February 11
On this day: Anton Bruckner’s 9th symphony received it’s premiere in Vienna. Had I thought about it ahead of time, I’d have planned to write about it, but I’m still familiarizing myself with his first and third. What scherzos… Births: Freidrich Nicolaus Bruhns (1637), composer Egidio Duni (1708), composer Samuel Parkman Tuckermann (1819), composer andorganist Hans Brinsart von Schellendorf (1830), composer and pianist, student of Franz Liszt Alfonso Leng (1894) composer and dentist (!) Hans Redlich (1903) composer, conductor, musicologist Rudolf Firkušny (1912), pianist Alexander Gibson (1926), conductor Jerome Lowenthal (1932), pianist Bent Lorentzen (1935), (not Brent), Danish composer Deaths: Johann Tobias … Continue reading February 11
Julius Reubke: piano sonata in Bb minor
performed by whoever plays it in the following videos: Section 1Section 2Section 3 Julius Reubke was a student of Franz Liszt, his favorite pupil at one point, as Liszt himself apparently stated. It shows. While the previous piece I wrote about is a concerto dedicated to the memory of a man whose life was at its end, and written in his style, this piece, dedicated to the composer’s teacher, shows heavy direct influence from the man himself, even quotes directly from Liszt’s piano sonata in a place or two. The sonata was written in 1857, when the composer was 23, … Continue reading Julius Reubke: piano sonata in Bb minor
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in C#m, op. 30
performed by the English Northern Philharmonia under David Lloyd-Jones,Malcolm Binns, piano This is unquestionably a very Russian piece, but it is also unquestionably a Lisztian piece.It was completed around 1883 and first performed in 1884 at one of Balakirev’s Free Music School concerts in St. Petersburg, by whom I am not sure.I am learning I’m not super fond of this Balakirev guy. As ignorant as I am of his works overall (aside from Islamey, and that just barely), reading about him makes him sound quite knowledgable and insightful, but this may just be more as a result of his familiarity … Continue reading Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto in C#m, op. 30
Alan Hovhaness: Symphony no. 2, op. 132, ‘Mysterious Mountain’
performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under John Williams (A playlist for the recordings of the three movements of this particular performance can be found here) I’m learning that generally speaking, I don’t care much for subtitles of works. ‘Symphony number … Continue reading Alan Hovhaness: Symphony no. 2, op. 132, ‘Mysterious Mountain’
Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 16
performed by the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre PrevinVladimir Ashkenazy, piano This was kind of Ashkenazy’s warhorse for a while I’m told. The Interwebs told me. This piece comes up often in the “hardest piano concerto ever” discussions that many an amateur like to have. I believe that comes from summing up the scope of the greatest challenge possible and putting things into perspective against it. Maybe. Anyway, Prok 2, Rach 2 and 3, Brahms 2, and Bartok 1 and 2 seem to be the ones that are most often agreed upon as being frighteningly, intensely difficult (obviously in different … Continue reading Prokofiev Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 16
Sibelius Symphony no 3 in C, op. 52
performed by the Lahti Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä I cannot think of a better contrast to the previous Mahler symphony as this piece. Do I love it? Yes. Does it make me want to stop everything I’m doing and … Continue reading Sibelius Symphony no 3 in C, op. 52
Mahler Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection"
This piece has been revisited, and an updated article has been written. Please read it here. I’ll keep the original article (below) for posterity, but I would suggest reading the new article instead. performed by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Yoel Levi Mary Phillips, mezzo-soprano, Barbara Bonney, soprano Buckle up. This is a long one. The post and the symphony. Before I start talking about baseless, subjective things, let’s get a few cold, hard facts out of the way. Mahler’s second symphony was written between 1888 and 1894, and premiered on December 13, 1895 in Berlin under the composer’s baton. … Continue reading Mahler Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection"
Schumann Symphony no. 1, op. 38
This article has been marked as in need of a revisit. That’s where I feel like I didn’t do the piece justice or have more to say (usually because I didn’t know it nearly well enough or didn’t have the … Continue reading Schumann Symphony no. 1, op. 38
Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 in D ‘Classical’
performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitsky,or below with Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. And Prokofiev is wonderful. This one has also been stewing for a while, waiting to get … Continue reading Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 in D ‘Classical’
Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle, Nigel Kennedy, violin (I recently featured this piece on a program over at my Substack. Please go read it there.) And just that fast it is 2014. This ones’s … Continue reading Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47
Samuel Barber: Symphony no. 2, op. 19
performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Marin Alsop Marin Alsop is a woman. I assumed the info in iTunes had a typo and it was “Martin” or something. Anyway, that’s cool! Maybe the first female music director I can recall hearing of. This American symphony by an American composer is very different than the “New World” American symphony by the Czech composer from last week. That’s sort of the reason I picked it. Let’s contrast a bit. How is this piece American? Well, it’s obviously by an American composer, one of the most famous composers of the 20th … Continue reading Samuel Barber: Symphony no. 2, op. 19
Dvorak Symphony no. 9 in Em, op. 95: 120th anniversary
performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Raphael Kubelik, or below with the Vienna Philharmonic under Karajan: Some interesting facts about this piece: It’s worth noting (as I mentioned in the Dvorak 2 post) that until his earlier symphonies were discovered, this … Continue reading Dvorak Symphony no. 9 in Em, op. 95: 120th anniversary
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Bernard Haitink, 1994 This is another one I was fortunate enough to hear in person, having gone to see a local university symphony perform it at symphony hall. Tickets were cheap, and seats … Continue reading Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
Mozart Symphony no. 12 in G
performed by the ASMF/Marriner This is one of Mozart’s later childhood symphonies. He would still have been only about fifteen. It was written in Salzburg. Also, this is a very half-hearted Mozart Monday. Partially because I’m exhausted, and partially because this symphony was…. just another early Mozart symphony. There’s nothing bad about that, but there’s nothing spectacular about it either. A few things to note, though. It is in four movements, and the first is longer than any movement he had written up until that time. I suppose this symphony is close to being the longest of his symphonies so … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 12 in G
Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie
This piece has been revisited, and an updated article has been written. Please read it here. I’ll keep the original article (below) for posterity, but I would suggest reading the new article instead. performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly Piano- Jean-Yves Thibaudet Ondes Martenot- Takashi Harada recorded at the Grotezaal, Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in 1992 This “symphony” (referred to by Wikipedia as a “large-scale piece of orchestral music”), was written from 1946-1948, and, like the other not-actually-a-symphony 20th century work I listened to recently, this piece is ALSO a commission from Serge Koussevitsky (thru an organization). Koussevitsky commissioned Turangalîla … Continue reading Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie
Mozart Symphony no. 11
performed by the ASMF/Marriner Believed to date from 1770, and possibly written in Milan or Bologna, this symphony is also suspected by some to have been written by either the father Leopold Mozart or by Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf (who is actually a real person with that name, who has a huge catalogue of compositions). Its status on Wikipedia is listed as uncertain, but some music historical claims confidently that it is Mozart the son who wrote this work. That’s about all the info Wikipedia has on it. Another expert claims there is “little special” about this piece, but I … Continue reading Mozart Symphony no. 11
Gustav Mahler: Symphony no. 5
This piece has been revisited, and an updated article has been written. Please read it here. I’ll keep the original article (below) for posterity, but I would suggest reading the new article instead. I also wrote about it much more recently over at my newly established Substack as part of a concert program alongside Mozart’s Dm concerto in January of 2026. Please go check that out. performed by the Chicago Symphony under Georg Solti This piece was written between 1901-1902. This is the second week in a row I have been able to write about a piece after having seen … Continue reading Gustav Mahler: Symphony no. 5
Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2
This article has been marked as in need of a revisit. That’s where I feel like I didn’t do the piece justice or have more to say (usually because I didn’t know it nearly well enough or didn’t have the right perspective). I’ll keep the original article for posterity, but publish a new version that will eventually be linked here for my new take on it. performed by the USSR Ministry of Culture Symphony Orchestra under Gennady Rozhdestvensky This piece was written in 1906-07 and premiered in 1908 with the composer conducting. I will talk about some of its background … Continue reading Rachmaninoff Symphony no. 2
Mozart symphony no. 10 in G
performed by the ASMF/Marriner This one was likely written during Mozart’s first journey to Italy, completed in 1770. That’s about all the information we get from Wikipedia about this piece. Mozart would then have been a young teenager. The first movement is pleasant enough, very classical, with high horns responding to lots of strings. The first part of this movement has a delightful dainty sort of energy. The only non-strings are oboes and horns. This string-heavy orchestration makes it feel even more classical and antique than some of his earlier pieces. What feels like a second movement is actually just … Continue reading Mozart symphony no. 10 in G
Mozart symphony No. 9 in G
performed by the ASMF/Marriner Mozart Monday again! Last MM I was halfway around the world. I’m back on the other half now, the half live on, and after a week and a half of listening and preparing for the recent Sibelius post, it feels a bit incomplete or premature to be posting this. It is, however, only a 9-minute symphony, and I listened to it about four times. Not much to say here, as it’s such a departure from the Sibelius I listened to for a week straight. Still a childhood symphony, published in 1770, making Mozart about 14 years … Continue reading Mozart symphony No. 9 in G
Jean Sibelius: Symphony no. 2 in D major, Op. 43
performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Simon Rattle (or below in an equally wonderful recording with the Lahti Symphony under Osmo Vänskä) (I recently featured this piece at the end of a monthly concert program over on … Continue reading Jean Sibelius: Symphony no. 2 in D major, Op. 43
Fugue for Thought 