Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #36)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Apr 21, 2012.

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  1. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    From an L.A. Times review of the same work by the same performers:

    In this quintet, the piano and strings remain in continual, ever-changing play. The harmonies may belie traditional musical analysis, but neurologists will surely one day discover that Feldman's unique combinations of frequencies interact with brain waves in some marvelous manner.
     
  2. SteelyTom and Canzid: thanks for your wonderful answers. (i.e. "throwing himself into a freezing river", and "just pathetic really". You both are winners!


    Pyotr IIyich Tchaikovsky (May 7, 1840 - November 6, 1893)


    Symphony No. 4, Op. 36 in F Minor (1877-1878)

    (1) Andante sostenuto; Moderato con anima; Moderato assai; Quasi andante; Allegro con anima.

    (2) Andantino in modo di canzona.

    (3) Scherzo.

    (4) Finale; Allegro con fuoco.


    Symphony No. 6, Op. 74 in B Minor (1893) (ie. composed amid the torment of depression; most pessimistic, dramatic and tragic of his works. Peter Tch. confessed that he repeatedly burst into tears when writing it.

    (1) Adagio; Allegro non troppo

    (2) Allegro con grazia

    (3) Allegro molto vivace

    (4) Finale; Adagio lamentoso; Andante

    One more note:

    I wonder who was the most happy classical music composer that expressed his happy mood via his music. Is there such a composer?
     
  3. canzld

    canzld Forum Resident

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Haydn?
     
  4. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Agree very much on your Curzon comments. I have all of the Decca box sets. He was great overall. IMO, he recorded the best Schumann Fantasy on record...ever.

    41Z3+SjfugL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
     
  5. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    Not everyone selects what they listen to according to their mood. I try not to romanticize in that way. Not sure how you can tell what "mood" a composer was in by the music. Just because a piece is written in a minor key does that make it a sad piece or mean that the composer was in a sad mood when they wrote it? Or course not.
     
  6. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    I almost always listen to whatever comes up in my library playing shuffle by album. If I've purchased a lot recently, like now, I have a playlist of recent purchases that I shuffle though.
     
  7. This guy was always happy when he composed.

    Beethoven:

    Six string Quartets, Op. 18

    Smithson String Quartet

    Jaap Schroder, Violine (Joffredo Cappa, Saluzzo, 1684)

    Marylin McDonald, Violine (Jacabus Strainer, Absam, 1665)

    Judson Griffin, Viola (Michael Alban, Graz, 1710)

    Kenneth Slowik, Violoncello (Paul Francois Grosset, Paris 1748)

    Recorded in 1987 at the Academy of Arts and Letters, New York City, NY. USA

    Deutsche harmonia mundi 2 CDs

    Review: Excellent performance and Recording.
     

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  8. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    music for all moods...in this case,American & modern,c.1954-67,conducted
    by James Levine,of all people.i couldn't take a steady diet of this,but it's
    very bracing to hear occasionally.recorded 7/90 & released in 1994,this is
    another $1.95 purchase.at that price,one can afford to take a chance.
     

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  9. vanhooserd

    vanhooserd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville,TN
    some wonderful music here,well played, in good mono sound.this is a Belart
    reissue from 1995 of Decca recordings from Kingsway Hall.recorded 12/28/53
    (The Wasps) & 1/9/54 (Job).producer:John Culshaw(The Wasps)/James Walker(Job).engineer:Kenneth Wilkinson.there is no indication that these
    are mono recordings & the copyright dates of 1964 & 1969 are misleading.
    Boult had recorded The Wasps with the same orchestra under a fake name
    for Westminster on 9/10/53.(orchestra is The London Philharmonic.)
     

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  10. Graphyfotoz

    Graphyfotoz Forum Classaholic

    Location:
    South-Central NY
    I have had this CD for a few year and have found it to be a EXCELLENT recording. :righton:

    [​IMG]

    As far as Dvorak Symphonies go this set is the best I have found thus far!
    It's got high praises about everywhere.....thus the reason I got it. :D

    [​IMG]
     
  11. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Listened to a part of that set last week. First time through my relatively new PSB Synchrony 2s. Sound was absolutely outstanding. Performances were first rate as well.
     
  12. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    How do we define "mood" for this purpose? If its an emotiuonal state of mind, it might have some subconscious influence on my choice. On the other hand sometimes I'm "in the mood" for Baroque, sometimes for a romantic symphony, sometimes for Radiohead.
     
  13. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Before I switched my office source to MOG, I had an iPod with music selected for the office (e.g. lots of string quartets and Bill Evans; no Mahler or World Saxophone Quartet). That was left of shuffle. I do have a few specific playlists for my home system, but I mostly pick and choose what I want.
     
  14. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I got the symphony box quite recently.
     
  15. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Last night I discussed Classical music a bit with a woman that I was on a first date with. It was an awesome, long date and halfway through she revealed to me that she plays the piano! She mentioned that she played the Pathetique Sonata in High School! (Those of you who know me know that I adore Beethoven and I love the piano even more.) :love:
     
  16. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    That my fellow member is the six million dollar question. :D

    To say that our emotional state of mind always directs or influences what we listen to is somewhat overreaching.

    I think your second example is closer to most listeners with a broad taste for music....like yourself. :cheers:
     
  17. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    George, she sounds like a keeper to me. :D
     
  18. Tangledupinblue

    Tangledupinblue Forum Resident

    Location:
    London, UK
    This morning I listened to this relatively recent acquisition for only the second time:

    [​IMG]

    http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Violin-Concerto-Op-Sonata/dp/B00000HZOB

    Now, is it just me here, or does Brahms' music similarly blow somewhat hot and cold with others? Some of his music (the German Requiem, 4th Symphony, many of his piano and chamber pieces, especially the later ones) are among my favourite classical pieces of all time. At his best I love his music for its lyricism, stirring nobility, rock solid craftmanship, scholarship and deep reverence for the great masters of old and compelling combination of the old and then new, but too often I find he seems to be more preoccupied with form and grand gestures than content and creative inspiration, and during his less inspired (IMO of course) and pedantic music, such mannerisms such as his obsession with heavy octaves, hemiolas, fussy triplet configurations and reliance on sequences in developmental passagework become too prevalent.

    As a point of comparison, when I got Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto around the same time, I couldn't get enough of it for a while and must have played it up to about ten times in a month - Mendelssohn's work in the same form I don't have a recording of but I adore that work and I'd probably get as obsessive about it if I finally got a good performance of it (I'm going to a concert of this piece this summer in the North of England, BTW) and even though I'm not among Beethoven's biggest fans and also don't have his concerto, I love that work and always turn up the volume when I come across it on my classical music radio station. In contrast, Brahms' VC doesn't have the same pulling power that makes me want to come back (I feel the same way about his 2nd Piano Concerto) - I find the opening movement overlong and apart from a few moments of beauty (like the second group in the first movement) I find it lacks much in the way of melodic interest until the much more memorable finale, one of many final movements in his delightful gypsy-styled vein. I guess like many pieces of music/albums (and much of the rest of Brahms' music for that matter) it needs a few more listens to really grow on me...
     
  19. Rose River Bear

    Rose River Bear Senior Member

    I am the same way with Brahms. Hot and cold. Mostly in the middle.

    Your description above that I bolded to me is why some of his melodies lack a singing or human quality. Sometimes I am OK with that and other times I get bored with it. His genius was undeniable though...just not for everyone all the time from what I have read of others opinions.

    I love that recording though. :cheers:
     
  20. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    :agree: :agree: :agree:
     
  21. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    As many of you know, I'm a big Brahms fan. He and Bach are my two favorite composers. There's very little I don't like. I could do without the early piano sonatas, and his lieder certainly does not match Schubert's. But I do like the violin concerto. I have at least four recordings: Heifetz, Grumiaux, Oistrakh and Hahn.
     
  22. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Mendelssohn comes to mind.
     
  23. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    I say Mozart.
     
  24. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    If you don't have them already, you need to get the three SACDs of Heifetz playing Violin Concerti. The Brahms is tightened up in this approach—quicker tempos throughout, no longueurs. That's pretty much his approach in all these recordings. I happen to be a fan of Brahms, but a lot of his early work turns me off. The 'Later' he gets, the more I love his music. But I've hear some folks take up a much too reverent tone when playing his music. Brahms needs a little 'Classical' air and light to really come alive.
     
  25. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
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