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To start off this series, I thought it would be fitting to share this work for two major reasons. The first is that it’s an early work, in a genre that Haydn himself helped to define. The second is that it is nicknamed “The Morning” due to its “sunrise” introduction. Haydn – Symphony no. 6 in D major, “Le Matin” This is the first symphony in a set that would later be called the Day Trilogy by some [Symphony no. 7 is called Le Midi, noon, while no. 8 is called Le Soir, the evening]. These three early symphonies were written when Haydn started working for the Esterhazy court. When Haydn was hired to work for Prince Nickolaus Esterhazy, he was given in incredible artistic opportunity. He would live at their Austrian home estate, and eventually moved to their Hungarian palace. At these estates he would be the musical director for their orchestra, he would play in their chamber group, and he would run their operatic productions. Despite the heavy workload, he was given free access to their musicians, and could compose whenever he wished. Being secluded from the rest of musical Europe at the time, Haydn focused on his own composition and the development of his style. Haydn wanted to please the Prince, who was a fan of all things Italian [including his wife]. It’s been suggested that Haydn wrote this way for two main reasons: first is to give a good first impression for his new employer by writing something fresh and vibrant, but still familiar and lovable [this comes from the Italian influences, such as Vivaldi, Tartini, and Albioni]. The second, is that, in his day, the more difficult the music, the more the musicians were paid. By writing difficult solo passages for the orchestral group, he was helping to raise their paychecks, and by helping them out, he was getting on good terms with everyone he worked with Movements: I. Adagio, Allegro II. Adagio, Andante III. Menuet e Trio IV. Finale: Allegro

musicainextenso: To start off this series, I thought it would be fitting to share this work for two major reasons. The first is that it’s an early work, in a genre that Haydn himself helped to define. The second is that it is nicknamed “The Morning” due to its “sunrise” introduction. Haydn – Symphony no. 6 in…

[hushilda]

Ravel – Tzigane [version for violin and orchestra] A bit of an odd ball among Ravel’s works, Tzigane is more of a Romantic rhapsody and showpiece for the violin, taking after “gypsy” sounding melodies and rhythms. The original version was for violin and piano with a luthéal attachment, a now dated contraption that prepared the piano to sound closer to a cimbalom, a hammered dulcimer that was popular with traveling Romani bands. The first half of the work has the violinist along presenting the main melodies through finger breaking and bleeding tricks. Then the accompaniment joins in the same rhapsodic mood and the players throw us into a toe tapping reprise until the show stopping coda. Because he was like the world’s greatest orchestrator, Ravel transcribed the piano part for orchestra, probably to make this an encore for violin and orchestra concerts. The use of the harp and winds recreate the same Romani flare that the luthéal piano would.

mikrokosmos: Ravel – Tzigane [version for violin and orchestra] A bit of an odd ball among Ravel’s works, Tzigane is more of a Romantic rhapsody and showpiece for the violin, taking after “gypsy” sounding melodies and rhythms. The original version was for violin and piano with a luthéal attachment, a now dated contraption that prepared the…

[hushilda]

Berg – Violin Concerto (1935) “To the memory of an angel”. Of the so called “Second Viennese School”, Alban Berg was the most popular and loved. Schoenberg felt too “serious” and academic for some, and Webern’s asceticism was too cold and uncomfortable. Berg mixed twelve tone structures with traditional tonality and heavy chromaticism to create a rich,…

Berg – Violin Concerto (1935) “To the memory of an angel”. Of the so called “Second Viennese School”, Alban Berg was the most popular and loved. Schoenberg felt too “serious” and academic for some, and Webern’s asceticism was too cold and uncomfortable. Berg mixed twelve tone structures with traditional tonality and heavy chromaticism to create a rich,…

[hushilda]

bwahaha

pyotrtchaikovsky-official: bwahaha

[hushilda]

Today on Russian composers week, I want to look at two names that worked on the same project. When Sergei Diaghilev was putting together the Ballet Russe, he wanted to bring to the Paris audience a “Russian” sound, and the composer he originally looked at was Nikolai Tcherepnin. He showed Tcherepnin the story for the Firebird, and the inspired composer went to work sketching out ideas. Unfortunately, Diaghilev soon discovered the music of Straivnsky, and wanted to work with him instead. But thankfully, instead of tossing out the music or locking it away in a cabinet, Tcherepnin threaded his sketches together into a symphonic poem The Enchanted Kingdom. It feels like a very hazy daydream, wisps of dragonfly wings through the fog haze, and the night is alive. With a language that shows the eerie bridge between late Russian Romanticism and Scriabin’s mystic works, Tcherepnin shows the kind of other-worldly sounds that Russian orchestral textures were going toward. Stay tuned for more Russian composers this week on musicainextenso! – Nick O., Guest Editor

musicainextenso: Today on Russian composers week, I want to look at two names that worked on the same project. When Sergei Diaghilev was putting together the Ballet Russe, he wanted to bring to the Paris audience a “Russian” sound, and the composer he originally looked at was Nikolai Tcherepnin. He showed Tcherepnin the story for…

[hushilda]

Paterno – Sampaguita [arr. piano solo] (1879) Every now and then YouTube will put a video in my recommendations of pieces I haven’t heard of before. Happy to get this piece this morning. A charming Habanera by a Romantic era Filipina composer. Dolores Paterno lived a short live, passing away at 27, but with her…

Paterno – Sampaguita [arr. piano solo] (1879) Every now and then YouTube will put a video in my recommendations of pieces I haven’t heard of before. Happy to get this piece this morning. A charming Habanera by a Romantic era Filipina composer. Dolores Paterno lived a short live, passing away at 27, but with her…

[hushilda]

bleugh, dudamel. if you want to hear someone eviscerate a good symphony listen to anything by him ok lol I don’t have strong opinions of him

bleugh, dudamel. if you want to hear someone eviscerate a good symphony listen to anything by him ok lol I don’t have strong opinions of him

[hushilda]

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 8, “Symphony of a Thousand” I got an email the other day reminding me that this blog has turned 3 years old [April 4th] and so I figured, why not “celebrate” with one of my favorite pieces? Over the past couple of days, a specific section of this work, toward the end, the arpeggios that the harp and celesta play together, has been stuck in my head, so I need to listen to this piece again. It’s also one of the first Mahler symphonies I heard, that got me into him, and since then he’s skyrocketed to the position of my favorite composer ever. The 8th is unique for a few reasons: it was the first symphony since the 4th to incorporate the human voice, and it is an almost completely sung through choral symphony, instead of just the finale. This was also a cumulation of Mahler’s musical writing: ode to Bach, emphasis on counterpoint, themes of love and redemption, and the power of song. While it started out as a multi movement work, Mahler opted for a two part symphony. The first part takes after the Latin hymn “Veni sreator spiritus” and works almost like a symphonic cantata. It’s a good half hour of non stop high octane music. The second part is a musical setting of the ending to Gothe’s Faust, and the music here is like a symphonic oratorio. It’s more relaxed than the first part, and has a heavier emphasis on transformation. Both parts deal with the idea of redemption through love, which Mahler injected into most of his music. Part I: Veni creator spiritus Part II: Closing Scene from Gothe’s Faust

mikrokosmos: mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 8, “Symphony of a Thousand” I got an email the other day reminding me that this blog has turned 3 years old [April 4th] and so I figured, why not “celebrate” with one of my favorite pieces? Over the past couple of days, a specific section of this work, toward the…

[hushilda]

Shostakovich – Piano Quintet in g minor, op.57 This work seems to be coming from “the other Shostakovich”, as Alex Ross calls the more intimate chamber music that the composer was more free to speak his own voice, more free to be open and honest about his emotions while staying under the radar of Soviet party approval. This quintet was written around the same time as his sixth symphony, and despite six staves of music, there is a hyper focus on clarity, and the texture is surprisingly thin. It sounds like I’m walking outside some winter day, black trees bare, grey clouds Movements: 1. Prelude. Lento 2. Fugue. Adagio 3. Scherzo. Allegretto 4. Intermezzo. Lento 5. Finale. Allegretto

mikrokosmos: Shostakovich – Piano Quintet in g minor, op.57 This work seems to be coming from “the other Shostakovich”, as Alex Ross calls the more intimate chamber music that the composer was more free to speak his own voice, more free to be open and honest about his emotions while staying under the radar of Soviet…

[hushilda]

Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to understand the structure. This symphony has gotten the most criticism out of his output, and is considered confusing and weird, with the two book end movements sticking out like sore thumbs. I have my own theory as to how to “interpret” the work. (and it’s just my personal idea so don’t take it to be a well based fact or anything. I mean for real, Mahler wouldn’t approve of me adding all this extra-musical program to one of his absolute symphonies) I like to think of it as depicting the different emotions and evocations that nighttime has in our culture, and each movement corresponds to a different period of time. The first movement, 6 pm, Twilight to Dusk, just as the sun slips away beyond the horizon we are thrown into the beginning of the long darkness of night. Here we get a mix of emotions, arousal at the idea of having fun, going out with friends, maybe meeting someone to spend the night with, but also an anxiety creeps up on you, at the dangers lurking at night. Criminals. Living in the city I always hold this anxiety walking around after dark. The music opens with sinister chords and a deep call from the tenor horn, and the structure is confused by episodic bursts of different moods, from dramatic and almost “Star Wars” like, to the almost religious rise of the violins around the halfway point, like ascending a mountain. The movement ends on an unexpected bright note. The next movement, 9 pm, the first Nachtmusik, the actual nighttime begins. This movement makes me think of the horrors associated with night, imagine a creepy forest lit by the moon, you can barely see, it’s cold, and there are all kinds of animals, potential monsters, lurking in the darkness. That’s what I think of. The combination of fear and excitement at the sublime and almost surreal nature of the earth at night. The music opens with evocative horns calling and answering each other. The winds flutter in sounding like nocturnal birds, or the wind, as the horns repeat their calls, and you can feel the darkness of the soundscape take over. But it isn’t sinister for long, as a more playful and less unnerving waltz comes in. The third movement, Midnight, is the beginning of the Midnight Hour leading into the Witching Hour. The time of night that is most scary, that the world is uneasily quiet, and that even skeptics like me tremble at the thought of some kind of evil thing waiting to prey on me. This movement plays like a Viennese waltz, but the dancers are corpses. Yes, this is Mahler’s Danse Macabre, and as the waltz plays on with spooky sonorities, it sounds as if the music itself is decaying. The fourth movement, 4am, the second Nachtmusik. The chilling terrors of the night have begun to pass. This to me is depicting the calmness of night, the serenity of the silence and the dark, how peaceful most of us feel asleep in beds, cows asleep in their fields, the moon is bright and lighting up the sky, and dawn is approaching, the sky is turning a brighter shade gradually. The orchestra is toned down severely, most of the brass and woodwinds take a break, and so the instrumentation is almost like a concerto for several solo instruments, like a call back to the Baroque era. The use of mandolins and guitars to add to the texture, along with the subtitle “amaroso”, makes this feel like a serenade. Love songs sung under the moon, sweet words to calm the mind after dark. The passionate aspect of nighttime. The final movement, 6 am, the moment the sun rises, isn’t a gradual build up. Instead, the timpani and brass breaks the doors blaring a triumphant song, so uncharacteristic of the rest of the work, it leaves people scratching their heads. I think of it as the sun rising, the light concurring the evil of the night, and bringing us another day, bringing us warmth. However, the fanfare and melodies feel sarcastic. They’re banal, and the overinflated orchestra feels like a cheap trick, like a composer who is trying to make a “grand finale”. This movement is a parody, and it also parodies melodies from Wagner’s gargantuan Die Meistersinger… and Franz Lehár’s The Merry Widow. The movement is built of constantly changing variations on the opening themes, and is packed with false climaxes and let downs. Even when the melody and orchestra release their full grandeur at the end, the coda is interrupted by a hesitant and hushed chord, right before the final slap. While I get that this is more for comedic affect, [and that this movement is strange in how it is so distant from the music that came before], I like to think of the final hesitation as a reminder that, even though the sun is up, and another day is here, the darkness of night is always ahead, and the fears we have of ourselves and each other and monsters real and imaginary still live in the back of our minds, waiting for another night to come out to haunt us. Movements: 1. Langsam – Allegro risulto, ma non troppo 2. Nachtmusik I 3. Scherzo 4. Nachtmusik II 5. Rondo finale

mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no. 7 in e minor Now that the sun is setting, I can talk about Mahler’s weirdest symphony. The 7th is a bit of a tough nut to crack at first, but if we focus on the subtitle given to it “Song of the Night”,  then I think it’s easier to…

[hushilda]

Hallo! I was watching Janine Jansen’s performance of the Brahms violin concerto earlier and thought the comments were hilarious. “In the Adagio, he forgot that it was supposed to be a violin concerto and wrote an oboe concerto instead.” I think even for the rest of the concerto, he thought he was writing for the…

Hallo! I was watching Janine Jansen’s performance of the Brahms violin concerto earlier and thought the comments were hilarious. “In the Adagio, he forgot that it was supposed to be a violin concerto and wrote an oboe concerto instead.” I think even for the rest of the concerto, he thought he was writing for the…

[hushilda]

Shostakovich – Symphony no. 1 in f minor Written for his graduation ceremony at the Petrograd Conservatory, and I think that is extra fitting because this work, his introduction into the symphony genre [and ergo “serious” composing in the classical world] is a cumulation of repurposing older juvenilia into a substantial piece inspired by the great composers of his time. Alexander Glazunov was his teacher, and he too had a successful premiere of his first symphony in his teen years at Petrograd Hall. Even though he was in Conservatory since he was 13, the school was biased against contemporary and “new” music, so he didn’t hear the likes of Stravinsky and Prokofiev until his later teens, the music from both left a deep impression in this work, especially the opening two movements. While the work was written as a compositional exercise in class, Shostakovich’s grandmother recognized a good handful of the theme from his childhood, where he would play around on the piano. That music was associated with the Aesop Fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper, and Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. The work can be divided in half, with the first two movements giving off a playful, sarcastic, and almost theatrical flair, reminiscent of Stravinsky’s Petroushka. The last two movements, which play without pause, are much darker, with more pathos and a weight of tragedy. Part of the current trend of artistic expression was the Modernist view that humans were simply machines bound by biological wants and needs, without true free will beyond that. I’d like to put forward that this symphony is reflecting a trope in Ancient Greek philosophy, that of the laughing philosopher and the weeping philosopher. Two philosophers, Democritus and Heraclitus, are watching a play. Democritus is brought to laughter, while Heraclitus is brought to tears. Two ways to view absurdism and the human condition, the first half of the symphony laughs at the absurdity, the second half weeps. In these simple gestures, the young Shostakovich shows that he is a force to be reckoned with, and has much to say in the upcoming years. Movements: 1. Allegretto 2. Allegro 3. Lento 4. Allegro molto

mikrokosmos: Shostakovich – Symphony no. 1 in f minor Written for his graduation ceremony at the Petrograd Conservatory, and I think that is extra fitting because this work, his introduction into the symphony genre [and ergo “serious” composing in the classical world] is a cumulation of repurposing older juvenilia into a substantial piece inspired by the…

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mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no.6 in a minor If the work is presented with the nickname “Tragic”, which you may see on programs or on CDs, it would be an extra layer of irony. Mahler had written this piece during one of the happier summers of his life. He had gotten married to Alma Schindler the year before, and his second daughter was born. And, like his other symphonies, it was written during one of his ‘composing retreats’ in a small cabin in the Austrian countryside. But despite the happy times in the outside world, and the few glorious moments of triumph in this work, the overall mood is pessimistic. Before I continue, I need to address the “Scherzo/Andante” controversy. Yes, this is an actual thing that has torn families apart and brought cities down. [ok that’s obviously a joke, but in seriousness, there are heated debates between musicologists about the order of the inner movements]. Mahler originally wrote the work to have the scherzo come before the andante, but soon after publication he decided it would be better the other way around. He seemed indecisive about the order of the movements, so it is left to performers to decide. Personally? I prefer scherzo/andante, and this awesome performance by Bernard Haitink and the CSO does it in that order. While it’s apparent that Mahler is continuing his nod to Bach by emphasizing counterpoint much more than his early symphonies, he’s also experimenting a bit with percussion. So far, this Mahler symphony has the most extensive use of percussion instruments, both in variety and appearance. Most infamously it uses a hammer. There’s no specifics in the score as to what kind of hammer blow Mahler wants in the last movement, and it’s always humorous to see different orchestras use gargantuan Thor like mallets. The symphony opens up with a growl in the strings, the beginning of an intense military march, full of bells and whistles [plenty of bells], before being contrasted with a soaring “love” melody that is claimed to be Mahler’s representation of Alma in music. The march beats on relentlessly until it cumulates in a very bright polyphonic coda that incorporates aspects of the previous themes over each other. It’s quite a rush, that it feels like a finale in its own right, and it’s a bit of a surprise to realize you still have an hour of music to go! The scherzo is made of variations of some of the melodies heard in the first movement, and while it has a bit of a stormy character, it’s still contrasted with calmer moments, thinner orchestrations, and even some playful rowdiness before the last bar. The andante is a gorgeous work, in my opinion it is much more passionate and beautiful than the popular adagietto of the 5th. In it, he takes a long soothing melody and works it through all kinds of variations, polyphonic diversity, and orchestration. He at one point uses a chorus of cowbells to evoke the countryside, and it cumulates in a passionate climax. The final movement is long and somber, and like the first movement, feels like it’s own symphony within the symphony. If there is a personal subject for the music, either the composer himself or perhaps a more philosophical “hero” that we can relate to, this is that character’s downfall. Despite all of the angst and heroic overcoming that have passed, all things come to an end and this symphony almost literally dies. With the hammer blow of fate, and the somber brass chorals, the music fades off into nothingness. At the premiere, reception was mixed to negative. The public found it too loud, too much, and too long. Caricatures were drawn of the mad conductor shoving as many percussive instruments as he can onto the stage. While the young composers of the Second Viennese School [Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg] fell in love at first hearing, most thought the work was incomprehensible nonsense. I find that ironic, since this was his most conventionally structured symphony to date [no multi-parts, no program, no singing, primarily Italian notations, it follows the traditional symphony structure]. Since then it has been held up as one of Mahler’s symphonic masterpieces for its craftsmanship, though it still hasn’t gotten as much public praise and popularity as his other symphonies. I personally struggled wrapping my head around this piece when I first heard it, but whenever I come across pieces like that, I make sure to give it a few more chances and listens to see if my opinion changes. I’m still weary of the 6th because of its final movement, but I’m getting there. Movements: 1. Allegro energetico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig 2. Scherzo: Wuchtig 3. Andante moderato 4. Finale: Sostenuto – Allegro moderato – Allegro energetico

mikrokosmos: mikrokosmos: Mahler – Symphony no.6 in a minor If the work is presented with the nickname “Tragic”, which you may see on programs or on CDs, it would be an extra layer of irony. Mahler had written this piece during one of the happier summers of his life. He had gotten married to Alma Schindler…

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maestoso-allegro: Hildegard von Bingen – O rubor sanguinis

polyphonyrocks: maestoso-allegro: Hildegard von Bingen – O rubor sanguinis O redness of blood, flowing from on high, touched by divinity,You are a flower that the winter breath of the serpent can never wither. imo, the best piece of medieval music. Hundreds of years old but this sings into my soul

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Messiaen – Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus (1944) Twenty Regards [Contemplations, or Gazes] on the Infant Jesus. Messiaen lived through both World Wars, and was a prisoner of war during the Second. He returned to Paris after it was liberated from the Nazis. The city was in disarray at that point with few resources and food and electricity shortages. And it was during the August of 1944 that French citizens and the Allied army worked to push the Nazis out. Messiaen had been working on this suite around the time, and the subject matter seems reflective of the Advent season; the darkness, living in a broken world sick with sin, and longing for the promised Savior, longing for redemption and freedom and love.Originally to be a set of twelve works accompanying poetry by a different artist, Messiaen expanded it into twenty pieces, each with their own poetic titles and descriptions. Messiaen was a devout Catholic, and was enraptured by Christian Mysticism, and so he expressed his spirituality through music depicting Mystic images and ideas. So, the Vingt Regards is, for the most part, a collection of works trying to express different perspectives of the Nativity, mostly abstractions such as the Holy Spirit [the Spirit of Joy], the star, the cross, time itself, and the gaze of the Son upon the Son [that is, the mystery of Jesus as fully human and fully God].The music is long, and full of very difficult piano playing, with extended harmonies and uses of Eastern rhythm and color [Messiaen loved the rhythm of Indian music, and he also loved the sound of Javanese gamelan music], along with interjections of imitated birdsong [because Messiaen believed birdsong to be the purest music]. There’s even jazz thrown in! The suite was hated by critics at the time for a few reasons. First, the music itself has a lot of fantastic, theatrical, and flashy moments, which seems inappropriate for the intimate and sacred subject matter. Secondly, Messiaen’s poetic and spiritual descriptions are somewhat detached from the music itself; hearing what each piece is titled and its subsequent epitaph suggests that the listener should expect direct representation of the ideas portrayed, and so they are thrown off when they can’t hear a clear connection.But it is a great piece of music. One of the greatest solo piano works in history. It’s so long that it is rarely played in its entirety, but the work is thematically connected by three main themes and listening to it at once in order feels like a spiritual journey, listening to the transformation of the music over time. It’s hard to really go through and describe each work as it happens, so you should listen for yourself. The soft chimes of bells in the opening, the contemplation of the Son on the Son, the intensity and chaos of the universe, the tambor and harp of the spirit of joy, the angels, and eventually the consolation of the sleeping mother and child… Movements: Gaze of the Father Gaze of the Star The Exchange Gaze of the Virgin Gaze of the Son upon the Son By Him was Everything Made Gaze of the Cross Gaze of the Heights Gaze of Time Gaze of the Spirit of Joy The First Communion of the Virgin The All-Powerful Word Christmas Gaze of the Angels Kiss of the Infant Jesus Gaze of the Prophets, the Shepherds, and the Magi Gaze of Silence Gaze of the Terrible Unction I Sleep, but my Heart keeps Watch Gaze of the Church of Love

mikrokosmos: Messiaen – Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus (1944) Twenty Regards [Contemplations, or Gazes] on the Infant Jesus. Messiaen lived through both World Wars, and was a prisoner of war during the Second. He returned to Paris after it was liberated from the Nazis. The city was in disarray at that point with few resources and food…

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Happy Birthday, Lili!

Lili Boulanger ( 21 August 1893 – 15 March 1918 ) Happy Birthday, Lili!

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A Response from a Classical Geek So this video by the ever insightful 12tone channel came up in my YouTube recs, and I knew from the clickbait title I had to respond. To be fair to him, the argument is much more legit than the title would give off, but there are still some points…

A Response from a Classical Geek So this video by the ever insightful 12tone channel came up in my YouTube recs, and I knew from the clickbait title I had to respond. To be fair to him, the argument is much more legit than the title would give off, but there are still some points…