Tosca

Is AWESOME! And now that I"m getting good at the Italian language it's even more awesome cause I can understand most of it, without reading the subtitles. I think Puccini is a genius. He uses motives to represent each character and presents them in a very subtile way. Which rocks! My favorite part musically and dramatically is when Tosca kills Scarpia. There is this gorgeous dramtic music that just swells and takes over the drama. I love when music and drama can match so well. Music can create such mood swings too. For instance: At the end of the opera Tosca thinks that her lover Cavodossi is going to be fakely executed, but he is really killed. At first the music is all hopefully and rather casual, but as Tosca realizes that Cavadossi is really dead the music quicly changes with the realization. It is a beautiful and horrific moment in the opera.

Mozart 40

So, since I spent a bit too much time this weekend with Mozart 40, I am going to give you a preview of the piece. The piece is interesting to analyze, for three out of the four movements in this symphony are in sonata form. Without giving too much away about the content of my paper, each of the sonata form movement really is formed in a different way. It is interesting to see the ways in which Mozart has taken a relatively strict form and changed it to make it accessible yet interesting in three movements. It is also very interesting to see a second movement in sonata form. I really like this form for a slow movement; it allows the thematic material to get beyond simply a statement when you have three distinct shots at it in the expo, develop, and recap. This symphony is one of his later and is arguably the most famous symphony that he wrote. The piece was originally written without clarinet parts, but it is evident he revised the score at a later date to accommodate his clarinetist friends. There are parts of this work that, if heard out of context, you would believe were from the sometime in the romantic period or perhaps later. Each of the movements has a different emotion associated with it with a range of emotions within each of these movements. Ok, I think that is enough…I don’t want to repeat what I have said in my paper, so yeah. This is a very cool piece and according to Jessi, “it gets in your head really easily" and she would know since I subjected her to it a few times.

Beethoven blog from last week (would not post)

In honor of Shua analyzing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, I decided to listen to it this week. I have a recording of the Vienna Philharmonic playing it on my iTunes and it, of course, was very well performed. Like myself, Beethoven also liked this symphony quite a bit, saying that it was his “most excellent symphony.” This symphony is quite accessible to listen to relative to a few of his other symphonies. The first movement starts off slowly before moving into the vivace section. Like many other first movements of symphonies, this movement is in sonata form. Beethoven seems to like the slower beginnings to his symphonies, taking a few minutes to even state the rest of the theme for the rest of the movement. In this movement, it takes around four minutes to get to a place where we hear hints of the theme for the rest of the movement. It is only then that he moves into the vivace section. This movement has some of the best horn excerpts of any of his music, writing perfectly for the sound and the logistical aspect of the horn. Good choice Shua. The second movement is almost haunting. Again, while looking at the background of this symphony, I found it interesting that Wikipedia reported that some of the musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra played this movement when they received notice that a colleague or former musician of the orchestra died. This movement drips with the quiet emotionality that makes this movement so powerful. I also found it interesting that it became common tradition in the nineteenth century to repeat this movement. I wonder a bit why that decision by conductors was make; the piece is sufficiently long and accessible the first time around. Hmmm….Spiegelberg, what do you think of them messing with the form of the symphony? The third movement is quick and light, as was common with scherzo trios. The last movement, like the third, is quick. Perhaps this is why conductors liked to repeat the second movement. The fourth, like the first, movement has some of the best horn excerpts that Beethoven offers in his symphonies. This symphony is quite accessible and is a blast to listen to. I would definitely recommend listening to the recording of the Vienna Phil; there is something about listening to a recording with a full section of the Viennese horn players that is really exciting and is as Beethoven intended.

Copland and band

I decided to listen to a bit of Copland this week since we recorded Fanfare for the Common Man this weekend in band. I believe that the recording that I have is of the Minnesota Orchestra (although I am not positive about that because my iTunes did not list the performing ensemble). In conversations between the conductor of the piece’s premiere and Copland, the conductor was quoted as saying, “Its title is as original as its music, and I think it is so telling that it deserves a special occasion for its performance. If it is agreeable to you, we will premiere it 12 March 1943 at income tax time". Copland's reply was "I [am] all for honoring the common man at income tax time". Copland also explored other titles such as Fanfare for a Solemn Ceremony and Fanfare for Four Freedoms in writing this piece. The recording, besides being of a professional group, had a few differences in the interpretation of the piece than our band. The tempo of the piece was, overall, faster. The timbre of the ensemble was darker than our ensemble, which is typical of MN Orch, however the trumpets were surprisingly bright in this recording. They usually do not have all that bright a sound, so perhaps this was intentional for this piece; either the conductor or Manny must have wanted that style for the piece. The piece is stylistically very typical of Copland, which utilize many open intervals with 4th and 5ths. Also, the use of brass and percussion is quite typical of his music; he tends to write in a very high tessitura for wind instruments. Although I really enjoy listening to all of the pieces on this recording, it is really fun to listen to a piece done by a professional group that you too have recorded just to listen to the differences between the levels of playing.

15 hours of the war requiem

So. I'm writting my Mass class paper on Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. And this weekend I'm fairly sure that I've listened to it for over 15 hours. Its a gourgeous piece of music, but it is starting to get a little old.
One of the most interesting features that I've come to apricate is the use of the tritone as a figure of stabilty. Throughout the piece the tritone is usued to establish a key area, which I don't quite understand entirely, but as I listen to this piece more and more the idea is growing on me. The tritone is often presented in a very straightforward manner however at times it is hidden. One such example is one phrase ending on a C# and the next sung one beginning on an F. I really love how it apears so often and in so many varieties.
After listening to this for so long I'm also starting to find myself become more and more liberal and more and more pacifist. I guess Britten knows how to impact people with his music.

Vienna Phil

In honor of Shua analyzing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, I decided to listen to it this week. I have a recording of the Vienna Philharmonic playing it on my iTunes and it, of course, was very well performed. Like myself, Beethoven also liked this symphony quite a bit, saying that it was his “most excellent symphony.” This symphony is quite accessible to listen to relative to a few of his other symphonies. The first movement starts off slowly before moving into the vivace section. Like many other first movements of symphonies, this movement is in sonata form. Beethoven seems to like the slower beginnings to his symphonies, taking a few minutes to even state the rest of the theme for the rest of the movement. In this movement, it takes around four minutes to get to a place where we hear hints of the theme for the rest of the movement. It is only then that he moves into the vivace section. This movement has some of the best horn excerpts of any of his music, writing perfectly for the sound and the logistical aspect of the horn. Good choice Shua. The second movement is almost haunting. Again, while looking at the background of this symphony, I found it interesting that Wikipedia reported that some of the musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra played this movement when they received notice that a colleague or former musician of the orchestra died. This movement drips with the quiet emotionality that makes this movement so powerful. I also found it interesting that it became common tradition in the nineteenth century to repeat this movement. I wonder a bit why that decision by conductors was make; the piece is sufficiently long and accessible the first time around. Hmmm….Spiegelberg, what do you think of them messing with the form of the symphony? The third movement is quick and light, as was common with scherzo trios. The last movement, like the third, is quick. Perhaps this is why conductors liked to repeat the second movement. The fourth, like the first, movement has some of the best horn excerpts that Beethoven offers in his symphonies. This symphony is quite accessible and is a blast to listen to. I would definitely recommend listening to the recording of the Vienna Phil; there is something about listening to a recording with a full section of the Viennese horn players that is really exciting and is as Beethoven intended.

Vienna Phil

In honor of Shua analyzing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, I decided to listen to it this week. I have a recording of the Vienna Philharmonic playing it on my iTunes and it, of course, was very well performed. Like myself, Beethoven also liked this symphony quite a bit, saying that it was his “most excellent symphony.” This symphony is quite accessible to listen to relative to a few of his other symphonies. The first movement starts off slowly before moving into the vivace section. Like many other first movements of symphonies, this movement is in sonata form. Beethoven seems to like the slower beginnings to his symphonies, taking a few minutes to even state the rest of the theme for the rest of the movement. In this movement, it takes around four minutes to get to a place where we hear hints of the theme for the rest of the movement. It is only then that he moves into the vivace section. This movement has some of the best horn excerpts of any of his music, writing perfectly for the sound and the logistical aspect of the horn. Good choice Shua. The second movement is almost haunting. Again, while looking at the background of this symphony, I found it interesting that Wikipedia reported that some of the musicians in the Philadelphia Orchestra played this movement when they received notice that a colleague or former musician of the orchestra died. This movement drips with the quiet emotionality that makes this movement so powerful. I also found it interesting that it became common tradition in the nineteenth century to repeat this movement. I wonder a bit why that decision by conductors was make; the piece is sufficiently long and accessible the first time around. Hmmm….Spiegelberg, what do you think of them messing with the form of the symphony? The third movement is quick and light, as was common with scherzo trios. The last movement, like the third, is quick. Perhaps this is why conductors liked to repeat the second movement. The fourth, like the first, movement has some of the best horn excerpts that Beethoven offers in his symphonies. This symphony is quite accessible and is a blast to listen to. I would definitely recommend listening to the recording of the Vienna Phil; there is something about listening to a recording with a full section of the Viennese horn players that is really exciting and is as Beethoven intended.

Country Music

So my best friend Amanda was here this weekend, and she loves country music. So she made me listen to it alot. And I think it's starting to grow on me. My boyfriend likes it alot too, but I grew up as a avid country hater.
It's very simple, and usually boring music. It really all sounds the same. All the same one five one chord progession. All the same instruments. All boring.
But I realized this weekend, country music isn't about the music. It's about easy, fun lyrics that you can always count on being able to sing, because the melodies are all very similar.
Country music is about singing along, usally not musically at all, and usually not with very much talent.
Country music is about having fun. Not having to really pay attention to the music, and just having fun.

Mozart Concertos

Since one of my proficiency pieces is the first movement of Mozart’s Horn Concerto No. 2, I have been doing a good amount of listening to our friend Mozart. His concertos were written for his friend and virtuosic horn player, Ignaz Leutgeb, from Salzburg. If you ever get to purchase some horn music, be sure to get the edition that includes the remarks to his friend in a few of his movements (Schirmer prints it I believe). They make the music much more amusing when you reading insults like “Try this you ugly pig” (or something to that effect) next to a challenging run. Suddenly the piece becomes quite a bit more amusing. On the first page of the movement of the concerto that I am playing for proficiencies, Mozart wrote “Leitgeb Esel” (or “Silly ass Leitgeb”). You can hear his sense of humor throughout the piece both in the horn part and throughout the orchestra.

The first movements of the concertos are in sonata form. The piece that I am playing for proficiencies follows this trend. These movements can generally be characterized by their virtuosity in the horn part. The second movements are usually marked Andante or Romance and are slower and show off the sound of the horn through long lyric phrases. The last movements are almost always in 6/8 and rondo form. These pieces seem to bring us back to the origins of horn music, emulating the horn calls. The simplicity with which Mozart wrote was perfect for the horn and its sound. These pieces have become forever a part of the horn player’s repertoire.

No discussion of the Mozart horn concertos would be complete without Shua’s response every time he hears one of Mozart’s concertos in Eb (or in any key for that matter). Shua hypothesizes that Mozart was too lazy to change the key of the concertos (this should have been very easy since everything was natural horn then) and so obviously the correct response is “Mozart, you lazy bastard.” Thank you Shua for your timely addition to my blog.

Tuba and Horn Pieces brought to you by the CSO

My friend reminded me about this CD that I had after he went and heard the CSO this past week. The CD I have is of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s principal wind players playing some of the most famous solo repertoire for their respective instruments. The CD is called The Chicago Principal First Chair Soloists Play Famous Concertos. The piece that I guess you could say intrigued me most was Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Bass Tuba in F minor. It is performed by Arnold Jacobs who played with the CSO for 45 years. He is widely known for his breathing techniques and teachings in addition to his performing career. All of the movements are virtuosic, however the third movement is played brilliantly. The concerto is considered one of the most challenging in the repertoire and Jacobs has mastered it in this recording (we wouldn’t expect anything less from Jacobs though). I think that the first movement would be an interesting topic of conversation with Vaughan Williams just to see what he was thinking about while composing this piece. I know that he originally looking to compose the piece for a vocalist before writing it for tuba, but it would be interesting to know what he was imagining during this movement. Although I enjoyed listening to this movement again, my favorite part of this movement is definitely his cadenza. It really seemed to sum up the mood of this movement very well in a way that was, for lack of a better word, very tuba-esque. It was perfect. My favorite movement would have to be the second movement. It was very much in the style that I think of when I think of the other works that Vaughan Williams composed. The melody, despite its low range, seems to float over the orchestras sound. The tessitura of the tuba never seems to be a problem in terms of balance for the soloist and orchestra. With such a low tessitura, it can easily become problematic for the soloist to get over the orchestra, but I think that a quality recording team and an unsurpassed tuba player in combination with the CSO have made every phrase balance perfectly.

Although this recording has two CDs and all of the pieces are truly extraordinary enough to do an entire blog on, the other piece I wanted to write on was Schumann’s Konzertstuck in F Major for Four Horns and Orchestra (you could probably see that selection coming from a mile away). While at the Interlochen Arts Camp, three other horn player friends and I would meet and try to play this piece at 8:00 in the morning. Needless to say, it is relatively hard on the chops, especially of the high player, at anytime of the day much less at 8:00 in the morning. It is an incredibly demanding and yet invigorating piece. Although I would not recommend trying to play it at 8:00 am (especially when you should be sitting in Theory or Musicianship class with Spiegelberg that time anyways), we had a blast trying to play it. Anyways, even upon first listening, the composer can quickly be identified as Schumann, for it has the flowing melodies (usually in the top horn) and the natural energy of Schumann. The accompaniment that he composed provides a huge amount of energy that would otherwise be hard to maintain for the horn players in a piece like this. The horn part alone is exciting, but the accompaniment really makes this piece both realistic to perform and a joy to listen to. Even Schumann said himself that “It seems to be one of my best pieces.” I would just like to put it out there that I second that.

Nigel Kennedy

So today, while doing my Italian homework (so oggi, mentre faccio io Italiano compiti) I listed to Nigel Kennedy's greatest hits cd. (io ho ascolato di Nigel Kennedy's il piu grande 'hits' cd.) He is a violinst whom I really like. He plays alot of arragements, include Satie's Gymnopedie's and Debussy's "La fille avec les cheveux de lin." My favorite piece on his cd is an orginal called "Melody in the Wind." It has an incredibly catchy tune. My favorite part about it are the ambient sounds thrown in about half way through. I really like ambient sounds in music. It makes it more aplicable to life, and still simultaneous, highly sureal. Maybe that's why Radiohead and Badly Drawn Boy are two of my favorite artists.
Anyway, check out "Melody in the Wind," sometime, it's beautiful, and highly catchy.

Cello Concerti Afternoon

This afternoon, I had a burning desire to listen to a cello concerto (no idea why), so a scanned my iTunes for appealing pieces. I found a recording of Yo-Yo Ma playing the Dvorak and Elgar concerti among others.

Dvorak’s cello concerto begins with the winds and strings passing the melody between them with quite a few notable wind excerpts, especially in the clarinet. The cello then comes in after about four minutes when the theme has been well-established by the orchestra. The timbre of the cello on this warm melody is, at times, a stunning combination; they fit each other perfectly. The timbres of the clarinet and horn throughout this movement in combination with the cello are brilliantly orchestrated. All three instruments naturally have very warm sounds in relatively similar tessitura.

The second movement, like the first, starts out with a clarinet solo which is then joined by the cello and background winds. This movement is my personal favorite, for it combines the strengths of the wind section with the cello sharing the melody and providing harmony throughout the movement.

The third movement starts off quietly with the horns coming out of silence and the orchestra joining and consequently increasing the dynamics. This movement has the fire and intensity which we have not heard to this degree in the first two movements. Dvorak said of this movement that in response to his friend and cellist desiring to change the movement, “The Finale closes gradually, like a breath, with reminiscences of the first and second movements; the solo dies away to a pianissimo, then there is a crescendo, and the last bars are taken up by the orchestra, ending stormily. That was my idea and from it I cannot recede." This is just what he does and the juxtaposition of the quiet ending of the cello and the loud ending of the orchestra is perfect for this concerto, for it ends with the both the emotional impact of the dying away of the cello as well as the intensity provided by the orchestra.

It is almost needless to say, but Yo-Yo Ma mastered both the Dvorak and Elgar concerti. Similar in many ways for they were written, in the grand scheme of things, relatively closely together, however Yo-Yo Ma brings out the beauty in both of them.

Bach's B minor mass

Welp. It's mass class getting the best of me. I'm listening to Bach's B minor mass just because right now. I'm a dork. I'm going to concentrate on the Gloria. The first part of the Gloria, Gloria in excelsis deo, is very regal and typically Baroque sounding. It is set with a small chamber orchestra and full chrous. This section goes right into the Et in terra pax, a much slower section. Still with full orchestra, but now in minor and without the bounce of the first section. The next section, Laudamus te, is a soprano solo. It is very full of ornaments, and very lively. The Gratias agimus tibi is parodied almost exactly from an earlier Bach chroale, (which I have sung!.) This is a beautiful sweeping choral setting. And speaking of parodies, almost the entire mass has been parodied. It's almost as if Bach was compling a greatest hits highlight mass. The Domine Deus is a pastoral sounding duet between soprano and tennor. This whole Gloria is an arch which points to the Domine Deus. It is interesting that Bach choose a simple little pastoral duet to be the center of his whole Gloria! The Qui tollis peccata mundi is sung by full chrous and is slow and beautifully cromatic. I love the flute soaring over the chrous. ahhh. nice touch Bach. The Qui sedes ad dextram Patris is an alto with oboe d'amore solo. It's very flowing and lovely. It has a lot of short little motives and the oboe and the alto weave in and out of each other. The Quiniom tu solis santus is a bass solo and very regal sounding. It has bassons and a coranet (I think...) This goes right into the Cum Sancto Spritu, which is very lively and pretty. It's full chrous again to end out the very long Gloria section.

Blog 3/12/06 - Compare and Contrast

This week was full of listening to the music of Prokofiev, for I am doing a presentation on his life and music for another class. Never hurts to kill two birds with one stone. Anyways, Prokofiev’s musical maturation process was different that most composers; he went from the more experimental music to composing within many of the confines of classical music. Within this analysis though, it is important to note the influence of Stalin’s regime over the arts. In an effort to control the creative processes, they accused Prokofiev of “excessive formalism,” which is essentially not appealing to a wide enough audience. Due to this, Prokofiev was forced to compose music that incorporated more of the style characteristics of the “simpler” classical music.
One of the main pieces that I listened to was his Symphony No. 1, which is also known as the “Classical” symphony. It is marked by typical classical form and structural elements. For example, the first movement is in sonata allegro form. It also is very triadic and the harmonies are often presented in a similar way that a classical symphony would (a.k.a. Alberti bass). It is performed by a typical classical symphony orchestra, which includes strings, percussion, and two of each of the major wind instruments.
It is interesting to compare this with his music for the opera The Love for Three Oranges. The march from this opera contains the rhythmic simplicity of Symphony No. 1. During this time, other composers were tending to use complex meters and rhythms, however Prokofiev generally stayed away from this trend. This piece displays trends consistent with Prokofiev such as rhythmic intensity, larger intervals sizes in parts of the melody, and a relatively simple form.
It has been interesting to study Prokofiev and all of the influences, both external and internal, that have played a role in the creation of his music. It will be interesting to see what the next 50 years bring to classical music and to the music of Prokofiev.

over 16 hours of music listened too this week...

that's right. I have driven over 16 this week in dealing with a family illness and since I listened to music the entire time, I will attempt to touch on most of it.
I started out driving last Sunday night listening to Jeff Buckley. He is an amazing singer songwritter. His high tenor vocals soar over rocking electric guitar. His cd "Grace" is on my top five album list. Check it out.
Then I don't really remeber what I put on. I think I might have just listened to the radio for a bit, everything from classic rock to country.
On my way back to DePauw on Tuesday night I stoped about half way and bought a new cd from a Starbucks. Antigonie Rising to be exact. An all girl band. I don't know if I really like it yet. It reminds me of Melissa Ethridge with more back ups.
I then listened to an all time favorite, Radiohead. Radiohead is by far my favorite band. I find their music so intelligent and beautiful. Yay for them.
Wow I'm so tired right now, this is getting quite loopy.
Then some Dave, "Crash", which I believe to be the bands best album.
Then on Friday when I drove up again I listened to Carlise Floyd's Susanna, in preperation for Concerto's. It's a great opera. Then I listened to a pop cd mix from Feburary, 2004 which included such hits as Brittney Spears "Toxic," and The Darkness's "I Believe in a thing Called Love."
Today on the way back I listened to Guster's "Parachuttes" on a loop till I could pick up WGRE.

So I think 16 hours of music should possibly make up for me missing a blog last week?

Brahms and the BBC Orchestra

This week, I listened to Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 2. This is the piece that I am currently working on for orchestral excerpts for lessons, so I decided that as long as I knew it, I should write about it. The recording that I checked out of the music library was of the BBC playing the piece under the direction of Adrian Boult. The piano soloist for this recording was Artur Schnabel. The recording, obviously very old when the orchestra enters, was recorded in 1935. Schnabel died sixteen years after this recording was made.

The first movement starts out with a delicate, soft horn solo. This solo is known by all horn players as a real “nail biter,” for the solo horn comes in completely cold. There is a moderately long introduction by the orchestra before the piano comes in with this line of mixed emotion, first somewhat anxious and before bringing in a relaxed theme which the orchestra takes over. The horn line, present in both the first and third horns, is heard throughout the movement and in a variety of textures. The first time, it is present as a very delicate line, however quickly, the same line turns into a brass fanfare of sorts. Brahms does a wonderful job of using this theme and weaving it seamlessly into the different textures of the movement.

The second movement marked “Allegro appassionato” is just that - the piece starts off with an emotion-filled line in both the piano and the orchestra. Brahms wastes no time getting to the main idea of the movement. The influence of the theme from the first movement can be felt throughout the second movement with the descending groups of three notes continues in this triple meter movement.

The third movement starts off with a solo, introspective cello solo. Beautifully played in this recording, the cello leads the small group of strings into the next section with full orchestra. Again, in this movement, the orchestra almost has more to do with the conveying of the emotion than the piano does. Tension builds about a third of the way through the piece with the piano's running octave lines and unusual harmonies. The movement ends as beautifully as it started, with a shorter yet beautiful cello solo with the piano.

The fourth and final movement begins with an almost playful and jubilant theme introduced by the piano. The piano, setting the tone for each the following section, leads the orchestra into the section. The orchestra does a beautiful job of providing energy while allowing the piano to remain the main propellant of the mood. The piece ends much like it started in this movement with the jubilant, jumping lines in the strings with the piano performing his last fun runs as the piece ends.

This recording was an oldie, but a goodie. It captured the character that Brahms was attempting to convey through his music.

Mass amounts of Mass

So it's been a mozart mass listening day. Mass K49 was written in 1768 when Mozart was twelve and it sounds like it. Very crappy piece of mass. The strings just double voices, the voice lines are very unsingable, and the melody is harmoically boring. Then Mass K192, the "little credo mass." I think this is my favorite of the ones that i've listened to today. There are a lot of motives that reapear throughout. This mass is very catchy. I always come away from listening to it humming sections of it. The Mass K317 is the "coronation mass." This mass, going along with it's title, is very regal. It has the feel of a french overature with the dotted rhythms. It has very loud ornamentation and often the voices sing in unison. The last Mass I've been studying is the Mass K427. This is Mozarts last Mass other than the requiem, and he never completed it. In this mass Mozart models his music after Handel and Bach, the two composers that he was informally studying at the time.

YAY for mass!

Copland in iTunes

I decided to write on pieces that I already had on my iTunes. I often forget how much music is right there in front of me. I listened to a recording of Copland works. The works on this CD were Fanfare for the Common Man, Rodeo (the four parts), Billy the Kid, and Appalachian Spring. Fanfare for the Common Man, which the University Band brass and percussion section will be playing on our spring concert and recording, utilizes harmonies quite typical of Copland. The beginning starts off with percussion and adds trumpets. As the piece goes on, he continues to layer the texture with other instruments, providing a bass for the brass. Noted for its, high legato brass passages, the recording that I have of the Minnesota Orchestra is played brilliantly. Rodeo is a fun, energetic piece written for the symphony. It is most noted for its Beef commercial theme song. Appalachian Spring utilizes many of the same open harmonies with open 4ths and 5ths that marks Copland’s music. The melody is often recognized as the “Simple Gifts” melody. Sometimes there is great music sitting right in front of you in your iTunes and every so often, it is good to explore just what is actually on your iTunes.

Concert Feb. 17, 2006

This Friday night’s concert broadcasted on MPR was the Minnesota Orchestra under the direction of Osmo Vanska.

The first work that the orchestra performed on this chilly February evening in Minneapolis was Aaron Jay Kernis’s Sarabanda en Memoriam. Kernis explains in his notes that the music, although here for orchestra, was originally written for string quartet. The original quartet was inspired by the dances of the Renaissance and Baroque, stating that “the second movement alternates two different slow Sarabandes (slow dance in triple time) with short bursts of frenetic, furious music.” This piece, however, was also deeply influenced by the events of September 11th. Due to this, Kernis does a beautiful job of creating a mournful and serene setting of strings. It is a beautiful piece in which the audience can hear the raw emotion being poured into this piece.

The second piece that they played was W.A. Mozart’s Concert No. 25 in C Major, K. 503. Alfred Brendel, known for his work with Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart, is the piano soloist for this performance. This work is quite unique in its use of percussion and brass, for they are much more prominent in this setting of the piece than they are in his previous works (which I like being a brass player ☺ ) The slow movement sounds rather introspective and darker than many other second movements of his earlier works. The last movement turns around and starts to sound like his earlier works, ending in a lighter, more jubiliant ending.

The piece that the orchestra performed after intermission was Jean Sibelius’s Lemminkainen Legends. The piece is based on a collection of Finnish legends. I only got to listen to the opening 20-30 minutes of this piece (50 minutes in its entirety), but the beginning movement/story is lively, depicting the characters travels. The second story is as Sibelius says is depicting the “land of death” surrounded by waters. On those waters, a swan sits singing. The English horn, played beautifully during this performance by the orchestra, is the voice of the singing swan. This movement/story is hauntingly beautiful, juxtaposing the darkness of the land of the death and the waters with the beautiful sound of the English horn.

This performance by the Minnesota Orchestra offered a wide variety of music for any classical music concertgoer. They have done a great job catering to the maximum target audience and their performances have been amazing. They have been getting glowing reviews from critics and rightfully so; they played another wonderful performance.

Benjamin Britten's War Requiem

Well, since I'm writting my mass class paper about this piece, I thought I'd listen to it again. I heard a performance of it in Cincinnati, about a month after the attacks of September 11th. For yall who don't know, this piece is a combination of the traditional latin requiem mass text and modern anti-war poetry. It makes for a very intersting and ironic mix. This piece is both hauntingly beautiful at times while at other times very difficult to listen to. This piece is a huge production. A full orchestra, full choir, a chamber orchestra, soprano, tenor, baritone soloist, and boys choir are required to perform this piece.

The full chrous, orchestra, and soprano sing the litergical text, while the tenor and bartione sing the poetry. Through the work they develop a relationship with each other. The Libera Me finally reveals the true nature of their relationship. The baritone is man that the tennor killed in battle yesterday. They sing that they must sleep now. The soprano soloist and the boys choir enters back in a beatiful closing sequence. The last chord of the piece is in a hauntingly surprising key. When I went to the performance of this piece at the end, for about a minute no one clapped or moved. All were still as we thought about what we just had experienced. The war requiem is trully an experience. And whether a pacifist or not, everyone is moved by the reminder of the ravages of war.

If you ever get a chance to attend a performance of this piece, GO!

Valentine's Day (early, of course) through orchestral music

So, it’s Friday night at 9:05 pm. I have been waiting for this concert to air for roughly one hour and 45 minutes now. Every Friday night, MPR broadcasts the Minnesota Orchestra live from Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis. Tonight’s concert program includes pieces that honor Valentine’s Day (yes, they acknowledged that they were celebrating five days early) through music.

The first piece played was Barber’s Adagio for Strings. Whether it is your first time hearing the piece or your 81st, it is seven minutes of pure passion through music. The piece’s strength and intensity is created in a very short amount of time through mostly harmonic and melodic tension and the consequent release throughout the entire piece.

The piece starts off with a quiet ascending three note ascending line in the violins and violas. The lower strings are only added once the piece has developed the motive further, increasing the overall dynamic and intensity range. The climax occurs after about five minutes of tension followed by release. The entire string orchestra, in a very high tessitura for their respective instruments, holds an intense tension-filled chord. This chord, after a short break, is followed by a release as the upper strings return to the original ascending line, which is calm and introspective. The piece ends as quietly as it starts, leaving the audience with a feeling of serenity after the emotional intensity of the work.

One of the most surprising parts of the live performance with the Minnesota Orchestra was the unusual, yet effective long grand pause that the conductor, Gilbert Varga, took. It seemed to serve as a “clearing of the air” or a break from the emotional work. Most conductors take a grand pause at that point in the piece, but this one seemed to last for at least twice as long as normally heard performed. It would be interesting to find out why he decided to take that long a break at during that moment.

Barber was one of the first students to come through Curtis Institute and his classical training can be heard clearly through this piece. Although full of thick chords and unusual harmonies, it is very much within the classical framework which he was taught.


Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

To Tchaikovsky, his Symphony No. 4 was one of his greatest works and most time-consuming works. When asked about the piece, he stated that he considered this work to be a reflection of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, stating, “I, of course, have not copied Beethoven’s musical content, only borrowed the central idea.” The motive of “fate” is introduced in the first movement by the brass returns in the last movement.

The work opens with the famous unison brass line that is in every brass player’s excerpt book (and yes, one of the trumpet players still fracked it…pesky trumpet players). Tchaikovsky stated that the opening brass line was “Fate, the decisive force which prevents our hopes of happiness from being realized, which watches jealously to see that our bliss are not complete and unclouded, and which, like the sword of Damocles, is suspended over our heads and perpetually poisons our souls.” This line was heard throughout the first movement and will return in the middle of the last movement. After the brass opening, the movement is quite animated and parts are quite playful. These lively runs in the strings and woodwinds slowly develop into hurried lines, seemingly running away as the trumpets and horns approach again with the call of “fate.”

The second movement begins with a solo oboe, evoking a feeling of solitude and stability. The solo is slowly joined by a multitude of other instruments, each contributing to a calming and settling feeling after the tumultuous first movement.

The third movement begins with quiet pizzicato strings (hence, the title pizzicato ostinato). This movement seems to be filled with many small vignettes, which flow together throughout this movement.

The fourth movement begins with a joyous feeling with running, jubilant lines throughout the first part of the movement. Quite suddenly, the solo oboe returns followed by the frantic running lines of the woodwinds and strings as the brass forebodingly return with the “fate” motive originally presented in the first movement. About two minutes from the end of the movement, the brass finally overpowers the running lines of the strings, sounding the call of “fate” once more. The call dies down in the horns, who ironically, build up the joyous feeling in the next phrase, increasing in dynamic. The movement ends jubilantly, as if Tchaikovsky may be hoping that joy and happiness have had the last word even in music.

The Mars Volta: "De-Loused in the Comatorium"

A cool band name is underrated. A cool title for an album is definitely a bonus. A fresh and innovative rock album is divine. "De-Loused in the Comatorium", the Mars Volta's freshman album from 2003 may be a hard listen because of its heavy sound, complex rhythms and meter changes, and long stretches of instrumentals and sound effects. However, good music is good music, and there's no denying the musical talent of these guys, especially that of vocalist Cedric Bixler Zavala and drummer Jon Theodore. I will even go so far as to consider "De-Loused" the most revolutionary rock album since Radiohead's "OK Computer".
Band founders Bixler Zavala and guitarist Rodriguez-Lopez released "De-Loused" as a tribute to their childhood friend who spent many years in a coma, then woke up only to lose his sanity and throw himself off an overpass into oncoming traffic. As someone who considers musical content more important than lyrics, it doesn't bother me that I can't understand most of the lyrics. I'm guessing, though, they're pretty somber since this album is for their dead friend.
The Mars Volta have become known for ambitiously composing their albums with a musical theme or idea that strings the entire work together, almost like a song cycle. However, the band is gifted enough to differentiate each track and give each song its own character. All the songs are amazing and wonderfully crafted; the ones that stand out, however, are "Intertiatic E.S.P", "Eria Tarka", and the poignant psychadelic ballad "Televators". Vocalist Bixler Zavala has an amazingly high register; the intensity and virtuosity of his voice is something truly rare. My roommates Nick Nesbitt and Keith get such a kick when I try to hit the high notes on "Intertiatic E.S.P", since I'm a terrible singer.
The Mars Volta--think of psychadelic rock mixed with metal and a shot of free jazz. "De-Loused" is an awesome recording. However, their second album, "Frances the Mute," is, in my opinion, even better than this one. Maybe I'll write about "Frances" for my next blog.

/Brett Imamura

Modest Mouse; Good News for People Who Love Bad News

Well so I suck and I forgot to write my first blog. So here's this weeks blog, on Monday, so I won't forget. This album is very unique. It has some echos of Radiohead but the voices remind me alot of The Stokes. I really love the chrous numbers. Well I don't know if it's all the band members or just one singers layered. But it sounds like a bunch of people are singing. Overall the melodic material isn't very complicated, but combined with raw guitars and ambiant sounds, it makes for an interesting listen. My favorite track is probably Ocean Breathes Salty. Bukowski is also very lovely. A cello solo throughout adds an interesting and ironic texture to the lyrics "God who'd wanna be such an ass hole." The next track titled "This Devil's Workday" combines a howling brass section, bari sax and banjo together to create an exciting and daunting track. Overall, this album is great. Everytime I've listened to it this week (about 4 times) I've discovered something new. Whether it's a new melodic motive, or a lyric with strong political sentiments, there's always something hiding waiting to be discovered. I recomended it to anyone who's looking for a musical adventure.

Blog 1/6/06

First of all, I would like to thank the AT&T company for their wonderful billboard on south 465 advertising blogging...this event would not have been possible without your generous support. While driving back from Michigan, I explored Jessi’s wonderful plethora of CDs. The one I decided to listen to for this blog was, as she described, pop music with “a guy named Joshua Kadison who sings about a different girl in each song.” Intrigued, I listened to it and sure enough, she was correct. As much pop music does, the lyrics typically told of relationships with women and surrounding events. The harmonies were very typical of popular music. At times, harmonic regression was utilized which is often the case in popular music although rarely in classical music. There are nine tracks in all, so the form of each piece is slightly different. I am going to focus on the song entitled Jessie simply because Jessi really enjoyed hearing her name in the song and therefore we listened to it numerous times. The piece starts off with a piano introduction and is followed by the first verse. After that, the refrain is sung followed by a verse-refrain pattern two more times. It ends in a terminative section in a similar style to that of the introduction; that is, the piano slowly fades out. The instrumentation for most of the pieces included piano, bass, percussion (usually set) and solo voice. We had a good time listening to roughly nine hours of music in the car over the weekend, not the least of which was the wonderful music of Joshua Kadison.