Simpson String Quartet no. 2
performed by the Delmé Quartet (cover image by Larm Rmah) As the first and really core composer behind the new Editor’s Choice series, we’ll have a few articles on Simpson’s music, doing a bit of catching up with his earlier stuff since … Continue reading Simpson String Quartet no. 2
Revisit: Bruckner Symphony no. 6 in A, WAB 106
performed by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra under Sergiu Celibidache (cover image by Eberhard Grossgasteiger) Its themes are exceptionally beautiful, its harmony has moments of both boldness and subtlety, its instrumentation is the most imaginative he [Bruckner] had yet achieved, and it possesses a mastery … Continue reading Revisit: Bruckner Symphony no. 6 in A, WAB 106
Bruckner Symphony no. 5 in B-flat, WAB 105
performed by the Hamburg Philharmonic under Simone Young, or below with a second favorite, the Saarbrücken Radio Symphony under Stanisław Skrowaczewski (cover image by Cassie Boca) Back to Bruckner. He’s a link between Beethoven and the next composer we’ll be … Continue reading Bruckner Symphony no. 5 in B-flat, WAB 105
Beethoven String Quartet no. 4 in Cm, op. 18 no. 4
performed by the Artemis Quartet (an excerpt of their performance there), or below by the Cleveland Quartet (cover image by Mona Eendra) It’s been a while since we’ve seen any of the opus 18 string quartets. We’ve only gotten through half … Continue reading Beethoven String Quartet no. 4 in Cm, op. 18 no. 4
Ningbo Symphony’s Carmen
featuring the Ningbo Symphony Orchestra, Creation Opera Institute, and more I have opined before that opera is a rarity here, so I wasn’t going to miss the chance to see one of the more famous pieces in the repertoire being … Continue reading Ningbo Symphony’s Carmen
Akiko & NSO
featuring Akiko Suwanai, violin, and Dorian Wilson, conductor It’s been a while since I’ve been in our local concert hall, I feel, and others told me so this evening as I found my seat (and three others a few rows back … Continue reading Akiko & NSO
Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 3 in E-flat, op. 12 no. 3
performed by Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich https://youtu.be/oqNM8DMm3SA?t=35m14s (cover image by Rodion Kutsaev) Today’s work is the third and final installment in the op. 12 piano sonatas, completed in 1798 and dedicated to Antonio Salieri, with whom Beethoven studied for … Continue reading Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 3 in E-flat, op. 12 no. 3
Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 2 in A, op. 12 no. 2
performed by Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich https://youtu.be/oqNM8DMm3SA?t=19m27s (cover image by Annie Spratt) As discussed in Monday’s post, these three violin sonatas are Beethoven’s first, dating from 1798, and dedicated to Antonio Salieri, the supposed antagonist of that Mozart film. … Continue reading Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 2 in A, op. 12 no. 2
Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 1 in D, op. 12 no. 1
performed by Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqNM8DMm3SA (cover image by Annie Spratt) Do you think there could be anything challenging about this work? Well, you’d probably not have agreed with the critics of Beethoven’s time. As this is the … Continue reading Beethoven Violin Sonata no. 1 in D, op. 12 no. 1
Beethoven String Trio in Cm, op. 9 no. 3
performed by the Zurich String Trio, or below by the Grumiaux Trio (cover image by Ivan Jevtic) As I mentioned in an article earlier this week, we will be seeing lots of Beethoven this year. We’ll be seeing a dozen pieces from … Continue reading Beethoven String Trio in Cm, op. 9 no. 3
Hans Werner Henze: Symphony no. 1
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the composer’s baton If music were a part of man’s everyday life, as it should be, there would certainly be less aggression and much more equality and love on Earth; for music is a … Continue reading Hans Werner Henze: Symphony no. 1
Editor’s Choice: A New Series
(cover image by Freddie Marriage) Unfortunately, no one can know all there is about everything. I’m at least a little ashamed to admit the degree of my unfamiliarity with, say, most of the symphonies and string quartets of Haydn, or Mozart (but … Continue reading Editor’s Choice: A New Series
Schnittke Symphony no. 1
performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Leif Segerstam, or below by the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky While composing the symphony for four years, I simultaneously worked on the music to M. Romm‘s film I Believe…. … Continue reading Schnittke Symphony no. 1
The Finnish Symphony in Review
See? It’s not all about Sibelius. (cover image by Luca Bravo) You can find the entire series (in reverse chronological order) here. I’m guessing that for any of you readers who wouldn’t consider yourselves to be diligent students of classical … Continue reading The Finnish Symphony in Review
Pehr Henrik Nordgren: String Quartet no. 10
performed by the Tempera Quartet (cover image by Kristopher Kinsinger) I feel that quartets are in a way the genre in which I am most at home. I use the instruments rather mildly, without any great technical finesse. Nordgren, from … Continue reading Pehr Henrik Nordgren: String Quartet no. 10
Kaija Saariaho: Nymphéa
performed by the Cikada String Quartet, or as below You were not allowed to have pulse, or tonally oriented harmonies, or melodies. I don’t want to write music through negations. Everything is permissible as long as it’s done in good taste. … Continue reading Kaija Saariaho: Nymphéa
Aulis Sallinen: Symphony no. 1, op. 24
performed by the Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra under Ari Rasilainen (cover image by Teodor Drobota) Aulis Heikki Sallinen was born on April 9, 1935 in Salmi, in the Republic of Karelia, a federal subject of Russia. His family moved around a number … Continue reading Aulis Sallinen: Symphony no. 1, op. 24
Quirky Quantity or Questionable Quality?
(cover image by Aldric Rivat) Move over, Hovhaness (67ish), Haydn (100+), Bourgeois (114), Dittersdorf (120ish), and even Rowan Taylor (265). You thought Shostakovich’s 15 symphonies, Niels Viggo Bentzon’s 24, Myaskovsky’s 27, Mozart’s 40+, or others held some record for most … Continue reading Quirky Quantity or Questionable Quality?
Helvi Leiviskä: Symphony no. 3
performed by the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jussi Jalas (No YouTube, but you can watch a performance here under Hannu Lintu. Click the video for the piece and it should load.) (cover image by Teddy Kelley) When a good … Continue reading Helvi Leiviskä: Symphony no. 3
Meriläinen: Metamorfora per 7
performed by the Lahti Chamber Ensemble (cover image by Hao Wang) Today’s piece, also without a YouTube video, dates from 1969, just a few years after the first string quartet, in 1965, which ended Meriläinen’s early “Dodecaphonic” period. In that article, … Continue reading Meriläinen: Metamorfora per 7
Revisit: Aho Symphony no. 2
performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä (no YouTube video here either, but I also strongly suggest getting a recording of this work and of Aho’s first. Maybe start with the first, and see what you think. I love … Continue reading Revisit: Aho Symphony no. 2
Fugue for Thought 