Instrumental Music

[Guest wozzit]

Difficult to compare because the microphone placing n sound balance is much too close on the Yundi Li vdo. Still, I much prefer Kissin. Far more refined n cultured playing in my view. Almost like Rubinstein.

 

This topic has rather morphed into a music in general thread, so lets celebrate a movie - one made 30 years ago n featuring one of Puccinis loveliest melodies "O mio babbino caro" (O my beloved father) which formed the basis of the soundtrack for the Merchant/Ivory movie Room with a View. With glorious scenes shot mostly in Florence, it features a British cast that includes many of todays most bankable stars - Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Daniel Day Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter n a lovely cameo from the much underrated actor Denhoim Elliot who sadly died of AIDS in 1992. N of course it was the young Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who sings that unforgettable aria from the one-act opera Gianni Schicchi.

 

[Steve5380]

This topic has rather morphed into a music in general thread, so lets celebrate a movie - one made 30 years ago n featuring one of Puccinis loveliest melodies "O mio babbino caro" (O my beloved father) which formed the basis of the soundtrack for the Merchant/Ivory movie Room with a View. With glorious scenes shot mostly in Florence, it features a British cast that includes many of todays most bankable stars - Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Daniel Day Lewis, Helena Bonham Carter n a lovely cameo from the much underrated actor Denhoim Elliot who sadly died of AIDS in 1992. N of course it was the young Dame Kiri Te Kanawa who sings that unforgettable aria from the one-act opera Gianni Schicchi.

 

 

"A room with a view"... I'm not sure if I have seen this movie, but I find quite amusing its recreation of those times.  It makes me feel happy to live today. Now, Kiri Te Kanawa is splendid as usual.  She is one of my favorite interpreters of Mozart's aria "Dove Sono".  Here is one of her performances:

 

 

But even more emotional I find the singing by Margaret Price in this musical occasion in San Francisco.  She sings like an angel from heaven!  The timbre and tone of her voice resonates the best in my spirit and it is a pleasure to see her sing.

 

[Guest wozzit]

I consider Dame Margaret Price one of the greatest of all the sopranos of the second half of the last century. The pure almost bell-like quality of the voice was unique. I have an amazing DVD of her singing the Verdi Requiem at the 1982 Edinburgh Festival with Jessye Norman most unusually taking the mezzo part, Jose Carreras, Ruggero Raiimondi conducted by Abbado with the London Symphony n the magnificent Edinburgh Festival Chorus. Famously the great Carlos Kleiber chose her as his Isolde in his DGG recording despite both knowing she could never sing the work on stage - it was just too heavy for her voice. But he wanted a young sound and the studio recording with the Dresden Staatskapelle is quite glorious.

 

This vdo is from a live 1981 concert recording of "Beim Schlafengehen" (When Falling Asleep) from Richard Strauss' Four Last Songs written at the end of his life. I have never heard it sung better. It is just a huge shame there is no commercial recording of Dame Margaret singing this work. Those new to the music might wish to start at 1'58" for one of Strauss' most gorgeous n beguiling melodies.

 

 

Now that I am wearied of the day,

my ardent desire shall happily receive
the starry night
like a sleepy child.

Hands, stop all your work.
Brow, forget all your thinking.
All my senses now
yearn to sink into slumber.

And my unfettered soul
wishes to soar up freely
into night’s magic sphere
to live there deeply and thousandfold.

[Steve5380]

I share your enthusiasm for Dame Margaret Price.  I have always been attracted to her perfect intonation and steady voice.  (rarely do I hear a soprano or violin that my sense of pitch fully agrees with)   I heard fragments of the CD from the 1982 festival.  She and fellow singers are first class.  Tonight I will listen to Strauss' Beim Schlafengehn.  But I have to go back to my beloved Mozart.  Here I found a more 'formal' performance of her, although I think that she sung better among the gays in S.F....

 

 

wiping away some tears...

[eddyfai]

Woah! So many good posts since I last visited/posted on this thread! 

 

Let me offer a contribution:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkbK9hVuqtE

 

Something about this piece just cuts deep. That moment when you struggle alone, when you lose that one important person. As you shamble through life in Solitude, the memories flash- striking your very core. But you still keep on walking, you do not stop. The audience claps to applaud your courage (or Sakamoto's breathtaking performance).  

 

 

[Guest wozzit]

eddyfai - I agree with you about Ryuichi Sakamoto. Brilliant musician, performer n composer. He n two colleagues won the Oscar for their music to the Bertolucci movie The Last Emperor. Earlier in the thread there is a clip from another of his great scores - for the earlier movie Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. 

 

Wonder if u know this clip? Its the haunting slow movement from the guitar concerto by Rodrigo, named the Concierto de Aranjuez. Here its played by one of the finest of all classical guitarists John Williams (and lovely playing also from the orchestras English horn soloist).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbNV9AwFFc8

 

Its part of a longer concert available on DVD titled simply John Williams: The Seville Concert filmed in the wonderful Moorish architecture of the Royal Alcazar Palace in Seville .

 

[Tiesto]

One of the few that I like listening to... and not fall asleep!

 

[Steve5380]

One of the few that I like listening to... and not fall asleep!

 

How fortunate that among the thousands of pieces for piano you found one that you enjoy and keep you awake!

 

If you can stay awake through the following Nocturne by Chopin, you may appreciate the amazing playing by pianist Ivan Moravec, who is very good at this kind of music. These Nocturnes are ideal to hear in a romantic atmosphere with your lover and some good wine.  I hope they work out for you.

 

 

After all is finished and done with your lover, it may be time to wake up with some more energetic music, like the following:

 

[Guest wozzit]

I find the mellifluous sound of a saxophone quartet just so sexy!

 

Heres one performing the popular Libertango by Astor Piazzolla

 

[Steve5380]

Tango on saxophone?  I think I go for playing J.S. Bach on steel drum.

 

How about this version?

 

 

And why not a good OLD tango, like this:

 

[henryt1]

this has always been my favourite.  David Benoit's Linus & Lucy.

 

[Steve5380]

 

1) Never knew playing the organ would be so demanding on a person's psychomotor skills. Just look at the man! He was practically 'dancing' (with his fingers and feet) while seated. Amazeballs!

 

2) Tell me I'm not the only one who feels uncomfortable listening to chords in this Toccata. It gives you this unnerving feeling, which probably explains why it is often used as the 'Vampire/Haunted House' entrance song. Although, it would be pretty cool to listen to a supernatural being playing this piece for you as you enter its domain. I would be thoroughly entertained. 

 

3) The organ itself looks aesthetically pleasing with its gilded keys and regal exterior. Too bad I can't have one in my HDB flat (let alone purchase an organ). Boohoo (not a ghost pun)

 

It seems that people are able to play Bach on instruments that are much cheaper. 

And with no less demanding psychomotor skills.

I'm sure Bach wouldn't mind this:

 

 

And he wouldn't mind this performance either:

 

 

There we have it!  J.S. Bach for every budget.

[Guest wozzit]

Something very different!

Orchestral music played at ballet performances rarely sounds as lush as in the concert hall because almost always concerts hv larger orchestras. This is from Prokofiev's hugely popular score for the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" - The Dance of the Knights performed with appropriate oomph n gusto by the London Symphony under the enigmatic Valery Gergiev

[Steve5380]

Something very different!

Orchestral music played at ballet performances rarely sounds as lush as in the concert hall because almost always concerts hv larger orchestras. This is from Prokofiev's hugely popular score for the ballet "Romeo and Juliet" - The Dance of the Knights performed with appropriate oomph n gusto by the London Symphony under the enigmatic Valery Gergiev

 

That is a spirited interpretation of Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet".  I often find Prokofiev's music uplifting and hilarious.

 

Here I am posting another 'different' orchestral work, very familiar, in a version that I chose for its VISUAL appeal.  I never heard before of this 'West-Eastern Divan'  orchestra, directed here by pianist-turned-director Barenboim.  I like the slow tempo, the show of the soloist singers and much orchestral detail.  

(Prokofiev is nice, but my logical mind still prefers the classical harmony that this music perfects to such degree.  I think that Ludwig Van leaves Prokofiev far in the dust behind... but so he does with almost everyone else... )

 

[Guest wozzit]

I'm going to stick with shorter more modern works. This one has become something of a classic - Barber's Adagio for Strings. It is so moving it has been used on the occasion of the deaths of many famous people, including Franklin D Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, Albert Einstein, Lee Kwan Yew, as well as the Princesses Grace of Monaco n Diana of the UK.

It was also used most movingly as the soundtrack of several well-known movies, notably Oliver Stone's anti-war Platoon.

This clip is not so clear visually, but is interesting as it features the conductor Rostropovich in Moscow's famous Tchaikovsky Hall on his return to Russia following his banishment from the Soviet Union in the mid-1970s. During the applause there is a shot of his wife, the former Prima Donna of the Bolshoi Opera, Galina Vishnevskaya.

[Steve5380]

Among the musical instrumentalists there is probably no one that has been so unique as Jasha Heifetz.

 

He was my childhood hero, and I dreamed to be able to play like he did (and I thought I would be able to, haha)

 

The following video gives an example of the playing of this Great.  I had this LP recording, and I must have heard it a million times, wearing out the stylus of my record player:

 

 

Here is a video which I think is from the movie he made "they shall have music".  

 

[Steve5380]

Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz

Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz

Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz Heifetz

------

 

So many good recordings of him!  Here is a good combination of Bach and Heifetz.

(It's amazing how much music a violin solo can make in these Partitas of Bach)

 

 

and here is another recording of the same Partita by another outstanding violinist, Gidon Kremer.  The Chaconne starts at 14:20 into this video.

 

Musically this performance is as good as Heifetz's, I think.  But look at this guy!  What a pity.

He moves around so much, makes faces...  he looks like he is making a much higher effort than the cool Heifetz.

 

Edited August 16, 2015 by Steve5380

[Steve5380]

 

 

Maybe one day will I discover how to delete posts made by mistake...  

Edited August 16, 2015 by Steve5380

[Guest wozzit]

Here is a short trio from the first act of Mozart’s opera Cosi fan tutte. A great work, yet with a morally disturbing story about bravado, deception, our innermost feelings n human weakness. At the end we r not sure what will happen to the 2 pairs of lovers. But we know life can never the same.

 

In this trio, 2 young women r saying goodbye to their lovers who soon deceive them in a way that will reveal the women's own frailties. Nasty n cynical things r about to happen, yet Mozart imbues this tale of deception n inconstancy with some of his most gorgeous n sublimely beautiful music.

 

Soave sia il vento –

 

"May the winds be gentle,

may the waves be calm,

may every one of the elements respond warmly to our desire"

 

 

Sorry the visuals are terrible, but I think this is the best sung and balanced version available on you tube. The soloists are Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Frederica von Sade (mezzo-soprano) n Philippe Huttenlocher (bass baritone)

[Steve5380]

Sorry the visuals are terrible, but I think this is the best sung and balanced version available on you tube. The soloists are Kiri Te Kanawa (soprano), Frederica von Sade (mezzo-soprano) n Philippe Huttenlocher (bass baritone)

 

The visuals don't matter.  Kiri Te Kanawa and Frederica von Sade are also some of my favorite female voices in Mozart's operas.

 

Ahhhh... I nearly forgot!

Another treasure I enjoyed in my childhood... one of the best examples of the Heifetz sound:

 

[Guest wozzit]

There has been much to enjoy in the vdos posted here - most involving beauty n happiness. Lets turn for a moment to the opposite end of the emotional spectrum.

 

Music has the ability to express sadness in the most blissful n yet painful way. Nothing surely expresses this better that the last moment of Tchaikovsky's last symphony. The composer who is revered today for giving the world such gorgeous music as in his 3 great ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker n Sleeping Beauty was a tortured soul. He was gay, working for the Tsar in Imperial Russia at a time when being gay was considered almost an offence against the ruling elite. He tried to cover it up through a disastrous marriage which lasted less than 3 months. Tormented by his sexuality n his inability to express it openly, he died aged 53. Officially it was a result of cholera. Some say he committed suicide. Yet others suggest a group of his high society students told him he must commit suicide or suffer the humiliation of being outed by them.

 

This symphony was his last work. The last movement seems to sum up much of the torture, agony n despair he must have felt throughout much of it. I have selected this version as it is conducted by an excellent Russian conductor n orchestra who clearly have this music in their souls. Here's a brief guide.

 

37'15" Start of the 4th movement

This opens with a lovely theme but one which clearly illustrates the composer plunging into despair.

 

40'20" Suddenly there is an achingly beautiful new theme, this one lifting us right out of the gloom. Its filled with hope. It rises in a crescendo of utter joy n we feel certain the despair has been banished. But Tchaikovsky's life was nearing its end. This theme is easily conquered.

 

41'53" The timpani n a series of downward rushing scales take us back to that initial mood of despair n helplessness. The brief moment of joy is followed by even more intense pain n suffering. As the music rises to a feverish pitch - 

 

43'11" - a gong is sounded - the death knell? Soon there is a short melodious chorale on the trombones suggesting death. The music then descends downwards with every instrument playing at the bottom of its range.

 

Tchaikovsky died just nine days after conducting the premiere of the symphony.

 

Its hard to think of any music that coveys pain as potently as this. And yet it is at the same time profoundly moving. Incidentally the sub-title given to the symphony is the French word "Pathétique". Here it means "moving" as in emotionally moving.

 

 

If you want some music to lift ur spirits after all that, jump forward to the jolly march-like 3rd movement. This starts at 28'13"

Edited August 24, 2015 by wozzit

[Steve5380]

I have listened to Tchaikovsky's  6th symphony many times and I like it very much, very typical Tchaikovsky, but I was not aware of its story. I always found the last movement to be a nice soft music toned down at the end.

 

Somehow I don't have a feeling of "tragedy" in music.  It is simply more or less pleasing, interesting.  I enjoy requiems for their harmony and melody, and none of their sadness touches me.  Maybe I haven't suffer too many tragedies? 

 

This may be a reason that I enjoy practically ALL of Chopin's music, unconcerned about the predominance of the Minor tonalities that were his favorites.  

I get emotional listening to his 2nd piano sonata but without one bit of sadness, not even during the "funeral march".

 

Here is a good recording of it (by Yundi Li, why not?) and it fills me of joy to hear the refined harmonies of this music, especially the delightful 1st movement. 

 

[Guest wozzit]

I have listened to Tchaikovsky's  6th symphony many times and I like it very much, very typical Tchaikovsky, but I was not aware of its story. I always found the last movement to be a nice soft music toned down at the end.

 

Open your soul Steve and feel . . . !!    Everything in that movement expresses despair. Both main themes r essentially downward scales - despondency. The first is in the key of B minor, the second giving rise to hope is in the brighter D major n its progression strives to climb upwards. But it fails. Some writers have suggested the movement was Tchaikovsky's suicide note.

 

Incidentally the short chorale section for trombones n the tuba I mentioned is a direct quotation from the Russian Orthodox Burial Service "Repose the Soul".

 

No other symphony ends as this one with the music descending quietly to the absolute depths n then just fading out. Mahler 9, Shostakovich 4 and Brahms 3 some close but the contexts of their endings re the rest of the movements r totally different. If music can encapsulate joy n happiness, it is equally capable of expressing all the emotional spectrum including anger, desperation n, as here, total despair.

Edited August 26, 2015 by wozzit

[eddyfai]

 

Can't find a good recording but I just heard a superb performance by Masato Suzuki with the SSO. 

 

I lack the vocabulary to describe the music... Visceral maybe? 

[Steve5380]

Open your soul Steve and feel . . . !!    Everything in that movement expresses despair. Both main themes r essentially downward scales - despondency. The first is in the key of B minor, the second giving rise to hope is in the brighter D major n its progression strives to climb upwards. But it fails. Some writers have suggested the movement was Tchaikovsky's suicide note.

 

Yes, I listened again at the 4th movement, with my soul in its usual openness.  I get such musical enjoyment from Tchaikovsky's chromatic orchestration, the harmonic progressions around the B minor key. I hardly notice a difference in the D major section, it is all fascinating music. I fail in the effort to get into a somber mood, instead I feel musical enjoyment.  I am familiar with the vicissitudes of Tchaikovsky's life, and this puts me even more on the side of LGTB activism...

 

IF ONE COULD measure the balance of happiness and sadness in a human life, I would put the life of Franz Schubert' much more in debt.  He didn't enjoy the glory and longer life of his Russian colleague and his gay life may have been much more restricted. Yet he didn't leave traces of such deep desperation.

 

Schubert's symphony No 8 (Unfinished) could also be judged as sad, yet I get pure joy listening to it.  The first movement is in the same B minor key.  The second movement (and only other one) is in E major, and when it finishes I am in tears. I don't know why the Pathetique's 4th leaves me cold while here I get emotional.  I think it is the beauty of this music and... its kind serenity! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpB0ycNiK4k

 

The story of Schubert makes me indignant at life. One episode for example:  the composer applied for membership in some composer's guild in Vienna and he was... REJECTED!!!  Imagine that!   (I think this abominable guild still exists today, and I think it should have been immediately disbanded as soon as it became clear who Schubert was)

Edited August 27, 2015 by Steve5380

[Guest wozzit]

Schubert was n remains an enigma. His life was too short n he spent so much of it composing a vast output of music. But there is no definite historical evidence that he was gay whereas Tchaikovsky's homosexuality n the mental agonies he went through for decades r well documented. Its only become fashionable in some quarters in the last 30 years to believe Schubert might have been gay - despite his dying of syphillis which was then almost always contracted through sexual intercourse with women.

 

In a review of musicologist Christopher Gibbs revealing 2000 biography of Schubert, reference is made of the homosexual assertions - 

 

While it has been suggested elsewhere that Schubert may have been homosexual, Gibbs finds little concrete evidence to support a claim, although he does not dismiss the possibility.

 

"It is true that Schubert's life is missing close and enduring relationships with women," Gibbs says, but he points out that he was ill with the primary symptoms of syphilis early in his 20s and the nature of his illness and his continued ill-health would have rendered him unacceptable for courtship and marriage.

 

"When not composing, he spent most of his time in the company of men, but that wasn't unusual among young men of his era," he says.

 

 

The fact is that Schubert was an introvert personality, physically not attractive n not quite 5 ft tall. He suffered from illness for most of his short life. He had a mental illness - cyclothymia - which resulted in severe mood swings n these are clear particularly in his orchestral music. In his mid-20s his friends confirmed he suffered from periods of dark despair n violent anger. The treatment for his syphillis was essentially based on mercury baths which had several serious side effects which would almost certainly have made close relationships difficult, including excessive drooling, diarrhoea, vomiting n excess urination.

 

But he was unquestionably one of the truly great composers of all time!

[Steve5380]

Schubert was n remains an enigma. His life was too short n he spent so much of it composing a vast output of music. But there is no definite historical evidence that he was gay whereas Tchaikovsky's homosexuality n the mental agonies he went through for decades r well documented. Its only become fashionable in some quarters in the last 30 years to believe Schubert might have been gay - despite his dying of syphillis which was then almost always contracted through sexual intercourse with women.

 

In a review of musicologist Christopher Gibbs revealing 2000 biography of Schubert, reference is made of the homosexual assertions - 

 

The fact is that Schubert was an introvert personality, physically not attractive n not quite 5 ft tall. He suffered from illness for most of his short life. He had a mental illness - cyclothymia - which resulted in severe mood swings n these are clear particularly in his orchestral music. In his mid-20s his friends confirmed he suffered from periods of dark despair n violent anger. The treatment for his syphillis was essentially based on mercury baths which had several serious side effects which would almost certainly have made close relationships difficult, including excessive drooling, diarrhoea, vomiting n excess urination.

 

But he was unquestionably one of the truly great composers of all time!

 

If Schubert was not gay and his life hopefully was not miserable, this would make little difference in the appreciation of his music.

 

If the God I don't believe in would be so kind to reveal himself by offering me a time machine and the opportunity to get to know personally any ten people of my choice who have ever lived, I think that Schubert would be among the ten. Not only for the honor to meet him but also because I believe that his spirit must have been as lovable as his music. And if necessary I know to deal with difficult people.

 

The theory that he had a fatal case of syphilis is disputed since he was not so old for that, and cyclothymia gives mode swings that are not too severe.  The theory that he was gay fits well with his musical sensibility, but I'm old enough to realize that sexual orientation does not make such a big difference. The big difference is that HE LIVED, and it would be a huge loss if he had not.

 

Here is another short piece that is pure Schubert.  And what a pleasure it is to play it!

 

[Guest wozzit]

The theory that he had a fatal case of syphilis is disputed since he was not so old for that, and cyclothymia gives mode swings that are not too severe.

 

Sorry to disagree Steve but there is no doubt that Schubert contracted syphilis around 1822. This is confirmed by a variety of sources, not least by one of the most celebrated Schubert scholars Elizabeth Norman McKay in her book "Schubert: The Piano and Dark Keys". Referring to the severity of the textures n the harmonic daring found in the A minor Piano Sonata, she writes -

 

"Towards the end of 1822 ... Schubert was very sick, having contracted the syphilis that inevitably was to effect the remainder of his life: his physical and mental health, and the music he was to compose. After the initial weeks of debilitating illness – including, it seems, the entire month of January – he took up his pen again in February, and wrote the three-movement piano sonata in A minor, D784. He was sick, living in his father's home, much in need of money, and shattered by what had happened to him. During the composition of this sonata, Schubert's physical and emotional state could hardly have been worse. This tragic A-minor sonata is a deeply personal work, and thus a landmark among his compositions."

 

Syphilis was often a young mans disease. Some 60 years after Schuberts diagnosis, Queen Victorias grandson Prince Albert the Duke of Clarence contracted it from a prostitute n died even younger at the age of 26 (although the STD was covered up by the Court which made public the false information that he died of flu during an epidemic). I may have implied the width of the mood swings resulting from his cyclothymia were greater than they generally are in patients. But another characteristic of that illness is the sufferer often becomes hyperproductive. Few will disagree that Schubert was certainly that!

[Steve5380]

Sorry to disagree Steve but there is no doubt that Schubert contracted syphilis around 1822. 

 

Oh, no disagreement about that.  I simply understand that his syphilis was not fatal, but the treatment of it was.

 

I am still dreaming about Schubert's music. I remember as a child being in the house of my uncle and aunt listening to his Impromptus played by Paul Badura-Skoda.  I remember it very clear, and the great performances of this music by the great Austrian pianist. Here is one example:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDGYabCBvZ0

[Steve5380]

And here is another of Schubert's impromptus that is also very well interpreted.  

If I had to show to an extraterrestrial what "music" is, this piece would be a perfect example, provided that the creature has ears.

 

[Guest wozzit]

O I love that piece! N Maria Joao Pires is a wonderful pianist right up there with the best.

 

Im adding another work. Its only right this thread has something by SIbelius who was born 150 years ago. To me the 5th Symphony is a masterpiece. Its really a Romantic work written at a time when other composers were experimenting with new forms. There's some dissonance but mostly its a wonderful evocation of a country of remote primitive beauty, forests, lakes, rushing streams, swirling winds, icy menace n ancient legends.

 

Karajans recording of the 5th Symphony with the Berlin Phil still stands above the others - even those by Scandinavian conductors. Listen just to the last movement. It starts at 22'35".

 

The second theme first heard on the double basses n then quickly taken up by the horns was penned by Sibelius after he saw a flock of swans in the sky.  I cant see the relevance of swans but its a magisterial theme almost like bell-tolling chords. The visuals r good - although I cant see the relevance to power plants unless it is merely a contrast between the beauty of nature n the ugliness of our modern world! 

 

 

Photos from my trip to Finland last November - 

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2015 by wozzit

[Steve5380]

O I love that piece! N Maria Joao Pires is a wonderful pianist right up there with the best.

 

I also like very much the way Joao Pires plays all her classical repertoire. 

 

Your pictures and those in the video are really beautiful.  Lets hope that Finland and all of Scandinavia preserve their identity in the climate change we are experiencing.

 

The work of the Finish composer Sibelius I know the best is his violin concerto in D minor.  His style is just on the edge of what I consider pleasant to listen, and this concerto is definitely enjoyable.  Here is a performance that is perhaps more "Heifetz" than "Sibelius", which I like because of the sound of the violin. (for some strange reason the pitch in this old recording is a semitone too high)  The last movement at 19:40 has some interesting fireworks.

 

Edited August 29, 2015 by Steve5380

[Steve5380]

I like to come back to J.S. Bach. 

For us amateur pianists a composition that is not too difficult and very rewarding to play is his Concerto Italiano. 

Among the many good performances, I like the one by the Spanish pianist Alicia de Larocha.  I enjoy the playing of the last movement Presto at 9:00,  except for a few heavy slow-downs that I think are unnecessary.  But overall it is excellent like most of what she plays. 

 

 

I found another recording about of this Concerto by the extremely colorful Canadian Glenn Gould.  (This is an early version, so he plays fast and furious.  His later recordings are much, much slower and less interesting).  It's interesting to see what a recording studio was in those days.  

 

 

(It must be a torture to be a sound engineer recording for Gould, and hearing the same thing a million times...)

[Guest wozzit]

I wonder if anyone else was at the wonderful SSO concert last Saturday when Stephen Hough played the Beethoven 1st n 4th piano concertos. I have heard both many times but the 4th was totally different from all other interpretations. It had more power, drama n passion than the rather restrained classical renditions we normally hear. His playing was fabulous. The prolonged standing ovation at the end showed how much the audience agreed n enjoy his many visits to Singapore. Hes playing the 3rd concerto this coming Thursday.

 

This vdo has Helene Grimaud with Eschenbach conducting the Orchestre de Paris. Its still more restrained than Houghs performance but seems closer to it than the two Mitsuko Uchida versions I can find.

 

Edited September 8, 2015 by wozzit

[2AM]

Edited September 8, 2015 by 2AM

[Steve5380]

I wonder if anyone else was at the wonderful SSO concert last Saturday when Stephen Hough played the Beethoven 1st n 4th piano concertos. I have heard both many times but the 4th was totally different from all other interpretations. 

 

I also like these two concerts, the 4th and 3d are my preferred ones among the five. There is a new video on youtube where Stephen Hough discusses his performances of these concerts, which you may like:

 

 

I heard Helene Grimaud for the first time playing the following Prelude of Bach and I liked it, just below the threshold of too much expression and use of sustained pedal. 

 

Edited September 8, 2015 by Steve5380

[Guest wozzit]

There is a new video on youtube where Stephen Hough discusses his performances of these concerts, which you may like

 

I had not seen this. Thanks for posting it.

 

I just love Helene Grimaud! Shes at heart a rebel, she takes risks n seems to have no fear - even of crossing a conductor of the stature of Claudio Abbado who terminated their 16 year music making relationship over an argument about a Mozart cadenza! Here she plays the wonderful Busoni version of Bachs D minor Chaconne. Its not my favourite version but I love what she does with it. She doesn't hammer the keyboard as so many of her contemporaries do. Its generally slower n more contemplative, Gorgeous - n such pianistic dexterity!!

 

[Steve5380]

One more video of the pianist Ji Yong Kim playing. 

I like the Beethoven sonata of course.  The rest I can do without.

I am happy not to be a professional musician and having to have a repertoire with contemporary music.

 

What attracted my attention is the big label FAZIOLI on the piano.

I would like to have a piano like this in my living room.

 

Edited September 14, 2015 by Steve5380

[eddyfai]

I'm going to stick with shorter more modern works. This one has become something of a classic - Barber's Adagio for Strings. It is so moving it has been used on the occasion of the deaths of many famous people...

 

Barber does have a knack of pulling my heartstrings with his emotive usage of string instruments in his in compositions! 

 

Here's another piece displaying his capability to 'string together' moving music:

 

 

 

Random Musings: I blame Tchaikovsky (particularly the 2nd movement of his 4th Symphony) for turning me into a oboe-maniac. All I want to aurally consume now are oboe concertos and solos. And that strong yearning to have the feel of double reeds on my lips. (Okay maybe things aren't that bad)

[Guest wozzit]

Lovely Barber piece. Interesting both Tchaikovsky n Barber were gay, both felt they had to hide their sexuality n both suffered from emotional depression. Apart from the cor anglais, I think the oboe expresses sadness better than any other.

 

Incidentally, when the BBC ran a poll of the saddest music in the world in 2004, Barber's Adagio came top, followed by Didos Lament from Purcells opera, Mahlers Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony, Billie Holidays "Gloomy Sunday" n Richard Strauss Metamorphosen.

 

Im sure uve played the Alessandro Marcello concerto. The slow movement is one of the loveliest of the Baroque period. It starts at 3'01"

 

 

Bach also loved the music n transcribed it with some slight variations in his work for harpsichord BWV974

 

Edited September 29, 2015 by wozzit

[Guest]

[eddyfai]

 

The orchestral works behind a great opera often goes unnoticed by me.

I largely blame the piercing voices of the opera singers - leaving me awestruck and incapable to absorb any other details.

 

I recently watched Madama Butterfly online (not the whole thing) and I came across Act III's Con onor muore (which means "To die with honor" - I think).

It was so moving I actually cried for a good a minute (I'm such a baby sometimes).

 

So here's an instrumental contribution for all the Madama Butterfly fans out there.

 

And don't get me wrong, listening to instrumental opera music doesn't undermine the singers and the art form.

Personally, it deepened my own understanding and appreciation for opera.

1) Without the libretto and singing, you finally get to see (or listen to) the musical backdrop to which the opera is set. Like, I said it often goes unappreciated. And now I think: "Wow, Puccini is REALLY awesome!". 

2) You gain further appreciation for the strength of the human voice when listening to the actual opera. When you hear Butterfly's voice piercing through the orchestra, you know what her voice is fighting against. But yet her voice triumphs over the orchestra - exploding with emotions so raw, reminding us of the intensity of mom-son bond, soon to be broken. She may have won the orchestra but she lost everything else (Crying again as I write). 

 

For those clueless about what I'm talking about- go listen to Maria Callas sing Con onor muore. I won't post it here to stay relevant to this thread (and for the benefit of opera dissenters). 

 

---------------------------------------

Sister: "Can you stop playing that music! It sounds like some is dying!"

Me: "SHE IS DYING CAN YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" (gets all emotional) 

 

 

[Guest wozzit]

I agree there is much fantastic orchestral music in the heart of opera scores. I also agree many listeners concentrate too much on the voices. N its not only in the melodies. I had seen n heard several versions of Mozarts Cosi fan tutti. But the one time I was at Milan's La Scala to hear Riccardo Muti conduct it I was amazed at the prominence he gave to many of the lovely viola phrases which you rarely hear in other conductors performances.

 

Puccini wrote some ravishing music. In the first Act when Butterfly n Pinkerton express their love the orchestra has an equally prominent part with more of the melody in the orchestra than in the voices. Even at the end the strings are mirroring Butterflys "quivering". Lovely!

 

[eddyfai]

 

I don't think I can Handel this oboe obsession anymore

 

In other news, I learnt something new today:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fagott 

 

I love the Fagott too! (But the Fagott in the video sounds... Queer?)

[Guest wozzit]

I don't think I can Handel this oboe obsession anymore

 

O dear!! Guess Im too Bizet to worry about things like that!

 

Seriously I dont get anything when I check that link. The fagotto was the predecessor of the modern bassoon. Like almost all "original" instruments, the sound is thicker, less brilliant n penetrating. But in the context of an original instruments ensemble as in the vdo I love it.

 

If u listen to this version of the first movement of Mozarts 40th Symphony u can hear the difference in the sound. An original instruments orchestra has violins playing with gut strings rather than the metal ones used today. Also the string players use almost no vibrato. Overall the sound is thicker n less rich than we r used to in todays orchestras.

 

 

Cant write more now. Must go Bach to my Liszt for Chopin. 

Edited October 10, 2015 by wozzit

[Guest wozzit]

Heres a question. Did this Duet become a Trio? Clue - three people take a bow at the end.

 

Christian Tetzlaff n Lars Vogt were playing an encore in Germany when not one but two things happened. Watch the drama - it starts around 4'20". Well its not really drama coz it all happens very calmly as though it happens every day in recitals.

 

[Guest wozzit]

Just saw this amusing v little do. A duet with the great tenor of yesterday Placido Domingo singing with the great tenor or today Jonas Kaufmann singing an aria from Franz Lehars "Land of Smiles". Perhaps a bit unkind on Domingo who has established a record for the most number of operatic roles ever sung by a tenor on stage. But he moved into baritone roles some years ago n at age 74 the voice, whilst still amazing, does not have the bloom n richness of his younger years.

 

This rendition of Dein is mein ganzes Herz (You r my Heart Alone) is just a bit of fun n the audience clearly loves it - as do the singers!

 

 

PS: Anyone notice anything very unusual in the vdo?

Edited October 12, 2015 by wozzit

[Guest]

[Steve5380]

 

NIce music, so simple, elemental, light.  This could be the "diet" version of piano music,  non-fattening, with reduced emotion and free of complex harmonies and thematic direction.  It flows, flows in laminar, not turbulent hydrodynamic mode. 

 

So it is a perfect background music to listen at low volume while one is doing some task that requires concentration.

[Steve5380]

Just saw this amusing v little do. A duet with the great tenor of yesterday Placido Domingo singing with the great tenor or today Jonas Kaufmann singing an aria from Franz Lehars "Land of Smiles". Perhaps a bit unkind on Domingo who has established a record for the most number of operatic roles ever sung by a tenor on stage. But he moved into baritone roles some years ago n at age 74 the voice, whilst still amazing, does not have the bloom n richness of his younger years.

 

This rendition of Dein is mein ganzes Herz (You r my Heart Alone) is just a bit of fun n the audience clearly loves it - as do the singers!

 

PS: Anyone notice anything very unusual in the vdo?

 

I enjoy hearing the voice of Placido Domingo, but I'm surprised to see how much he has aged.  This may be the effect of that white facial hair and the glasses. 

 

Is there something unusual in the video?  Maybe the guy in the audience scratching his shoulder, or the people in the audience with make up that makes them look like actors?