which are untitled but the booklet says they are from Pardon My English.
-Blue Monday (whatever that is), with three parts to it.
-Our love is here to stay.
-Embraceable You
Now I'm curious. Rhapsody in Blue is usually for "piano and orchestra." Is there a Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra? Might be a little more impressive to me if that's the case.
Which brings me to something you might or might not know. Did you know that the original Rhapsody in Blue didn't have any piano in it? I just can't imagine it without piano. I was thinking that when I learn to play and read music, I'll rewrite a version so I can play it on piano (over and over again, much to the distress of my future neighbors, wife and kids!).

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

Yeah! I loved whatever it was that I heard him play--you know how classical stations are, you can never quite catch the name of this wonderful sounding score you are listening to, nor do you get the composer's name quite clearly, so you're left trying to decide between several similar sounding names. But anyway, I tried looking him up, but couldn't find anything on Napster. I love Napster, but it doesn't have any modern composers. I couldn't find Essa-Pekka Salonen and his Wing on Wing, nor could I find Thomas Ades and his Asyla.
But I did go to Border's Books today, and bought a book (Robert Zurbin's Case for Mars, if you're curious), and a Gershwin CD, quite simply titled "Gershwin" with the subtitle " 'I Got Rhythm'-Music for 2 Painos" and then the pianists' names, Katia and Marielle Labèque. It has:
-Second Rhapsody (Finally! I've been looking for that since you first mentioned it.)
-6 'I Got Rhythm" variations, including a Chinese variation.
-Two waltzes, which are untitled but the booklet says they are from Pardon My English.
-Blue Monday (whatever that is), with three parts to it.
-Our love is here to stay.
-Embraceable You
Now I'm curious. Rhapsody in Blue is usually for "piano and orchestra." Is there a Second Rhapsody for piano and orchestra? Might be a little more impressive to me if that's the case.
Which brings me to something you might or might not know. Did you know that the original Rhapsody in Blue didn't have any piano in it? I just can't imagine it without piano. I was thinking that when I learn to play and read music, I'll rewrite a version so I can play it on piano (over and over again, much to the distress of my future neighbors, wife and kids!).

You mean to tell me the one you got is ONLY for piano!? ...well, it might be nice, but only AFTER you've heard the Orchestra&Piano version. I say, be more vicious in searching it out.
Now, the recording I have (and I think I've told you before) is Oscar Levant playing the two rhapsodies and the piano concerto, with the orchestras of Eugene Ormandy and Morton Gould. The sound is a bit dense...it doesnt exactly leap out of the stereo, but they are good recordings.
I know it is harder to find the second rhapsodie, because I myself havent seen it anywhere but Amazon.com.

I didnt know that bit about the Rhapsodie not having piano...hmm.
Did you know that Gersahwin's father told him "and write another Rhapsodie in Blue, son, and call it Rhapsody in Blue no.2, you know, just like Beethoven"...and I imagine that is what Gershwin himself wanted to do start doing when he wrote the Second Rhapsody.

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

You mean to tell me the one you got is ONLY for piano!? ...well, it might be nice, but only AFTER you've heard the Orchestra&Piano version. I say, be more vicious in searching it out.
Now, the recording I have (and I think I've told you before) is Oscar Levant playing the two rhapsodies and the piano concerto, with the orchestras of Eugene Ormandy and Morton Gould. The sound is a bit dense...it doesnt exactly leap out of the stereo, but they are good recordings.
I know it is harder to find the second rhapsodie, because I myself havent seen it anywhere but Amazon.com.

I didnt know that bit about the Rhapsodie not having piano...hmm.
Did you know that Gersahwin's father told him "and write another Rhapsodie in Blue, son, and call it Rhapsody in Blue no.2, you know, just like Beethoven"...and I imagine that is what Gershwin himself wanted to do start doing when he wrote the Second Rhapsody.

No, it's for TWO pianos!
I seem to have read that somewhere...Don't know where...oh! The cover of my new CD, actually.
Yeah, it's real hard to find. Figures that I pick the one for pianos, without thinking of looking at both. Well, wasn't really looking for that, so it was kind of last minute deciding I wanted that one. Of course, I spend almost two hours looking for Wing on Wing, which the computer said they had three of, but I couldn't find because not even the workers touch the classical section, so it's in disarray from the hands of those who have. Plus, he doesn't have his own divider.

[hectorberlioz]

Which is why I will never put my trust in computers to "update" names to all my music for my ipod. I insist on doing things the hard, brutal, primitive, and manual way of entering them in myself. When I had my computer, three times when my Media Player let the web "update" my music, it ruined everything. My Mozart Symphonies nos. 38 & 40 were listed as this very strange album called "Mozart" with songs named "Flying" and "The Train". I later saw this album in Hastings, and I picked it up to see if it was the same, and SURE enough! It was!
(It also named my Strauss Ein Heldenleben after famous Star Wars music, which, though not as annoying, was still frustrating. At first I thought that it had matched things up well, but the Luke and Leia track was naughtily matched up with "The Hero and his Wife"...which, if you know Strauss, contains some explicit implications!!)


But here's something more for you Troll's Bane:

"It is characteristic of [Elliott] Carter to think about such questions of color and texture thoroughly before beginning to make and compositional sketches. I recall a conversation in the early sixties in which he mentioned that the Philadelphia Orchestra had asked him to write a concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra. He decided to turn it down "because I couldnt figure out what to do with the second violin". The commission eventually went to Benjamin Lees."
-from Michael Steinberg's The Concerto, Oxford University Press, 2000

You ought to look for it

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

Which is why I will never put my trust in computers to "update" names to all my music for my ipod. I insist on doing things the hard, brutal, primitive, and manual way of entering them in myself. When I had my computer, three times when my Media Player let the web "update" my music, it ruined everything. My Mozart Symphonies nos. 38 & 40 were listed as this very strange album called "Mozart" with songs named "Flying" and "The Train". I later saw this album in Hastings, and I picked it up to see if it was the same, and SURE enough! It was!
(It also named my Strauss Ein Heldenleben after famous Star Wars music, which, though not as annoying, was still frustrating. At first I thought that it had matched things up well, but the Luke and Leia track was naughtily matched up with "The Hero and his Wife"...which, if you know Strauss, contains some explicit implications!!)


But here's something more for you Troll's Bane:

"It is characteristic of [Elliott] Carter to think about such questions of color and texture thoroughly before beginning to make and compositional sketches. I recall a conversation in the early sixties in which he mentioned that the Philadelphia Orchestra had asked him to write a concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra. He decided to turn it down "because I couldnt figure out what to do with the second violin". The commission eventually went to Benjamin Lees."
-from Michael Steinberg's The Concerto, Oxford University Press, 2000

You ought to look for it

Wait a second, a good deal of my posts are missing. Where are they? I posted here too...

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

Wait a second, a good deal of my posts are missing. Where are they? I posted here too...

I don't see any missing....

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

I don't see any missing....

Only one missing in this thread. I previously had a much longer reply to your previous post. But they're missing board-wide.

[hectorberlioz]

*sigh*

but here's that letter I wrote...

" A recommendation for P.D.Q. Bach"
From:Screwtape
To: Slubgob

Dear Slubgob, I hope you're doing well and are in good health. You're busier now then ever I hear, so I don't expect you to be up-to-date on artistic matters. Which is why I sent you the enclosed disc. And please don't think you "owe" me anything, except maybe a good reply.
Now, about the composer; PDQ Bach is quite the rock among pebbles, and after hours and hours of Mozart, quite a relief. The overall mood of this disc is joyous, the Liebeslieder Polkas bieng great examples of his "festivities" music. Think "Carmina Burana" goes to high school.
Honestly, If I were to rank composers, I'd put him at the top. For me at least, his music is the beginning and end of [many] things. I ought, one of these days, lend you a copy of his 41st Symphony, nicknamed the "Stupider". He shatters you in the last movement with one of the most astonishing bring-down-the-house endings ever concieved.
But here on a smaller sclae you can witness his genius. Especially in the song "farewell, ungrateful traitor" you should note his witty piano.
Now Slubgob, it has come to my attention that as a young student, you were greatly influenced in your musical tastes by George Bernard Pshaw. I do appreciate his views on the music of Richie Wagner and Johnny Brahms, but the man had a warped idea of PDQ. And since he spewed ideas unfounded and opinions totally biased, I pray you keep his methods of thinking out of your head while you listen to this sub-lemon recording. You have only to listen to "Who is Silvia?" to see just how wrong Pshaw was.
In the second song cycle on the disc: the "Zodiac" songs, we meet PDQ the poet. "Water Bearer" is a great example of this.

Now I should mention a common error among music historians. They hold that the late 1800's saw the birth of Jazz; but they are wrong! P.D.Q. Bach was writing Jazz way before it was "invented" by the french and americans. Similarly modern music; there is a piece called "Fantasia on an Ostinato theme" by American composer John Corigliano. He himself may not want to admit it, but he was most definitely influenced by PDQ..for his piece screams of PDQ's keyboard music. In some way or other, all musical forms can be traced back to him.
Well, thats all I have to say for now, keep in touch!

as sincerely as possible,
SCREWTAPE

P.S. an interest idea is that PDQ's name is Peter, or Petey, hence PD, and that maybe Q stands for Quinn?

[trolls' bane]

Originally Posted by hectorberlioz

*sigh*

but here's that letter I wrote...

" A recommendation for P.D.Q. Bach"
From:Screwtape
To: Slubgob

Dear Slubgob, I hope you're doing well and are in good health. You're busier now then ever I hear, so I don't expect you to be up-to-date on artistic matters. Which is why I sent you the enclosed disc. And please don't think you "owe" me anything, except maybe a good reply.
Now, about the composer; PDQ Bach is quite the rock among pebbles, and after hours and hours of Mozart, quite a relief. The overall mood of this disc is joyous, the Liebeslieder Polkas bieng great examples of his "festivities" music. Think "Carmina Burana" goes to high school.
Honestly, If I were to rank composers, I'd put him at the top. For me at least, his music is the beginning and end of [many] things. I ought, one of these days, lend you a copy of his 41st Symphony, nicknamed the "Stupider". He shatters you in the last movement with one of the most astonishing bring-down-the-house endings ever concieved.
But here on a smaller sclae you can witness his genius. Especially in the song "farewell, ungrateful traitor" you should note his witty piano.
Now Slubgob, it has come to my attention that as a young student, you were greatly influenced in your musical tastes by George Bernard Pshaw. I do appreciate his views on the music of Richie Wagner and Johnny Brahms, but the man had a warped idea of PDQ. And since he spewed ideas unfounded and opinions totally biased, I pray you keep his methods of thinking out of your head while you listen to this sub-lemon recording. You have only to listen to "Who is Silvia?" to see just how wrong Pshaw was.
In the second song cycle on the disc: the "Zodiac" songs, we meet PDQ the poet. "Water Bearer" is a great example of this.

Now I should mention a common error among music historians. They hold that the late 1800's saw the birth of Jazz; but they are wrong! P.D.Q. Bach was writing Jazz way before it was "invented" by the french and americans. Similarly modern music; there is a piece called "Fantasia on an Ostinato theme" by American composer John Corigliano. He himself may not want to admit it, but he was most definitely influenced by PDQ..for his piece screams of PDQ's keyboard music. In some way or other, all musical forms can be traced back to him.
Well, thats all I have to say for now, keep in touch!

as sincerely as possible,
SCREWTAPE

P.S. an interest idea is that PDQ's name is Peter, or Petey, hence PD, and that maybe Q stands for Quinn?

Okay...I'll have to look that up myself!

[hectorberlioz]

Originally Posted by trolls' bane

Okay...I'll have to look that up myself!

You just reminded me that I should have had a link...sorry