Classic Choice

This blog serves as an outlet for the posting and discussion of classical music that the author has stumbled upon either due to pandora, a friends recommendation, a concert, or random internet browsing. The posts are designed to help people who have not listened to any classical music find out what they might like, to help people who listen to a fair amount to broaden their horizons, and to help experts find a good source for the classics. Though the author has a slight bias toward romantic music, there is nevertheless an attempt for some degree of variety. Comments and criticisms are not only welcomed, but requested.

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Let me give a general reminder that anyone is encouraged to submit requests (or just send a nice message) to this blog, even though it's been a while since I've posted anything (I've been pretty busy.... posts are most likely going to be much less frequent for the indefinite future most likely). Since it has been a while, however, I figure that if I'm going to post something new after a long hiatus, I should come back with something big. So here it is; somehow I have neglected to post this favorite classic by the great Russian composer Mussorgsky. A lot of his work was revised by Rimsky-Korsakov, which partially made it more palatable, though perhaps sacrificed a little bit of the uniqueness of Mussorgsky. Here we have one such revision, Night on Bald Mountain. Indeed it is a remarkable classic, but it was the revision which is better known than the original from Boris Godunov, and it is the revision we find here. This is not to say anything less about the revision; it is a lot of fun, and one of the best examples of classical music that has found a its place in mainstream society. It is always an enjoyable piece to listen to.

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We have here the second part of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony. You can find the first part below.

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Arguably Tchaikovsky's most under-appreciated work (I don't feel like making comparisons right now, so let's just say that it is), we have here his only Symphony to go without a number. The Manfred Symphony represents Tchaikovsky's sole attempt at writing multi-movement programmatic music. This video contains descriptions of what is going on in the "story," which is always an interesting element. At the risk of sounding "unrefined," I think that the analysis on wikipedia of this piece is quite good, so I won't go into too much detail about my own feelings. However, it is interesting to note that there is no main key for this movement. I'm not completely sure why he does this, but I do think that Tchaikovsky takes his time to get started; at least for me, it takes me a while to really get into the music. But when it gets good, it gets to be Tchaikovsky good.

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Here's a real treat that's a quite a bit more off the beaten path compared to the last selection I just posted. This piece was played by the CSO a few years ago (I think it was their premier) with Pierre Boulez conducting, and the audience erupted unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The piece is Ionisation by Edgar Varese, and it is an exciting piece for percussion ensemble. Varese was an experimenter with instruments, and is most famous for his Poeme Electronique; here we hear his full vision with regards to what sound is possible, yet from a perspective that might be more palatable to the typical concert goer. Indeed, this piece makes for quite a concert.

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Returning from a several month hiatus (though this break might prove to be very temporary...), I can't think of a better call to attention than what I am posting here. It is the opening movement of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Certainly one of my favorites, it demands the listeners attention in the first few measures of the piece, though the opening introduction is relatively independent from the rest of the movement. In fact, though it does have its dramatic moments, it also has a lot of time for subtle emotions. Another piece you can't listen to just once (you can find the third movement elsewhere on the blog... the second might make its way on here at some point).

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A Word on the Next Few Months

Hi All, You might have noticed my postings have somewhat started to slow down. The next few months are pretty hectic, with a lot of exciting things coming down the pike; work, school, grad school applications, and all sorts of other crazy stuff. But, as a result, I've found it a little harder to update this blog as regularly as before. So, if you have suggestions, send them and they will certainly make it on here, but otherwise, it might be a while before I keep posting new finds.

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It's hard to imagine that I've neglected this favorite for so long, from one of the greatest American musical minds in history. It is the overture of Bernstein's wonderful operetta Candide, based on the work by the same name by Voltaire. A very jazzy piece, Bernstein was an expert in all things music, and there seems to be wide appeal to those who prefer more standard classical music.

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It's hard to believe that this was Rossini's 11th opera, since he was only 21 when he wrote it. But this piece, the overture to his opera "The Italian Woman in Algiers," is an excellent example of Rossini's style. It's easy to here the influence of both the Classical and Romantic era in this piece; the opening is simple and elegant, but quickly builds into something dramatic.

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Here we have the last movement of Mozart's famous Piano Concerto Number 24 (you can find the first movement elsewhere on this blog). I don't really have a whole lot to say about this one, other than it's from an extremely popular work from an extremely popular composer. This movement is in the theme and variations style, and is quite catchy.

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A classic works from one of the giants of mid 19th century classical music, we have here Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt. It's a fairly familiar piece, though perhaps not in its entirety, and despite its exceptional technical difficulty. But it's not just that this piece is difficult on the technical level; it has quite a bit of delicacy, elegance and grace, which requires the performer to be both agile and emotional. Both a popular and a deep work, it will be hard to listen to this one just once.

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One last piece from Carnival of the Animals; it is the swan, which wikipedia says is the most famous movement, though I might dispute that. Still, the claim is that it is a staple in the cello repertoire, due to Saint-Saens wonderful display of the full range of the cello. He really does do a great job of showing off what it can do, and the melody isn't bad either. On the whole, another gem.

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Here's another selection from Carnival that I really like; it's the aquarium, and is quite a bit dreamier and not nearly as dramatic as the finale. Still, I thought it was very enjoyable to listen to, and a different side of Saint-Saens than is represented on this blog so far.

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I think a lot of the music posted recently has been a little too depressing. I also noticed that people seemed to be reacting very positively to Saint-Saens. So, naturally, here's the finale of Carnival of the Animals. Apparently Camille was a little worried that it was too frivolous of a piece to be associated with his name, so it was only first performed in its entirety after his death. For me it seems to be more of a musical exploration, something of a precursor to Britten's Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, but with more story. Regardless, the finale is lovely, and though short, something that is destined to cheer you up.

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Here's a classic for anyone who is a fan of Schubert's Lieder, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, or studied German at some point. Perhaps the most famous of the Lieder, it is Goethe's chilling tale of a late night ride, Der Erlkonig. There's a lot of wonderful storytelling in the composition--the hoofbeats given in the piano accompaniment, the different ranges of the different characters--and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau does a very good job of conveying the different emotions. I included the version which has the english subtitles, so that if you don't speak German, you can still see what's going on and appreciate Schubert's storytelling.

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A great conductor performing a piece by a great composer, we have here Leonard Bernstein conducting Mendelssohn's fast paced finale of his Italian Symphony. Mendelssohn really liked triplets, and you can hear it in this piece; it features a lot of 3 on 2, adding to the excitement, together with fantastic orchestration.

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Here we have a very popular piece from a composer who is not featured prominently enough on this blog. It is Camille Saint-Saens' short, catchy and popular Danse Macabre. Don't let the first few measures fool you; this is an exciting and enthralling piece. Apparently when it was performed, it was not received well because it was too scary. So, be prepared, though if you like Saint-Saens, there isn't anything in here that you wouldn't expect coming from him. It is as innovative and imaginative as any of his pieces.

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Igor Stravinsky burst into the history books with his first three ballets. Most people might remember the Firebird, with its brilliant plot and dramatic, powerful, emotional melodies, and the Rite of Spring, which is powerful, and though relatively emotionless and plotless, one of the most revolutionary pieces in music. It seems that this selection is the forgotten one; Petrushka was not quite as innovative as the Rite and not quite as enormous as the Firebird. I think this is best described as a compromise between the visions offerred by the two other ballets, and it is this ability to compromise that is, to me, the most essential part of Stravinsky at his best. Part of this sounds quite standard, but then again, there is nevertheless a clear departure from the Romantic era. At the end of the day, Stravinsky has made you think differently about music, and has made one of the best cases for the listener to change what they expect to hear.