Wikipedia (1944-2013) [British. Modern.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Fragments of a Prayer
Background
John Tavener, who died this month, was one of the leading British composers of the last half century. He rose to prominence with The Whale - a dramatic, avant-garde oratorio that drew the attention of the Beatles, who asked him to record the piece on their record label.
In the mid 1970s, Tavener converted to the Orthodox faith, and from that point on, music was inexorably tied to religion for him. He was not particularly interested in western music, but distilled his personal musical style from other types of music, conveying depth through simplicity of texture and form. He was, up until his death, one of the most frequently-performed of living composers; his Song for Athene (another version) was performed at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997.
Tavener received much acclaim for The Protecting Veil, a piece for cello and orchestra. Most of his output, though was choral...
Choral
As One Who Has Slept
Hymn to the Mother of God
Funeral Canticle
Funeral Ikos
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, July 5, 2013
Erich Korngold
Wikipedia (1897-1957) [Austrian. Romantic/Modern.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Violin Concerto, mvt 1 (Heifetz)
Background
Erich Korngold had a remarkable childhood as a child prodigy, impressing famous composers like Mahler and Strauss. He was an accomplished, celebrated composer by age 20, and his first major compositions -- mostly operas -- had been performed to much acclaim.
The rise of anti-Semitism in Europe made performances of his pieces untenable, and he left Germany in 1934 to go to Hollywood to collaborate on a film score. He traveled back to Europe briefly, but returned to the US and stayed for twelve years. During that time, he wrote eighteen film scores, two of which earned Korngold Oscars (The Adventures of Robin Hood and Anthony Adverse).
This time spent in Hollywood ended up ruining Korngold's career as a classical composer. He was disparaged for his work in cinema, and he gave up on composing further operas. He turned, for the rest of his life, to orchestral compositions, which include a symphony, three concertos (violin, cello, and piano for left-hand only), along with chamber and other works.
Orchestral
Violin Concerto - complete (Hilary Hahn)
Sinfonietta - complete (composed when Korngold was just 15)
Cello Concerto (Quirine Viersen)
Chamber
Piano Sonata no. 1, mvt III
String Sextet
Film
Anthony Adverse (excerpts)
Sea Hawk (Overture)
The Adventures of Robin Hood Main Theme | Love Theme
If you're just gonna listen to one: Violin Concerto, mvt 1 (Heifetz)
Background
Erich Korngold had a remarkable childhood as a child prodigy, impressing famous composers like Mahler and Strauss. He was an accomplished, celebrated composer by age 20, and his first major compositions -- mostly operas -- had been performed to much acclaim.
The rise of anti-Semitism in Europe made performances of his pieces untenable, and he left Germany in 1934 to go to Hollywood to collaborate on a film score. He traveled back to Europe briefly, but returned to the US and stayed for twelve years. During that time, he wrote eighteen film scores, two of which earned Korngold Oscars (The Adventures of Robin Hood and Anthony Adverse).
This time spent in Hollywood ended up ruining Korngold's career as a classical composer. He was disparaged for his work in cinema, and he gave up on composing further operas. He turned, for the rest of his life, to orchestral compositions, which include a symphony, three concertos (violin, cello, and piano for left-hand only), along with chamber and other works.
Orchestral
Violin Concerto - complete (Hilary Hahn)
Sinfonietta - complete (composed when Korngold was just 15)
Cello Concerto (Quirine Viersen)
Chamber
Piano Sonata no. 1, mvt III
String Sextet
Film
Anthony Adverse (excerpts)
Sea Hawk (Overture)
The Adventures of Robin Hood Main Theme | Love Theme
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Robert White
Wikipedia (1538-1574) [British. Renaissance.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Christe qui lux es I
Background
Robert White spent his life in prestigious choir master positions; most of his work involved choral compositions for liturgical settings. White was highly respected during his lifetime, but died relatively young during an outbreak of the plague. His work went ignored for two centuries, but was rediscovered and (although he's not a household name) his works are performed and recorded regularly by Renaissance groups.
Choral
Regina Caeli
Lamentations of Jeremiah
Magnificat & other pieces
Christe qui lux es IV
Non-Choral
In Nomine
If you're just gonna listen to one: Christe qui lux es I
Background
Robert White spent his life in prestigious choir master positions; most of his work involved choral compositions for liturgical settings. White was highly respected during his lifetime, but died relatively young during an outbreak of the plague. His work went ignored for two centuries, but was rediscovered and (although he's not a household name) his works are performed and recorded regularly by Renaissance groups.
Choral
Regina Caeli
Lamentations of Jeremiah
Magnificat & other pieces
Christe qui lux es IV
Non-Choral
In Nomine
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Jean Sibelius
Wikipedia (1865-1957) [Finnish. Romantic/Modern.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Valse Triste
Background
People haven't always taken Sibelius seriously; he had many critics during his life. Why? Well, he continued to write music in a solidly Romantic and nationalist style, even as the arc of classical music was following the Second Viennese School into modernism. His music can be emotionally sweeping and maybe a bit schmaltzy. But if that's your style (like it is mine), then you're all set.
Orchestral
Sibelius' symphonies (seven of them) are the core of his work, and are probably the most commonly performed of his compositions. He also wrote many symphonic tone poems, many of which are based on famous Finnish poetry. He wrote only one concerto, for the violin. It was his desire to be a performing violinist as a young musician, but when that didn't work out, he turned to composing. The Violin Concerto is a well-established part of the violin repertoire, and reflects his fondness for the instrument. (Hilary Hahn will be in Seattle on 4/25 & 4/27 performing this work with the Seattle Symphony...)
Violin Concerto
Symphonies: Five | Seven
En Saga (tone poem)
Finlandia is probably one of his best-known works; it was written to rally the Finnish people, who were under Czarist Russian rule. The piece is quite dramatic, but the last theme is very gentle (from 6:10-8:15), and this music is also used as a hymn. That music was also featured in the film score for Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
Vocal
Hymn to the Earth
Oma Maa (Our Native Land)
Sibelius created a few large pieces in the mid 1920s, but pretty much stopped composing after that. Some sketches of an 8th symphony have been found, but for the most part, Sibelius spent the last 30 years of his life not writing music at all...
If you're just gonna listen to one: Valse Triste
Background
People haven't always taken Sibelius seriously; he had many critics during his life. Why? Well, he continued to write music in a solidly Romantic and nationalist style, even as the arc of classical music was following the Second Viennese School into modernism. His music can be emotionally sweeping and maybe a bit schmaltzy. But if that's your style (like it is mine), then you're all set.
Orchestral
Sibelius' symphonies (seven of them) are the core of his work, and are probably the most commonly performed of his compositions. He also wrote many symphonic tone poems, many of which are based on famous Finnish poetry. He wrote only one concerto, for the violin. It was his desire to be a performing violinist as a young musician, but when that didn't work out, he turned to composing. The Violin Concerto is a well-established part of the violin repertoire, and reflects his fondness for the instrument. (Hilary Hahn will be in Seattle on 4/25 & 4/27 performing this work with the Seattle Symphony...)
Violin Concerto
Symphonies: Five | Seven
En Saga (tone poem)
Finlandia is probably one of his best-known works; it was written to rally the Finnish people, who were under Czarist Russian rule. The piece is quite dramatic, but the last theme is very gentle (from 6:10-8:15), and this music is also used as a hymn. That music was also featured in the film score for Die Hard 2: Die Harder.
Vocal
Hymn to the Earth
Oma Maa (Our Native Land)
Sibelius created a few large pieces in the mid 1920s, but pretty much stopped composing after that. Some sketches of an 8th symphony have been found, but for the most part, Sibelius spent the last 30 years of his life not writing music at all...
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Steve Reich
Wikipedia (1936-) [American. Modern - Minimalist.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Music for 18 Musicians
Background
Steve Reich came to music a little later in life, having majored in philsophy as an undergraduate. He went on to study music, eventually earning a graduate degree in composition. He experimented with different tonalities and with the concept of musical instruments. For example, in Pendulum Music, microphones swing over speakers to create feedback noise -- the performance is therefore different every time... The work Clapping Music consists only of clapping: two clappers (or groups of clappers), move out of sync then back in sync with each other as they clap a 12-beat pattern.
Orchestral
New York Counterpoint
The Desert Music
Electric Counterpoint
Small Group
Piano Phase (also: Marimba version)
Other
One of Reich's innovations was using tape loops to create patterns, as in Come Out (read the notes on the YouTube page for more information on this composition).
Clapping Music
Pendulum Music [Sonic Youth also recorded Pendulum Music for one of their albums.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Music for 18 Musicians
Background
Steve Reich came to music a little later in life, having majored in philsophy as an undergraduate. He went on to study music, eventually earning a graduate degree in composition. He experimented with different tonalities and with the concept of musical instruments. For example, in Pendulum Music, microphones swing over speakers to create feedback noise -- the performance is therefore different every time... The work Clapping Music consists only of clapping: two clappers (or groups of clappers), move out of sync then back in sync with each other as they clap a 12-beat pattern.
Orchestral
New York Counterpoint
The Desert Music
Electric Counterpoint
Small Group
Piano Phase (also: Marimba version)
Other
One of Reich's innovations was using tape loops to create patterns, as in Come Out (read the notes on the YouTube page for more information on this composition).
Clapping Music
Pendulum Music [Sonic Youth also recorded Pendulum Music for one of their albums.]
Monday, March 11, 2013
Robert Schumann
Wikipedia (1898-1937) [German. Romantic.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Träumerie
Background
Schumann was a talented pianist; many of his early compositions were solo piano works. His love affair with his wife, though, brought him to broader expression of his musical ideas, starting with songs, many of which he wrote in 1940, in the run up to their (contested) wedding. Schumann is pure Romantic era, easily portraying emotions in his compositions.
Piano Music
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) - Clara Haskil
Krisleriana - Martha Argerich
Piano Concerto - Nelson Freire
Chamber Music
Fantasiestucke, Opus 73
Piano Quartet Movement 3
If you're just gonna listen to one: Träumerie
Background
Schumann was a talented pianist; many of his early compositions were solo piano works. His love affair with his wife, though, brought him to broader expression of his musical ideas, starting with songs, many of which he wrote in 1940, in the run up to their (contested) wedding. Schumann is pure Romantic era, easily portraying emotions in his compositions.
Piano Music
Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) - Clara Haskil
Krisleriana - Martha Argerich
Piano Concerto - Nelson Freire
Chamber Music
Fantasiestucke, Opus 73
Piano Quartet Movement 3
Sunday, February 3, 2013
George Gershwin
Wikipedia (1898-1937) [American. Modern.]
If you're just gonna listen to one: Piano Concerto (Earl Wild)
Background
Most people think of musical theater and popular music when they think of George Gershwin: jazzy numbers, music that has entered the repertoire of "standards." But Gershwin definitely wrote music that follows standard classical forms, including a piano concerto.
Orchestral
Rhapsody in Blue (Lenoard Bernstein)
An American in Paris
Piano Concerto (Marc-Andre Hamelin)
Second Rhapsody
Porgy & Bess Overture
Chamber Music
Lullaby for Strings | Lullaby (string quartet version)
Short Story
If you're just gonna listen to one: Piano Concerto (Earl Wild)
Background
Most people think of musical theater and popular music when they think of George Gershwin: jazzy numbers, music that has entered the repertoire of "standards." But Gershwin definitely wrote music that follows standard classical forms, including a piano concerto.
Orchestral
Rhapsody in Blue (Lenoard Bernstein)
An American in Paris
Piano Concerto (Marc-Andre Hamelin)
Second Rhapsody
Porgy & Bess Overture
Chamber Music
Lullaby for Strings | Lullaby (string quartet version)
Short Story
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