Classical Music Forums - Talk Classical - Blogs http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/ This is a classical music discussion forum. A leading musicians and listeners community on the web. en Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:45:04 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.talkclassical.com/images/misc/rss.jpg Classical Music Forums - Talk Classical - Blogs http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/ <![CDATA[Beethoven "In Camara" at Central Washington University]]> http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1198-beethoven-camara-central-washington.html Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/06/jadis-sur-internet-beethoven-in-camara.html) I’d like to take a few moments this morning to extend my wife Marian my warmest and heartfelt salutations as today marks the 25th year of her putting up with me, as we were married on this day in... En français

I’d like to take a few moments this morning to extend my wife Marian my warmest and heartfelt salutations as today marks the 25th year of her putting up with me, as we were married on this day in 1988. More anniversary music on my next Friday Blog and Podcast (read the below teaser). :tiphat:

For the occasion, our Once Upon the Internet features a husband and wife team – though they are only playing “together” in one of the three selections. Also, this serves as a warm-up to our upcoming yearly tradition, our Summer Chamber Music series of Tuesday blogs.


Central Washington University doesn’t “roll off the tongue” when it comes to music schools in North America – at least, not when listing out-loud the more famous ones in Rochester, New-York City, Philadelphia and Bloomington (Indiana). However, CWU’s Department of Music at the Ellensberg Campus offers artistic variety and regular recitals by their faculty members, many of whom found their way on CD and on the old MP3.COM.

Today’s selections, all from Beethoven, are a great example of top-notch recital performances I managed to gather from that site. Violinist Carrie Rehkopf and cellist John Michel, husband and wife and long-time faculty members at the school, are the featured artists today.

About the artists

An enthusiastic teacher, Carrie Rehkopf has served as the violin professor at CWU since 1990. In 2004 she received the Outstanding College String Teacher award from the Washington ASTA/NSOA chapter. She began playing at age 4 following the Suzuki Method (and had a week of lessons with Dr. Suzuki in 1976). She received her degrees from University of Michigan on a full tuition scholarship, and studied further in London.

Called a "first class musician" by Sir George Solti, she has toured North America over the past 15 years and has founded, directed and taught at numerous music camps. Ms. Rehkopf has also performed on chamber music concerts at the Tanglewood, Banff and Norfolk festivals. She gave the world premiere of Maria Newman's violin concerto, which she subsequently recorded at Capitol Records.

Iin his twentieth year as cello professor at CWU, John Michel enjoys his eclectic career as a soloist, chamber musician and teacher. His formal training includes Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Michigan and the New England Conservatory. Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio, Jeffrey Solow, Stefan Popov, Ned Johnson, John Lenz and Susan Ladley were his main teachers.

In addition to regular solo recitals, he has performed the Shostakovich, Dvorak, Elgar, Haydn, Maria Newman, Saint Saëns and Vivaldi concertos with various orchestras. In double series concerts, Mr. Michel has performed all of the six Bach Cello Suites for memory, and regularly appears in the Seattle Bach Suite Marathon.

He is the founder and former director of the Internet Cello Society, a cyber-community of cellists, that shares the knowledge and joy of cello playing with enthusiasts from around the globe. Currently the 12000 ICS members represent 84 different countries.

Accompanying the violinist and cellist in their sonatas, pianist Lisa Bergman has appeared in concerts, festivals and conventions throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. Bergman is a graduate of the Juilliard School, the State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Washington, cum laude, where she served as an Artist in Residence and member of the University of Washington Music Faculty (1989-1999), teaching in the fields of accompanying and opera coaching.

Completing the trio for the Archiduke is fellow faculty member John Pickett , an active chamber musician who appears frequently with Seattle Symphony members in chamber concerts. John Pickett has won awards for both his popular and art songs. He was a finalist in the 2004 National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) art song competition for hissetting of the Wallace Stevens poem, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird. He is a graduate of both The Juilliard School and Indiana University. He received Central Washington University's Distinguished Professor Award in 2005.

PLAYLIST

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

Violin Sonata no. 5, in F Major, op. 24 "Spring"
Cello sonata no. 3, in A major, op. 69
Trio no. 6, in B-Flat Major, op. 97 "Archduke"

Carrie Rehkopf, violin (op. 24, op. 97)
John Michel, cello (op. 69, op. 97)
Lisa Bergman, piano (op. 24, op. 69)
John Pickett, piano (op. 97)
Downloaded from MP3.COM on 19 Mar 2002
Internet Archive URL: http://archive.org/details/07III.Ada....AllegroVivace

June 21 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "My Wedding Anniversary" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more June 21 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1198-beethoven-camara-central-washington.html Here Come... the Dons http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1193-here-come-dons.html Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/06/ca-sa-don-ne.html) Originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, the honorific title “Don” is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person. As a style, rather than a title or rank, it is used with, and not... En français

Originally a title reserved for royalty, select nobles, and church hierarchs, the honorific title “Don” is now often used as a mark of esteem for a person.

As a style, rather than a title or rank, it is used with, and not instead of, a person's name. Think of it as “Sir” for Italioans, Spaniards and Portuguese.

In North America, Don has also been made popular by films depicting the Mafia, such as The Godfather series, where the crime boss would claim for himself the signs of respect that were traditionally granted in Italy to nobility.

In pop culture, we know quite a few Dons: Don Diego de la Vega (AKA Zorro), Don Corleone (The Godfather, though proper etiquette would rather refer to him as Don Vito)... In this week’s YouTube playlist, I retained quite a few Dons made famous in opera: Don Pasquale, Don Carlo, Don José (Carmen’s suffering beau), Don Rodrigo (El Cid), and less well-known chaps like Don César de Bazan and Don Procopio.


Of course, we cannot forget that great lover of women, Don Juan (in Italian, Don Giovanni) who inspired Richard Strauss, Mozart and Liszt. As for Don Quixote, you’ll have to wait to this coming Friday’s montage (read the teaser below…)

Happy listening!

PLAYLIST

Gaetano DONIZETTI (1797-1848)
Overture to Don Pasquale (1843)
NBC Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Toscanini, conducting

Jules MASSENET (1842-1912)
"Sevillana" from Don César de Bazan (1872-88)
Amelita Galli-Curci , soprano
(Unspecified accompaniment)

"Ah! tout est bien fini! Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père" from Le Cid (1895)
Enrico Caruso, tenor
(Unspecified accompaniment)

Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
"Il Grand' Inquisitor" from Don Carlo (1866)
ROH 2010 Production Cast featuring Rolando Villazon and Eric Halfvarson
Orchestra and Chorus of the Royal Opera, Covent Garden
Antonio Pappano, conducting

Georges BIZET (1838-1875)"
"Sulle piume dell'amore" from Don Procopio (1858-59)
Alain Vanzo and Mady Mesple
Orchestre Lyrique de l'O.R.T.F.
Bruno Amaducci, conducting

"La fleur que tu m'avais jetée" from Carmen (1873-74)
José Carreras, tenor
(Unspecified accompaniment)

Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Don Juan, op. 20
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conducting

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527
Orchestra of the Národní divadlo v Praze
Karl Böhm, conducting

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Réminiscences de Don Juan (after Mozart’s Don Giovanni), S.418
Marc André Hamelin, piano

Nino ROTA (1911-1979)
Love Theme from The Godfather (1972)
André Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra.

Youtube URL: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...1srpW4a8U6-6yl

June 14 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Don Quixote" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more June 14 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1193-here-come-dons.html Elizabeth Regina http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1191-elizabeth-regina.html Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:00:00 GMT Image: http://hangout.altsounds.com/geek/gars/images/1/3/3/8/2/22vault.jpg On June 2nd 1953, 60 years ago this past Sunday, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of the House of Windsor was crowned *Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and...

On June 2nd 1953, 60 years ago this past Sunday, Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of the House of Windsor was crowned Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Ceylon, and Pakistan, as well as taking on the role of Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth, then aged 26, ascended the thrones of these countries upon the death of her father, King George VI almost 16 months earlier - the coronation was held over a year later in-keeping with the tradition that a festival such as a coronation was inappropriate during the period of mourning that followed the death of the preceding sovereign.

Television was not yet a year old in Canada at the time of the coronation, and film of the ceremony was flown by RCAF jet to Toronto so that it could be broadcast in Canada the same day. Here is archival footage, which includes some additional shots of Canadian dignataries…

http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categorie...zabeth-ii.html

The director of music for the coronation was the organist and master of the choristers at Westmionster Abbey, William McKie, who had been in charge of music at the royal wedding in 1947. The choir for the coronation was a combination of the choirs of Westminster Abbey, Saint Paul's Cathedral, the Chapel Royal, and Saint George's Chapel, Windsor. The final complement of choristers comprised 182 trebles, 37 male altos, 62 tenors, and 67 basses. Together with a full orchestra, the total number of musicians was 480.

McKie convened an advisory committee with Arnold Bax and Sir Ernest Bullock, who had directed the music for the previous coronation (that of Elizabeth’s father, George VI).

When it came to choosing the music, tradition demanded that Handel's "Zadok the Priest" and Parry's "I was glad" were included amongst the anthems. Other choral works included were the 16th century "Rejoice in the Lord alway" and Samuel Sebastian Wesley's "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace".

Among the new compositions commissioned for the ceremony were Ralph Vaughan Williams new motet "O Taste and See", William Walton composed a setting for the "Te Deum" and a coronation march ("Orb and Sceptre"), Canadian composer Healy Willan wrote an anthem "O Lord our Governor", Arthur Bliss composed "Processional" and Arnold Bax, "Coronation March".

The Podcast Valut montage includes some of these selections, as well as other music "fit for a coronation" by the likes of Tchaikovsky, Mozart and Meyerbeer. And let's not forget an Elgar Pomp and Circumstance March...

ITYWLTMT Podcast Montage #55 – The Crown
(Originally issued on Friday, May 18, 2012)


Pyotr Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Festival Coronation March in D Major, TH 50
Cincinnati Pops
Erich Kunzel, conducting

George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)
Zadok the priest, HWV258 (Coronation Anthem no. 1)
Michael Chance, Countertenor
Charles Daniels, Tenor
Paul Smy, Treble
Gerald Finley, Bass
David Briggs, Organ
John Butt, Harpsichord
King's College Choir, Cambridge
English Chamber Orchestra
Sir Philip Ledger, conducting

Sir William WALTON (1902-1983)
Coronation Te Deum, C 58
Richard Pierce, organ
BBC Symphony Chorus and Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis, conducting

Orb and Sceptre (coronation march), C 59
Eastman-Rochester Pops Orchestra
Frederick Fennell, conducting

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Piano Concerto no.26 in D Major, K.537 ('Coronation')
Salzburg Mozarteum Camerata Academica
Géza Anda, piano & conducting

Sir William WALTON (1902-1983)
Crown Imperial (coronation march) (1937, rev. 1963)
(arr. for wind band, W. J. Duthoit)
USAF Tactical Air Command Band
Lowell Graham, conducting

Giacomo MEYERBEER (1791-1864)
Coronation march from Act 4 of Le prophète (1849)
London Symphony Orchestra
Richard Bonynge, conducting

Sir Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)
Pomp and Circumstance March in G Major, op. 39, no. 4
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Sir Yehudi Menuhin, conducting



June 7 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Pelléas et Mélisande" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more June 7 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1191-elizabeth-regina.html La chronique du disque (May 2013) http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1182-la-chronique-du-disque.html Tue, 28 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/05/la-chronique-du-disque-mai-2013.html) ---Quote--- *The rules will be kept simple:* here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions. Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will... En français

The rules will be kept simple: here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions.

Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will provide two sets of marks (letters A to D) on sound quality (SQ) and on overall impression (OI). These grades are entirely subjective, but here are some guidelines:

  • About “sound quality”: my point of reference is my iPod (160 GB iPod Classic) with standard earbud-type earphones. I ride the buses here in the National Capital Region; buses and work are where I do most of my iPod listening, so this gives you an idea of the ambient noise… When it comes to sound quality, a good grade means I hear the music clearly, good recording pick-up, acoustically pleasing.
  • About “overall impression”: my point of view varies widely. It may be jaded by other performances I have heard or own (comparisons will be identified if they apply), but a good grade means I heard conviction, virtuosity, and I enjoyed it.
My Acquisitions for May


Meyerbeer: Struensee - Les Patineurs
[eMusic]

Giacomo Meyerbeer is one of the movers and shakers of what we have come to call Grand Opera: Le Prophete, l’Africaine, and so many more. This disc provides a different look at Mayerbeer’s music – a complete performance of the incidental music to a play by his brother Michael (Struensee), as well as a pastiche-ballet made of excerpts of his operas called “Les Patineurs” and the prelude to l'Africaine. The performances are, generally, solid and the music fo the play was something of a discovery for me. A for SQ, A- for OI.


Dompierre: 24 Préludes
[eMusic]

François Dompierre is one of Canada’s best known composers and musical commentators – a role he only picked up over the last few years on Radio Canada’s Espace Musique radio network. Dompierre, as part of his programme, will sometimes improvise at the piano, and I think some of these improvisations – and prodding by pianist and fellow radio commentator Alain Lefèvre – have resulted in this set of 24 preludes (in the vein of Bach, Chopin and Shostakovich, set for every major and minor key). Dompierre has made forays into jazz, popular and what some might call pseudo-classical music over the length of his career, and these preludes are a great reflection of these tendencies. These are works that require all the piano skill Lefèvre can muster, whilst staying true to the composer’s knack for giving the public what they like. Generally fun to listen to, I did find that the set got a little predictable. A for SQ, A- for OI.


The Sea Hawk [Original Film Score]
[Torrent]

Tomorrow (May 29th) is a milestone day in modern music – the premiere of The Rite of Spring – and for the past few weeks, I have been preparing blogs and montages having to do with composers who – shall I say – didn’t get the memo about this new music thing. One such composer is Erich Korngold, whose musical style makes him the last great romantic composer. Korngold, who had a great repurtation in Germany before the Second World War, spent the war years in Hollywood, where he composed some of the landmark scores of the industry at a time where escape was a great need. His Academy-Award winning score for the Errol Flynn film The Sea Hawk is indicative of what Korngold could accomplish, and is a direct forebear to the great modern scores of John Williams and Maurice Jarre. This performance by the Utah Symphony is one of the few complete recordings to have been made of this luscious score, with even a pair of sung numbers. The recording is true to the Master’s vision. A for SQ, A for OI.


Khachaturian: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra
[eMusic]

Dame Moura Lympany (1916 –2005) was one of the first in an internationally successful group of female British piano virtuosos to emerge in the twentieth century and excelled in the Russian repertoire. One of the pieces most closely associated with her is the Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D-flat, which she premiered in Britain in 1940. This recording of the Khachaturian Piano Concerto with Anatole Fistoulari and the London Philharmonic Orchestra suffers from a poorly engineered recording session: - it sound is disappointingly muddy, and it detracts from an otherwise excellent performance of an at-time banal work. C+ for SQ, B+ for OI.



Beecham - Chabrier, Mozart, Delius, Debussy, Saint-Saens, Berlioz, Massenet (1955-1959)
[eMusic]

Sir Thomas Beecham is probably one of the more underrated conductors of French repertoire, and this interesting set of BBC broadcasts shows off a lot of that great insight - and the virtuosity of his ensemble. My only reservation is the cheeky download options I was faced with from eMusic. I'm all for enticing a buyer to download the whole album by withholding some tracks, but forcing me to download two tracks of Beecham addressing the audience to get the rare recording of Delius' Brigg Fair is kind of sad. These are, for this series, less-than-stellar mono performances. B for SQ, B+ for OI.

Tomorrow, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "This Day in Music History: 29 May 1913" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more May 29 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1182-la-chronique-du-disque.html <![CDATA[Haydn: The "Tween" Symphomnies]]> http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1176-haydn-tween-symphomnies.html Tue, 21 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/2013/05/haydn-les-symphonies-mitoyennes.html) My post today lines up somewhat with my ongoing look at the music of *Joseph Haydn* - cello works (http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1165-once-upon-internet-reiner.html) last week, and my 3-pat... En français

My post today lines up somewhat with my ongoing look at the music of Joseph Haydn - cello works last week, and my 3-pat series (finishing Friday) look at the Paris symphonies.

In the first post of that series, I spoke of Haydn's contract with the Court of Esterházy and how Haydn, in renewing that commitment, received more freedom to compose for other orchestras and for other sponsors. The Paris symphonies (composed for the Comte d'Ogny) and the London symphonies (composed for impresario Johann Peter Salomon) are of course two major sets of works that stem from that newfound freedom.

But there is a set of 5 more symphonies (numbered 88 to 92) that were composed between those two landmark sets - I call those the "Tween" symphonies - that are also worth listening to and discussing in that same context.

One of the sponsors/dedicatees of these symphonies is the violinist (and something of a slimeball if you believe the stories) Johann Peter Tost. Tost played in Haydn's Court orchestra, and was also the recipient of sets of quartets (opp. 54 and 55). The other main dedicatee was Prince Ernst of Oettingen-Wallerstein, a nobleman who had also connections with orchestras in Paris and London.

Among the best known works of the set are the first and last. Symphony no. 88 is known as "The Letter V", a nickname that has everything to do with how Haydn's symphonies were catalogued in the early 19th century. Indeed, one of the major catalogs (pre-Hoboken) of the Haydn symphonies was that of the London Philharmonic Society, which assigned letters to the symphonies in their repertoire. The 88th is simply "V" in that catalog.

The 92nd (which we featured in an early Tuesday blog) is nicknamed "Oxford" and was, indeed, part of a series of concerts held at that institution in recognition of Haydn being bestowed an honorary doctorate. However, the symphony wasn't composed specifically for that occasion.

It is likely the 92nd was composed for les Concerts de la Loge Olympique in Paris - the orchestra Haydn had composed his Paris symphonies for. The work was later given in London, and was added to the Oxford concerts as a matter of convenience - Haydn hadn't had time to write an original symphony, and the orchestra had already played the work four months earlier.

The remainder of the symphonies are pure Haydn: formulaic maybe, but full of diversity in tone and surprises. The YouTube playlist below assembles all five in "live" performances by well-known orchestras and conductors.

Thanks for YouTube channel magischmeisjeorkest [/HTML](who seems to have a soft sport for Japanese anime).

Happy listening!


PLAYLIST


Franz Josef HAYDN (1732-1809)

Symphony # 88, in G Major, Hob. I:88, "The Letter V"
[For Johann Tost]
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Mariss Jansons, conducting
Musikverein, Vienna, 5 Oct 2008

Symphony # 89, in F Major, Hob. I:89
[For Johann Tost]
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Riccardo Muti, conducting
Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 30 Sep 2010

Symphony # 90, in C Major, Hob. I:90
[For Prince Ernst of Oettingen-Wallerstein]
Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest
John Eliot Gardiner, conducting
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 7 mar 2010

Symphony # 91, in E-Flat Major, Hob. I:91
Symphony # 92, in G Major, Hob. I:92, "Oxford"
[For Prince Ernst of Oettingen-Wallerstein]
Wiener Philharmoniker
Simon Rattle, conducting
Musikverein, Vienna, 19 apr 2009

YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...1LHnAAafZERTJK

May 24 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "The Paris Symphonies - Part 3" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more May 24 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1176-haydn-tween-symphomnies.html <![CDATA[I'm gonna write a new story!]]> http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/huilunsoittaja/1180-im-gonna-write-new.html Wed, 15 May 2013 00:32:48 GMT So, I'm about to embark on my most challenging project yet, a 50,000+ word novella.

No title for it yet!

These are the characters so far:

Tanya - main character
Marcus - Tanya's Fiance
Ernest
Marie
Alex

There will be 5 main people total, besides lesser characters.

This is the plot line. It's at a large music school. Tanya is a phenomenal singer, graduate choral conducting student. Marcus is a composer, DMA. Both are engaged, and live together. Both are also extremely ambitious.
On the margin is Marie (who poses as main character of 2nd storyline), friend of Tanya, a former flutist and violinist now turned administrator and programmer. She likes Alex, who is a graduate student in cello. Alex isn't yet sure of his feelings yet for Marie, but Ernest, a DMA orchestral conductor, likes Marie. But... Tanya likes Ernest secretly... this is gonna get complicated real fast... not to mention their graduation theses/dissertations are all due soon... :D

I like it when I don't know where stories are going, it's sometimes the only motivation I have for going on sometimes. If I come up with the whole plot too fast, I get bored of writing it out, and stop.

Updates to follow! ]]> Huilunsoittaja http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/huilunsoittaja/1180-im-gonna-write-new.html Once Upon the Internet - Reiner Hochmuth Plays the Haydn Cello Concertos http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1165-once-upon-internet-reiner.html Tue, 14 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français


According to the artist's webpage, German cellist Reiner Hochmuth began to play the cello at the age of 10. After winning numerous prizes at German Youth Competitions he chose to study music seriously rather than pursue chemistry.

In 1973, he spent one year in private study with Paul Tortelier at the Folkwang-Hochschule in Essen (where he returned in 1976 to study with Janos Starker and graduated with honours in 1980) and made his debut playing Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme with the Hamburger Symphoniker. After winning first prize at Bristol's International Cello Competition Reiner toured through England to perform with a number orchestras. Performances with the New Philharmonia as well as with the German Youth Orchestra in London are highlights of this period.

In 1983 the National Institute of Art in Taipei, Taiwan, asked him to become a guest professor for a period of three years. Since then he was travelling to Asia to perform in various countries and to teach. In 1995 he came into contact with the Chi Mei Culture Foundation which runs its own museum and owns a great collection of fine instruments. Since that time Reiner Hochmuth got the chance to play the two important Strad Cellos ("Ex Boccherini - Ex Cassado" and "The Pawle") for concerts and recording.

Hochmuth was (and still is) one of the first "internet savvy" cellists, a member of the Internet Cello Society and was featured on the original MP3.COM (In fact, his website still shows signs of that relationship.)

Among his "complete" recordings available on the service at the tine is today's featured tracks from his Haydn album with the Polish Chamber Orcehstra - a solid "old school" performance. As filler, I added another Haydn recording I downloaded at the time, by the period Orchester Damals und Heute, of the "Trauer" (funeral) symphony.

Happy listening!

Franz Josef HAYDN (1732-1809)
Concerto no. 1, in C Major, for cello and orchestra, Hob VIIb:1
Concerto no. 2, in D Major, for cello and orchestra, Hob. VIIb:2

Reiner Hochmuth, cello
Polska Filharmonia Kameralna
Wojciech Rajski, conducting
(Thorofon CTH 2001)

(MP3.COM, 23 November 2001)

Symphony no. 44, in E Minor, Hob. I:44 “Trauer”
Das Orchester Damals und Heute
Michael Alexander Willens, conducting
(MP3.COM, ca. 2001)

Internet Archive URL: https://archive.org/details/03Concerto

May 17 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "The Paris Symphonies - Part 2" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more May 17 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1165-once-upon-internet-reiner.html This Day in Music History - 7 May 1824 http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1161-day-music-history-7.html Tue, 07 May 2013 07:00:00 GMT

Related: http://www.talkclassical.com/24869-y...eethovens.html

This week's selection from the Podcast Vault tries to recreate a concert that took place 189 years ago today. A concert that, in may ways, stands as the event where one of Classical Music's most beloved works of the SYmphonic repertoire received its first performance.

(This, might I had, is in sharp contrast to another noteworthy historic event that will celebrate its centenary later this month.)

In these pages almost a year and a half ago, I discussed a specific event that was organised by Beethoven - a mammoth undertaking - where no less than 4 of his major mature works received their premiere. This day, at Vienna’s Kärntnertortheater, was the composer's first on-stage appearance in 12 years.

The concert opened with the lesser-known overture Die Weihe des Hauses (The Consecration of the House), written in 1822.for the opening of Vienna’s new Theater in der Josefstadt.

Also premiered were the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei from the Missa Solemnis, here presented as ‘Drei Hymnen’ to surmount the problem of liturgical music being censored for performace in a theatre.

Finally, the concert included the world premiere of the Symphony No. 9, which featured the touching spectacle of the completely deaf Beethoven, billed as assistant conductor (the performance was officially directed by Michael Umlauf, the theatre's Kapellmeister), beating time oblivious to the fact that the music had ended and the audience was applauding. Contralto Caroline Unger walked over and turned Beethoven around toward the crowd so he could accept their warm applause.

In order to fit my self-imposed 90-minute ceiling for a podcast (why I sometimes don't...), I limited the Missa excerrpts to the Kyrie movement only - the latter two sections are available through links from an earlier recording by the same orchestra and conductor (the NBC Symphony under Toscanini).

If you have read my Beethoven Cycle post from almost 2 years ago, you know I have a soft spot of the Leibowitz Beethoven cycle, which I originally obtained from the Reader's DIgest almost 35 years ago now. There's something unapologetic about Leiboiwitz's approach to the work: this ain't a HIP performance to be sure! It is great stereo sound, and the digital transfers from the Chesky engineers have retained (to my ears) all the awe that I experienced the first time the old vinyls were spinning on my old tuntable.

Happy Listening!

ITYWLTMT Podcast Montage #54 – Musikalische Akademie der 7. Mai 1824
(Originally issued on Friday, May 4, 2012)


Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Die Weihe des Hauses (Consecration of the House), op. 124
Orchester des Wiener Festwochen
Josef Krips, conducting

"Kyrie" from Drei Hymnen (Missa Solemnis Op.123)
Lois Marshall, soprano
Nan Merriman, mezzo-soprano
Eugene Conley, tenor
Jerome Hines, bass
Robert Shaw Chorale
NBC Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Toscanini, conducting
[Credo and Agnius Dei from YouTube]

Symphony no. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 (Choral)
Inge Borkh, soprano
Ruth Sievert, contralto
Richard Lewis, tenor
Ludwig Weber, bass
Beecham Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Rene Leibowitz, conducting



May 10 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "The Paris Symphonies - Part 1" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more May 10 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1161-day-music-history-7.html La chronique du disque (April 2013) http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1159-la-chronique-du-disque.html Tue, 30 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/04/la-chronique-du-disque-avril-2013.html) ---Quote--- *The rules will be kept simple:* here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions. Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will... En français

The rules will be kept simple: here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions.

Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will provide two sets of marks (letters A to D) on sound quality (SQ) and on overall impression (OI). These grades are entirely subjective, but here are some guidelines:

  • About “sound quality”: my point of reference is my iPod (160 GB iPod Classic) with standard earbud-type earphones. I ride the buses here in the National Capital Region; buses and work are where I do most of my iPod listening, so this gives you an idea of the ambient noise… When it comes to sound quality, a good grade means I hear the music clearly, good recording pick-up, acoustically pleasing.
  • About “overall impression”: my point of view varies widely. It may be jaded by other performances I have heard or own (comparisons will be identified if they apply), but a good grade means I heard conviction, virtuosity, and I enjoyed it.
My Acquisitions for April


Freni / Vickers - Verdi: Otello
[In-Store Purchase]


In many ways this is a sign of the times; I do most of my music acquisition on-line nowadays, as I would have to get out of my way to find a record store with a good enough CM section for me to browse. The local HMV used to have a portion of one rack dedicated to CM. Today, HMV carries almost a 50-50 blend of music CDs and DVDs, and an HMV I recently visited didn’t even have a CM section anymore… But what it did have was a clearance of releases from the excellent EMI Classics Operas series (on sale for 2 for $10!) though it had a very limited selection., I picked up two, including a re-issue of the excellent Karajan recording of Otello with Jon Vickers singing the title role. The re-issue is excellent, and the package comes with a CD-ROM containing the full libretto with translation. Great value, great performance. A for SQ, A for OI.


An Evening of Magic: Chuck Mangione Live at the Hollywood Bowl
[Torrent Disk 1 Disk2 ]


Chuck Mangione falls somewhere between a guilty pleasure and nostalgia in my music collection. This double-LP set, reissued to CD, has been in my personal collection for almost 30 years, and the magic and electricity of the concert is fully captured on disc. Mangione by now is working with his quartet (Grant Geissman, Charles Meeks, James Bradley Jr. and Chris Vadala), and he's joined on stage by a full complement of strings and winds assembled among local musicians. Though he has released a number of live as well as studio recordings, this one stands out (with Land of Make Believe) as a great “you had to be there” moment. Great fun! A for SQ, A- for OI.


BALAKIREV: Symphony No 2 / Russia
[eMusic]


Off eMusic this month, I downloaded two NAXOS recordings of the orchestral music of Mily Balakirev, the lerader oif the late 19th century quintet of composers closely associated with St-Petersberg (Rimsky, Mussorgsky, Borodin and Cesar Cui being the other four). I gather from listening to the two symphonies I downloaded (the second being featured on this particular recording) that Balakirev must have been more compelling a person than a composer in the symphonic form; I believe Borodin’s symphonies are far superior, but you be the judge! A- for SQ, B+ for OI.


CUI: Suites Nos 2 and 4 / Le Flibustier
[eMusic]


Speaking of the “Mighty Handful”, Cesar Cui is probably the one name we forget from the quintet (sometimes, I surprise myself swapping him out for Glazunov when I recall the members of the group…) This intriguing release of two of Cui’s orchestral suites is my “find” of the month. Cui’s music sounds more “Western” than “Russian” – it is so refined – and so different from the music of his mates – especially Mussorgsky and Rimsky. Well worth the download! A- for SQ, A- for OI.


Khachaturian Concerto For Violin & Orchestra
[eMusic]


Igor Oistrakh’s violin prowess pales in comparison to that of his famous father, but this vintage recording of Khatchaturian’s concerto shows him in great, and at times brilliant, form. The Khartcahturian concerto is one of those pieces that falls in and out of vogue, and is viewed by some as overrated. However, it does stack up against concertos (especially Western concertos) of the second half of the 20th century. The performance I downloaded is a poor digital transfer – I’m sure there are better re-issues of this recording. In spite of it, the work by Goosens and the Philharmonia comes through as a solid job, and the soloist is strong. A- for SQ, A- for OI.

May 3rd 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "You Call That a Symphony?" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more May 3rd on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1159-la-chronique-du-disque.html Tell Me A Story With Music: The Tone Poem http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1157-tell-me-story-music.html Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/2013/04/raconte-moi-une-histoire-en-musique-le.html) All this month on my Friday Blog and Podcast (http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/p/whats-new-on-itywltmt.html) I have been exploring the theme of story telling. Of course, the most popular form of story... En français

All this month on my Friday Blog and Podcast I have been exploring the theme of story telling. Of course, the most popular form of story telling in music is the tone poem, an invention that - as I explained in my post on Symphonie Fantastique - in one of the key contributions of the Romantic era. A toine poem is, by definition, the antithesis of form, it is a pure musical canvas, used to paint a particular story, express emotions, all those things we routinely associate with story telling.

Today;s playlist merely proposes a handful of tone poems (or orchestral fantasies), spanning nearly 100 years.

Our journey begins with Franz Liszt, who musiologists claim to be the inventor of the genre. In a past Tuesday Blog, I proposed Liszt's finest tone poem, Les préludes. Today's playlist presents another of his creations, Tasso.

One has to believe that the next torch bearer for the genre has to have been Richard Strauss. Strauss composed a series of epic tone poems, some of them massive beyond compare (Also Sprach Zarathustra, Ein Helkdenleben) and others (composed early in his career) have become standards of the genre, including Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, my choice for this week's playlist.

Not all works get the moniker Tone Poem, but they do fit the mold. One of these is the series of orchestral fantasies by Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet - all of them featured on my Podcasts almost two years ago - and Francesca da Rimini, my selection for today. Francesca is a lengthy work for the genre (at almost 30 minutes) but packs quite a punch. This performance by Tchaikovsky conductor extraordinaire Evgenii Mravinski grabs you from the initial downbeat and doesn't let go until the bitter end.

There are quaint and simple tone poems, and we owe quite a few to Camille Saint-Saëns: his Phaeton and this one, Omphale's Spinning Wheel illustrate that the genre doesn't need to go over-the-top (a la Strauss), that straight-forward and economical composing does just as good a job.

My final selection today is Gershwin's tone poem An American in Paris, a work that has transcended the concert hall (thanks to Vicente Minelli and Gene Kelly). In researching for today's post, I encountered this nice fact-filled web page that talks not only about the well-known back story to the work, but also discusses the story of the recording featured today, the world-premiere recording by Nathaniel Shilkret. I was amazed at how well the performance stacks up to the "modern" performances (Previn, Tilson-Thomas, ...). I'm especially impressed with some of the sound effects and, if you pay close attention, you will hear Gershwin himself playing the Celesta.

Happy Listening!

PLAYLIST

Franz LISZT (1811-1886)
Tasso: Lamento e Trionfo, S.96
Leipzig Gewandhaus under Kurt Masur

Pyotr Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Francesca da Rimini (symphonic fantasy) in E-, Op.32
Leningrad Philharmonic under Evgenii Mravinski

Richard STRAUSS (1864-1949)
Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Op. 28, Trv 171
RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner

Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Le Rouet d'Omphale, symphonic poem in A, Op.31
Orchestre du Conservatoire under Charles Munch

George GERSHWIN (1898-1937)
An American in Paris (1928)
Victor Symphony Orchestra under Nathaniel Shilkret

YouTube Playlist @ http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...2RUNoeTePZnRhQ

April 26 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "C'est poétique" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more April 26 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1157-tell-me-story-music.html Once Upon the Internet: Fauré/Franck: Cello Sonatas http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1148-once-upon-internet-faur.html Tue, 16 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/2013/04/shauna-rolston-joue-franck-et-faure.html) Sometimes, I have presented CDs cover-to-cover on Once Upon the Internet, and this month’s installment is one of those occasions, featuring a 1987 CD I downloaded from MP3.COM more than 10 years ago. ... En français

Sometimes, I have presented CDs cover-to-cover on Once Upon the Internet, and this month’s installment is one of those occasions, featuring a 1987 CD I downloaded from MP3.COM more than 10 years ago.

The CD features a then 20-year old Shauna Rolston accompanied by pianist Menahem Pressler in a chamber recording of two of the most popular French sonatas (the sonatas in A by Gabriel Fauré and César Franck), but transcribed for the cello.

Shauna Rolston is one of Canada’s finest cellists. Raised in a musical family – her dad Thomas was concertmaster and associate conductor of the Edmonton Symphony and her mother Isobel is a pianist, accompanist and longtime harpist of the same orchestra. A precocious talent, she began studying the cello at the age of three, and by age eight gave her first cello recital. She participated regularly in cello master classes, studying in Banff with Zara Nelsova, János Starker, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Gabriel Magyar, and in Europe with Pierre Fournier at the Geneva Conservatory and William Pleeth at the Britten-Pears School, Aldeburgh.

Rolston is an advocate for new music, and has premiered a number of works written for her. Composers who have written for her include Kelly-Marie Murphy, Heather Schmidt, Oskar Morawetz, Bruce Mather, Christos Hatzis and Chan Ka Nin, as well as Krzysztof Penderecki, Gavin Bryers, Mark Anthony Turnage, Rolf Wallin, Augusta Read Thomas, Karen Tanaka, and Gary Kulesha.

In 1994 Shauna Rolston joined the music faculty of the University of Toronto where she is a Professor and Head of the String Department. She is also a regular Visiting Artist for the Music and Sound Programs at the Banff Centre.

Although she has played in chamber and orchestral settings in Korea, Japan, Canada, Europe, and the USA, her discography is rather modest. Indeed, this 1987 recording and a handful of CBC Record releases (with the CBC Radio Orchestra and Calgary Philharmonic) pretty much sum up her recorded output. The same cannot be said of her recital partner on this CD, Menahem Pressler, a founding member of the Beaux Arts Trio. In addition to recording nearly the entire piano chamber repertoire with the Beaux Arts Trio for Philips, Menahem Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from the works of Bach to Ben Haim. Last I heard, at almost 90 years of age, Mr. Pressler is still active as a recitalist.

Jules Delsart's arrangement for cello and piano of César Franck's Violin Sonata in A major was sanctioned by the composer, and has become a standard part of the cello repertoire. Ms. Rolston plays her own transcription for cello of the Fauré sonata.


César FRANCK (1822 - 1890)
Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major, FWV 8
Transcribed: Jules Delsart

Gabriel FAURE (1845 - 1924)
Sonata for Violin and Piano no 1 in A major, Op. 13
Transcribed: Shauna Rolston

Shauna Rolston (Cello), Menahem Pressler (Piano)
Venue: Rutgers Presbyterian Church, NYC (June 1987)
Summit Records DCD-109

Downloaded from MP3.COM ca. 2001

Internet Archive URL: https://archive.org/details/03SonateEnLaMajeurOp.133..

April 19 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "C'est féérique" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more April 19 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1148-once-upon-internet-faur.html César Franck (1822 - 1890) http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1121-c-sar-franck-1822.html Tue, 09 Apr 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/04/cesar-franck-1822-1890.html) Image: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Cesar_Franck_At_Organ.jpg/220px-Cesar_Franck_At_Organ.jpg I had originally programmed this post for our Organ and Lent series, but decided to push... En français


I had originally programmed this post for our Organ and Lent series, but decided to push it off to make room for my Marie-Claire Alain post. Let's call this some bonus organ, shall we...

According to Britannica online, Belgian-French composer César Franck “was the chief figure in a movement to give French music an emotional engagement, technical solidity, and seriousness comparable to that of German composers”. Among Franck’s composition students and disciples we count Vincent d’Indy, Ernest Chausson, Pierre de Bréville, Charles Bordes, and Guy Ropartz.

Admitted to his hometown conservatory of Liège at the age of eight, Franck’s progress as a pianist was so astonishing that in 1834 his father took him on tour and a year later dispatched him to Paris, where he worked with Anton Reicha, then professor at the Paris Conservatory.
Franck enrolled officially at the Paris Conservatory at age 17, and after winning several prizes there he pulled out of the institution prematurely, at his father’s insistence, to pursue a concert career. After 10 years spent travelling, composing and performing, Franck married in 1848 and settled down - he earned his livelihood as an organist and teacher and led a simple, almost ascetic life.

We acknowledge many of Franck’s compositions - his Symphony in D Minor (1888), Variations symphoniques (1885), Piano Quintet in F Minor (1879), String Quartet in D Major (1889), Sonata in A Major for Violin and Piano (1886). However, today’s post focuses on Franck as an organist and composer of orhan works. Picking up our story, Franck was appointed organist to the Church of Saint-Jean-Saint-François in 1851 and in 1858 to that of Sainte-Clotilde, where he was already choirmaster. From the organ loft of Sainte-Clotilde came the improvisations for which he was to become famous and also their elaboration in organ and choral works.

As an organist he was particularly noted for his skill in improvisation, and on the basis of merely twelve major organ works, Franck is considered by many the greatest composer of organ music after Bach. His works were some of the finest organ pieces to come from France in over a century, and laid the groundwork for the French symphonic organ style. In particular, his Grande Pièce Symphonique, a 25 minute work, paved the way for the organ symphonies of Charles-Marie Widor, Louis Vierne, and Marcel Dupré.

The key to his music may be found in his personality. His friends record that he was "a man of utmost humility, simplicity, reverence and industry." Louis Vierne, a pupil and later titular organist of Notre-Dame, wrote in his memoirs that Franck showed a "constant concern for the dignity of his art, for the nobility of his mission, and for the fervent sincerity of his sermon in sound. […] Joyous or melancholy, solemn or mystic, powerful or ethereal: Franck was all those at Sainte-Clotilde."

Today’s playlist provides a good overview of Frabck’s organ legacy. Happy listening!

PLAYLIST


César FRANCK (1822 - 1890)

Offertoire (E-Flat Major) from "L'organiste, 1er volume", FWV 41, no. 28
Diego Innocenzi
INSTRUMENT: Cavaillé-Coll, St. François-de Sales, Lyon, France

Prélude, fugue et variation (B Minor), FWV 30
Michael Murray
INSTRUMENT : 1888 Cavaille-Coll-Organ Of St. Sernin, Toulouse

Fantaisie (C Major), FWV 28
David Enlow
INSTRUMENT: St Mary the Virgin, New York

Choral (no. 3, A Minor), FWV 40
Gerard Carter
INSTRUMENT: Théodore Puget, Père et Fils organ at Kincoppal-Rose Bay Chapel, Sydney.

Grande pièce symphonique (F-Sharp Minor) , FWV 29
André Marchal
INSTRUMENT : Grand Orgue de l'église Sainte-Eustache in Paris.

Psaume 150 (Louez le Dieu, caché dans ses saints tabernacles) chœur avec orchestre et orgue, FWV 69
Xaver Varnus on the great organ
The Budapest Tomkins Vocal Ensemble, The Budapest Opera Orchestra
Conducted by Tamás Vásáry

Pièce héroique, pour orgue , FWV 37
Katalin Mali
INSTRUMENT: Angster pipe organ of the St. Theresa Cathedral in Subotica Serbia

Final (B-Flat Major), FWV 33
Mark Laubach
INSTRUMENT: Berghaus organ at Grace Lutheran Church in the River Forest (Chicago), Illinois.

URL: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list...fHVJDtBApCnRTT

April 12 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "C'est fantastique" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more April 12 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1121-c-sar-franck-1822.html The Stars Align http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1136-stars-align.html Tue, 02 Apr 2013 06:00:00 GMT

For awhile now, we have had a fairly popular message thread on the forum "http://www.talkclassical.com/15023-keep-looking-up.html".

Of course, music and the bodies that occupy the night skies is a combination that conjures up many possibilities, like this one...


This thread is what inspired a montage on my weekly podcast well over a year ago.

The titles I had selected range from the early classical (Mozart's Jupiter Sympohony, either dedicated to the Roman God or the planet) all the way to contemporary song (When You Wish Upon a Star and Stardust), with significant stops along the way.

2013 marks the 30th anniversart of the passing of French-Canadian composer Claude Vivier, brutally murdered in Paris. Vivier, who trained under Karlheinz Stockhausen and made his name in electro-acoustics was both prolific and quite controversial. Although he had been performed regularly in Contemporary Music circles, receiving a commission by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony was quita a coup at the time. The piece, Orion, is one of his most lyrical compositions, and would have augured well for the composer.

Romantic composers and opera are also featured in this playlist, including excerpts from Aida and Tosca. Messiaen's monumental Turangalila is both astronomical and astrological - and a sensual experience in the strictest sense of the word.

Joseph Strauss' Music of the Sppheres and two sections from Holst's Planets round up the montage.

Happy Listening!

ITYWLTMT Podcast Montage #34 – Heavenly Bodies
(Originally issued on Friday, December 9, 2011)


Josef STRAUSS (1827-1870)
Sphären-Klänge, walzer (Music of the Spheres), Op.235
Bratislava Radio Symphony Orchestra
Ondrej Lenard, conducting

Ned WASHINGTON (1901-1976)
When You Wish Upon a Star (1940)
(arrangement by/de Robert Freedman)
Wynton Marsalis, trumpet
Branford Marsalis, saxophone
Kent Jordan, flute
Kenny Kirkland, piano
Ron Carter, acoustic bass
Jeff "Tain" Watts, drums
Studio orchestra
Robert Freedman, conducting

Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
“Celeste Aida“ (Heavenly Aida) (Act I, Sc. 4) from Aïda (1871) Jon Vickers, tenor
Leontyne Price, soprano
Orchestra e Coro del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Sir Georg Solti, conducting

Claude VIVIER (1948-1983)
Orion (1979)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln
Peter Rundel, conducting

Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
“Joie du sang des etoiles (Joy of the blood of stars) from Turangalîla-symphonie, for piano, ondes martenot and orchestra, I/29
Yvonne Loriod , piano
Jeanne Loriod, ondes martenot
Toronto Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conducting

Howard Hoagland CARMICHAEL (1899-1981)
Stardust (1927)
Dave Brubeck Quartet

Gustav HOLST (1874-1934)
"Mars: The Bringer of War" and "Neptune: The Mystic" from The Planets, suite for orchestra and female chorus, Op.32
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Choeur de femmes de l’OSM
(Iwan Edwards, chorus master)
Charles Dutoit, conducting
[Complete Performance: Dutoit conducts Staatskapelle Dresden]

Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
III. Menuetto: Allegretto and IV. Finale: Molto allegro
from Symphony no.41 in C Major, K.551 ('Jupiter')
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Jane Glover, conducting

Giacomo PUCCINI (1858-1924)
“E lucevan le stelle“(When the stars were brightly shining) (Act III, Sc. 3) from Tosca (1900)
Giorgio Lamberti, tenor
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra (Bratislava)
Alexander Rabbari, conducting



April 5th 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "C'est legendaire" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more April 5th on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1136-stars-align.html La chronique du disque (March 2013) http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1135-la-chronique-du-disque.html Tue, 26 Mar 2013 07:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.com/2013/03/la-chronique-du-disque-mars-2013.html) ---Quote--- *The rules will be kept simple:* here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions. Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will... En français

The rules will be kept simple: here’s what I found, here’s where I found it, here’s a couple of sentences about it and (possibly) some opinions.

Not unlike Olympic Figure Skating, I will provide two sets of marks (letters A to D) on sound quality (SQ) and on overall impression (OI). These grades are entirely subjective, but here are some guidelines:

  • About “sound quality”: my point of reference is my iPod (160 GB iPod Classic) with standard earbud-type earphones. I ride the buses here in the National Capital Region; buses and work are where I do most of my iPod listening, so this gives you an idea of the ambient noise… When it comes to sound quality, a good grade means I hear the music clearly, good recording pick-up, acoustically pleasing.
  • About “overall impression”: my point of view varies widely. It may be jaded by other performances I have heard or own (comparisons will be identified if they apply), but a good grade means I heard conviction, virtuosity, and I enjoyed it.
My Acquisitions for March


Hindemith, P.: Kammermusik No. 7 / Rheinberger, J.G.: Organ Sonata No. 7 (Biggs) (1952, 1957)
[eMusic]

In keeping with our Tuesday Blog Organ theme, I have acquired a NAXOS Classical Archives recording featuring American organist E. Power Biggs in a pair of works: the first is an organ concerto by Paul Hindemith, the other is a modern-sounding late 19th century organ sonata by Joseph Rheinberger. Sometimes, I have found recordings from that series to have sound issues, but not this one. This is a re-edition of an old Columbia Masterworks mono recording from 1957, and both the performances and the sound have been nicely preserved. E. Power Biggs is not everybody’s cup of tea shall we say, but he comes through as a thoughtful interpreter. I quite enjoyed this! A for SQ, A- for OI.


Schubert Franz - Complete Symphonies, Ricardo Muti & Wiener Philharmoniker
[Torrent]

Riccardo Muti is, in my book anyways, a solid conductor, and he is solid in many facets of the orchestral repertoire. His Brilliant Classics complete Schubert is quite strong – I relished the short Rosamunde Suite, he does justice to the more infamous pages (The Unfinished, the Great C Major) and he provides a very thoughtful interpretation of the lesser-played symphonies. The Vienna Philharmonic responds well to the Italian conductor, in a repertoire that is certainly in their wheel-house. Worth listening. A for SQ, A- for OI.


Dvořák: Legends, American Suite
[eMusic]

This disc features two works by Antonin Dvořák that were originally written for the piano and later orchestrated. The Legends are a set of 10 miniatures for two pianos (therefore a lot in the vein of the Slavonic Dances) but much more lyrical, as they are mnore song-like than dance-like. The “American” suite, a contemporary of the New World Symphony, is not very American at all – the usual Dvorak underlying thread of folk music doesn’t appear here to use American folk motifs, but rather the usual Slavic fare. Vernon Handley, who I associate with English music, leads spirited performances from the West Australian Symphony. A- for SQ, A- for OI.


IBERT: Macbeth / Golgotha / Don Quichotte
[eMusic]

Jacques Ibert was a prolific composer for the theatre and cinema. His best-known theatre score was music for Eugéne Labiche's Un chapeau de paille d'Italie, which Ibert later reworked as the suite Divertissement. Ibert wrote the music for more than a dozen French films, and for American directors he composed a score for Orson Welles' 1948 film adaptation of Macbeth. This score is featured in this Marco Polo recording of some of his film music. The other two scores pre-date the Macbeth by more than 15 years: Don Quichotte (Georg Wilhelm Pabst, 1932), and Golgotha (Julien Duvivier, 1935). The latter fim was part of the typical Good Friday TV Movie line-up on French-Canadian television in the 1960s and 70s. The crucifixion sequences with assorted theremin-generated mood effects is something that stood out in a reclusive corner of my memory, and is quite evident in the performance. A protege of Ernest Ansermet, conductor Adriano (yes, just a first name, like Fabio or Prince…) is featured here conducting. Should we hold in suspicion musicians bearing but a single name? Maybe the performances sounded better because I did… A for SQ, A for OI.


Choral Concert: Oxford Girls' Choir - FAYRFAX, R. / REDFORD, J. / HENRY V / LAMBE, W. / TAVERNER, J. / PRESTON, T. (Heavenly Voices)
[eMusic]

Richard Vendome conducts the Oxford Girls’ Choir and male and female soloists in a collection of choral repertoire, dominated by sacred titles of either renaissance or renaissance-inspired origin. The titles and the mood stemming from these selections is very a propos for this time of year, and the care taken in these renditions is to be commended. This is my favourite acquisition this month! A for SQ, A for OI.

March 29 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "The Cross" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more March 29 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1135-la-chronique-du-disque.html Jonathan Orwig Plays Saint-Saëns http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1131-jonathan-orwig-plays-saint.html Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:00:00 GMT En français (http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca/2013/03/jonathan-orwing-joue-saint-saens.html) My second Once Upon the Internet post in our Lenten organ series presents the complete sets of Preludes and Fugues for organ of French composer and organ virtuoso, *Camille Saint-Saën*s. For all his... En français

My second Once Upon the Internet post in our Lenten organ series presents the complete sets of Preludes and Fugues for organ of French composer and organ virtuoso, Camille Saint-Saëns.

For all his notoriety as a dominant figure in French music, we seem to forget that Saint-Saëns played the organ at various churches in Paris and in the surrounding area. In 1857, he replaced Louis Lefébure-Wely at the eminent position of organist at the Église de la Madeleine, which he kept until 1877. His weekly improvisations stunned the Parisian public and earned Liszt's 1866 observation that Saint-Saëns was ”the greatest organist in the world”.

Saint-Saens compositions for organ are surprisingly few - based on their opus numbers, many of them are either early works or works of the mature composer. Although it is one of his more famous compositions, the Saint-Saens “Symphony with organ” which I featured in my Podcast Vault post a couple of weeks ago provides more of an opportunity for the organ to “play along” with the orchestra than, say, a work specifically intended for a virtuoso organist – Saint-Saens was the conductor at the London premiere of the work, and not the organ soloist…

The two sets of three Preludes and Fugues date from 1894 and 1898, respectively, and therefore post-date Saint-Saens’ tenure at Sainte-Madeleine by nearly 20 years but it was still surely the reedy sound of that particular organ he had in mind when they were composed. The French composer’s economical style, coupled with his understanding of the sound of a great instrument conspire to provide two sets of at times eclectic and very different preludes and fugues. This isn’t quite your Father Bach Prelude and fugues…


The recording I uploaded years ago is by organist (and preacher) Jonathan Orwig. According to organlive.com, these recordings date back to the year 2000 when Orwig served as Pastor of Worship for First Baptist Church of Riverside, California. I am assuming these works were recorded on the Church’s 1966 Schantz organ .

As filler, I included a separate work (downloaded from dovesong.com, a website that has since removed its music links) by French composer and organist Maurice Duruflé, a choral and a capalla chorus work inspired by the latin text Veni Creator Spiritus (made famous by Gustav Mahler in his Symphony of a Thousand). Duruflé himself is playing his longtime organ at St-Etienne–du-Mont.

Happy Listening!

Camille SAINT- SAENS (1835-1921)

Préludes et Fugues, Op.99
No. 1.In Eb
No. 2.In B
No. 3.In Bb

Préludes et Fugues, Op.109
No. 1.In D-
No. 2.In G-
No. 3.In C

Jonathan Orwig, organ
Inst: Schantz organ, First Baptist Church of Riverside, California

Maurice DURUFLÉ (1902-1986)
Prelude, Adagio, and Chorale Variations on
'Veni, Creator Spiritus', for organ and baritone choir, Op.4
Maurice Durufle, organ
Baritone chorus of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
Inat: Gallery organ, Eglise Saint-Etienne-du-Mont (Paris)

Downloaded from MP3.COM and Dovesong.com ca. 2002
Performance URL : http://archive.org/details/JonathanO...aydSaint-saens

March 22 2013, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Requiem in d-Moll" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel . Read more March 22 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog. ]]> itywltmt http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/1131-jonathan-orwig-plays-saint.html