Classical Music for Aficionados
To add to mahgister’s great list of great guitarists: https://youtu.be/9RkHwFoew-Y https://youtu.be/Rvvbh_L3pQg (Scarlatti) Surely in no small part due to its proximity (geographical and others) to the Baltic Lands, Hungary also has a very rich and interesting choral tradition which draws heavily on its traditional folk music: https://youtu.be/lSHxigDUfls https://youtu.be/Tl7Pf44-Uz0 Speaking of the unfortunately neglected Zoltan Kodaly. To paraphrase a previous comment by (our) Schubert, if one wants the spirit of a culture’s (Hungary) folk music, one needs a Hungarian band: https://youtu.be/nCdU0ev_WuI |
Lovely piece and one of the sleepers of the clarinet rep. Seldom mentioned outside the clarinet world, unfortunately. I have a feeling you’ll like this rendition: https://youtu.be/CBkbGZ49EhM https://youtu.be/Ctyr8k5juew https://youtu.be/weacq1L0tmg As a technical aside, in a way, the upload of your clip is truer to the composer’s intent. Typical of Martinu, who was known for unorthodox use of form, he wrote the piece as a single movement with three sections; as opposed to three distinct movements. A subtle, but important distinction when considering the shape of the entire work. |
I welcome your thoughts about Satyagraha. *** I loathe no composers, or musicians, Ervin Nyiregyházi for example ,or any other musician 😊 even if i had my own taste, choices, or habits...Loathing reflect more about us than about the music itself.... And loving Glass dont impede my love for Mozart "Cozi fan tutte" for example... *** An open mind to all music is the path to a deeper and more complete appreciation and understanding of the greatness of the truly great. ”The interest of the composer Philip Glass in Gandhi dates back to his first visit to India in 1966. In composing his second opera, Glass did not want to paint a historical portrait of Mahatma Gandhi. Instead, his intention was to use Gandhi’s involvement in South Africa in the years between 1893 and 1914 as an outline of current global political and religious problems. In South Africa, Gandhi formulated his thesis of passive resistance and civil disobedience known as “Satyagraha” or “dedication to the truth” as a reaction to discriminatory governmental measures aimed against the Indian portion of the population, such as the deprivation of voting rights.” |
Re recent comments about the minimalist movement (Glass), evolution in music…..and television. If one gives any credence to the notion that any art form’s relevance can be judged (some would say should be) by how well it portrays the time of its creation, the question of greatness is put in a context where it becomes, if not irrelevant, pointless to compare to geniuses like Mozart and Bach; greatness, the likes of which we will probably never see again. While I’m generally not a fan of this type of relativism, it is certainly true that evolution does not necessarily mean “better”. However, in this context it is also true that it doesn’t necessarily have a to mean “worse”. Came across this interesting Belgian chamber ensemble that I think is a pretty good example of minimalism meeting today’s genre-crossing and globalist attitude: https://youtu.be/NSIFpi4fBQc https://youtu.be/mJzrFbdthyg |
I think you meant “Egmont”, not “Coriolan” 😊. Thanks for your comments. First, my choice of the young Celi was in great part for the visual element in that clip. I agree that it could be said that the 1976 Stuttgard version is “more mature”. However, the question must asked whether in this case “maturity” (of time conception), better serves the music’s intent. I’m not so sure. The music was composed as the overture to incidental music for a play (Goethe) celebrating the life and heroism of a Dutch count (Egmont) in his country’s struggle for liberty against imperialistic Spain; culminating with the count’s execution. The music was composed while the Napoleonic wars were raging. All a pretty dramatic backdrop, I would say. Perhaps partly due to the more distant and less present sound of the 1976 recording, and certainly no intention on my part to diminish the wisdom of maturity, but the 1976 has, for me, less of the drama and angst which I think the historical setting would demand. Examples: the introduction, intended to represent “The Prison” and the feeling that imprisonment might convey seems to be better served by the young Celi’s version which gives me a stronger feeling of drama and tension. For me, the sometimes excruciatingly long rests (silences) in the 1976 detract from the drama and urgency. Likewise, in this version the first statements by the woodwinds give the music an almost pastoral feeling; not what I would expect given the circumstances to be conveyed. What is it they say, “mellows with age”? Not so sure “mellowing” fits in the context of war, imprisonment and execution. Bernstein, for me, strikes a more convincing balance balance in this regard; hence my choice. Thank you for the clip and for your thoughts, mahgister; always thought provoking.
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