Classical Music Musings

A Tumblr devoted solely to wonderful classical music videos.

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La Mer, Trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre  by Claude Debussy Performed by Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy I. De l'aube a midi sur la mer (From Dawn to Midday on the Sea) II. Jeux de vagues (Joy of the Waves) III. Dialogue du vent et de la mer (Dialogue Between Wind and Waves)

This three movement orchestral work was composed at very beginning of the twentieth century.  This impressionistic piece paints three alluring portraits of the sea with its interesting harmonies and orchestration.  

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"Dance of the Seven Veils" from Salome  by Richard Strauss Performed by London Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Erich Leinsdorf

This excerpt from the opera Salome by Richard Strauss depicts the dance of Salome for Herod.  The opera caused initial controversy because of its combination of Christianity, lust, and murder.

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Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21  by Ludwig van Beethoven  Performed by Vienna Philharmonic, Conducted by Leonard Bernstein I. Adagio Molto - Allegro con Brio

The first movement of Beethoven's first symphony is often regarded as a joke or comical experimentation due to its use of dominant chords that lead the listener away from C major.  This work was premiered in Vienna in 1800 along with works by Haydn and Mozart.

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Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92  by Ludwig van Beethoven  Performed by the Royalty Free Classical Music Symphony, Conducted by Keith Salmon II. Allegretto

This work was premiered in 1813 for a charity concert for wounded soldiers.  Beethoven conducted the first performance, which was met with great success.  The second movement was played as an encore due to its immensely popular reception.  This movement features a rhythmic motive that permeates the piece and a chromatic bass line that descends and repeats.

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Symphony No. 2, De Fire Temperameter (The Four Temperaments)  by Carl Nielsen Performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Morton Gould I. Allegro collerico II. Allegro comodo e flemmatico III. Andante malincolico IV. Allegro sanguineo - Mariziale

Nielsen writes

"I had the idea for ‘The Four Temperaments’ many years ago at a country inn in Zealand. On the wall of the room where I was drinking a glass of beer with my wife and some friends hung an extremely comical coloured picture, divided into four sections in which ‘the Temperaments’ were represented and furnished with titles: ‘The Choleric’, ‘The Sanguine’, ‘The Melancholic’ and ‘The Phlegmatic.'

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Sonata for Horn, Trumpet, and Trombone, FP 33  by Francis Poulenc Performed by the Nash Ensemble II. Andante

This slow second movement borrows thematic material from the first movement and presents it in a more gentle, dissonant, and often minor manner.

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Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50  by Pyotr Tchaikovsky Performed by Pianist Daniel Barenboim, Violinist Pichas Zukerman, Cellist Jacqueline du Pre. I. Pezzo elegiaco  II. Tema con variazioni

This is Tchaikovsky's only work from piano, violin and cello.  His initial response to this medium of composition is summarized with his statement:

You ask why I have never written a trio. Forgive me, dear friend; I would do anything to give you pleasure, but this is beyond me ... I simply cannot endure the combination of piano with violin or cello. To my mind the timbre of these instruments will not blend ... it is torture for me to have to listen to a string trio or a sonata of any kind for piano and strings. To my mind, the piano can be effective in only three situations: alone, in context with the orchestra, or as accompaniment, i.e., the background of a picture.

A year later Tchaikovsky had composed this piece and changed his stance on the nature of the ensemble.

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Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From the New World," Op. 95  by Antonin Dvorak. I. Adagio II. Largo III. Scherzo IV. Allegro con fuoco

Intended to inspire American composers that they could composer nationalistically, Dvorak's "New World Symphony" intended to draw from Native American and African American music (although it is more likely that Bohemian music was the larger influence).  This was Dvorak's most popular symphony.  A recording of it was brought to the moon by Neil Armstrong in 1969.

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Symphony No. Three in F Major  by Johannes Brahms Performed by Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Conducted by Bernard Haitnik I. Allegro con brio II. Andante III. Poco Allegretto IV. Allegro

This four movement symphony is the shortest out of the four symphonies that Brahms wrote.  The motive 'F-A-F' is connected to the phrase "Frei aber froh," meaning 'free but happy.'  

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Symphonie Fantastique: Episode de la vie d'un Artise, en cinque parties  by Hector Berlioz Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire, Conducted by Andre Cluytens

This programmatic symphony tells the tale of a lover's fall into despair when his affections are not returned.  This work is semi-autobiographical and can be paralleled with Berlioz's infatuation with Irish actress Harriet Smith.  He dedicated this work to Smith without having met her.  It successfully caught her attention but resulted in a primarily unhappy marriage.

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"Gute Nacht" from Winterreise  by Franz Schubert Performed by Ian Bostridge and pianist Julius Drake.

"Gute Nacht" is the first of twenty four songs that tell the chilling tell of wandering man singing about the woman he loves.  This song cycle played a key role in shaping the future of German lieder.

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"Clair de Lune" from Suite Bergamasque  by Claude Debussy.

The famous third movement movement of Suite Bergamasque is entitled "Clair de Lune," meaning moonlight in French.  It was originally called "Promenade Sentimentale."  Both titles originate from the poetry of Paul Verlaine.

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Violin Sonata No. 9, "Kreutzer"  by Ludwig van Beethoven Performed by Anne Sophie Mutter, Pianist Lambert Orkis I. Adagio Sostenuto - Presto - Adagio II. Andante con Variazioni III. Presto

This challenging sonata was originally dedicated to violinist George Bridgewater,  Beethoven changed the dedication to violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer after Bridgewater insulted a woman Beethoven cared for.  Kreutzer never played the sonata, nor did he care for the compositions of Beethoven.

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Sonata for Horn, Trumpet, and Trombone, FP 33  by Francis Poulenc Performed by the Nash Ensemble I. Allegro Moderato (grazioso) 

This early sonata by Poulenc was later dismissed by the composer as "entertainment" music.  The first movement is very joyful and is dominated by the trumpet part.

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Piano Sonata No. 7 in B-Flat Major, Op. 83   by Sergei Prokofiev Performed by Vladimir Horowitz I. Allegro inquieto II. Andante caloroso III. Precipitato

Also known as "Stalingrad," this sonata is the second of Prokofiev's three war sonatas.  This composition was a reaction to the murder of Prokofiev's close friends Vsevolod Meyerhold and Zinaidan Raikh.  This dissonant sonata expresses his true opinions of the Stalin regime.  Ironically, this sonata also won a Stalin Prize.

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"Canon a 2" from The Musical Offering  by J.S. Bach Demonstrated with a mobius strip

A crab canon is a canon that can be played simultaneously forwards and backwards.  This canon is demonstrated on a mobius strip, which is a surface with only one side that forms a loop.

Video by josleys.com and strangepaths.com/en/

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Prelude No. 17 in A-Flat Major, Preludes Op. 28   by Frederic Chopin Performed by Alfred Cortot

Chopin, like many other composers, wrote a set of 24 preludes, one for each key.  This prelude is one of the longest in the Op. 28 set.