"Vitali Chaconne in G minor," Sarah Chang, English Chamber Orchestra. Sweet Sorrow, EMI Classics, 56791, 1999. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlcca97wow4&feature=related (04/06/2010).
"Mendelssohn Octet," Emerson String Quartet. Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets, Deutsche Grammaphon, 000388802, 2005. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNCNX8MDgHk&feature=related (04/05/2010).
"La Mer," Michael Tilson Thomas, Boston Symphony Orchestra. Debussy: La Mer, Universal Records, 000054902, 2003. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoRSTRwGUSY (04/06/2010).
"Bolero," Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Debussy: La Mer, Ravel: Bolero, EMI Classics, 64357, 1993. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggsCw4i0S-U (04/04/2010).
"Pomp and Circumstance, No. 1," Leonard Bernstein, BBC Symphony Orchestra. Elgar: Enigma Variations, Deutsche Grammaphon, 413490, 2001. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxqFdcZz974 (04/05/2010).
"Brahms Symphony No. 1, Finale," Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Brahms: The Complete Symphonies, Deutsche Grammaphon, 453097, 1998. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZXE5FoJz_I (04/05/2010).
"Sibelius Violin Concerto, Mvt. 1," Jascha Heifetz, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jascha Heifetz - The Supreme, RCA Victor Red Seal, 63470, 2000. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hVeTY_1aLE (04/05/2010).
"Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, Mvt. 1," Henryk Szeryng, London Symphony Orchestra. Schumann & Mendelssohn Violin Concertos, Mercury Living Presence, 434339, 1994. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0aZt5vgFHE&feature=related (04/06/2010).
"Clair de lune," Sviatoslav Richter. Salzburg Recital 1977, Orfeo D'or, 491981, 1998. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GevlC4Glog (04/06/2010).
"Chopin Ballade No. 1," Krystian Zimmerman. 4 Balladen, Deutsche Grammaphon, 423090, 1990. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR7eUSFsn28 (04/06/2010).
"Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2," Evgeny Kissin, London Symphony Orchestra. Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2, RCA Victor Red Seal, 57982, 1993. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ud_wGMXRnQ&feature=related (04/05/2010).
"Liebestraume," Daniel Barenboim. Love's Dream: Romantic Piano Music, Deutsche Grammaphon, 4777524, 2008. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4XEPdYO5mM (04/05/2010).
"Grieg Concerto for Piano in A minor, Mvt. 1," Artur Rubenstein, Boston Symphony Orchestra. Artur Rubenstein: Piano Greatest Hits, RCA, 62662, 1994. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxzpy1b1_BY (04/05/2010).
"Overture to Romeo and Juliet," Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic. Tchaikovsky: Symphonies No. 4 - 6, etc., Deutsche Grammaphon, 000958502, 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBf1O4Mbieo&feature=fvw (04/06/2010).
"Dvorak New World Symphony No. 9," Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Dvorak: Symphonies No. 8 & 9, EMI Classics, 64325, 1993. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILEsEK-JkJI&feature=related (04/06/2010).
The geographical difference is dramatically felt here within this playlist. Each piece is unique to Europe, however, none of them sound similar. I imagine the ear of a musician in 1925 to be drawn towards the incorporation historical sounds into a modern auditotopia.
Beginning with Tomasso Vitali's "Chaconne," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlcca97wow4&feature=related, the playlist is catalyzed back into the sounds of the baroque era. However, there is a romantic quality to the composition that can be heard through the passionate playing of Sarah Chang, a thirty-year old violinist. Vitali reminds me of Bach's melodic structures, yet he hints at a more modern sound, shown by Brahm's First Symphony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZXE5FoJz_I.
As a musician in 1925, everything in classical music seems to be based upon expression. There are qualities within the music that heed to a romantic yet mysterious soundscape. The Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius, demonstrates this fiery, expressive tonality through his Violin Concerto: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hVeTY_1aLE .
His composition, as well as Debussy's, "Clair de lune" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GevlC4Glog, are filled with moments of interpretation, in which the listener can decide for him or herself, what to take away from the music.
With great expression comes soloistic music. The epitomy of soloistic compositions is "Bolero" by Maurice Ravel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggsCw4i0S-U. The music celebrates the individual musician, and this theme permeates the concertos of Felix Mendelssohn (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0aZt5vgFHE&feature=related), Eduard Grieg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dxzpy1b1_BY), and Sergei Rachmaninoff (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ud_wGMXRnQ&feature=related).
My thoughts on the soundscape of a young, European musician at this time, conclude with Antonin Dvorak's "New World Symphony." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILEsEK-JkJI&feature=related. This masterpiece depicts the composers impressions of America in the 1890s upon a visit to the US. In the same way George Gershwin took his experiences abroad and expressed his American identity through sound, Dvorak displays his Czech heritage through a completely unique lens of a European in America.
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I am citing this playlist for question 3 of task 7. This type of music does not resonate with me personally because the sonic processes of the violin and classical music in general are not sounds that I find to be audiotopic. I will not be exploring this genre of music further.
ReplyDeleteI am citing this playlist for #3. I do recognize that this music takes a great amount of skill and precision to create (having been in band in high school), but it does not resonate with me because of its somewhat uneventful and mournful tones (at times). I enjoy this type of music when I am relaxing, but it begins to sounds very repetitive after a long time, and I begin to get bored with it. This is why I will not be exploring this genre of music further.
ReplyDeleteI am citing this playlist for question #2 for task 7. I have heard a few of the songs on the playlist before, but I am not an avid listener and most of them I have never heard before. You did a good job not only the sonic values of the music but some of the reasons for the sounds of the times.
ReplyDeleteI am citing this playlist for #1 for task 7. I have a strong background in classical music, because of a class that I took in high school, and as soon as I saw Bolero on this list, I was interested. I'm not quite sure what songs I would add because I'm not sure what I know that was composed specifically in 1925, but I might have added something like the Kindertotenlieder by Mahler. It was composed earlier than 1925, but it's style of composition was very common in Germany at that time.
ReplyDeleteI am citing this playlist for question #3. The slow sounds of the violin and other string instruments do not resonate with me, as I prefer more uptempo music.
ReplyDeleteI knew you would do your playlists on classical music. :) I really enjoyed your playlist of a European musician in 1925 and cited it for question #2. I would have put it down for question #1, but I am not as familiar with this particular year of classical music. Zimmerman plays Chopin wonderfully and Debussy is one of my favorite composers. I plan to listen more in-depth to a lot of these songs. Also, you did a great job talking about the specific context of the music.
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