The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Jurassic Shark 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 2, 2019 Author Share Posted August 2, 2019 Okay, so I just finished Canadian composer Harry Somers' first symphony, and it was pretty darn good. Lots of variance, and definitely deserving of another listen some time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 2, 2019 Share Posted August 2, 2019 @The Illustrious Jerry The next time you’re looking to hear a new recording of the New World Symphony I highly HIGHLY recommend the one by Thomas Dausgaard and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra. It’s my favorite! The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 I'd also check out Szell's stereo recording with the Clevelanders. The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 3, 2019 Share Posted August 3, 2019 Speaking of Dvorak, his Bagatelles for String Trio and Harmonium hits a nice light chamber music Saturday morning feeling. I know I’m not generally much into that mid-to-late Romantic music but for some reason Dvorak and Saint-Saens have always appealed to me from that era. I think it's because while the rhythms and harmonies can sound a bit staid to my ears, those two have such striking melodic gifts that I can't help myself. The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 6, 2019 Share Posted August 6, 2019 John Williams' 2009 Viola Concerto has been in my regular rotation recently. It and the Harp Concerto from the same year are my favorite two Williams concert works of this century I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 7, 2019 Share Posted August 7, 2019 Listened to this new release of music by American jazz/classical composer Derek Bermel. The large-scale jazz piece, "Migrations" is really cool but my favorite was the orchestral Bartok tribute, "A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace." Enjoyable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted August 12, 2019 Share Posted August 12, 2019 . The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 A Quaker Reader A very interesting set of 11 organ piece by Ned Rorem. It's a very abstract and expressive work. I've actually listened to this recording 4 or 5 times over the last week. Something keeps me coming back, I don't question it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,511 Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 Heaven's theme tune: Dixon Hill and The Illustrious Jerry 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 15, 2019 Author Share Posted August 15, 2019 J.S. BACH: Goldberg Variations (BVW 988) Glenn Gould, piano In my humble opinion, Gould's 1981 interpretation of the Goldberg Variations is a must-listen for any Bach connoisseur. Gould's previous recording in 1955 made him something of an overnight sensation. He's considered one of the greatest Canadian musicians of all time, a claim that is well and truly supported by this magnificent recording. A few interesting excerpts from the liner notes: Quote It is by no means uncommon for a performer to record certain works- the pièces de résistance of his repertoire- more than once. Nor is it surprising if these recordings differ significantly from one another: they are, as it were, a stock-taking of the interpretative attitude at a particular point in time and milestones in an artistic development. But Glenn Gould's two studio recordings (...) constitute rather an exceptional case. For one thing, separated from one another by a period of some twenty six years, they represent the beginning and end of his career as a pianist (...). These two versions (...) are also exceptional in the history of interpretation on account of their extreme differences, which can be discerned from a purely external point of view from their respective playing times- 38 minutes 27 seconds in 1955 compared with 51 minutes 15 seconds in 1981. - Michael Stegemann Quote "I think that the great majority of the music that moves me very deeply is music that I want to hear played or want to play myself, as the case may be, in a very ruminative, very deliberate tempo. (...) Firm beat, a sense of rhythmic continuity has always been terribly important to me. But as I've grown older I find many performances, certainly the great majority of my own early performances, just too fast for comfort. I guess part of the explanation is that all the music that really interests me, not just some of it, all of it, is contrapuntal music (...) and I think (...) that with really complex contrapuntal textures ones does need a certain deliberation, a certain deliberate-ness, and (...) that it's the occasional or even the frequent lack of that deliberation that bothers me most in (my) first version of the Goldbergs." "I've come to feel over the years that a musical work, however long, ought to have basically one- I was going to say tempo but that's the wrong word- pulse rate, one constant rhythmic reference point. Now, obviously, there couldn't be anything more deadly dull than to exploit one beat that went on and on and on indefinitely. But you can take a basic pulse and divide or multiply it- not neccesarily on a scale of 2-4-8-16-32, but often with far less obvious divisions- and make the result of those divisions or multiplications act as a subsidiary pulse for a particular moment." - Glenn Gould It would seem as though Gould himself preferred the newer recording to the older take, and I agree with him there. Highest of reccomendations! Bespin 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Fabulin 3,511 Posted August 15, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted August 15, 2019 . Loert, Jurassic Shark and The Illustrious Jerry 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 16, 2019 Share Posted August 16, 2019 Piston's Sinfonietta from 1941 is one of my favorites in his oeuvre. It's Piston at his most warmly witty and good-humored, it's a complete joy. Listen to this final statement of the first movement's second theme. It's everything I love about American music of this time period. Intelligent but refreshingly direct. Engaging syncopated rhythms. And it's got just a classic Piston finale, where he's always open-armed and lively. He just wants you to join the fun! The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Listening to John Corigliano's settings of Bob Dylan lyrics. The comments on these videos are absolutely hilarious. I find the project fascinating and cool, but boy these Dylan "fans" do not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,511 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Listened to a great performance of this yesterday at the Royal Albert Hall (London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Jurowski): 5:06 onwards sounds very spooky... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 On 8/15/2019 at 6:06 PM, Modest Expectations said: Jaw-dropping. I didn't know that Korngold was actually a sequel to some earlier guy. Not just the great Reger. Keep digging. 7 hours ago, Disco Stu said: Listening to John Corigliano's settings of Bob Dylan lyrics. The comments on these videos are absolutely hilarious. I find the project fascinating and cool, but boy these Dylan "fans" do not. God Youtube comments are such trash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,511 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 22 minutes ago, Modest Expectations said: Could you share their names? I'm not Dixon Hill obviously, but Franz Schreker is a notable ancestor of Korngold's: (though he's slightly younger than Reger...) Fabulin and The Illustrious Jerry 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothless 963 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 http://www.deezer.com/track/16816739 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 I listened to Anne Sophie Mutter... old stuff recorded with Karajan when she was 13-14 yo. Oldie but goldie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Been gettin’ weird agist vibes from you lately Bespin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 Each of us reaches a peak, then declines. And some starts to decline earlier than others. That's life! Mutter never f** played JW's music during her entire life... and now that her album sales are declining, she suddently loves JW like if he was her daddy God. Nice marketing idea DG, good luck. Bayesian 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 We’re years past when classical artists can sell records. It’s an industry propped up by grants and philanthropy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 Famous artists like Mutter obviously make most of their incomes from concerts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 File under amazing: the "Air de danse" from Faure's incidental music for Caligula (9:34 - 11:46) The Illustrious Jerry and Bayesian 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dixon Hill 4,234 Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 23 hours ago, Loert said: I'm not Dixon Hill obviously, but Franz Schreker is a notable ancestor of Korngold's: (though he's slightly younger than Reger...) I had another Franz in mind - Schmidt - but Schreker is apt too. Fabulin and Loert 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 20, 2019 Author Share Posted August 20, 2019 An excellent selection of heavenly chorus performed by none other than a local source, that being the McMaster University Choir, perfect for settling down to on a hectic Tuesday morning. The recording from 1996 sounds great! Pieces include Palestrina's Missa: Hodie Christus Natus Est, Mendelssohn's Sechs Sprüche, Warum Toben Die Heiden, Mittsn Wir I'm Leben Sind, and Josef Rheinberger's Abendlied. Simply lovely! Recorded at St. Ann's just down the road, which I've visited a few times myself. A very pleasant step outside my usual listening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 53 minutes ago, The Illustrious Jerry said: Rheinberger's Abendlied. One of our choir favourites. It's been years since we had it in a concert programme, but it often comes up during choir parties (though the quality of those performances is a different matter). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 20, 2019 Share Posted August 20, 2019 On 8/18/2019 at 5:00 PM, Dixon Hill said: God Youtube comments are such trash. There's nothing quite like the performative pride-in-ignorance found in the comments sections of Elliott Carter music, though. Personally I can't be sure if a performance is or isn't "music" until I've consulted the Youtube gestalt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 22, 2019 Author Share Posted August 22, 2019 Schumann's Piano Concerto Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 Schubert's Symphony No. 4 "Tragique" (thanks @SteveMc) Interesting about the Schubert piece. It wasn't given the Tragic title until some time after it was written, and it is one of only two of his symphonies in a minor key. Crazy to think that he was 19 years old when he composed it- it's lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Irving Fine’s Partita for Wind Quintet is truly sublime. I’ve listened like 10 times today, it’s very centering. That Stravinskian neoclassicism with an American charm is very appealing to me. Dixon Hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 3 hours ago, The Illustrious Jerry said: Schumann's Piano Concerto Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 Schubert's Symphony No. 4 "Tragique" (thanks @SteveMc) Interesting about the Schubert piece. It wasn't given the Tragic title until some time after it was written, and it is one of only two of his symphonies in a minor key. Crazy to think that he was 19 years old when he composed it- it's lovely! I'm not sure if I've mentioned before that you should check out his symphony no. 7, which was only completed in piano form. The orchestration was completed by various people in the 20th century. Here's the one that sounds the most like Schubert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Lukas Foss - Symphony No. 4 "A Window to the Past" (1995) I enjoy this symphony quite a bit. Foss was more than a bit of a stylistic magpie and especially of interest here is the strange slow movement. It's essentially an Americana take on Bartok's "Night Music" style. Shimmering, sliding pianissimo strings, muted brass, atmospheric percussion, but also harmonica and jaw harp. At one point near the end it becomes kind of a ghostly march. The movement is much too long though. It could have been cut in half and still achieved the same effect. Give it a listen. Dixon Hill and The Illustrious Jerry 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 22, 2019 Share Posted August 22, 2019 Chad Cannon - "Citizen 13660" Clarinet Quintet I like it, shows imagination. I'll have to check out some of his film music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 . Score and The Illustrious Jerry 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 "Labyrinth on a Theme by Led Zeppelin" for Guitar Quartet by Ian Krouse This is sooooo good. This is not a lame-ass crossover arrangement, this is a serious composer taking a Led Zeppelin song ("Friends") and playing around with it, varying it, over the course of 20 minutes. So so cool, highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marian Schedenig 8,193 Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 22 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said: I'm not sure if I've mentioned before that you should check out his symphony no. 7, which was only completed in piano form. The orchestration was completed by various people in the 20th century. Here's the one that sounds the most like Schubert I guess it's not counted among the symphonies anymore these days? With the latest re-numbering, the Unfinished and the Great have moved up and are now considered Nos. 7 and 8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted August 23, 2019 Share Posted August 23, 2019 They're indeed referred to as Nos. 7 and 8 in the New Schubert Edition (2016), but it seems to me that it's mostly just the German speaking countries that adhere to it. Anyway, there's been opposing views and practices on this for many decades, if not centuries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 Allmusic says that this composer has been an influence for John Williams. Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Illustrious Jerry 3,356 Posted August 25, 2019 Author Share Posted August 25, 2019 When you can't decide what to listen to go back to what you know, right? Indulged myself in Mozart's 40th Symphony. It's a real pity that the first movement takes as much spotlight as it does, because this symphony is at such a consistent musical height from start to finish. The first movement will always be at the front of classical culture, but I really think I prefer some other sections at times. Dare I say that the second movement is actually my favourite- it's a very beautiful piece, the cascading strings and their interactions, however briefly, with the woodwinds throughout. I remember holding this thought since the very first time I listened to this symphony, in my tender years. From the very first hints of the contrapuntal opening I was very well aware that I hadn't heard anything quite like this before. Ever since I've taken great pleasure in reveling in the shadow of the molto allegro and holding fast to my beloved andante. I find it interesting, because the older I get the more I tend to gravitate towards the slower pieces of music, finding in a sense a musical maturity that still appreciates but sort of casts off the vibrant, youthful vigor of my childhood's allegros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 BERNSTEIN with the Weiner! Exactly the right tempo for me. Too fast or too slow and we pass beside the idea and the emotion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Score 770 Posted August 25, 2019 Share Posted August 25, 2019 On 8/23/2019 at 2:11 AM, Modest Expectations said: Although I have to admit I imagined being with more attractive harmonies while I was listening to this, I enjoyed the complexity of its outside structure, the use of recurring, cantabile themes, and overall how Messiaen explores a lot of interesting orchestrational ideas---all of which will likely make me return to it time and time again. Wonderful recording! The piece is also noteworthy for Messiaen's exploration of the potentiality of rhythm, including the serialization of durations (movement 9!)... and I am always astonished by the richness and complexity of the piano part. You don't necessarily have to be crazy to play that from the beginning to the end, but it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 26, 2019 Share Posted August 26, 2019 Been digging into some American wind quintets both older (Berger, Diamond, Fine, Carter, and Barber [duh]) and newer (Carter again, Higdon, Stucky, Harbison, Wernick). I honestly think that Walter Piston's from 1956 is objectively a shining classic of the genre. Fresh, crisp, clear, and alive. His specialty as always is a wonderful balance of intellect and emotion, complexity and accessibility. At finding personal voice in classic forms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 For the last few days I've been (very slowly) making my way through this 3+ hour masterclass where composer Richard Wernick walks a group of young musicians through Irving Fine's Fantasia for String Trio, movement by movement, bar by bar. It's fascinating stuff, and really deepening my already growing appreciation for Fine's music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loert 2,511 Posted August 31, 2019 Share Posted August 31, 2019 This must be one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've ever listened to: The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bespin 8,481 Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 An excellent overview of Lully's compositions for Versailles. It's actually the soundtrack of a 3-D video game I played some years ago. Versailles, like if you were here... in 1685. To listen in straight forwarding mode, not random. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted September 1, 2019 Share Posted September 1, 2019 Nice, although I prefer Rameau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Stu 15,495 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 The first time I've ever heard Copland's 1969 arrangement of "Happy Birthday." He makes it sound like Copland! The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulin 3,511 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 . The Illustrious Jerry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jurassic Shark 12,074 Posted September 4, 2019 Share Posted September 4, 2019 Archipel is such a cheapo label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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