Britten - Rejoice in the Lamb - 4/5 Stars

Britten - Rejoice in the Lamb - 4/5 Stars Every piece of Britten's that I've experience have all had a strange uniqueness to them. Many composer can be confused with other composers: Haydn for Mozart, Brahms for Beethoven, Vivaldi for Bach, and so on. But not Britten. Like Chopin, there is something inherent about his writing that just makes it sound like Britten. The same way one can recognize a Chopin Nocturne from just a few bars, Britten just sounds like Britten. I suppose some composer's voices are just completely unique in the same way some people's speaking voices just are one of a kind, like James Earl Jones, or Gilbert Gottfried.

In this particular piece, Britten chooses some rather cumbersome texts to set and sets them in a way that make the delivery odd enough to both work and be memorable. However, the unusual texts can also be a bit distracting. Actually being able to identify texts as they are sung is an inherent problem in music. Often times the texts will just pass and the listener will just ignore the fact that they can't understand the words because the music is moving enough. However, when Britten uses fast sixteenth note passages and gives one syllable to each note, the listener is so intrigued by the driving rhythm that the lack of understanding of text can be frustrating. "What did they just say!" anxieties can be passed present and thus detracting from the piece.

The piece, a cantata of sorts, broken into 8 short movements, has no real sense of progression. No big start, and then just staying in a comfortable middle feel until the end. The movements lack variety in mood and tempo.

Most enjoyable are great discrepancies between what the choir/soloist is doing and what is happening in the organ. Often they each seem to be doing their own thing and they are coincidentally happening at the same time. Neither particularly support one another but at the same time work great together.

I do, however, strongly recommend this piece simply because most people are not familiar with Benjamin Britten, and he truly was a unique composer with a totally original voice--none like him before, and none since.

Bach - Cantata 170 - 5/5 Stars

Bach - Cantata 170 - 5/5 Stars

There is something inherently marvelous and magical about Bach. Perhaps the greatest musical master of all time, he effortlessly (or so it seems) crafted the most lush, and elegant melodies atop very rich and contrapuntal continuo. Of the 1000s of pieces Bach wrote, there are very clunkers. In fact, he may be the most consistently amazing composer I can think of.

Cantata 170 is simplistic in many ways. And having no big climactic moments made me consider 4/5 stars. But I just couldn't. The melodies, while simple, are too beautiful--the harmonies, while not as wild an chromatic as most Bach music, move, support, and resolve too nicely--and the short and sweet nature of the whole piece just makes it perfect. Written for alto solo and small orchestra, the vocal part is rich with soaring melodies and decorative melismas.

Not every occasion is suited for this piece, but if you're looking for a piece to relax, close you eyes, and feel musical perfection, this one is a wise choice.

Copland Quiet City - 3/5 Stars

Copland Quiet City - 3/5 Stars

This piece embraces the "American" sound. I heard it immediately but wasn't even sure I could put it into words. So what defines that sound....

Copland's music was a blend of contemporary classical art music with flavors of other modern genres (jazz, hymns, pop) and American folk styles. The open, slowly changing harmonies of many of his works are said to evoke the vast American landscape. For me, it's usually the parallel harmonies that make me think "American"--going between parallel 4th, 5th, and 6ths, and giving his textures a rich and colorful lushness.

Quiet City is not his best work. Not by a long shot. Basically this piece seems like a single movement trumpet concerto. The melodies quickly span and octave or more by moving around by leaps. This quick, slightly angular movement gives the piece a sense of unease. Melodies are quickly forgotten, and 5 minutes after the final chord, it's hard to remember much besides a trumpet and some gentle, full, supporting harmonies. My ears almost heard this piece as a lament...but it wasn't quite somber enough. Perhaps melancholy is the right term.

I would only recommend this piece as background music. It's very pleasing sounding, but if you focus on it, you realize not much is happening. Better suited for as a movie score or some other secondary presentation.

Prokofiev - Symphony #7 - 2/5 Stars

Prokofiev - Symphony #7 - 2/5 Stars

Meh.

Sadly, just an overall 'meh'. All four movements lacked is all the general ares: nothing too interesting rhythmically, no grabbing melodies, no special orchestration or exciting additions to the orchestra. Would not recommend this piece.

Tchaikovsky - Piano Conerto 1 - 5/5 Stars

Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto 1 - 5/5 Stars

Simply put, one of the greatest concertos of all time. Structurally the piece is a little unorthodox. The first movement is 15% longer than the other 2 combined, and feels like it should come to an end at about three separate times during its 20 minutes. Also, what happened to that amazing opening theme????!!!! It broadsides with it's power and grace, and then.....never again?

Despite the somewhat odd structural aspects, the first movement has soaring melodies, virtuosity, moments of power and moments of tenderness, and an overall spell binding nature that keeps the ear engaged its whole duration.

Movement II has that calm, flowing, lush texture we expect to hear in a middle movement. Decorated with a beautiful cello solo and followed by an impressive cadenza, this movement keeps the listener's attention the whole time. Switching in and out of playful/lively and serene moods, the piece pulls listeners back in if they're starting to drift away from the tranquil moments.

Movement III bears a striking resemblance to the Nutcracker to my ears. The orchestration is pure Tchaikovsky as melodies dart between instrument families, and textures shift from thick to almost transparent. The melodies are lively and full of energy, and pull together for joyous moments of power. There seems to be an almost tangible conversation between piano and orchestration at times--sometimes an argument, sometimes a joke, and sometimes maybe just talking about the weather. Regardless, the dialogue is amusing to pay attention to. An absolute must for everyone to listen to!!

Arvo Part - Lamentate - 4/5 Stars

Arvo Part - Lamentate - 4/5 Stars

A very beautifully crafted worked. Comprised of ten short movements, the work never shifts off a serious note (actually, come to think of it, few of Part's pieces do). Played without breaks between movements, some transition work better than others. Typically, when shifting to quieter sections, the composing seems a little more natural and graceful. I'm not a huge fan of unexpected huge brass sfz, and there's a bit too much of that for my tastes. However, my favorite moment of the piece does happen to be a moment when shifting from gentle to strong (I know, the hypocracy of my own statements): the Consolante to Stridendo transition = perfect and epic.

For me, Part does quiet amazingly. In his soft moments he captures sadness, loss, heartache, and tenderness perfectly. His use of space and silence exemplifies a master doing what he does best. It takes a confident composer to use as much silence and Part does--it's a very effective tool that many composers over look. Notes are silver, rests are gold! My only real complaint about the piece is that it occasionally gets too loud with too many brass unisons. It sort of just sounds overly bold without reason. But on the whole, this is a nice piece to sit back, reflect on life, and enjoy.

Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta - 4/5 Stars

Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta - 4/5 Stars

Movement I: Ok, a fugue with altering meters! How could I not love that? Also, the amazing timbral textures give the piece its own aesthetic flavor. All the parallel movement creates some wonderful envisioned shapes.

Movement II: I’m a sucker for pizzicato, and this mvt. is packed with it. The aggressive, syncopated and unexpected accents give the piece an exciting vibe that keeps listeners on the edge of their seats. There are a few awkward transitions that seemed rushed and not fully developed. Overall though, this is my favorite movement despite some angular/unprepared transitions.

Movement III: Made famous from the movie The Shining, this slower, more eerie movement is at points drawn out and a little slow for my tastes. There are several unique and fun little concepts here, however: rhythms based off the Fibonacci sequence, timpani glisses, and haunting chromatic melodies. The juxtaposition of the strings, xylophone, and timpani, (opposing like rivals) creates a very tense environment.

Movement IV: A nice, rhythmic, lively dance to close the piece. Again, the aggressive and explosive accenting coupled with meter shifts makes the whole piece an unpredictable adventure!

Penderecki - Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima 4/5 Stars

Penderecki - Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima 4/5 Stars

This is one the earliest successful sound mass pieces that comes to mind. I consider the piece successful for several reasons:

1) Complete chaos is achieved. Imagine an atomic bomb going off and try to conceive of the terror that would course through a person's body who was in the vicinity. This is a musical encapsulation of that emotion.

2) Penderecki was trying to create a dissonance more striking than standard western tunings were/are able to create. His use of quarter tone pitches allow for a denser tone cloud, and the sense of instability and unease to be greatly heightened.

3) The distribution of sound back and forth creates the illusion of mass panic.

I doubt it possible to hear this piece for a first time and not have an increased heart rate!

Listening to this piece 5o years after it was written isn't the same as it must of been hearing it for the first time in 1960. So many of the then new-ish extended techniques Penderecki was using have long been over used these past 5 decades. Many of the sounds even come off as a little cliche and perhaps taken from a 1970's horror movie.

If you're looking for a catastrophic piece that sounds like Armageddon might sound, look no further. Also, I think it important for musicians to be acquainted with the piece from a purely historical-importance perspective.

Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

Stravinsky – Symphony of Psalms - 5/5 Stars

Written in 3 movements without pause between movements, this exquisite piece takes listeners on an unusual symphonic adventure. Stravinsky himself considered “it not a symphony in which I have included Psalms to be sung. On the contrary, it is the singing of the psalms that I am symphonizing”

One truly enjoyable feature is the broad usage of styles. The opening movement sounds very neo-classical with all its standard deviations from the classical period: abrupt time shifts, nontraditional treatment of harmony and resolutions, and ostinatos. The second movement however sounds like it dates back 300 years by employing the fugue (double fugue in this case) and writing in the style of the high renaissance Venetian choral composer. This movement is very calm and allows deep reflection on the psalms:

I waited patiently for the Lord: and He inclined unto me, and heard my calling.
He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the mire and clay.
and set my feet upon the rock, and ordered my goings.
And He hath put a new song in my mouth: even a thanksgiving unto our God.
Many shall see it and fear: and shall put their trust in the Lord.

The third movement starts as a rousing and boisterous ride. Stravinsky wrote:

"The final hymn of praise must be thought of as issuing from the skies; agitation is followed by the calm of praise. In setting the words of this final hymn I cared only for the sounds of the syllables and I have indulged to the limit my besetting pleasure of regulating prosody in my own way".

Later in the movement we hear a slower, ominously dark section that shifts back and forth between mood and uses descending chromaticism to create a sense of unease. This is a little unusual considering the text:

Alleluja.
Praise God in His sanctuary:
Praise Him in the firmament of His power.
Praise Him for His mighty acts:
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet:
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance.
Praise Him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals,
Praise Him upon the loud cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.
Alleluja.

Perhaps what I interpreted to be slightly dark was simply a misunderstanding for reverence? Nonetheless, the composer ends with the final cadences sounding almost heavenly.

This piece is a must for anyone interested in 20th century music. Stravinsky was one of the greatest innovators in western music and his music is brilliantly crafted. The Symphony of Psalms stands alone in its own genre of symphony plus psalm and is well worth a listen or ten.

Reich - Four Organs

Reich – Four Organs – 2.5/5 Stars

Steve Reich is one my all time favorite composers. However this piece didn’t exactly do it for me. Reich has always had a fascination with music repeating and changing over time—whether it be some type of increased augmentation, diminution, or evolving offset, one can frequently expect insane amounts of repetition in his works.

18 Musicians is by far the greatest and most successful example of repetitious music organically evolving over time. Four Organs, much to my displeasure, had a few flaws stacked against it:
1) That obnoxious shaker that runs unchanging through the entire piece. It truly goes to the top of “Annoying Usage of Percussion” list, right next to the cowbell in Don’t Fear the Reaper.

2) Four organs playing loudly for 16 minutes could draw a confession out of innocent man.

3) The evolution of sound didn’t change enough and the overall cells were a bit boring. The overall texture shift was nice, and by the end the piece had smoothly transformed. However, both the original cell and the final product weren’t all that aural pleasing.

The biggest redeeming feature offered by this piece is taking a little fun from the experience of listening to the slow shifts, as if watching the tide come in—each wave comes an inch closer. If you’re really interested in hearing a piece like this, I highly recommend 18 Musicians over this piece.

Berg - Violin Concerto

Berg – Violin Concerto - 4/5 Stars

Berg does a wonderful job of combining both a clear 12-tone technique with a slightly more tonal style. His usage of 12-tone rows is clearly influenced by his teacher—Arnold Schoenberg. I find myself drawn more toward Berg’s music simply because his tonal moments ground his pieces and give the ears something to cling to. 12-tone technique can often sound very random and give the impression of chaos. However, mixing in some tonal aspects makes the serialistic moments seem like an adventure instead of random chaos. One aspect I really enjoyed was the way Berg employed his rows. He frequently spaced his rows out to span several octaves—giving the piece an arpeggiated, leaping sensation—always expanding or contracting. This is, in my opinion, much more favorable than small, stepwise motion.

If you’re looking to expand your ear a bit and try to get into 12-tone and serialism composers, Berg’s violin concerto is the perfect way to sample the water considering its palatable application of rows and its mixture of tonality. Also, this piece is very virtuosic for the soloist, and who doesn't enjoy watching a violinist sweat?? ;)

Beethoven - Symphony 1

Beethoven – Symphony #1

4/5 Stars

Overall this is a wonderful and musically concise piece. Being Beethoven’s first symphony, we don’t see a lot of the radical innovations that we typically associate with his works. Instead, we hear a piece that sounds as if it could have been written by one of his predecessors, i.e. Mozart,or even Haydn.

The opening is quite unusually however. The first 12 bars tease the ear as to the home key. Perhaps this is some sort of a musical joke? There is a constant tonic-dominant relation occurring, but each time it’s in a different key, further confusing the ear.

Both of the first 2 movements are written in clear sonata form, with very well articulated and memorable themes. The motivic development in these two movements stand out as remarkable in comparison to symphonies written by his predecessors. The intricacy and careful crafting of his themes is truly amazing in all his works, and this piece is no exception.

The third movement isn’t marked as a scherzo, but similar movements in later symphonies are. This begs the question if Beethoven had yet discovered this label. The final movement opens with a startling bang! Calling back the chordal relations from the first movement. It’s hard not to appreciate the symmetry.

My only major criticism of this piece is its lack of balance in terms of movement lengths. The first two movements are closer to 10 minutes and the last two are 9 minutes combined. The third and fourth movements are over so fast, I felt a little short changed and was looking for more.

On the whole this is a wonderful introduction to Beethoven’s music and brilliantly exemplifies much of what defines the late Classical era in music.

Aaron Jay Kernis - Musica Celestis

Aaron Jay Kernis - Musica Celestis

Arranged for String Orchestra

5/5 Stars

Transcribed from the slow movement of his string quartet, Musica Celestis is one of the best single movement orchestral pieces I have heard to date. Undeniably it bears many parallels with Barber’s famous Adagio for Strings: chords overlapping and fading in and out in a mysterious and magical quality, using a full range of registers, and striking dissonances resolving to consonance.
Several striking moments come back to my memory upon reflection of the piece. The gradual acceleration and thickening of texture throughout the middle section that culminates in beautiful and long held chords (that are so dense with harmonies and color that one can almost taste the moment) give an astounding since awe. Also, and most memorable, is the abrupt cutout of near the end. The polyphony builds to a tense roar as the violinists find their highest notes, then, as if in mid sentence, the piece stops, taking the breath out of us--a truly deafening silence. Kernis follows that moment by bringing back the high ethereal string moment much like the beginning.
Given the title, one can’t help but think of outer space. I liken the aforementioned mentioned moment to a rocket powering through the atmosphere, then, without warning, breaking free into the silence and calm of space.
What an amazing work!

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"

5/5 Stars

Symphony No. 2 is hands down a complete masterpiece! Titled the Resurrection symphony, the whole work powerfully and profoundly explores a wide range of emotions while depicting the experience of loss, remembrance, harsh realities, resurrection, and judgment:

Movement I:
The first movement creates a sense of loss, mourning, and even a hint of regret. Presumably the listener is to imagine (or remember) the feeling of losing someone dear, and the stir of emotions that accompany.

Movement II:
Here we find a gentle musical setting with long, warm melodies. The grief has passed as we remember the deceased fondly and envision their soul(s) soaring through the clouds upward toward heaven.

Movement III:
We are snatched out of our dreamy haze, and stirred out of a peaceful state to again face the harsh realities of life and loss.

Movement IV:
The exquisite alto soloist sings "I am from God and will return to God. The dear God will give me a light, will light me to eternal blessed life!" to calm our restless hearts.

Movement V:
This movement is a symphony within the symphony—thirty five plus minutes. This is perhaps one of the greatest movements in all symphonic history. The ground shakes, the earth opens, and judgment day is upon us. The massive orchestra literally shakes the hall at times.

Two random comments:
1)I think I know where John Williams got his Superman theme from..... Good heavens that seems a little too close.
2)How does any bass sing a low Bb??

Mahler’s grasp of orchestration is clearly the pinnacle of Viennese orchestration—a master creating a masterpiece. Mahler’s gifts spread far beyond his ability to orchestrate. His melodies are effortless, memorable and beautiful. His timing and placement of key moments is impeccable. And lastly, his understanding of tempo shifts and abrupt mood changes make perfect sense. The only downside to this piece is its duration. It’s hard to find 95 minutes of undisturbed time to listen to the second symphony, but well worth it when you do. I would very highly recommend this piece to anyone, classical lover or not. The power and beauty that moves through the whole piece doesn’t just speak to musically minded folk, but to the hearts of all people.

John Corigliano - Symphony I

John Corigliano - Symphony I

2.5/5 Stars

The impetus behind Corigliano’s first symphony was his overwhelming feeling of frustration and sadness from losing so many close friends to the AIDS epidemic. Knowing this fact gives many of his compositional choices a lot more meaning and context. Being unaware of it might leave a listener with some major questions.

Movement I, “Apologue*: Of Rage and Remembrance”, seemed to start with real promise: a vigorous tremolo from the strings all on a single pitch. The pitch however slowly changes timbre (probably due to playing the same pitch but shifting strings) and gives a real since of intense frustration. Shortly after the opening, the mood was quickly spoiled by a barrage of brass. This sudden interjection felt both careless and hokey. The composer failed to develop the brilliant opening gesture and spilled into a chaos of brass in an unprepared fashion. The over structure seemed to be in a lose ABA’ format where the opening and the unfortunate brass “fanfare” made up the A section. The B section, while coming out of left field, had a very interesting juxtaposition of haunting strings slowly shifting from dissonance to suspension to consonance and an offstage piano that sounded like it belonged in the slow movement of a Rachmaninoff piano concerto (upon later research it appears the piece was actually Isaac Albeniz’s "Tango"). The texture was unusual and intriguing—it was hard to focus on both event simultaneously which made it engaging as I tried follow both. The A’ section was much like we might expect but with an even bigger brass apex. It does however end on the same pitch it began with but an octave higher—nice symmetry—perhaps a simple message: we are the same but different.

Movement II, “Tarantella”, was a complete mishmash of thoughts. Within the first 30 seconds there seemed to be at least 3 themes conveying 3 different moods. It felt like a renaissance version the Disney’s “It’s a Small World” ride. It sort of aimlessly meandered through various versions of the folk like melodies and had a few disturbing fff interruptions. On the plus side, around the second half, the piece did seem to start growing in intensity and tempo, accelerating to the end—a key feature of a Tarantella.

Movement III, “Chaconne: Guilio’s Song”: the saving grace of this piece. Corigliano captures sadness like a master. Sounding like a cello concerto, the soloist plays a desperately sad melody that aches for resolution, almost achieves it, and then slips back into darkness. The composer sets up a really nice state of emotion though the use of a chromatic melody that moves around slowly enough that the listener almost thinks they hear a home key, but then it shifts to somewhere new. It’s a brilliant mix of anxiety and peace, discontent and content. I almost feel as though the movement might be more accurately named “Purgatory”. However, that really doesn’t fit into the programmatic concept of the piece…nonetheless I found myself completely satisfied with dissatisfaction :) There was some unfortunate bombardment of noise and bells toward the end that I didn’t really follow. But I was so taken with the first half that I barely cared.

Movement IV, “Epilogue”. This was utterly disappointing. If the purpose of this movement was to leave the listener with a mildly irritated, confused, empty sense, then job well done…..and given the topic and the hopelessness of the disease perhaps that was the purpose. This 4 minute movement was completely underwhelming. It called back some old themes and brought back the offstage nostalgic piano, but on the whole this seemed to do nothing. It didn’t have to end with some huge V-I-V-I Beethoven-like bonanza, but something more than we got would have been nice--something with purpose and with a statement that says more than: “sigh”.

Upon reading back, this turned into more of a scathing review than I expected. And don’t get me wrong, there were many nice features: memorable melodies, beautiful orchestration, some interesting textures, and a great concept behind the piece. I personally feel the concept was, unfortunately, not realized to its full potential. All said and done, I would encourage any listener to choose another piece if they are hearing Corigliano’s music for the first time.

What is this Blog?

Hello, and Welcome to my Blog!

The main purpose of this journal is to document my thoughts on the various pieces I listen to as I continue to survey the history of western art music. My comments are, of course, my own opinion and never do I intend to offend any composer, listener, or reader.

Each entry will focus in on a major work and give some brief comments on the significant highlights as well as any moments of weakness.

Please feel free to comment, disagree, ask questions, correct, or add to anything I write.

Thanks for reading!

Best,
Perry