Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 6 in Am
performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7y0_Z3uXts Es gibt doch nur eine VI. trotz der Pastorale. Alban Berg The sixth is a collection of questions, an enigma, a knot to be untied by repeated listenings and the development of … Continue reading Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 6 in Am
Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 5
performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Pierre Boulez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tudx_c_XMMQ From the order of the movements (where the usual first movement now comes second) it is difficult to speak of a key for the ‘whole Symphony’, and to avoid misunderstandings the … Continue reading Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 5
Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 2, ‘Resurrection’
performed by the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Shinyukai choir under Seiji Ozawa, Emiko Suga, soprano; Nathalie Stutzmann, contralto; or below, with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra under Claudio Abbado, Eteri Gvazava, soprano; Anna Larsson, mezzo-soprano The music that can change … Continue reading Revisit: Mahler Symphony no. 2, ‘Resurrection’
Revisit: Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major
performed by the Chicago Symphony orchestra under Pierre Boulez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xO968YNrMs Here we are, beginning a whole new journey sort of all over again. I started listening to Mahler’s symphonies not in any real order, and more out of curiosity or fascination than … Continue reading Revisit: Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major
You Should be Listening to More Music
There are two big milestones coming up this week, and along with it some reflection, as far as articles are concerned. When I started this blog, my intentions were simply to have a place that I can both record and … Continue reading You Should be Listening to More Music
Schumann String Quartet no. 2 in F, op. 41 no. 2
performed by the Hagen Quartet, or below by the Cherubini Quartet https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXVgFd5Z34w After Schumann’s vocal phase in 1840 and 1841, he turned to chamber music. All three quartets, collectively published under opus no. 41, as well as the piano quintet … Continue reading Schumann String Quartet no. 2 in F, op. 41 no. 2
Berlioz: Les nuits d’été, op. 7
performed by Régine Crespin and the L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ernest Ansermet [The poems] form a narrative which leads from a spring-born joie de vivre (Villanelle) and a loss of innocence (Le spectre de la rose), to the … Continue reading Berlioz: Les nuits d’été, op. 7
Schumann: Liederkreis, op. 39
performed by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; Alfred Brendel, piano, or below with Günther Weissenborn as pianist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05Z-xfutxrw&t=12s (not to be confused with the earlier op. 24 of the same name) …my most romantic music ever, with much of you in it, dearest Clara The … Continue reading Schumann: Liederkreis, op. 39
Schubert String Quartet no. 6 in D major, D. 74
performed by the Melos Quartet Quick on the heels of the young composer’s incomplete fifth quartet is his sixth, in D major. The composition of this work begun just days after the completion (or abandonment?) of the fifth quartet, and … Continue reading Schubert String Quartet no. 6 in D major, D. 74
Schubert String Quartet no. 5 in B flat, D. 68
performed by the Melos Quartet 1813 was a busy year for the young Franz Schubert. But then again, to have died at 31 and written as much as he did, perhaps every year was a busy year for Franz Schubert. … Continue reading Schubert String Quartet no. 5 in B flat, D. 68
Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795
performed by Fritz Wunderlich, tenor; Hubert Giesen, piano While we’ve addressed Schubert as the composer of symphonies and some solo piano works, his real fame and the bulk of his output comes from Lieder, songs for voice, and our piece today is one … Continue reading Schubert: Die schöne Müllerin, D. 795
Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte, op. 98
performed by Peter Schreier and Andras Schiff, or below with Schreier and Walter Olbertz as pianist Here we are, jumping ahead to the latest of Beethoven’s works on the blog so far, after seven piano trios, eleven string quartets, ten … Continue reading Beethoven: An die ferne Geliebte, op. 98
The Human Voice
In the past, we’ve done series about different instruments (and another one is queued up), and I’ve spoken before about the difficulty of warming up to and appreciating opera the way I am currently used to listening to music, but … Continue reading The Human Voice
Beethoven String Quartet no. 3 in D, op. 18 no. 3
performed by the Artemis Quartet, or below by the Belcea Quartet Here we are, finally halfway through Beethoven’s Haydn-inspired (or at least influenced) installment of the six quartets, his first six, published as op. 18. As a matter of fact, … Continue reading Beethoven String Quartet no. 3 in D, op. 18 no. 3
Mozart String Quartet no. 4 in C, K.157
Mozart’s fourth string quartet is the third of the six so-called Milanese quartets (no. 1 not included in that set). Like all the Milanese quartets, it’s in three movements, and like most of them, contains a middle movement in the … Continue reading Mozart String Quartet no. 4 in C, K.157
Shostakovich Cello Concerto no. 1 in E-flat, op. 107
performed by Truls Mørk and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Mariss Jansons, or below with Mstislav Rostropovich and the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy (or in a preferred recording with Rostropovich and the London Symphony under Charles Groves) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jIaKjriPLg This work is … Continue reading Shostakovich Cello Concerto no. 1 in E-flat, op. 107
Shostakovich Symphony no. 9 in E-flat major, op. 70
performed by the WDR Sinfonie-Orchester under Rudolph Barshai There’s something epic and final and mysterious about ninth symphonies, isn’t there? Beethoven! Schubert (give or take)! Bruckner (roughly)! Dvorak! Mahler! They’ve come to mean something final in a composer’s output, his (give or … Continue reading Shostakovich Symphony no. 9 in E-flat major, op. 70
Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor, op. 57
performed by Boris Berman and the Vermeer Quartet, or below by the Borodin trio and Mimi Zweig (violin), Jerry Horner (viola) The Gm piano quintet, one of the composer’s most enduring chamber works, comes right after the composer’s sixth symphony, … Continue reading Shostakovich Piano Quintet in G minor, op. 57
Shostakovich Piano Trio in Cm, op. 8
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Zsolt-Tihamér Visontay & Mats Lidström, or below with Janine Jansen, violin; Torleif Thedéen, cello; Eldar Nebolsin, piano Soviet disturbances weren’t the only bane of Shostakovich’s existence. He suffered from health ailments throughout his life, it seems. At … Continue reading Shostakovich Piano Trio in Cm, op. 8
Elgar Cello Concerto in Em, Op. 85
performed by Steven Isserlis and the Philharmonia Orchestra under Paavo Järvi, or below with Jacqueline du Pré and the London Symphony under Sir John Barbirolli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwMON0FsAaA In today’s piece, we’re moving back toward the end of the composer’s career, a … Continue reading Elgar Cello Concerto in Em, Op. 85
Elgar Symphony no. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 55
performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis, or below with Davis and the Staatskapelle Dresden I’ll be honest: this is a work that really never made a single impression on me until I sat down to focus … Continue reading Elgar Symphony no. 1 in A-flat major, Op. 55
Fugue for Thought 