Classical Listening

[Lokasenna]

I've just listened to Bruckner's 8th Symphony for the first time... ye gods, what an incredible piece of music it is. I'm feeling really quite overcome by it.


I just wanted to share that with you all...

[MorpheusSandman]

I probably need to spend more time with Bruckner. I've encountered his works in various box sets and collections, but I've never really sat down and listened intently to his work. I've yet to be blown away by what I've heard, which is strange given my love for Mahler.

Anyway, I've finally gotten around to going through some of the box sets I got for Christmas, namely these:







This is my first extended encounter with Liszt, and I'm really enjoying it. Zimmerman's performance of the monolithic B minor sonata is now my favorite. I know some find it too calculated, but the sound quality and immense dynamic range really shows off the symphonic weight and scope of the work. I've also been surprised by the quality of the orchestral music, which I was relatively unfamiliar with. The Ravel set is equally good; I hadn't realized how small his output was, nor how consistently excellent it was. Almost everything in this set I've heard has been top notch.

[Emil Miller]

Maurice Ravel was one of the greatest 20th century composers and his piano concerto in G Major is possibly the greatest concerto of that century. For many years I have owned the definitive recording made in 1957 by Michelangeli with Etorre Gracis conducting the Philharmonia. However, I was elated to find this stunning performance by the impossibly aristocratic Michelangeli playing it with the London Symphony Orchestra under Celibidache. I was also fortunate enough to see Michelangeli play a recital of Beethoven and Chopin in his last London appearance in 1990.

http://youtu.be/9zIXSqyYyq0

[MorpheusSandman]

Thanks for that link, Emil. Strangely enough, I just listened to that piano concerto last night and loved it; a bit like Ravel meets Gershwin, actually. That slow movement is especially divine. In fact, I've been blown away by how consistently great Ravel is, though for all the treasures in his output, Daphnis et Chloe still remains my favorite work.

[Emil Miller]

Thanks for that link, Emil. Strangely enough, I just listened to that piano concerto last night and loved it; a bit like Ravel meets Gershwin, actually. That slow movement is especially divine. In fact, I've been blown away by how consistently great Ravel is, though for all the treasures in his output, Daphnis et Chloe still remains my favorite work.

It's very much a reflection of Ravel's meeting with Gershwin in New York in 1928. There are obviously inflections of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Piano Concerto in the outer movements although the 2nd movement seems to be exquisitely French.
Ravel's Concerto for left hand is also remarkable and brilliantly scored. It's a pity that, because of its difficulty, it isn't performed as much as it deserves to be.

[stlukesguild]

The classical music world has just been struck with the deaths of two of its greatest performers: Marie-Claire Alain & Van Cliburn.

RIP Marie-Claire Alain (August 10, 1926 – February 26, 2013)

Alain was a French organist and organ teacher best known for her prolific recording career. Her father, Albert Alain was an organist and composer, as were her brothers, Jehan and Olivie. Alain studied in the Paris Conservatory, in the organ class of Marcel Dupré; she also studied harmony with Maurice Duruflé. Alain recorded the complete organ works of J.S. Bach three times, and also recorded the complete works of over a dozen other major composers for the organ, as well as many individual important works. She was the most-recorded organist in the world, with over 260 recordings in her catalogue.



I only recently came upon Alain's work, picking up her second recording of Bach's complete organ works. Her performance, the audio quality, and choice of organs make this recording an essential one for lovers of Bach and/or the organ repertoire. I had yet to have played my way though the whole of this set when I stumbled upon the news of Alain's passing... which under the circumstances, seemed to strike particularly close.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie-Claire_Alain

RIP Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn, Jr. (July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013)

Van Cliburn was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of twenty-three, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War. It was his recognition in Moscow that propelled Cliburn to international fame. The first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, on the heels of their technological victory with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Cliburn's performance at the competition finale of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 earned him a standing ovation lasting eight minutes. When it was time to announce a winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Then give him the prize!" Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. His cover story in Time proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia". Cliburn returned to the Soviet Union on several occasions. His performances were usually recorded and even televised. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Cliburn's affection for the Soviet people—and theirs for him—was notable in its warmth during a prolonged period of superpower strain." A videotape of his 1958 performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Kirill Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra documents that Premier Khrushchev was in the audience, joining in the enthusiastic applause.

RCA Victor signed him to an exclusive contract and shortly after his Moscow success, Van Cliburn recorded the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Kirill Kondrashin, who had led the Moscow Philharmonic in the prize-winning performances in Moscow. The performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto was led by Fritz Reiner. This disc became the first classical album to go platinum... eventually going on to sell over 3 million copies. The recording earned Van Cliburn the 1958 Grammy Award for Best Classical Performance. This recording still stands as one of the best... if not THE BEST... recording of Tchaikovsky concerto. Both Emil and I have mentioned this disc any number of times here.



Van Cliburn went on to make any number of recordings... a good number of which rank among the "essential" recordings for classical music aficionados:













In 1958, during a dinner hosted by the National Guild of Piano Teachers, President and Founder Dr. Irl Allison announced a cash prize of $10,000 to be used for a piano competition named in Van Cliburn’s honor. Under the leadership of Grace Ward Lankford and with the dedicated efforts of local music teachers and volunteers, the First Van Cliburn International Piano Competition was held September 24-October 7, 1962 at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. Until his death, Cliburn continued to serve as Director Emeritus for the Van Cliburn Foundation, as host of the quadrennial competition and host of other programs honoring his legacy.

Van Cliburn played for royalty and heads of state from dozens of countries, and for every U.S. President from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Barack Obama. He began every concert with The Star-Spangled Banner.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Cliburn

[Gilliatt Gurgle]

The classical music world has just been struck with the deaths of two of its greatest performers: Marie-Claire Alain & Van Cliburn.

RIP Marie-Claire Alain (August 10, 1926 – February 26, 2013) ...

RIP Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn, Jr. (July 12, 1934 – February 27, 2013)

Van Cliburn was an American pianist who achieved worldwide recognition in 1958 at the age of twenty-three, when he won the first quadrennial International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War. It was his recognition in Moscow that propelled Cliburn to international fame. The first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 was an event designed to demonstrate Soviet cultural superiority during the Cold War, on the heels of their technological victory with the Sputnik launch in October 1957. Cliburn's performance at the competition finale of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 earned him a standing ovation lasting eight minutes. When it was time to announce a winner, the judges were obliged to ask permission of the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev to give first prize to an American. "Is he the best?" Khrushchev asked. "Then give him the prize!" Cliburn returned home to a ticker-tape parade in New York City, the only time the honor has been accorded a classical musician. His cover story in Time proclaimed him "The Texan Who Conquered Russia". Cliburn returned to the Soviet Union on several occasions. His performances were usually recorded and even televised. According to The Wall Street Journal, "Mr. Cliburn's affection for the Soviet people—and theirs for him—was notable in its warmth during a prolonged period of superpower strain." A videotape of his 1958 performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Kirill Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra documents that Premier Khrushchev was in the audience, joining in the enthusiastic applause...

....

Thanks for bringing attention to Van Cliburn's passing. I was planning to mention it once I got home.
Local boy done good!

Found this video I thought was amusing; Van Cliburn on "What's My Line?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lUFFZqXtoM

another clip from Moscow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPRNx9GaplY

[Emil Miller]

Saint-Saëns earned his place in heaven with this greatest of orchestral French works.
One of the most stunning finales in all music, the conductor's face at the end shows
that there's nothing more to be said.

http://youtu.be/Hmo30e15Bzg

[chrisvia]

I've recently become enamored with Manuel de Falla's "Noches en los jardines de Espana" (Nights in the Gardens of Spain).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgvR0clWWkI

[LitNetIsGreat]

Some Handel water music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABaYmjWQWSA

Good chess music.

[stlukesguild]

I can't believe we've gone a whole month without a post to this once popular thread. In the interim, sadly, the conductor, Sir Colin Davis passed...



Davis was especially known for his recordings of Berlioz, Sibelius, and Mozart.

My own listening has undergone a change over the past month or two. Over the past several years a good portion of my listening has been devoted to music that was "new" to me: music by composers that I was largely unfamiliar with... or works of music hitherto unknown to me by composers that I was familiar with.

Recently, I've reached something of a "saturation level"... a feeling that I am unable (or unwilling) to put forth the effort needed to continually digest that which is new and unfamiliar. Perhaps, in part, this is owed to stress at work. Perhaps it is also a desire to revisit my old beloved favorites. Whatever the case may be, my listening recently has been focused heavily upon the "core repertoire" and old favorites. Most of my recent music purchases, which have slacked off over the past months, have been of alternative recordings of beloved standards.

Among the works I have been revisiting recently are Beethoven's piano sonatas and concertos, Bach's sonatas and partitas for solo violin, and Mozart's violin concertos.

I recently picked up recordings of the Mozart concertos by Gidon Kremer and Andrew Manze:





Both Kremer and Manze brought something fresh to an oeuvre that is often underrated. Kremer's recordings with the Kremerata Baltica is informed by an ear that has over the last decade been deeply involved in exploring Modern and Contemporary music. Manze is one of the greatest of the HIP performers with an absolute understanding and mastery of "Early Music". The two, together, reinvigorated my enthusiasm for Mozart's violin concertos... which must rank among the first compositions in which the young Mozart (age 19!) moved beyond the realm of a promising... even brilliant prodigy... into the realm of compositional genius. Wolfgang's own father chided his son for failing to recognize just how talented he was as a violinist... and surely his abandonment of the violin concerto (he wrote none after the 5th) is a loss equal to Beethoven's decision to never compose further piano concertos after the onset of his hearing loss.

[Emil Miller]

Here's the finale to Ravel's brilliant concerto for left hand in a remarkable performance by Leon Fleischer who was a noted exponent of the work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0LBe...6C96524425A8BF

[Charles Darnay]

I too have been going through a Mozart phase lately. Mainly his serenades. 10 remains my favourite (even though AmadeuS has relegated the 3rd mvt. of that one to the role of melodramatic spoofs) but I have been discovering the ones I am not familiar with.

[stlukesguild]

Yes... I've been exploring some of these serenades myself as I'm listening to a lot of Mozart's various chamber works. Right now I'm listening to his string quintets. While Haydn may have the edge on Mozart with regard to the string quartet... although Mozart's late works in the genre are unsurpassed... Mozart seems to have been more consistently brilliant in the quintets. Of course... almost all of these works were later products of Mozart's career.

[Emil Miller]

Not wishing to put the frighteners on anyone but here's the first part of Poulenc's Organ Concerto.
It's an amazing opening but the rest of the concerto is also worth attention.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSoy4...DBDB80C6829E8E