Classical Listening

[Musicology]

Peter Tchaikowsky
Waltz
Opera
'Eugene Onegin'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kTlhK...eature=related

Ludwig van Beethoven
Concerto No 4
End of First Movement
Soloist - Murray Perahia


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdfpa...eature=related

Peter Tchaikowsky
Polonaise
Opera
Eugene Onegin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhW_o...eature=related

Sergi Prokofiev
Symphony No. 1
1st/2nd Movement
Claudio Abbado

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjzbE...eature=related

[Sebas. Melmoth]

Mozart--the 'Prussian' String Quartets with the Amadeus Quartet.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Having a wonderful time with my chamber music festival, great seat the other day and great performances! Off again tomorrow, a little Bach and Mozart - great to come down with after the evils of work.

Currently listening to various bits of Mozart - Violin concerto No.5 amongst others. Ordered more operas. I'm listening to more music than I am reading at present.

[Emil Miller]

Having a wonderful time with my chamber music festival, great seat the other day and great performances! Off again tomorrow, a little Bach and Mozart - great to come down with after the evils of work.

Currently listening to various bits of Mozart - Violin concerto No.5 amongst others. Ordered more operas. I'm listening to more music than I am reading at present.

Neely, remember that you are speaking primarily to Americans about "the evils of work," of which they have little concept, although my sentiments are entirely with yours. "Work", as an afficionado of Oscar Wilde, you must surely know, "is the curse of the drinking classes."

[LitNetIsGreat]

Neely, remember that you are speaking primarily to Americans about "the evils of work," of which they have little concept, although my sentiments are entirely with yours. "Work", as an afficionado of Oscar Wilde, you must surely know, "is the curse of the drinking classes."

Ha, ha yes indeed!

I wouldn't want people to think that I am not hard working though. I am constantly seeking new ways to do little - so much so that it is becoming quite tiring of late. I even cut the damn privet this Sunday (well half of it, I'll do the rest next Sunday weather permitting) it really aches the arms as I have old fashioned shears - a full 33 minutes of pain and hardship! Of course the week is the worst bit - that's the proper job. As well as suffering the pain of teenagers I have to make my own coffee at break because the tea lady uses insufficient quality material, I can't drink that stuff - imagine that hard labour and then having to make your own coffee - awful! But enough about work; I don't want to think of such horrors...I would much rather finish my Wooster and Belgian beer!

Anyway, I had the joy of the Divertimento the other day:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jua7gqezWVY
(I have to grab all the classical I get up here you know, this place (Sheffield) is full of ruffians - (though as I dig more and more I am uncovering a thriving classical scene, but not much in terms of opera I'm afraid).

Bottoms up!

[stlukesguild]

Brian... I haven't the least idea of what you are talking about. The American Protestant work ethic is highly overrated. I am good at my job... but if I won the lottery I'd be in the parking lot doing donuts with the car with my a** hanging out of the window. I am living for 20+ days from now when school lets out for the summer and I have all day to work upon my paintings... now that is where I have no problem with applying myself heart and soul.

I'm a bit like Neely right now in that I too am spending far more time on music than reading... although I have been reading up a good deal on the history of opera and on Baroque music. My music collection is quite deep when it comes to Romanticism and Post-Romanticism... but for the most part Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi have been extent (or nearly so) of my collection of Baroque music. I have now begun to make amends... especially considering the fact that the Baroque... limited as my view of it has been... has long been one of my favorite musical eras.

I recently purchased William Christie's and Les Arts Florissants production of Rameau's Les indes galantes on DVD... and it is absolutely stunning. I have watched it repeatedly and even garnered ideas for my own art work. I am absolutely in love with Danielle de Niese, the Australian-born soprano of Sri Lankan heritage. She's gorgeous... she can sing... and ahe can act like few other opera singers can. What more can you want? And then there's Patricia Pettibon... one of the truly brilliant personalities in contemporary opera. This is an absolute must-see!



Among the music I have been listening to, some of the best has included any number of French Baroque composers who I have ignored for far too long:



Delalande's Te Deum is absolutely magnificent... especially as performed by Christie's Les Arts Florrissants including such soloists as Véronique Gens and Sandrine Piau... both of whom I have reviewed here earlier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix2GAITLdGo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx_34...eature=related



Charpentier's Te Deum... performed by the blazing hot HIP conductor, Marc Minkowski:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQQzihD-7cQ



Campra and Couperin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zcAF...eature=related

Perhaps the most stunning recent purchase, however, has been that of a two-disc set of music by Vivaldi:



This "Vespers" is reconstructed according to the suggestions of musicologists from the Istituto per i Beni Musicalli in Piemonte based upon studies of Vivaldi's original scores. Vivaldi was commissioned to write several Vespers over the course of his career; unfortunately only disparate elements and fragments remain of any whole. The reconstruction of this particular Vespers is constructed of these various "fragments"... an isolated psalm from one source, a motet from another source. Great attention was paid toward maintaining stylistic coherence and following the proper liturgical order resulting in a complete Vespers cycle (wholly of music written by Vivaldi... this is not a reconstruction involving music written by others... such as Mahler's 10th or even Mozart's Requiem) suggestive of what Vivaldi might have performed in Venice.

The resulting work succeeds magnificently at suggesting a unified whole... rather than a collection of unrelated fragments. While there is a stylistic coherence, there is also a marvelous variety... as we move from rhythmically muscular passages laden with unabashed joy, to expressions of profound sadness, and even unearthly spiritual longing... Exquisite choral passages countered by lovely instrumental breaks and gorgeous music for solo voice. The performances by the Concerto Italiano is magnificent... as I have come to expect from earlier discs within the Opus 111 Vivaldi Edition series. In this particular instance the cover art... about which I have some ambiguous feelings... makes perfect sense.

There is unfortunately nothing of Vivaldi's recently reconstructed Vespers online... there is however a good deal of his choral music available... enough to make it clear to anyone that Vivaldi did far more of merit than The Four Seasons. Personally I find his choral music and opera to be his finest work. This excerpt, Cum dederit dilectis suis, from the Nisi dominus... which is almost unearthly:

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

[Musicology]

'Not forgetting, dear friends, the talents of a certain Kapellmeister. Though (I am reliably informed) news of his music will eventually arrive in Vienna' -

J.N. Forkel (1749-1818) - 'Public Lecture 306' - Gottingen University - Germany 1798 -

Aria
BWV 213/7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BysoQ...eature=related

[yanni]

As earlier assumed, JS "Koch" was unknown in Vienna till then!

Good point (confirming my theory), Robert:

"Forkel" avoids mentioning his "other" name in Gottingen, 1798.

'Not forgetting, dear friends, the talents of a certain Kapellmeister. Though (I am reliably informed) news of his music will eventually arrive in Vienna' -

J.N. Forkel (1749-1818) - 'Public Lecture 306' - Gottingen University - Germany 1798 -

Aria
BWV 213/7

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BysoQ...eature=related

[LitNetIsGreat]

Stlukes, I feel that I am being pulled towards those French operas which you keep plugging. I was particularly interested in exploring the Cadmus et Hermione one – I’ll have to look into that, but unfortunately these things are quite costly, nevertheless they come across as quite enchanting. I’ll have to check those further links out later because I am currently at that place where no civilized individual speaks of...in fact I might have to go for another coffee – dash it all!

[Emil Miller]

Brian... I haven't the least idea of what you are talking about. The American Protestant work ethic is highly overrated. I am good at my job... but if I won the lottery I'd be in the parking lot doing donuts with the car with my a** hanging out of the window. I am living for 20+ days from now when school lets out for the summer and I have all day to work upon my paintings... now that is where I have no problem with applying myself heart and soul.

Stlukes...Anyone who has been in this forum for any length of time will know you possess an artistic temperement which is probably the province of relatively few of your compatriots, as is the case elsewhere. If so, then perhaps you belong to the those who are the exception that underlines the rule. I have often thought that playing the lottery is the triumph of hope over experience.

One thing leads to another on Youtube and I found this clip while looking for something completely different.
This man's failure to reach his full potential is one of opera's tragedies, but I don't think anybody would deny that his was a truly great voice. The film looks very well directed also, I will check it out to see if it's on DVD.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJZ2XA84MPI

[Musicology]

Hi there Yanni,

Your J.S. Koch was quite a composer, it seems !

Bach was not too bad also.

Regards

As earlier assumed, JS "Koch" was unknown in Vienna till then!

Good point (confirming my theory), Robert:

"Forkel" avoids mentioning his "other" name in Gottingen, 1798.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Stlukes...Anyone who has been in this forum for any length of time will know you possess an artistic temperement which is probably the province of relatively few of your compatriots, as is the case elsewhere. If so, then perhaps you belong to the those who are the exception that underlines the rule. I have often thought that playing the lottery is the triumph of hope over experience.

Yes obviously our friend Slukes is above loving work for the sake of work, that should go without question - naturally I for one understood that you were referring to lesser mortals with your previous wise comments. With that said though, even though I like the fellow, I'm not sure that I would want to be standing behind him in the car park in the event of his winning the lottery!!!

Wonderful night tonight. I am beginning to adore the chamber music sort of set up, I mean I am sat within touching the musicians with my foot as they string the likes of Mozart and Beethoven purely for my enjoyment - what could be better? Obviously before that I am fully loaded up with sirloin steak (well done) and red wine as you would expect, magnificent. Very varied night too, excellent. I would post more details of the set-up but I don't want to be a bore - and besides that would mean me getting up to double check the programme and I can't be having that!

Happy listening all.

[stlukesguild]

Stlukes, I feel that I am being pulled towards those French operas which you keep plugging.

Don't get me wrong... the Germans sill rule: Bach, Handel, Buxtehude, Schutz, Telemann... no need to wait for the Mozart/Haydn/Viennese triumvirate for the dominance of the Germans in the field of music. But pushed by a Baroque fan on a musical site that I frequent to give the French a serious listen, I find that I have long been wrong in underestimating them. Considering the dominance of the French court of the period, this probably shouldn't be surprising. What I am coming to recognize is that the Baroque era was far more rich than I had once thought... it goes far beyond Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi... and there is even far more to these three than I had once supposed.

I was particularly interested in exploring the Cadmus et Hermione one – I’ll have to look into that, but unfortunately these things are quite costly...

Yes... but I agree that this production in particular looked to be quite stunning.

I have often thought that playing the lottery is the triumph of hope over experience.

I up only playing on those rare occasions when the lottery reaches some ungodly amount. Just last week it reached some $250 Million US+. I end up going in for maybe $5 with a couple of my studio mates. It merely becomes an excuse for fantasizing about what we would do if we were to suddenly find ourselves in the possession of a great deal of money. It always seems that the thing is won by some 85-year old or somebody without the least notion of how to spend the money. They usually announce that they'll pay off the 85 Buick... perhaps take a holiday excursion to Vegas... etc...

...even though I like the fellow, I'm not sure that I would want to be standing behind him in the car park in the event of his winning the lottery!!!

Just meet me at the bar. The Belgian ale's on me!

[yanni]

With all this contagion flying around, you should insist on bailing out your Mozart!

Hi there Yanni,

Your J.S. Koch was quite a composer, it seems !

Bach was not too bad also.

Regards

[Musicology]

Yes Yanni,

We have to start somewhere. Why not the music industry itself ? You know how a glazed look comes into their eye when they are asked to name other composers active during Mozart's Vienna career ? But these, of course, are the norms of 'Mozart research'. And if you ask whether they can name these musical contemporaries of Mozart or provide any details of their own careers they look at their watch and have an urgent meeting ! Knowing nothing of them and their music. Why, how many operas staged in Vienna during Mozart's decade in Vienna (1781-1791) have they actually heard ?

'Ah ! but Mozart was a genius', of course ! (Which is the credit card answer to every appeal). And on my last visit to the corporate pantheon of 'great composers' (there on Easter Island) the caretakers were painting their statues before another crusade arrived. (Sponsored by the usual corporations and overseen by the usual priests who have overseen the writing of our 'western musical education'). This reminded me of the music lover in Homer's 'Odyssey' - the one who had to be tied to the mast of the ship to avoid the dulcit sounds of those Sirens ! So his corpse did not join others on the island where they, the Sirens, were singing.

'It was not to charm them that the Sirens sang, but to destroy them. And therefore the Siren has not a good reputation'

(Aeschines 3.228).

LOL !!

But, beyond that -

Cantata 42
Sinfonia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP-V4Pafu_E

With all this contagion flying around, you should insist on bailing out your Mozart!