A French volcano!

At about four minutes into this clip you will recognize a certain similarity with the "Dies Irae" from the Requiem. This is an early work and some of the writing is jingoistic, but none the less the inspiration is there. A Romantic volcano ready to explode upon the scene!

It's a good thing both for us and the medical profession at the time that he didn't stick to his father's determination to see his son become a doctor! One cadaver and according to what he wrote in his Memoirs, he jumped out of the nearest window! He also wrote about his legendary fights with Cherubini(his teacher) as the elder composer was determined to set his student on the "right" narrow minded path. Aren't we glad he won....well sort of, he didn't quite graduate!

Berlioz's day of judgement!

Berlioz's anthem

The only god Berlioz had was Shakespeare and perhaps his wife Harriet Smithson. When it came to writing religious works such as this "Te Deum" or the magnificent "Grande Messe des Morts"(Requiem), Berlioz tended to really pull out all the stops! The Requiem requires five period orchestras(20-25 players), brass bands, ten pairs of kettle-drums and at least three huge choirs! Nothing is ever done small and in so many ways I recognize Berlioz to be the very embodiment of what it was to be a Romantic composer. He never could play an instrument properly, composed at a desk(couldn't play the piano) and yet wrote a treatise on orchestration that is still used today! He wrote a precursor to the Requiem in the form of his "Messe Solennelle" that was written in 1824. He had some truly amazing ideas at a time when composers didn't or weren't able to think of the future. To my knowledge there hasn't been a period performance recording done of the Requiem or Te Deum....that would be quite an experience!

Bruckner's anthem for God

Great masterpiece performed by a great Bruckner conductor!

Bruckner Fifth.....Glorious!!

Mahler created galaxies of sound and Bruckner composed cathedrals!

Truly GLORIOUS!

Zelenka for a Sunday evening

Interesting music from a sadly neglected Baroque composer. Zelenka is rarely recorded but has been performed here in Toronto by "I Furiosi Baroque Ensemble" and "Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra". As you can hear, this is music that should be better known!

DISCOVER AND ENJOY!

Des Knaben Wunderhorn

The other day I bought the complete Symphonies of Gustav Mahler conducted by Riccardo Chailly at the unbelievable price of $48.45! Quite extraordinary recordings as in all my years of loving these masterpieces, I have never heard them so sonically spectacular! Decca must be very proud of these performances. I have known Mahler's Symphonies for over fourty years and have heard many a conductor's recording. You name it, I've probably heard it. My favorite conductors include Tennstedt, Bernstein, Haitink, Sinopoli and more recently Boulez. Now I can include Chailly! I also bought "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" recorded on Decca with Chailly and Barbara Bonney and Matthias Goerne. Best recording ever....just don't throw away the Bernstein/Ludwig/Berry performance as it is also quite excellent! Overall the sound quality and interpretations are superior to most versions currently available.

However as regards the Third Symphony Chailly does NOT displace the Boulez recording which is totally beyond reproach.

My goodness....I think I've finally become a Mahler fanatic!

Tafelmusik Baroque Summer Institute is coming!

Tafelmusik will start their Summer Institute with a concert starting at 8:00 PM on June 7, 2010 at Trinity-St Paul Centre in Toronto. As with previous years this will be a blockbuster! The orchestra and Tafelmusik Chamber Choir will be performing at their incredible best! Come one....come all! IT'S FREE!

The other concerts will be at the University of Toronto(2) and at "Grace Church-on-the-Hill"(the BIG finale). The BIG finale will be the combined forces of the Orchestra and Choir along with ALL the students(the biggest baroque orchestra on earth!). This is great music making!

Vaughan Williams at Sea

My favorite Symphony written by an English composer. This clip is taken from the last movement of Vaughan Williams' "Sea Syymphony". At the time signature 5:45 on this clip, starts one of the most noble passages he ever wrote!

I hope it enthralls you as much as it does to me!

Sir Michael Tippett

Grace Williams

Another great symphonist whose music is practically unheard of outside of the British Isles and specifically in her native Wales. This is the only clip of her music on YouTube.

Please enjoy!

William Alwyn

William Alwyn's music should be better known. A very convincing symphonist!

Rodeo....a rollicking good time!

Now this is a ballet!......YAHOO!

A Stravinsky favorite....Pulcinella

I may be critically hard on "Le Sacre du Printemps", but not so when it comes to this wonderful ballet! This is music that simply can NOT "hurt your ears"!

Stravinsky for eight

It would seem that France was a hotbed for fun and jazzy wind music before the Second World War.

Harpsichord a la Poulenc

WHAT FUN!

Poulenc high jinks

Poulenc was considered in his time to be somewhat of a "clown". His music is always playful and nowhere is this more evident than in his chamber music. There is an excellent series of these works on the NAXOS label that I heartily recommend! His Piano and Wind Sextet is a classic!

Civilized music at it's finest!

Until recently I have never appreciated Faure's music. I'm still NOT a fan of his Requiem and his orchestral music is boring, to say the least. That all changes when I approach his chamber music! The man was a genius and this is most evident in his Quartets(2) and Quintets(2) for piano and strings...glorious and immensely civilized!

A "Das Lied von der Erde" for me..... finally!

In a previous post I had mentioned that I purchased a chamber version of Mahler's masterpiece. The recording was made by Harmonia Mundi and features Phillippe Herreweghe conducting the Ensemble Musique Oblique with Birgit Remmert and Hans Peter Blochwitz. In all the 35 years I have known this work, I've finally found a recording that pleases me! Especially Mr. Blochwitz's(tenor) performance, as no singer on any recording has ever satisfied me. This version and recording is simply the best I have ever heard by anyone and in my opinion, one of the best Mahler recordings EVER!

The recording is on YouTube but I am unable to post this on my blog! Please investigate and discover the revealed treasures in this version!

Another great Battle Song!

Malcolm Arnold is damn good fun! He composed the music for "Bridge over the River Kwai", but I feel that he'll be remembered most for his music for the four "St. Trinians"(a girl's school that would have made the Germans and Russians in Eisenstein's epic, run in fear) movies!......in my opinion, of course.