That's the way it should sound like!

This movement comes Rochberg's fourth string quartet. To my knowledge Rochberg's third to sixth string quartets are titled the "Concord Quartets" as this is the name of the quartet that first performed these masterpieces.

Listen and enjoy!

This won't "hurt your ears", either!

LISTEN AND ENJOY!

Response?

Listen to this music....it is not so hard to understand and appreciate!

Another masterpiece!

Out of this world!

In my opinion!

With the Exception of the 20th Century(including the post Romantic period), Georg Philipp Telemann is my favorite composer!

Spring is still upon us!

Wonderful! A favorite!

More insects?

Listen to this selection and hear frogs and cranes. Evidently Herr Telemann seemed to like insects and birds! Quite imaginative!

Crickets?

Ein Wunder!

Korngold was an amazing opera composer as he knew so well how to write for the voice. His melodies melt the heart in a way that so few composers have ever done!

Please enjoy!

Eternal music!

Here's a "new" discovery to amaze and delight you! Sadly the composer died too young and had he lived longer, he may have made a massive impact on music within Poland and the world. He wrote six massive tone poems and they are all worth investigating.

Please discover and enjoy this great music!

Marvelous!

A definite thumbs up!

Discover and enjoy!

Isn't there a "tympana" in the ear?

I heared it!

I can hear again....mind you with no thanks to angelic acid queens but with another cotton swab. Thanks be to the divine powers and the makers of cotton swabs. Ironically I know thou shall not put swabs in one's ears but........

The angels singing

Another cure for plugged ears.....peace and inner reflection! Glorious isn't it?

What did she say?

I should have known not to put cotton swabs in my ear, but I did and impacted the wax to the back of the canal. Sort of hard to hear. I'm not recommending cures such as some crazy queen prescribing acid but if she could cure Tommy well.....why not?
This recording has been a favorite of mine for 37 years....unconventional but fabulous!

A must hear for all Mahler enthusiasts!

There are moments in this work that sound a great deal like Mahler but in the first movement I notice a definite Brucknerian influence. What is amazing is that Mahler may have been influenced by this work. It does NOT decrease the originality of Mahler's genius. It does define the link between Bruckner and Mahler and yet Rott still presents new original ideas. If the first movement is Bruckner and the third is Mahler, the whole Symphony is an original creation of a remarkable young man. The great tragedy is that he died too soon to make his mark on the world! Take some time to hear the whole work. Quite amazing!

Discover and ENJOY!

Wonderful discovery

Please discover and ENJOY!

Huh.....sounds like.....

You know, I think the composer may have practiced a bit of plagarism. Some of his themes sound a bit familiar but then again I may not be sure. What I can not figure out is why the audience is laughing at this very original piece!

Poulenc for six

Before hearing this I was never a "fan" of wind music played without strings. Thanks to Francis Poulenc and this wonderful sextet, I've rethought my objections and now consider this one of greatest chamber works of the 20th Century. This is music for a sunny Sunday afternoon. Poulenc left us with a number of chamber works that can not be ignored. There is not a dull moment in any of his works! Merci Francis!

Please discover and ENJOY!

Blown away!

Mozart's Horn Concertos have always been amongst my very favorite works he wrote. Sometimes his works bore me but not these immortal classics. I have always loved French Horns and in particular "natural" horns(no valves). Absolutely THRILLING!

S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!!!!!!

Every time I hear Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony(no.94), this "version" always comes to mind. I always expect this version to be the right one and feel Haydn somehow had it all wrong.

Grand.....grand....grand....grand....grand.....yup, it's grand alright!

Don't you just love the "soloists". In my opinion the performers are true masters of their instruments!

Malcolm Arnold is none other than the man who wrote the film score for "The Belles of St. Trinians" and all it's other fabulous sequels. They are some of my favorite movies of all time....the English are geniuses!

OUCH!

That voice could makes your Spring flowers wilt and shrivel up! PDQ Bach would have loved this "diva"! This MUST "hurt your ears"!

OUCH!!!

Spring is here!

Schuman's Violin Concerto

What I post is what I love and in some cases, what I detest! This concerto is one of the greatest ever written. My relationship with this works spans over 30 years and it never ceases to amaze me how much I am affected by this great masterpiece! It was written in 2 movements but on YouTube the performance is broken down into 4 "parts". Please listen and enjoy!

part 2

The greatest symphony written by an American...part 1

Absolutely one of my very favorite works of any age! Eighteen minutes of bliss!
This music is eternal!

part 3

You don't like Mahler?.......shame on you!

What can I say? Not much except that I truly do believe that the Master did compose galaxies and universes! This is a GREAT performance....Bernstein doing what he did best! Truly marvelous!

Don't like Mahler?.....shame....shame....SHAME!

You must hear this!.......WOW!

WOW!

Rameau's "Castor et Pollux".....c'est magnifique!

This aria from has amazed me from the first moment I heard it. What caught my ear was that it is apparent that Hector Berlioz had been influenced much more by Rameau than I had previously thought. Hearing this one aria made me think of "Les Troyens" and mainly from an orchestration standpoint. Rameau was the Baroque era's greatest orchestrator and it would seem that Berlioz had to have picked up something from the works of the master. This music blows me away.......magnifique!

Tippett's second symphony.....a favorite

Of all Tippett's symphonies, this is and always has remained my favorite. In fact it is, in my opinion, one of the best the English have ever produced. It dates from about the same time he wrote "The Midsummer Marriage".

Discover and Enjoy!

Looking forward to "Mid-Summer"

This is one opera I absolutely love! I have never delved into English opera as much I really should have as there are many jewels that the English have left for us. Vaughan Williams, Delius, Britten and many more have written operas that should be heard and performed more often. Sir Michael Tippett left us with this masterpiece and it remains to this day as one of my top favorite operas of all time!

Sounds familiar?

An un-discovered master

This is a composer to discover if you are acquainted with the music of Carl Nielsen. There is much that is original in his music even though I notice, to some degree, he was influenced by Nielsen. It is worth the time spent discovering all the works by Rued Langgaard that are on YouTube. An interesting and rewarding "new" voice to discover!

Woof....what a dog!

I know that I have been praising the music I've posted so far. Now it is time to post about music I detest. I may love the 20th Century and Bartok, but this is truly one the UGLIEST moments in music of all time! Believe it or not....."that hurts my ears" and my stomach!

Royal Splendour!

This performance is truly out of this world and the orchestra is one of my favorites! This is the first piece of "classical" music I turned on to when I was barely 11 years old. "Classical"? Handel wrote this work during the High Baroque period which ended roughly around 1750(the death of J.S.Bach). The next period was the Classical Period(Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, etc...). From now on I will refer to the periods as they are recognized by musicologists the world over as I discuss them.

Please listen to the complete performance and ENJOY!

20th Century masterpieces!

These quartets are considered by many to be the most important in their genre written in the 20th Century. To discover these six quartets is the most satisfying endeavour one can accomplish in all the music of the modern age. Incredible as it seems, these works are TONAL despite the dissonance one encounters. In my case it took quite a while before I came to terms with these great works but when I finally did, I was richly REWARDED! If inspired to purchase these works, I heartily recommend the complete recording done by the "Takacs Quartet" on the Decca label...they are absolutely amazing!

2001 and beyond....

Ligeti wrote music that was included in the film "2001: A Space Odyssey". Most people had no problem integrating this music as part of the film, but separately his music is considered much too difficult to appreciate. Anyone knowing the string quartets of Bela Bartok would have no problem understanding the quartets of Gyorgy Ligeti. There is no excuse for saying "that hurts my ears"!

The greatest music of the Baroque period!

Telemann's "Tafelmusik" is the greatest and most impressive body of orchestral and chamber music written during the the Baroque period. He wrote three "Productions" and the first one runs for well over an hour and a half. No one had ever contemplated such an undertaking before and hardly since. He is considered to be the most prolific composer that ever lived and yet there is not a dull moment in this great masterpiece. No matter the cost for a complete recording of this work, please get one as it will change your life!

VIVE TELEMANN!!

More cello you say?.....Just listen!

Listen to the second theme which starts about 2 minutes within the first movement. This is great music and from the heart! It never fails to bring tears to my eyes!

Martinu's second Cello Concerto

The composer never ceases to amaze me.....BRAVO!

Heart warming music!

This is probably the one work for cello and orchestra that hits the heart in all the right places. The second movement's theme is totally unforgettable and has a certain nostalgic feel that defies all understanding. It should be noted that the composer had written the concerto some 20 years earlier and revised it in 1955. There is another Cello Concerto written I believe before the first concerto's revision(date unknown at this time).

Martinu is the only composer whose symphonies(6) are as a whole the most perfect in the history of Western music(in my opinion). First discovering them was a major epiphany in my life. They simply blew me away and at the time I was recovering the passing of my father(1981). They brought amazing joy and peace to a very troubled time of my life. This is a post for a very dear friend of mine as we have known each other for 37 years. This is for you, Mark.....hope you love it as much as I do!

I ADORE MARTINU'S MUSIC!!

A must hear experience!

This is another GREAT 20th Century "liturgical" masterpiece! The whole work is a remarkable experience....quite emotionally draining. At nearly an hour long, take the time to discover it in all it's glory! The complete recording can be found on the NAXOS label conducted by Antoni Wit and the Warsaw Philharmonic. It is one of the best recordings NAXOS has ever done......sonically out of this world!

Music....tender and joyful.....glorious isn't it?

Telemann's Paris Quartet no.1(1738)

It should be noted that I indeed do HATE the modern flute(metal)! Once upon hearing Jed Wentz playing the transverse flute at a "I Furiosi" concert here in Toronto, I discovered how much I love this instrument. It is made out of wood and has a sweeter and thankfully, a less metallic sound. Transverse flutes are the instruments that were common during the Baroque period and were first introduced by the Germans. Do not get this confused with the recorder as the transverse is played the same way as modern flutes......ugh!

Please feel free to discover Telemann's wonderful music for this remarkable instrument....he wrote a great deal and it's all very civilized music!

ENJOY!!

The Glory of Telemann!

I ADORE TELEMANN! One of my very favorite composers of all time. He was the greatest composer of his time and even over-shadowed Bach. Adored in his native Germany and in France. His chamber music is totally magnificent and finds it's culmination in the "Paris Quartets(1738)" and in the complete "Tafelmusik"! His ability to integrate both the Italian AND French styles in to his works made him the darling of all of Europe!

VIVE TELEMANN!!

What is "ppp"?

ppp.....Period Performance Practice. Music of a period as it would have been performed and usually on instruments of that period. Hence we do not need a "Mahler" sized orchestra performing Vivaldi's "Four Seasons". It is my hope NEVER to include a video of "ancient" music being performed "non"-ppp!

Look to my post on March 29, 2010. It won't "hurt your ears".

A recently re-discovered masterpiece

I haven't heard the "Sinfonietta" by Albert Roussel since I first heard it at the age of seventeen! I loved it then and I still am awed by it even now. The disc that I first discovered at such a young age also had a performance of Webern's "Five pieces for Strings, opus 5". For such a young person as myself to accommodate and integrate such "difficult" music is proof that introducing "difficult" music to younger folks makes them more appreciative to new ideas and concepts in 20th
Century music.

I don't believe they would say: "that hurts my ears".

A great 20th Century liturgical work!

The whole mass is on YouTube. It must be heard, wonderful! Janacek is truly one of my very favorite composers!

Music of peace

For Gnostics everywhere

Happy Holidays, as we celebrate our deaths and resurrections! We have died to the world and are now resurrected in to the light of true life. It is OUR resurrection that matters not some fictional character that may or may not have lived. We have awakened into the light of the Divine Spirit. We are, in the flesh, already in the kingdom of God. Give thanks and revel in your holy life....one Spirit, one God. We see Christ, we are Christ....we see God, we are God!

a happier note????????

Sad to say........NOT on period(?) instruments, but that's life if you want to hear this "important" "work" by a great......oh hell.......JUST ENJOY IT!!!!!!!!!

Easter music

The music is both terrifying and glorious at the same time! This music is the most gut wrenching and terrifying to be found previous to the year 1800. Listen and be amazed!

Happy "chocolate-egg-laying-bunny" holidays!

To start off, I am a Gnostic and Pentecostal at that. Despite the fact that I am a dedicated Deist, I despise religion and all it's implications. The early Christians had it right before the literalists(Catholic Church) took over. To the early Christians, the crucifixion was merely a fable they told to their children before they went to bed. According to the apostle Paul, the gentiles were not under Mosaic Law. The need for redemption was of no concern to the non-Hebraic christians. Why force them to believe they had "sins"(Jewish theology) when they simply were not Jews? The fact that I'm not Jewish means the "law" and "sin" should not apply to me, so what the hell do I need of a "savior" to die on a cross to save me from sins I don't have? Furthermore, why do modern day nutball christians spend so much time on sin, redemption and bloody crucifixion? Oh yah, I forgot......to get every damn penny/dollar out of your pocket while providing a "free" ticket to heaven. WRONG....WRONG...WRONG!!!!

If the bible is infallible then I invite you to look up the "First Book of John", toward the end of the Bible. Go to chapter 3 and read. To paraphrase the passage, "if the seed of God is within you, you can NOT sin". What christian today would admit the seed is not within them? So why spend so much time discussing sin....oh yah, I forgot.....money....money....and more money(the root of all evil)!
Jesus also said "do not judge or you too will be judged"(Matthew 7). What gives them the right to condemn others? BUT then again it's easier to condemn somebody, offer them some Jesus and then "fish" through their wallets, rather than actually help them deal with life. I call them fraud fiends and con artists. It's a blessing to know that when they die, the money stays.....ain't it a pity?

Sorry to mention this, but Jesus did say that the two most important commandments are these: "to love the Lord God with all our hearts" and the second is like unto it: "love one another". He said all the Law and Prophets hung on these two simple "rules". Do these and you are,in the flesh, in the Kingdom of God. If one does these simple requests, the question remains.....Who needs the damn book(Bible)?

So what does Easter mean? It's a "Pagan" fertility holiday and out of this we get bunnies that lay chocolate eggs and a God that simply could NOT forgive humanity until "we killed" his son(??!!). Sounds a bit kooky?....yup, but watch God's "servants" calling out "pass the loot" (also known as PTL) at this festive holiday! Maybe we'll get some free tickets on the express train to heaven(with a $1,000.00 or more donation)! I know, as during my stupid youth I was dumb enough to work for the "700" Club. Greedy bastards, all of them! My suggestion.....get yourself a chocolate easter egg, get outside to enjoy the warmer weather and forget winter. Mother nature is coming alive!

Can anybody spare an extra Cadbury easter egg?

The RIGHT version!

I have always held this as the TRUE version of the miserable, creepy version by that obnoxious Austrian fraud artist. Remember PDQ was born in 1807 and died in 1742*, so it's bloody obvious that Mozart committed plagiarism! Dirty and rotten, I'd say!! Take that Wolfi!!!

*- according to the official web site:

http://www.schickele.com/pdqbio.htm

The greatest(?!) opera(?!) ever written(?!).....

The concluding "aria" is a "classic". Don't ya just love it? I often wish Florence Foster Jenkins had broken her teeth on this monsterpiece!

"In Dulci Jubilo"

Is the Renaissance too far back?

The Renaissance was a time of enlightenment for the sciences and arts. Recently I came across a recording of Antoine Brumel's Missa "Et ecce terrae motus". Purely glorious music from about the early 16th Century. It is hard to imagine a liturgical work from this period lasting almost an hour with the forces required to pull it off. The recording made by Harmonia Mundi required sixteen singers and an orchestral force( organs[3], cornets, and sackbuts[tenor and bass]) not usually seen in music of this period. The polyphonic writing is unlike anything I have ever heard in liturgical music written in the same period of time. In the Gloria, the composer repeats fragments many times over that one might think of it as a "leitmotiv". Truly astonishing and a must hear experience!

Another great Renaissance, albeit late, masterpiece is Michael Praetorius' "Christmette" recorded by Paul McCreesh and the Gabrieli Consort. Grant it that it is a "melange" arranged by the conductor, still it must be heard to be believed. Praetorius learned much from the Venetian master Giovanni Gabrieli and this can be discerned just listening to the choral and orchestral forces interplay. To this add some Lutheran, traditional German Christmas and original melodies. Included are pieces written for the North German organs of the period. Be prepared to engage such a tremendous work, recorded as if it were performed from around 1620. Their recording of "In Dulci Jubilo" is beyond belief....WOW!

Hope that doesn't "hurt your ears"!