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Free Download: Felix Mendelssohn's String Octet, op. 20

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:42:21 -0400

Composed, incredibly, when Mendelssohn (1809–1847) was just 16, the Octet for Strings, op. 20, is the first of the composer's mature compositions. Written in 1825 for the 23rd birthday of a family friend, Eduard Rietz, the Octet bears the hallmarks of genius. Mendelssohn approached the form with total freshness and ingenuity, making full use of the resources at his disposal, to the extent that his octet is the defining example of the genre.

This piece is performed by Ensemble Instrumental de France (EIF).

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Free Download: Claude Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:15:10 -0400

It's often been said that if modern music had a beginning, it can be found in the opening measures of this symphonic poem. An impression of the Stéphane Mallarmé poem “L'après-midi d'un faune," Debussy completed the Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune in 1894, originally intending to write two more pieces to form a set.

Despite the revolutionary harmony that, at times, appeared to divest itself of all allegiance to key, the work was an instant success. The delicate and colorful orchestration, with its velvety woodwind and horn sounds and sparkle of antique cymbals, evokes a warm languorous afternoon. Nevertheless, some found the work too loose in conception, Saint-Saens remarking: "It's as much a piece of music as the palette a painter has worked from is a painting."

The work was later choreographed and performed by Vaslav Nijinsky with the Ballet Russes in 1912. His erotic interpretation of the music caused a scandal not unlike those at the premieres of Debussy’s Jeux and Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps, also choreographed by Nijinsky.

The recording is performed by the Orchestre Philharmonique des Pays de Loire under the direction of Marc Soustrot.

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Free Download: Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, op. 46

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:25:12 -0400

Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) was approached by dramatist Henrik Ibsen in 1874 to compose incidental music for a staging of his five-act play Peer Gynt. Although Grieg had been laboring over an opera with Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson since 1873, he pursued the project, believing it would not distract him from his operatic endeavors. In the end, the opera was dropped and Grieg devoted his time to Peer Gynt, which would become some of his most popular music. Grieg completed the score in 1875 and the first performance took place on February 24, 1876.

This recording is performed by Orquesta Filarmónica De La Ciudad de México under the direction of Fernando Lorenzo.

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Free Download: Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 6, Pastoral

Alexander Street Press — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 11:42:00 -0400

Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, written in the autumn of 1807 through the beginning of 1808, premiered at the Theater an der Wien on a cold December evening in 1808.

A lengthy program (the four-hour-long program consisted of premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, the Viennese premiere of the Fourth Piano Concerto, selections from the Mass in C, the scena and aria “Ah, perfido”, improvisations from Beethoven at the piano, and a slapdash finale of the work now known as “Choral Fantasy”), an uncooperative orchestra, and a frigid theater left little chance for a warm reception.

Today, Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony is one of the most beloved works in the classical repertoire.

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Free Download: Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Mandolins, RV 532

Alexander Street Press — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 09:49:12 -0500

Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741) wrote over 500 concertos and his compositional conventions, such as the ritornello form and the three-movement structure, became the standard for concerto writing. Vivaldi wrote forty double concertos, but this is the only concerto scored for two solo mandolins. It is difficult to determine whether this work was an exploration in new instrumentation or if it was meant to satisfy the requests of patrons.

This performance is presented by the Ensemble Instrumental de Grenoble under the direction of Kurt Redel, featuring soloists Christian Schneider and Danielle Meyer.

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Free Download: Johannes Brahms's Double Concerto for Violin and Violoncello, Op. 102

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 10:37:02 -0500

Completed in 1887, this concerto is German composer Johannes Brahms’s (1833–1897) last orchestral work. Brahms wrote this work, referred to as a “double concerto” as it features two soloists rather than one, for violinist Joseph Joachim and Joachim’s quartet-mate, cellist Robert Hausmann.

This recording is performed by Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine under the direction of Alain Lombard.

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Free Download: Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, "Titan"

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:39:45 -0500

Austrian composer Gustav Mahler (1860–1911) completed most of his first symphony in 1888, having begun to sketch as early as the 1870s. The last edition published in Mahler’s lifetime is dated 1906.

“The introduction to the first movement sounds of nature, not music!” Mahler once instructed conductor Franz Schalk. Indeed, the opening measures, consisting of pianississimo A’s across seven octaves, aptly evoke “nature’s awakening from its long winter sleep,” as Mahler first described it.

This recording is performed by Orchestre National de Lille under the direction of Jean-Claude Casadesus.

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Free Download: “Who Fed the Chickens?" by Ella Jenkins

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 10:15:37 -0500

Ella Jenkins wears the title given her by many of her fans, “The First Lady of Children’s Music,” with tremendous energy. Now in her ninth decade, she continues to encourage young children to hop, skip, jump, clap, dance, and be active through song.

Get Moving with Ella Jenkins showcases the absolute finest recordings incorporating movement and play by a true pioneer of children’s music. Drawn from many recordings created during her legendary career, these songs demonstrate Ella’s genius as both a music educator and children's entertainer.

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Free Download: Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 14, "Der Tod und das Mädchen", D. 810.

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 12:43:49 -0500

Austrian composer Franz Schubert (1797–1828) completed his String Quartet No. 14 in March 1824. Along with the A minor “Rosamunde” Quartet No. 13, it was the first chamber music Schubert had composed for three years.

The work's nickname stems from the second movement, a set of five variations on Schubert's 1817 song setting of Matthias Claudius' poem, “Der Tod und das Mädchen” (“Death and the Maiden”). This wonderfully inventive movement lies at the heart of the quartet. It is preceded by a fiery allegro and followed by an equally forceful scherzo, though the trio section is wistfully happy in tone.

The final movement of this remarkable work is a lively Presto in the style of the saltarello ortarantella dance. Seemingly full of outbursts of happiness amidst the nervous intensity and rhythmic insistence, it forms a thrilling conclusion to the quartet.

The String Quartet No. 14 was first performed at the residence of Karl and Franz Hacker in 1826, but not published until 1831, three years after the composer's death.

This recording is performed by the Enesco Quartet.

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Free Download: ""Fourth Inaugural Address, 1/20/45" by Franklin D. Roosevelt

Alexander Street Press — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:41:58 -0500

The liner notes remind us that "from the deep depression of 1932 to the wartime temper of 1944, a single chief executive guided the United States. The qualities of leadership inspired by those troubled times are reflected in the inaugural addresses of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt."

Hear the resolve in Roosevelt's voice as he attempts to address the many challenges to America during this era, and explains that while America may not recover instantaneously from her recent injuries, she must not make mistakes in attempting to rebuild "our solid structure of democracy" that reflect a falseness of heart or abandon moral principles.

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