Would be delighted, Maestro, to hear you talk about the 'the world of yesterday,' Die Welt von Gestern, that of Europe before World War II, the world you grew up in. Menahem Pressler: I was born on the banks of the Elbe, in. Top 1. 5 Greatest Composers Of All Time. The Arts. Listverse Staff. December 1. 7, 2. When Flame. Horse sent this list in, I was rather surprised to find that after two and a half years, we have not features a list of greatest composers! The 2016 Dresden Music Festival opened on May 6 with a spectacular performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andris Nelsons in the Frauenkirche. Jan Vogler was the featured soloist, performing Max Bruch's Kol. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is funded by an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is. 19 Februari @ Roest Amsterdam SEE SCRIABIN! Pianiste Helena Basilova laat de geheimzinnige muziek van componist Alexander Scriabin versmelten met live visuals ontworpen door het DEFRAME collective. Opera Chic I'm a young American woman in Milan.and you're not. I go to La Scala a lot.and you don't. Born at Podolskaya street in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Shostakovich was the second of three children of Dmitri Boleslavovich Shostakovich and Sofiya Vasilievna Kokoulina. Shostakovich's paternal grandfather, originally. Clarisse Atcherson has been a violinist in the Oregon Symphony since 1985, and faculty at the Community Music Center in Portland since 1986. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in 1982 from the Eastman School of Music. High-End Audiophile Music Review Archives. Classical Music Reviews. Best Classical Music Of 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2002. Critic: A lively debate over how modern. We have had influential composers, composers you didn’t know, and composers who died odd deaths. So, filling in the gap we now present the greatest composers ever. The father of the modern symphony and the inventor of the string quartet. He wrote 3. 40 hours of music, more than any other composer. His symphonies, though, leave a lot to be desired, as he himself said on his deathbed, “I have just figured out how to use the winds.” They are more like 1 symphony with 1. He invented the string quartet when only three members of an ensemble were able to attend a recital. A violinist, a violist, and a cellist. Haydn quickly re- orchestrated one of his composition scheduled for that evening, for a quartet including himself as a second violinist. He liked the sound so much that he decided to write more music for the orchestration. Also an outstanding opera, oratorio and mass composer, although his operas were intended for Count Esterhazy’s personal opera house. Haydn explained that they should never be performed anywhere else. His string quartets and piano sonatas approach the melodic genius and pristine formality of Mozart’s. Haydn’s greatest work: his cello concerto, or his “Creation” oratorio (clip above), or his string quartets. George Frederick Handel. Born in Germany, but traveled Europe and settled in England, as the king’s court composer. He wrote 3. 15 hours of music, second only to Haydn for prolificness. His mastery of all the complexities of the Baroque style is evident in all his works. He invented the modern oratorio, when he wanted to make money during the holy seasons of the year. During those seasons, operas were expressly forbidden to be performed, as they were secular. Handel requested from the king that he compose a musical setting of some story in the Bible. The king allowed this, and Handel wrote in 1. Esther,” which was performed by an orchestra and a choir, with soloists singing the parts of the characters, but without acting or costumes. Handel is known today primarily for “The Messiah,” (video above) the greatest oratorio ever composed, in which some of the most famous music in history lies, especially the “Hallelujah Chorus,” which ends the Easter section. Handel also wrote hundreds of concerti grossi, which were the forerunners of the Classical and Romantic concerto. Handel’s greatest works are the “Messiah,” “Water Music,” and “Music for the Royal Fireworks.”One of the few composers who was equally virtuosic at performance (piano), and conducting an orchestra. He legendary for his second two, of four, piano concerti, the third being probably the most difficult and pianistic concerto every written, containing one of the finest piano cadenzas. He is known for writing large chords of up to 5 notes per hand, which he could perform easily with his gigantic hands. His shorter works include large- scale piano sonatas, epic enough to be considered concerti without orchestras, and preludes, of which his most famous is the “Prelude in c- sharp minor,” a work which became so famous in his lifetime that he grew sick of playing it. His greatest works are “the 2nd Piano Concerto,” “the 3rd Piano Concerto,” the “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini,” (video above) and his sonatas. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. One of the finest orchestrators, and one of the supreme melody writers in all of music. Not surprisingly, his favorite composer was Mozart, in honor of whom he wrote “Mozartiana,” an elaboration of several of Mozart’s melodies. Tchaikovsky is the all- time master of the ballet, and all of his are world- famous: the “Nutcracker,” “Swan Lake,” “Sleeping Beauty.” He wrote two operatic masterpieces, “Eugene Onegin,” and “The Queen of Spades.” His ballets are well known for their melodic magnificence, but he also wrote 6 symphonies, the last three of which are universally accepted as legendary for the resplendent orchestration and development of their lyrical melodies. The fourth is also noted for the bombastic, violent, celebratory spirit of its final movement. The fifth is famous as an elaboration of this same spirit, culminating in a complex final movement of victorious, fanfare quality. The sixth is considered by many to be more affecting and better than the fifth or fourth. It is nicknamed “Pathetique,” for its somber, sad emotion. Tchaikovsky was also a master of the concerto, and wrote three piano concerti, the first of which is one of the most famous in history, and one of the most superb for its hyper- Romantic, lyrical qualities, and the famous octave passages. Its first movement famously ends with a 1- 4- 1 cadence, unique to all music up to that time. His violin concerto is world renowned for its technical demands and lush, lyrical beauty. Joshua Bell has compared the final movement to running a three minute mile. Tchaikovsky’s greatest works are his “1st Piano Concerto,” his “Violin Concerto,” his last three symphonies, his ballets, “Eugene Onegin,” the famous “Overture to 1. Capricio Italienne.”The symphonist of death, you could call him. Mahler’s repertoire is quite small compared to that of any other on this list. He only wrote 1. 0 symphonies, the last of which he had not orchestrated before he died. He wrote a symphonic song cycle, “Das Lied von der Erde,” which has been called his finest symphony, though he did not intend it to be considered one, and he wrote dozens of other songs, many preoccupied with death. His first symphony is largely imitative of a more Classical sound, but his second begins the career of the Mahler everyone knows when they hear his music. It is nicknamed the Resurrection, and it’s final movement’s premiere was said to have made women pass out, and grown men weep. His third is the longest symphony ever written, at an average performance length of 1 hour and 3. It also ends with a majestic bravura climax. His sixth is called the tragic, and returns to his roots of a preoccupation with death. The seventh is notable for its last movement, a fanfare extolling the happiness of life on Earth. His eighth is nicknamed “Symphony of a Thousand,” though he hated this epithet, because of the monstrous orchestra it calls for. It is the only symphony scored entirely for orchestra and chorus, the chorus present in all but 1. It ends with the most glorious, heavenly, galactic climax in the history of music, as the characters of Goethe’s Faust sing the final scene, and are lifted to Heaven. Das Lied von der Erde is a song cycle of 6 Chinese Poems praising Earth, which Mahler translated into German. They are the maturation of his compositional style. Mahler’s greatest works are his 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th symphonies and “Das Lied von der Erde.” (video above). Italy’s greatest opera composer. Verdi’s operatic output is staggering, with 2. His mature period produced “Nabucco,” “Ernani,” “Macbeth” (after Shakespeare),” “Luisa Miller,” “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore,” “La Traviata,” “Un Ballo in Maschera,” “Don Carlo,” his most famous work: “Aida,” “Otello,” and “Falstaff” (both after Shakespeare). But his finest hour came with the “Messa di Requiem per Alessandro Manzoni.” Verdi, devoutly Catholic, composed in this, some of the most deeply religious, majestically glorious, and terrifying music ever heard. The most famous section, and rightly so, is the Dies Irae (video above), or Day of Anger, which depicts God’s wrath inflicted upon Mankind in Armageddon. This is the most furious incarnation of melody and harmony ever put on paper. The Tuba Mirum, which follows, is the loudest un- amplified music ever written. The score calls for a bass drum played “fffff,” five fortes. Verdi’s greatest works are his mature operas and the “Requiem.”Brahms was one of the finest craftsmen in music history, refusing to write retrogressions, and adhering very strictly to form. He wrote 2 piano concerti, of which the 2nd is the most titanic concerto for piano ever composed. It is not as technically difficult as Rachmaninov’s 3rd, but the piano is required to overpower the entire orchestra much of the way through, and this demands a Hercules at the keyboard. He wrote 4 symphonies, all outstanding, a Requiem in German, his finest work, and one of the greatest violin concerti in history. He was a superb fugue composer. His finest works are 2nd Piano Concerto, Variations on a Theme of Paganini (the same theme Rachmaninov chose), Variations on a Theme of Haydn, A German Requiem (video above “Denn alles Fleisch”), and his Violin Concerto. The greatest pianist of all time. Liszt sightread Grieg’s Piano Concerto, playing it perfectly the first time he saw the music. He wrote hundreds of short pieces, songs, preludes, etudes, two piano concerti, symphonic poems, and was an al- around master of every genre in which he composed. Most of his piano works are among the most technically demanding, almost impossible, to play, but of note are his Transcendental Etudes, designed for the piano student to master all forms of piano performance. They are probably the most difficult pieces of music ever written for any instrument, and even veteran professionals refuse to play No. Feux Follets.” (video above)If not the Transcendental Etudes, his Sonata in b minor is extraordinarily difficult to play. It is his finest composition. The most idiomatic composer for the piano who ever lived. Chopin did not understand orchestration, which he freely admitted, and had help from friends, including Liszt, in scoring his two piano concerti. Even so, the orchestra takes a back seat while the piano indulges in the finest filigree work any composer has ever managed. Chopin’s melodic genius is superlative in all respects, and he composed primarily short works piano works, of which the most notable are his ballades, etudes, sonatas, mazurkas, waltzes, nocturnes, preludes, and impromptus. Shostakovich: Symphony no 1. Stokowski, Houston .. The second movement, . The American premiere was March 1. Stokowski and the Houston Symphony; the following month this recording was made. November 3, 1. 95. Yevgeny Mravinsky and the Leningrad Philharmonic performed it, and this was recorded (Russian Disc 1. The same conductor and orchestra can be heard in another live performance, recorded at the 1. Prague Festival (Praga 2. Both are of demonic intensity, magnificently played; the latter is a touch more introspective. In 1. 95. 8 EMI recorded the symphony with Andr. It needs an extremely extended dynamic range and powerful lows.. Unless we give it a full dynamic range and powerful lows, its sometimes overwhelming impetuosity will not be immaculate. I hope the committee in Hollywood (Capitol's main office) will keep this in mind and will not restrain us to a less extended dynamic range than some of our competitors are using. Darrell's review in High Fidelity said, . I must admit that - - with Stokowski's giving it his all - - it is a potent sonic intoxicant. No question there was much . Stokowski conducted the symphony on his Russian tour that year, and the performance with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra, with the composer in the audience, is available on Russian Disc (1. It is about five minutes faster than the Houston recording; the introspective interludes are not as poignant as in the latter. Admirers of Stokowski—and audiophiles as well—must have the Houston recording.- - Robert E. Benson, Classicalcdreview.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2016
Categories |