Listening Lists
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash A lot has changed since I last wrote regularly. A lot has changed in just the past 6 months. But I want to get writing here again. One of the biggest changes is that … Continue reading Listening Lists
A Return to Writing?
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash Hey, remember this? (2023 Editor’s note: I wrote this nearly two years ago, and changed none of it, so here’s this as an attempt to tell myself I’ll start writing here again. Please leave … Continue reading A Return to Writing?
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 9 in E, op. 14 no. 1
performed by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, or below by Alfred Brendel (cover image by Lex Sirikiat) We have now moved on to the two piano sonatas of Beethoven’s op. 14. This first of the two sonatas that make up this opus number … Continue reading Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 9 in E, op. 14 no. 1
Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 8 in Cm, op. 13, ‘Pathetique’
performed by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, or below by Krystian Zimerman (cover image by Eleni Afiontzi) And back to Beethoven! The Pathetique sonata is one of Beethoven’s most famous compositions, and with good reason. While it’s still an early piece in the composer’s output, … Continue reading Beethoven Piano Sonata no. 8 in Cm, op. 13, ‘Pathetique’
Mozart Flute Quartet no. 2 in G, K. 285a
performed by the Nash Ensemble, or below (cover image by Gaetano Cessati) Mozart’s second flute quartet, in G major, was written, or at least completed, in 1778. Three of Mozart’s four flute quartets, I guess, were written for “amateur flautist … Continue reading Mozart Flute Quartet no. 2 in G, K. 285a
NSO’s Tosca
Deception. Rebellion. Jealousy. Betrayal. Lust. Torture. Murder. Suicide. Catholicism. It’s all here. I finally saw Tosca! It was an opera concert, but honestly was as fully staged as you could expect it to be and still be in a concert hall … Continue reading NSO’s Tosca
Mozart Violin Concerto no. 5 in A, K. 219, ‘Turkish’
performed by Hilary Hahn and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen under Paavo Järvi (cover image by Daniel Olah) We’re still in 1775, but just barely, and we’re already at the fifth and final of Mozart’s entire violin concerto output. He churned … Continue reading Mozart Violin Concerto no. 5 in A, K. 219, ‘Turkish’
Mozart Violin Concerto no. 4 in D, K. 218
performed by Arabella Steinbacher and the Festival Strings Lucerne, or below by Pinchas Zukerman and the English Chamber Orchestra (cover image by Karsten Würth) We’re hopping back in time a little bit, to the year 1775, in Mozart’s Salzburg era. … Continue reading Mozart Violin Concerto no. 4 in D, K. 218
Mozart String Quartet no. 14 in G, K. 387
performed by the Hagen Quartet (cover image by Ehud Neuhaus) Before God, and as an honest man, I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste, and, … Continue reading Mozart String Quartet no. 14 in G, K. 387
Mozart Piano Sonata no. 13 in B flat, K. 333
performed by Mitsuko Uchida second and third movements (cover image by Lex Sirikiat) You like forensics, don’t you, dear reader? After shows like CSI and others, as well as what seems (at least to me) to be the growing fad of … Continue reading Mozart Piano Sonata no. 13 in B flat, K. 333
Mozart Piano Sonata no. 12 in F, K. 332
performed by Mitsuko Uchida (cover image by Vincent Giersch) This is a piece that has captivated me, and although it may not be, like the finale of the previous sonata, one of those immediately recognizable, iconic passages, it exudes such … Continue reading Mozart Piano Sonata no. 12 in F, K. 332
Mozart Oboe Quartet in F, K. 370
performed by Joszef Kiss and the Kodály Quartet, or below by Alexei Ogrintchouk, oboe; Baiba Skride, violin; Veronika Hagen, viola; Sol Gabetta, cello (cover image by Anita Austvika) Mozart’s Oboe quartet dates from 1781, a few years later than the … Continue reading Mozart Oboe Quartet in F, K. 370
Mozart Piano Sonata no. 11 in A, K. 331
performed by Mitsuko Uchida second and third movements (cover image by Joanna Kosinska) Mozart’s eleventh piano sonata was composed somewhere, at some point. It’s not often that we don’t have all the juicy details about the composition of Mozart’s efforts … Continue reading Mozart Piano Sonata no. 11 in A, K. 331
Mozart Piano Sonata no. 10 in C, K. 330
performed by Mitsuko Uchida, or below by Krystian Zimerman (cover image by Tim Mossholder) As if we didn’t have enough Mozart last year, with week after week of his music, we’re going to see his name yet a few more … Continue reading Mozart Piano Sonata no. 10 in C, K. 330
Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G, BWV. 1048
performed by the Gewandhausorchester under Riccardo Chailly, or below by the Orchestra Mozart under Claudio Abbado in a performance very worth watching (cover image by Annie Gray) Now that we’re back to Bach, it’s a good time to discuss the … Continue reading Bach Brandenburg Concerto no. 3 in G, BWV. 1048
Bach Cello Suite no. 6 in D major, BWV. 1012
performed by Jean-Guihen Queyras, or below by Pieter Wispelwey (cover image by Patrick Hendry) And now for something a little lighter. I’d originally intended to cover all six of these suites across three consecutive weekends, but later thought better of … Continue reading Bach Cello Suite no. 6 in D major, BWV. 1012
Prokofiev Symphony no. 6 in E flat minor, op. 111
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Seiji Ozawa, or below by the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra under Valery Gergiev Now we are rejoicing in our great victory, but each of us has wounds that cannot be healed. One has lost those … Continue reading Prokofiev Symphony no. 6 in E flat minor, op. 111
Vadim Salmanov: String Quartet no. 1
performed by the Taneyev Quartet (cover image by Frederic Koberl) Vadim Nikolayevich Salmanov was born on November 4, 1912 in Saint Petersburg. His musical education began with piano lessons from his father, and was preparing to enter the Leningrad Conservatory … Continue reading Vadim Salmanov: String Quartet no. 1
Shostakovich Symphony no. 4 in Cm, op. 43
performed by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, or below by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Neeme Järvi (cover image by Michal Dolnik) Thankfully, we have now arrived at uncontested, overwhelming greatness in Shostakovich’s symphonic output. Not … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 4 in Cm, op. 43
Gavriil Popov: Symphony no. 1, op. 7
performed by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Provatorov (cover image by Johannes Plenio) Gavriil Nikolayevich Popov was born on September 12, 1904. He studied with Leonid Nikolayev, Vladimir Shcherbakov, and Maximilian Steinberg (rival of Stravinsky who married the … Continue reading Gavriil Popov: Symphony no. 1, op. 7
Dmitry Kabalevsky: String Quartet no. 1 in Am, op. 8
performed by the Stenhammar Quartet, or below by the Glazunov Quartet (cover image by Johannes Plenio) At the beginning one does not expect much from this piece completed under the tutelage of Nikolay Myaskovsky on November 20, 1928; a study piece and … Continue reading Dmitry Kabalevsky: String Quartet no. 1 in Am, op. 8
Fugue for Thought 