tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31697137010994286142026-05-19T03:22:53.798-04:00Commentary on new music—usually of the concert hall variety—and its effect on me at my first hearing.Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-69674638392177462532015-06-07T00:31:00.000-04:002015-06-07T00:31:03.198-04:00

I've come to the end of listening to a series of LPs containing the music of Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992), sometimes considered to be the mystic of 20th-Century music (although Tavener and Górecki partisans might disagree). The works I listened to come from all parts of his life as a composer: Le banquet céleste (1928) Les Bergers (1936) Petites liturgies de la présence divine (1943) Quatour

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-60835837097741240732015-05-31T22:15:00.001-04:002015-06-01T13:12:05.779-04:00

I'm still digitizing LPs that have sat unplayed for thirty years. I have enough that I'll be doing this for another month, ten hours per day. This past week, I've recorded these gems: Hans Werner Henze: Streichquartette 1-5. Paul Hindemith: The Four Temperaments; Nobilissima Visione; Kleine Kammermusic, Op. 24, No. 2; Trauermusik; Kammermusic No. 5 for Viola and Chamber Orchestra, Op. 36 No. 4

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-59071703448012514772015-05-26T16:57:00.000-04:002015-05-26T16:57:39.231-04:00

I listened to Cleo Laine's performance of Pierrot Lunaire, the 1912 song cycle by Arnold Schönberg, whch was published as his Op. 21. I followed the score while listening through the playback and selecting the track divisions, thanks to IMSLP (the Petrucci Music Library), which has public-domain scores available for display and download. The score is a wonderful tool for dividing the tracks,

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-75755269970088314912015-05-26T01:10:00.002-04:002015-05-26T01:10:15.676-04:00

This very moment I am listening to an old Urania recording (UR 134) of four works for percussion ensemble. One is a touchstone of avant-garde music, two are by composers who are well known for many orchestral works though not for specific percussion works, and one is by a composer who seems almost forgotten today. Ballet Mécanique (17:56) by George Antheil, 1900-(1923)-1959. Sketch for

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-82197165354509584622015-05-25T19:24:00.000-04:002015-05-26T15:09:21.012-04:00

I've just recorded three works by Virgil Thomson that Composers Recordings published on their LP CRI 207. I believe only an autographed version of the LP recording is available, at a stiff price. (Of course, each track is available for download.) Sonata da Chiesa. I Chorale (5:54);  II Tango (4:12);  III Fugue (5:00).  Thomson, Virgil (cond); Fuchs, Lillian (vla); Simenauer,

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-23255471659664091532015-05-25T18:23:00.000-04:002015-05-31T20:12:13.430-04:00

I've had a small library of LP recordings sitting around for that day when I would again have an audiophile setup. Remember those days long gone? An RCA Vicotr phonograph wasn't enough. Nor just a good turntable, since its output couldn't be fed directly to any speakers. No, you needed a pre-amplifier, which fed into an amplifier (or tuner, if you wanted to listen well to radio broadcasts too),

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-5142965000015417642014-05-02T03:15:00.003-04:002014-05-02T03:17:57.116-04:00

It's Saturday today. I listened to This American Life on WYSO, as I do most Saturday mornings while I let a dose of Fosamax process through my empty stomach, feed Howard-the-Lab, make a big mug of triple-shot latté, and split and toast a sesame seed bagel and spread almond butter on each half. As Ira Glass introduced today's theme, "Death and Taxes," I flashed back two weeks, when I told a

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-17944957947842730552014-03-19T18:06:00.000-04:002015-05-26T04:19:35.434-04:00

Arnold Schoenberg wrote, "There is still much good music that can be written in C major." Sergei Prokofiev wrote, "There are still so many beautiful things to be said in C-Major." Though one would be advised to find the quote in its original language to parse it carefully, the essence is the same. The expression is, though, very refined and different in each. I wish that I could cite the exact

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-81059087417375493152014-02-18T22:41:00.000-05:002014-02-18T22:41:22.801-05:00

Palm Beach Opera season Palm Beach Opera announced its 2015 mainstage opera season to include two "time-tested" works (read war horses) and the world premiere of Enemies, A Love Story with music by Ben Moore, libretto by Nahma Sandrow, based on the book by Isaac Bashevis Singer February 20-22. Details. Dallas Opera season The new opera “Death and the Powers” was composed by Tod Machover and

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-49540566257904282312013-04-16T22:44:00.000-04:002013-04-16T22:44:03.890-04:00

Who's with me on this? An individual aria of a Verdi opera can be emotionally effective by itself, as long as you don't consider it as a part of the opera that surrounds it. At least from today's understand of what works as theatre, one might never understand how Verdi and his librettists came up with the plots of his operas. Cases: "La forza del destino" and "Giovanna d'Arco"

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-63873342077514082522013-04-02T18:32:00.000-04:002013-04-02T19:39:34.166-04:00

For a few weeks now, I've been listening to Verdi operas from the earliest of his output, at least as available in CDs from the library. The most recent listening has been the Lorengar performance of La Traviata (1853) under Maazel (Berlin 1968). I just picked up La Battaglia di Legnano (1849), available just a bit out of order. The operas available excluded only the two earliest (Oberto of 1839

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-38324500360212124172013-04-01T13:33:00.000-04:002013-04-01T14:45:39.779-04:00

While writing an analysis of Verdi's cavatina D'Egito là sui lidi, I've come to realize ways to make musical analysis more exact, more thorough. I consider these points to be important in understanding an example of a composer's work, and I present them for critical comment by musicologists, students, conductors, performers, and listeners. Of special importance is the historical context of the

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-84579194889436328392013-03-30T15:58:00.004-04:002013-04-02T17:30:24.666-04:00

D'Egitto là sui lidi - Cavatina       a portion of No. 2 from Part I : Jerusalem of Nabucco, an opera in Italian by Giuseppe Verdi       Libretto : Temistocle Solera (English translation) Let's begin with the summary provided by The Aria Database.  Role : Zaccaria, the High Priest of the Hebrews Setting : the Temple of Solomon, ancient Jerusalem

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-2546973716451977232013-03-30T15:00:00.003-04:002013-04-01T23:12:34.878-04:00

This article provides sign posts to more detailed articles, which are in plan or actual development. (I plan to analyze first the earliest and then the latest operas.) Nabucco (1842) No. 2—Coro d'introduzione e cavatina for Zaccaria, High Priest of the Hebrews, lyric bass, which includes Gli arredi festivo giu cadano infranti for chorus, D'Egitto là sui lidi cavatina, and Come notte a

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-61826966620171464102013-03-30T14:58:00.000-04:002013-03-30T15:21:44.087-04:00

References History Wikipedia list of Verdi compositions, Wikipedia discussion of  verismo, Italian opera and German opera. Musical analysis Vocal production Schenkerian analysis of Mozart Schenkerian analysis sources Analytic techniques Cognitive structure techniques 10 difficult arias Form and analysis Chicago Opera—Verdi Full-text musical databases (Irrelevant?) Aria database Alban

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-50494321771483959162013-03-09T19:02:00.003-05:002013-03-31T14:27:22.668-04:00

I've recently been listening to early Verdi operas. So far, my listening has consisted of a few hearings each of his earlier work: Nabucco (1842) I Lombardi (1843) Ernani (1844) I Due Foscari (1844).  Attila (1846) Macbeth (1847) I masnadieri (1847) Jérusalem (a revision and translation of I Lombardi alla prima crociata for Paris, 1847) Luisa Miller (1849) And with the Met in HD

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-12075164561249103272013-02-11T00:59:00.001-05:002013-02-11T20:36:13.591-05:00

The pianist Michael Mizrahi performed a recital of Beethoven and 21st-Century composers at the Sears Recital Hall on the University of Dayton campus today. The program included five composers who are new to me, and their works were all written between 2005 and 2011. The Beethoven pieces included the Rondo Op. 51 No. 1, composed 1796-97 at age 27, and his Eleven Bagatelles Op. 119, composed

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-36012669902039760562012-02-14T13:18:00.000-05:002012-02-14T13:18:59.673-05:00

A recent L.A. Times article discusses the newly announced season for the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. The highlights for me: Another prominent date will be the March 7, 2013, debut of the staged version of John Adams' oratorio, "The Gospel According to the Other Mary," a spiritual companion piece to the composer's "El Niño" (2000). The libretto incorporates writings by

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-29712337680046219372011-04-29T14:58:00.004-04:002011-04-29T15:46:36.515-04:00

Has anyone seen the set of concerts of music by John Zorn and Stephen Schwartz—and their new operas La Machine de l’être and Séance on a Wet Afternoon at New York City Opera? Except for Breitbart's short and dismissive description, I had seen only press releases about the music. For example, the New York Times produced a super piece of expectation, but not a follow-up review that I can find.

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-7765067420667870182011-04-14T06:39:00.005-04:002011-04-14T07:02:03.525-04:00

A guest column by Charles Derry The Philharmonic performed Adès' Polaris to the accompaniment of a video that was created by Tal Rosner, a collaborator (and boyfriend) of the composer. The video seemed good, but not great.  But it damaged the music, making the music seem "less than" rather than "more than."  With images, the music seemed an

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-51404861995107597622011-04-12T15:01:00.012-04:002011-04-13T11:19:58.345-04:00

The increased access we enjoy today to new music benefits its composers and their performers, and it benefits the audience as well. Through a few well-chosen search engines, we can find examples of the work by a composer or performer. Sometimes with more focused searches or more exploration of a long list of results, we can even hear a composer's specific piece by a specific performer. Absent

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-32937435075637846372011-03-11T20:27:00.000-05:002011-03-11T20:27:35.769-05:00

I recently heard music by another Finn, Kalevi Aho (1949- , first work 1969). His Syvien vesien juhla (Rejoicing of the Deep Waters) is a single-movement work that exemplifies his output. Polyphonic brass open the work, and lower voices are juxtaposed with higher. Then the woodwinds enter as a high choir taking up a motif in juxtaposition to the brass, and finally the strings enter the mix as

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-15850546133711227732011-03-09T16:57:00.003-05:002011-03-09T17:12:26.999-05:00

I read today in Opera Cake of the newly announced season at the Opéra National de Paris. Among the rather conservative works is the 2010 "The Cherry Orchard" (La cerisaei) by a composer new to me: Philippe Fénelon. (Sorry that the only available bio is from the French Wikipedia.) Checking Amazon, only 3 CDs are devoted to his work, and these are available at relatively high prices from importers

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-51817264775034437972011-03-06T19:06:00.001-05:002011-03-06T19:08:17.166-05:00

I just heard that Dancing Solo for Clarinet, chamber music by Libby Larsen, will be broadcast on next week's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (WDPR Sundays at 6 p.m.). The full program: Sebastian Currier: Night Time for Violin and Harp (Yura Lee, violin; Bridget Kibbey, harp) Libby Larsen: Dancing Solo for Clarinet (Romie de Guise Langlois, clarinet) David Bruce: The North Wind was a

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3169713701099428614.post-57009893611580873922011-02-16T08:45:00.003-05:002011-02-16T22:23:17.434-05:00

I found this gem of a CD at the Dayton Public Library, which typically doesn't have much of interest from the 20th Century.  Testimonies of War / Kriegszeugnisse Music of Blacher, Weill, Vaughan Williams, Milhaud I first have been listening to the works of Boris Blacher (1903-(1932)-1975), which are the largest part of the 2-disk CD. The Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin under the conductor

Tom Ghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13156208787667044304noreply@blogger.com0