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Copyright: Maestro Classical
Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:34:00 +0100
Maestro Classical podcast: episode 7, a holiday celebration feat. Tchaikovsky and J.S. Bach.
1.
The London Symphony Orchestra
"Nutcracker Ballet Suite: Waltz Of The Flowers" (mp3)
from "Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite / 1812 Overture"
(Everest Records)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which, in the opinion of Harold C. Schonberg, was distinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.
Despite the compositional efforts of The Five, Tchaikovsky dominates 19th century Russian music as its greatest talent. While his formal conservatory training instilled in him Western-oriented attitudes and techniques, his essential nature, as he always insisted, remained Russian. This was true both in his use of actual folk song and his deep absorption in Russian life and ways of thought. His natural gifts, especially for melody (what he called the "lyrical idea"), give his music a permanent appeal. However, it was his hard-won though secure and professional technique, plus his ability to use it for the expression of his emotional life, which allowed him to realize his potential more fully than any of his major Russian contemporaries.
The Nutcracker is one of Tchaikovsky's best known works. While it has been criticized as the least substantial of the composer's three ballets, it should be remembered that Tchaikovsky was restricted by a rigorous scenario supplied by Marius Petipa. This scenario provided no opportunity for the expression of human feelings beyond the most trivial and confined Tchaikovsky mostly within a world of tinsel, sweets and fantasy. Yet, at its best, the melodies are charming and pretty, and by this time Tchaikovsky's virtuosity at orchestration and counterpoint ensured an endless fascination in the surface attractiveness of the score.
The Nutcracker, Op. 71, is a fairy tale-ballet in two acts, three scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891â92. Alexandre Dumas pÃre's adaptation of the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky (written by Marius Petipa and commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1891). In Western countries, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular ballet, performed primarily around Christmas time.
The composer made a selection of eight of the more popular numbers from the ballet before the ballet's December 1892 premiere, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under the composer's direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society[1]. The suite became instantly popular; the complete ballet did not achieve its great popularity until around the mid-1960s.
Among other things, the score of The Nutcracker is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic ballad The Voyevoda (premiered 1891).^ Although well-known in The Nutcracker as the featured solo instrument in the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Act II, it is employed elsewhere in the same act.
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
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More On This Album
2.
The London Symphony Orchestra
"Nutcracker Ballet Suite: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" (mp3)
from "Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite / 1812 Overture"
(Everest Records)
More On This Album
3.
Boston Bach Ensemble
"Chorus: Jauchzet, frohlocket" (mp3)
from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
The greatest musical setting of the Christmas story, compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1734. Based on the Gospel of St. Luke, the text describes the nativity of Jesus and is adorned by some of Bach's most colourful and beautiful music. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections. The total running time for the entire work is nearly three hours. Scored for an Evangelist, four vocal soloists, four part chorus and full baroque orchestra, including trumpets, timpani and horns, the Christmas Oratorio is among Bach's best-loved works.
The Boston Bach Ensemble was founded in 1992 by Julian Wachner and Peter Watchorn, and performed principally at Boston University. It has performed cantatas, oratorios and masses by J. S. Bach, and features a choir of twenty young professional singers and a period instrument orchestra comprising some of the leading specialist musicians from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. In 1998 the BBE recorded a celebrated live performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, which featured distinguished vocal soloists, including the celebrated Dutch baritone, Max van Egmond.
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
4.
Boston Bach Ensemble
"Recitative: Es begab sich aber" (mp3)
from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
More On This Album
5.
Boston Bach Ensemble
"Recitative: Nun wird mein liebster BrÃÂutigam" (mp3)
from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
More On This Album
1.
The London Symphony Orchestra "Nutcracker Ballet Suite: Waltz Of The Flowers" (mp3) from "Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite / 1812 Overture"
(Everest Records)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which, in the opinion of Harold C. Schonberg, was distinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.
Despite the compositional efforts of The Five, Tchaikovsky dominates 19th century Russian music as its greatest talent. While his formal conservatory training instilled in him Western-oriented attitudes and techniques, his essential nature, as he always insisted, remained Russian. This was true both in his use of actual folk song and his deep absorption in Russian life and ways of thought. His natural gifts, especially for melody (what he called the "lyrical idea"), give his music a permanent appeal. However, it was his hard-won though secure and professional technique, plus his ability to use it for the expression of his emotional life, which allowed him to realize his potential more fully than any of his major Russian contemporaries.
The Nutcracker is one of Tchaikovsky's best known works. While it has been criticized as the least substantial of the composer's three ballets, it should be remembered that Tchaikovsky was restricted by a rigorous scenario supplied by Marius Petipa. This scenario provided no opportunity for the expression of human feelings beyond the most trivial and confined Tchaikovsky mostly within a world of tinsel, sweets and fantasy. Yet, at its best, the melodies are charming and pretty, and by this time Tchaikovsky's virtuosity at orchestration and counterpoint ensured an endless fascination in the surface attractiveness of the score.
The Nutcracker, Op. 71, is a fairy tale-ballet in two acts, three scenes, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891â92. Alexandre Dumas pÃre's adaptation of the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by E.T.A. Hoffmann was set to music by Tchaikovsky (written by Marius Petipa and commissioned by the director of the Imperial Theatres Ivan Vsevolozhsky in 1891). In Western countries, this ballet has become perhaps the most popular ballet, performed primarily around Christmas time.
The composer made a selection of eight of the more popular numbers from the ballet before the ballet's December 1892 premiere, forming The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, intended for concert performance. The suite was first performed, under the composer's direction, on 19 March 1892 at an assembly of the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society[1]. The suite became instantly popular; the complete ballet did not achieve its great popularity until around the mid-1960s.
Among other things, the score of The Nutcracker is noted for its use of the celesta, an instrument that the composer had already employed in his much lesser known symphonic ballad The Voyevoda (premiered 1891).^ Although well-known in The Nutcracker as the featured solo instrument in the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Act II, it is employed elsewhere in the same act.
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album2.
The London Symphony Orchestra "Nutcracker Ballet Suite: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" (mp3) from "Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite / 1812 Overture"
(Everest Records)
More On This Album3.
Boston Bach Ensemble "Chorus: Jauchzet, frohlocket" (mp3) from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
The greatest musical setting of the Christmas story, compiled by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1734. Based on the Gospel of St. Luke, the text describes the nativity of Jesus and is adorned by some of Bach's most colourful and beautiful music. In modern performance, the piece is generally either presented as a whole, or split into two equal sections. The total running time for the entire work is nearly three hours. Scored for an Evangelist, four vocal soloists, four part chorus and full baroque orchestra, including trumpets, timpani and horns, the Christmas Oratorio is among Bach's best-loved works.
The Boston Bach Ensemble was founded in 1992 by Julian Wachner and Peter Watchorn, and performed principally at Boston University. It has performed cantatas, oratorios and masses by J. S. Bach, and features a choir of twenty young professional singers and a period instrument orchestra comprising some of the leading specialist musicians from the US, Canada, Australia and Europe. In 1998 the BBE recorded a celebrated live performance of Bach's Christmas Oratorio, which featured distinguished vocal soloists, including the celebrated Dutch baritone, Max van Egmond.
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album4.
Boston Bach Ensemble "Recitative: Es begab sich aber" (mp3) from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
More On This Album5.
Boston Bach Ensemble "Recitative: Nun wird mein liebster BrÃÂutigam" (mp3) from "J.S. Bach: Weihnachts-Oratorium - Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248"
(Musica Omnia)
More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 28.07 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 28.07 MB here
Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:40:00 +0100
Maestro Classical podcast - episode 006: Johann Sebastian Bach feat. Lara St. John & Trevor Pinnick
Johann Sebastian Bach: (from Wikipedia.org)
(31 March 1685 â 28 July 1750) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse musical forces, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.
Lara St. John "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo" (Ancalagon)
ALBUM NOTES
Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato
ââ(Six Solos for Violin without accompanying Bass)
ââCompleted: CÃthen, 1720
ââAccording to the date he inscribed on the title page of the manuscript, Johann Sebastian Bach completed his Six Solos for Violin without accompanying Bass sometime in 1720. On 21 March of that year, he turned 35. Already a father of four, for the past two and a half years Bach had been harpsichordist and director of the elite chamber orchestra at the court of the Prince of CÃthen. Bach reportedly "dearly loved" his employer, the young Prince Leopold (1694-1728), who was not only a committed music-lover but himself a keen amateur performer, and even occasionally a composer, who, according to Bach, "loved and understood" the art. And, as one of Leopold's best-paid court functionaries, Bach was highly valued in return. In May of that year, when the prince set out for his annual summer "rest cure" in the Bohemian spa town of Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary), his harpsichordist Bach, went with him, along with five other leading members of the court band. Away from his home, young family, and usual court responsibilities for almost two months at a time, Bach evidently made good compositional use of such relatively carefree summers as that of 1720, as he did of his time at CÃthen. In the space of less than six years residence at the court (from December 1717 to May 1723), Bach rolled out a dazzling stream of masterpieces across a no less amazing range of instrumental genres. The six Brandenburg Concerti (BWV 1046-1051), the crÃme of his new orchestral compositions for the CÃthen band, were finished in fair copy on 24 March 1721. The first volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846-869) was probably largely completed during 1722. The parallel sets of 15 Inventions (BWV 772-786) and 15 Sinfonias (BWV 787-801) date, like the violin Solos, from the very middle of his CÃthen stay, flanked in the years on either side, respectively, by the six English Suites (BWV 806-811) and six French Suites (BWV 812-817). From CÃthen, too, came the only other set of instrumental pieces that challenges the violin Solos on the grounds of sheer oddity: the Six Suites for Solo Cello (BWV 1007-1012), likewise scored without accompanying Bass.
1.
Lara St. John
"Partita No. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 (Corrente/Double)" (mp3)
from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
2.
Lara St. John
"Partita No. 2 In D minor, BWV 1004 (Sarabanda)" (mp3)
from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
3.
Lara St. John
"Partita No. 3 In E Major, BWV 1006 (Preludio)" (mp3)
from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at eMusic
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
Trevor Pinnick "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
ALBUM NOTES
The Brandenburg Concertos
ââWhile we know that Bach finished a sumptuous manuscript of six concertos (for 'plusieurs Instruments', as he titled it) in March 1721 for presentation to the Margrave of Brandenburg, it is not certain when Bach actually composed these works. Some might date from the weeks immediately preceding the dedication, but the existence of early versions of some pieces suggests that Bach may have compiled much of the set from a pool of existing works. His aims in revision and compilation seem to have been to present six entirely disparate solutions to the instrumental concerto genre, a genre which was by no means fixed and which could imply many instrumental combinations. This attitude of attempting an encyclopaedic survey of a musical genre and also of perfecting and refining the best of what he had already written became a major compositional concern for Bach over the last three decades of his life; the Brandenburg dedication may well mark the beginning of this process.
â4.
Trevor Pinnock
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046 (IV. Menuetto-Trio I-Polacca-Trio II)" (mp3)
from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Puretracks
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
5.
Trevor Pinnock
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048 (I. [Allegro]" (mp3)
from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Puretracks
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
6.
Trevor Pinnock
"Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047 (I. [Allegro]" (mp3)
from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Puretracks
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
Johann Sebastian Bach: (from Wikipedia.org)
(31 March 1685 â 28 July 1750) was a German composer and organist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity. Although he introduced no new forms, he enriched the prevailing German style with a robust contrapuntal technique, an unrivalled control of harmonic and motivic organisation in composition for diverse musical forces, and the adaptation of rhythms and textures from abroad, particularly Italy and France.
Lara St. John "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo" (Ancalagon)
ALBUM NOTES
Sei Solo a Violino senza Basso accompagnato
ââ(Six Solos for Violin without accompanying Bass)
ââCompleted: CÃthen, 1720
ââAccording to the date he inscribed on the title page of the manuscript, Johann Sebastian Bach completed his Six Solos for Violin without accompanying Bass sometime in 1720. On 21 March of that year, he turned 35. Already a father of four, for the past two and a half years Bach had been harpsichordist and director of the elite chamber orchestra at the court of the Prince of CÃthen. Bach reportedly "dearly loved" his employer, the young Prince Leopold (1694-1728), who was not only a committed music-lover but himself a keen amateur performer, and even occasionally a composer, who, according to Bach, "loved and understood" the art. And, as one of Leopold's best-paid court functionaries, Bach was highly valued in return. In May of that year, when the prince set out for his annual summer "rest cure" in the Bohemian spa town of Carlsbad (Karlovy Vary), his harpsichordist Bach, went with him, along with five other leading members of the court band. Away from his home, young family, and usual court responsibilities for almost two months at a time, Bach evidently made good compositional use of such relatively carefree summers as that of 1720, as he did of his time at CÃthen. In the space of less than six years residence at the court (from December 1717 to May 1723), Bach rolled out a dazzling stream of masterpieces across a no less amazing range of instrumental genres. The six Brandenburg Concerti (BWV 1046-1051), the crÃme of his new orchestral compositions for the CÃthen band, were finished in fair copy on 24 March 1721. The first volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier (BWV 846-869) was probably largely completed during 1722. The parallel sets of 15 Inventions (BWV 772-786) and 15 Sinfonias (BWV 787-801) date, like the violin Solos, from the very middle of his CÃthen stay, flanked in the years on either side, respectively, by the six English Suites (BWV 806-811) and six French Suites (BWV 812-817). From CÃthen, too, came the only other set of instrumental pieces that challenges the violin Solos on the grounds of sheer oddity: the Six Suites for Solo Cello (BWV 1007-1012), likewise scored without accompanying Bass.
1.
Lara St. John "Partita No. 1 in B minor BWV 1002 (Corrente/Double)" (mp3) from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album2.
Lara St. John "Partita No. 2 In D minor, BWV 1004 (Sarabanda)" (mp3) from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album3.
Lara St. John "Partita No. 3 In E Major, BWV 1006 (Preludio)" (mp3) from "Bach: The Six Sonatas & Partitas for Violin Solo"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This AlbumTrevor Pinnick "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
ALBUM NOTES
The Brandenburg Concertos
ââWhile we know that Bach finished a sumptuous manuscript of six concertos (for 'plusieurs Instruments', as he titled it) in March 1721 for presentation to the Margrave of Brandenburg, it is not certain when Bach actually composed these works. Some might date from the weeks immediately preceding the dedication, but the existence of early versions of some pieces suggests that Bach may have compiled much of the set from a pool of existing works. His aims in revision and compilation seem to have been to present six entirely disparate solutions to the instrumental concerto genre, a genre which was by no means fixed and which could imply many instrumental combinations. This attitude of attempting an encyclopaedic survey of a musical genre and also of perfecting and refining the best of what he had already written became a major compositional concern for Bach over the last three decades of his life; the Brandenburg dedication may well mark the beginning of this process.
â4.
Trevor Pinnock "Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046 (IV. Menuetto-Trio I-Polacca-Trio II)" (mp3) from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Puretracks Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album5.
Trevor Pinnock "Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048 (I. [Allegro]" (mp3) from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Puretracks Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Album6.
Trevor Pinnock "Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047 (I. [Allegro]" (mp3) from "Bach: Six Concertos for the Margrave of Brandenburg"
(AVIE Records)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Puretracks Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 41.46 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 41.46 MB here
Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:12:00 +0200
Maestro Classical Podcast: episode 5 feat. Ludwig van Beethoven, movements from Symphonies No. 1, 5, & 9.
Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 â 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most respected and influential composers of all time.
Born in Bonn, he moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
This is Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Opus 21. It was written in 1799 - 1800 and was premiered April 2, 1800 in Vienna, and is dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. Here, the 3rd movement is performed by the USSR State Symphony, conducted by Konstantin Ivanov.
Konstantin Ivanov
"Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21" (mp3)
from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, The Creatures of Prometheus Overture"
(MUSIC ONLINE)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
More On This Album
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 was written in 1804Â - 08. This symphony is one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of European classical music, and is also one of the most often-played symphonies. First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterwards.âThe symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are well known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco to rock and roll, to appearances in film and television.
âThe Fifth stands with the Third Symphony and Ninth Symphony as the most revolutionary of Beethoven's compositions.
Here, the first movement is performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Andreas Delfs
"Beethoven: Symphony No. 5" (mp3)
from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 5"
(MSO Classics)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the last complete symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, it is considered both an icon and a forefather of Romantic music, and one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces. It incorporates part of the poem "Ode to Joy" by Friedrich Schiller, written in 1785, with text sung by soloists and a chorus in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form. Further testament to its prominence is that an original manuscript of this work sold in 2003 for $3.3 million USD at Sotheby's, London. Stephen Roe, the head of Sotheby's manuscripts department, described the symphony as "one of the highest achievements of man, ranking alongside Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear." Here, the final movement is performed by Ama Deus Ensemble, conducted by Valentin Radu.
Ama Deus Ensemble, Valentin Radu
"Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 - "Choral"" (mp3)
from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 & Die Ruinen von Athen"
(Lyrichord)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Buy at Napster
Stream from Rhapsody
More On This Album
Ludwig van Beethoven (16 December 1770 â 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most respected and influential composers of all time.
Born in Bonn, he moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gained a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. Beethoven's hearing gradually deteriorated beginning in his twenties, yet he continued to compose, and to conduct and perform, even after he was completely deaf.
This is Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Opus 21. It was written in 1799 - 1800 and was premiered April 2, 1800 in Vienna, and is dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. Here, the 3rd movement is performed by the USSR State Symphony, conducted by Konstantin Ivanov.
Konstantin Ivanov "Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21" (mp3) from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 1, The Creatures of Prometheus Overture"
(MUSIC ONLINE)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Napster More On This AlbumSymphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 was written in 1804Â - 08. This symphony is one of the most popular and well-known compositions in all of European classical music, and is also one of the most often-played symphonies. First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterwards.âThe symphony, and the four-note opening motif in particular, are well known worldwide, with the motif appearing frequently in popular culture, from disco to rock and roll, to appearances in film and television.
âThe Fifth stands with the Third Symphony and Ninth Symphony as the most revolutionary of Beethoven's compositions.
Here, the first movement is performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Andreas Delfs "Beethoven: Symphony No. 5" (mp3) from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 5"
(MSO Classics)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon MP3 More On This AlbumSymphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the last complete symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, it is considered both an icon and a forefather of Romantic music, and one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces. It incorporates part of the poem "Ode to Joy" by Friedrich Schiller, written in 1785, with text sung by soloists and a chorus in the last movement. It is the first example of a major composer using the human voice on the same level with instruments in a symphony, creating a work of a grand scope that set the tone for the Romantic symphonic form. Further testament to its prominence is that an original manuscript of this work sold in 2003 for $3.3 million USD at Sotheby's, London. Stephen Roe, the head of Sotheby's manuscripts department, described the symphony as "one of the highest achievements of man, ranking alongside Shakespeare's Hamlet and King Lear." Here, the final movement is performed by Ama Deus Ensemble, conducted by Valentin Radu.
Ama Deus Ensemble, Valentin Radu "Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125 - "Choral"" (mp3) from "Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 & Die Ruinen von Athen"
(Lyrichord)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at Napster Stream from Rhapsody More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 31.86 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 31.86 MB here
Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:20:00 +0200
Maestro Classical Podcast: Episode 4 feat. Mozart's "Requiem" and Shostakovich's "Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47".
1.
Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra
"Requiem" (mp3)
from "Mozart: Requiem"
(LSO Live)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
More On This Album
2.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
"Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47" (mp3)
from "CSO Resound / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5"
(CSO Resound)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon
More On This Album
1.
Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra"Requiem" (mp3)
from "Mozart: Requiem"
(LSO Live)
Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Album2.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra "Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47" (mp3) from "CSO Resound / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5"
(CSO Resound)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 19.6 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 19.6 MB here
Sat, 02 Aug 2008 02:51:00 +0200
Austrian composers part 1: Anton Bruckner.
1.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Andreas Delfs
"Bruckner: Symphony No. 4" (mp3)
from "Bruckner: Symphony No. 4"
(MSO Classics)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
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More On This Album
2.
Carl Schuricht
"Symphony No. 9 D minor" (mp3)
from "Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.8 / No.9"
(haenssler CLASSIC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
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Stream from Rhapsody
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1.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra & Andreas Delfs "Bruckner: Symphony No. 4" (mp3) from "Bruckner: Symphony No. 4"
(MSO Classics)
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Carl Schuricht "Symphony No. 9 D minor" (mp3) from "Anton Bruckner: Symphony No.8 / No.9"
(haenssler CLASSIC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store Buy at eMusic Stream from Rhapsody Buy at Amazon More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 54.5 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 54.5 MB here
Sat, 12 Jul 2008 02:52:00 +0200
1.
Sviatoslav Richter, Kirill Kondrashin, Camille Saint-SaÃns, Moscow Youth Orchestra "Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major, Op. 103" (mp3) from "Saint-SaÃÂns: Piano Concerto No. 5"
(MUSIC ONLINE)
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Jean-Pierre Ferey, Laurent Boukobza "Ãmes d'enfant (Children's Souls)" (mp3) from "Ladmirault, FaurÃÂ, Cras, Ravel: Piano Works for Four Hands"
(SKARBO)
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type: audio/x-m4a size: 21.37 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 21.37 MB here
Sat, 07 Jun 2008 01:59:00 +0200
1.
Elaine Comparone, Marsha Heller, Peter Seidenberg "Concert 1 - La Coulicam" (Jean-Philippe Rameau: Pieces de Clavicin en Concert) [Lyrichord Early Music Series]
Elaine Comparone, Marsha Heller, Peter Seidenberg "Concert 1- La Coulicam" (mp3) from "Jean-Philippe Rameau 1683-1764: Pieces de Clavicin en Concert (1741)"
(Lyrichord Early Music Series)
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Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons "La mer, trois esquisses symphoniques"[RCO Live]
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons "La mer, trois esquisses symphoniques" (mp3) from "Debussy: La mer, trois esquisses symphoniques - Dutilleux: L'Arbre des songes - Ravel: La valse, poÃÂme chorÃÂgraphique"
(RCO Live)
Buy at iTunes Music Store More On This Albumattached file:
type: audio/x-m4a size: 19.58 MB here
type: audio/x-m4a size: 19.58 MB here