NSO: The Immortal 9th
Beethoven’s ninth. Everyone knows it. Or they think they do. ‘Ode to Joy’ has been used and reused in everything from church hymns to TV commercials, but do you know the whole thing, its ins and outs, and what it … Continue reading NSO: The Immortal 9th
Prokofiev Piano Sonata no. 3 in Am, op. 28
performed by Matti Raekallio, or below by Boris Berman It’s like a big, organized cadenza. In contrast with the second sonata, dedicated to Prokofiev’s friend who committed suicide, the third sonata interestingly seems to have less humor or sarcasm than its predecessor. Both … Continue reading Prokofiev Piano Sonata no. 3 in Am, op. 28
Nikolai Roslavets: Piano Sonata no. 1
performed by an unknown pianist from some recording I acquired somehow, or below by Irina Emeliantseva Nikolai Andreevich Roslavets was born on January 4 1881 (23 December, 1880 in the Julian Calendar) (possibly) in the Chernigov Governorate (a day less than … Continue reading Nikolai Roslavets: Piano Sonata no. 1
Prokofiev Piano Sonata no. 2 in Dm, op. 14
performed by Matti Raekaillo, or below by Boris Berman The second sonata of Sergei Prokofiev was first performed on February 5, 1914 by the composer in Moscow. It is dedicated to Maximilian Schmidthof, to whom the composer’s second piano concerto (which … Continue reading Prokofiev Piano Sonata no. 2 in Dm, op. 14
Sergei Taneyev: Piano Quartet in E, op. 20
performed by the Mendelssohn Piano Trio (and obviously another unidentified person who I can’t seem to find a credit for) or as below Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev was born on November 25 (13) 1856 in Vladimir Oblast “to a cultured and … Continue reading Sergei Taneyev: Piano Quartet in E, op. 20
NSO’s Titan Arise
Mahler, Mahler, Mahler! Performances of Mahler symphonies aren’t rare, nowadays, by any stretch of the imagination, but locally, in one area, it may not be so often to be able to walk in on a performance of such a mammoth work as Mahler’s … Continue reading NSO’s Titan Arise
NTSO: Kamu’s Mahler
featuring tenor Stephen Gould and mezzo soprano Dana Beth Miller under Okko Kamu The list of Mahler symphonies left to see live is narrowing, and tonight’s program showcased the two (one and a half? quarter?) pieces of Mahler’s that I’m … Continue reading NTSO: Kamu’s Mahler
Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata in Dm, op. 28
performed by Santiago Rodriguez I’m quite glad we were able to discuss the Medtner sonata earlier this week, because today we’re discussing a work of equally epic pianistic and musical proportions, similarly Russian in nature, but also in many ways entirely … Continue reading Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata in Dm, op. 28
Rachmaninoff: Variations on a theme of Chopin, op. 22
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy, or below by Nikolai Lugansky Rachmaninoff! Also been a while since we’ve seen this guy. I actually had no intentions of duplicating so many of the composers from last year’s Russian Symphony series in this piano … Continue reading Rachmaninoff: Variations on a theme of Chopin, op. 22
Nikolai Medtner: Piano sonata in f minor, op. 5
performed by Geoffrey Tozer In case you haven’t ever heard of Nikolai Medtner, I’d like to make the case that this, one of his earliest compositions, is undeniably one of the greatest things ever composed in the history of history. … Continue reading Nikolai Medtner: Piano sonata in f minor, op. 5
Arensky Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, op. 32
performed by Yefim Bronfman, Cho-Liang Lin, and Gary Hoffman, or below by the Beaux Arts Trio This is another name we haven’t seen in almost exactly a year. Arenksy’s first symphony was in last year’s Russian Symphony Series, but we’d visited … Continue reading Arensky Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor, op. 32
Podcast: For the Record(ings)
featuring Bob Lord, available here or in iTunes The record industry is dying, right? And people have stopped caring about classical music right? And what actually is ‘classical music’? Bob Lord is CEO of PARMA recordings and a collection of other labels, recording … Continue reading Podcast: For the Record(ings)
Scriabin Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 53
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy (or for those of you to whom the above video is unavailable, another one here by Richter) Life is fearfully expensive, and the climate is rotten. The air in the areas where we could find an apartment … Continue reading Scriabin Piano Sonata no. 5, op. 53
Scriabin: Four Pieces, op. 51
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy Oh, let’s not talk about this! This is a ghastly piece! […] I was in an appalling situation back then. This Prelude, and also the Marche funebre in the First Sonata formed in moments disheartenment… But … Continue reading Scriabin: Four Pieces, op. 51
NSO’s Concerto for Orchestra
featuring Freddy Kempf, conducted by 張尹芳 (Zhang Yin Fang) Midweek concerts are always a bit tougher to get around to, especially in rainy weather, and tonight’s turnout showed it. As a heavy-duty subscriber to the NSO, I get some perks, … Continue reading NSO’s Concerto for Orchestra
Scriabin: Deux Poèmes, op. 32
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy or below by Ivo Pogorelich Two little things today, sketches from Scriabin, as if he’s working out ideas in preparation for something truly monumental. The ‘two poems’ date from 1903, and are as follows: No. 1 … Continue reading Scriabin: Deux Poèmes, op. 32
Scriabin Piano Sonata no. 4 in F-sharp major, Op. 30
performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy Well, it hasn’t been as long since we’ve visited Scriabin. He was part of the the Russian Symphony Series and the Symphonic Poem series, but aside from his multiple symphonies and other orchestral work, he arguably made his … Continue reading Scriabin Piano Sonata no. 4 in F-sharp major, Op. 30
Borodin String Quartet no. 1 in A
performed by the Borodin String Quartet (who else?) or below by the Moscow String Quartet Borodin was a rebel. The Mighty Handful of Russian composers were dedicated to producing distinctly Russian sounding music, or rather to establishing what that even would be, … Continue reading Borodin String Quartet no. 1 in A
TSO’s Nielsen Third
Interesting program. In a rare case where I thought I knew what I was hearing, I walked in and sat down to music I was not only completely ignorant of, but didn’t even anticipate. I was under the impression that … Continue reading TSO’s Nielsen Third
Tchaikovsky Grand Piano Sonata in G, op. 37
performed by Sviatoslav Richter History does funny things to music. In the more famous cases (as we shall shortly see why), the world nearly forgot about something, or ignored it, or derided it, and it was only later generations or geniuses who … Continue reading Tchaikovsky Grand Piano Sonata in G, op. 37
Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, op. 37a
performed by Đặng Thái Sơn or below by Vladimir Ashkenazy And here he is! Like I mentioned in the article on his first quartet over the weekend, it’s been nearly a whole year since we’ve touched on anything of one of the most … Continue reading Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, op. 37a
Fugue for Thought 