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mikrokosmos · 13 hours
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It's always misleading to say "my favorite Mahler moment" because every re-listen reminds me of how many favorite moments I have, but I really do love the climax of the slow movement in this one
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Mahler - Symphony no.6 in a minor
If the work is presented with the nickname “Tragic”, which you may see on programs or on CDs, it would be an extra layer of irony. Mahler had written this piece during one of the happier summers of his life. He had gotten married to Alma Schindler the year before, and his second daughter was born. And, like his other symphonies, it was written during one of his ‘composing retreats’ in a small cabin in the Austrian countryside. But despite the happy times in the outside world, and the few glorious moments of triumph in this work, the overall mood is pessimistic. Before I continue, I need to address the “Scherzo/Andante” controversy. Yes, this is an actual thing that has torn families apart and brought cities down. [ok that’s obviously a joke, but in seriousness, there are heated debates between musicologists about the order of the inner movements]. Mahler originally wrote the work to have the scherzo come before the andante, but soon after publication he decided it would be better the other way around. He seemed indecisive about the order of the movements, so it is left to performers to decide. Personally? I prefer scherzo/andante, and this awesome performance by Bernard Haitink and the CSO does it in that order. While it’s apparent that Mahler is continuing his nod to Bach by emphasizing counterpoint much more than his early symphonies, he’s also experimenting a bit with percussion. So far, this Mahler symphony has the most extensive use of percussion instruments, both in variety and appearance. Most infamously it uses a hammer. There’s no specifics in the score as to what kind of hammer blow Mahler wants in the last movement, and it’s always humorous to see different orchestras use gargantuan Thor like mallets. The symphony opens up with a growl in the strings, the beginning of an intense military march, full of bells and whistles [plenty of bells], before being contrasted with a soaring “love” melody that is claimed to be Mahler’s representation of Alma in music. The march beats on relentlessly until it cumulates in a very bright polyphonic coda that incorporates aspects of the previous themes over each other. It’s quite a rush, that it feels like a finale in its own right, and it’s a bit of a surprise to realize you still have an hour of music to go! The scherzo is made of variations of some of the melodies heard in the first movement, and while it has a bit of a stormy character, it’s still contrasted with calmer moments, thinner orchestrations, and even some playful rowdiness before the last bar. The andante is a gorgeous work, in my opinion it is much more passionate and beautiful than the popular adagietto of the 5th. In it, he takes a long soothing melody and works it through all kinds of variations, polyphonic diversity, and orchestration. He at one point uses a chorus of cowbells to evoke the countryside, and it cumulates in a passionate climax. The final movement is long and somber, and like the first movement, feels like it’s own symphony within the symphony. If there is a personal subject for the music, either the composer himself or perhaps a more philosophical “hero” that we can relate to, this is that character’s downfall. Despite all of the angst and heroic overcoming that have passed, all things come to an end and this symphony almost literally dies. With the hammer blow of fate, and the somber brass chorals, the music fades off into nothingness. At the premiere, reception was mixed to negative. The public found it too loud, too much, and too long. Caricatures were drawn of the mad conductor shoving as many percussive instruments as he can onto the stage. While the young composers of the Second Viennese School [Schoenberg, Webern, and Berg] fell in love at first hearing, most thought the work was incomprehensible nonsense. I find that ironic, since this was his most conventionally structured symphony to date [no multi-parts, no program, no singing, primarily Italian notations, it follows the traditional symphony structure]. Since then it has been held up as one of Mahler’s symphonic masterpieces for its craftsmanship, though it still hasn’t gotten as much public praise and popularity as his other symphonies. I personally struggled wrapping my head around this piece when I first heard it, but whenever I come across pieces like that, I make sure to give it a few more chances and listens to see if my opinion changes. I’m still weary of the 6th because of its final movement, but I’m getting there.
Movements:
1. Allegro energetico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig
2. Scherzo: Wuchtig
3. Andante moderato
4. Finale: Sostenuto - Allegro moderato - Allegro energetico
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mikrokosmos · 5 days
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every now and then I go on twitter to remind myself why I left that sinking ship of a site, just to be targeted tweets hating on Schoenberg. I get that he's not for everybody but idk, I love listening to this piece while driving around at night. Maybe that makes me crazy, don't really care.
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Schoenberg - Pierrot Lunaire, op.21 (1912)
Since his tonal days, Schoenberg was fascinated by the psychological aspect of stories. His Pelleas und Melisande focuses on the psycho-erotic side of the romance, and similar themes come up in the Gurrelieder. Here, the text comes from a series of poems by Belgian poet Albert Giraud, following Pierrot [originally the comic arch-type from the Italian Commedia dell’arte but evolved into a Parisian street performer], who is used as a social critique through symbolism and a Modernist lens. A lot high concept stuff here, basically he criticizes the decadence of turn-of-the-century Europe, and also in a paradox makes fun of symbolist gestures such as these kinds of poems, and questions whether concept art like this is really valuable. Schoenberg takes 21 of the poems [three times seven, as he writes in the full title] and sets them as a melodrama for voice and chamber ensemble. The voice does not sing, rather the soprano speaks at different pitches and follows the shape of the score. Continuing with his love of numbers, he builds a lot of the songs out of seven-note themes. In the first part, Pierrot speaks of love, sex, and religion. In the second, about violence and blasphemy, and in the third he returns home but then reveals to be haunted by his past. While the music is atonal, Schoenberg follows conventional forms, and the work utilizes the chamber quintet for contrapuntal density. Listening to it does sound like the ramblings of a person who is overwhelmed by the hypocrisies of life and the confusion, doubt, and fear that comes from trying to navigate them. One of my favorite moments is in book three…at the beginning of the work Pierrot sings about the moonlight pouring over him like wine. In “The Moon-spot”, Pierrot notices a white smudge on his outfit, probably paint, but he thinks it’s the moon, and he screams about how he can’t get it off. What was a fun sensual ode to being drunk becomes an OCD attack full of regret. A haunting work.
Movements:
Part One
Mondestrunken (Drunk with Moonlight)
Colombine (Columbine)
Der Dandy (The Dandy)
Eine blasse Wäscherin (A Pallid Washerwoman)
Valse de Chopin
Madonna
Der kranke Mond (The Sick Moon)
Part Two
Nacht (Passacaglia) (Night)
Gebet an Pierrot (Prayer to Pierrot)
Raub (Theft)
Rote Messe (Red Mass)
Galgenlied (Gallows Song)
Enthauptung (Beheading)
Die Kreuze (The Crosses)
Part Three
Heimweh (Homesickness)
Gemeinheit! (Foul Play)
Parodie (Parody)
Der Mondfleck (The Moon Spot)
Serenade
Heimfahrt (Barcarole) (Journey Home)
O Alter Duft (O Ancient Fragrance)
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mikrokosmos · 16 days
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Fendrix - Soundtrack for the film Poor Things (2023)
I've probably said this before but I usually don't post film music on this blog. Mainly because it's questionable how much a score for a film could be considered "classical" or of the classical tradition. On the one hand, the kinds of genre and styles used for films, and the specific function of the music as accentuating or being part of the overall finished work of the film makes it out to be its own unique genre. On the other hand, classical composers in history have written incidental music for stage plays as well as scores for films, from early / classic film scores by Saint-Saëns or Prokofiev or later in the century by Takemitsu or Glass and going through to today. Regardless I had heard this music before seeing the film Poor Things and was immediately taken in. I loved it so much that I was disappointed that it did not win the Oscar for best film score this weekend (though I won't complain much because the winning score by Ludwig Göransson for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer was evocative and intense so it was worthy of the award and praise). Still I have a soft spot for Jerskin Fendrix's imaginative and otherworldly music fitting for the equally "otherworldly" and fantastical atmosphere that the world of Poor Things tries to evoke. Yorgos Lanthimos is one of my favorite living directors and I was excited to see this film, even moreso after hearing the score. While I love the exuberant style, unique cinematography, and the dreamlike images, I will admit I was somewhat disappointed by the film overall (I didn't love it as much as I did his 2018 film The Favourite), and am still uneasy and disturbed by the subject matter and implications of an infant/prepubescent mind developing in the body of an adult woman, and all of the uncomfortable sex scenes and conversations as the film goes along. Still, I do love this score as a stand-alone album. Bella's theme is awkward, slightly out of tune and discordant, conveying the kind of naivety, curiosity, and somewhat self consciousness of being a "child" trying to understand the world they live in. The score continues with keyboard textures, detuned harps and winds, scratchy violins, vocalized oos and ahs, creating a lot of artificial and even alien sounds that disorients the listener in the same way that the wide lenses and porthole shots disorient the viewer. And later in the film (mild spoiler alert) when "Bella's" "real husband" arrives, we are made to feel sick and unsettled by the low frequency pulsing that makes us dread his arrival. A lot of textures and harmonies are unexpected in ways that make me wish Stravinsky were still alive so he could hear and share his thoughts. I especially thought of Stravinsky with my personal favorite track, "Portuguese Dance II", with violent and punchy, comically disturbed accordion chords that open into a catchy dance tune which may as well have come from one of his ballets. This same music gets its own awkward dance scene (another Lanthimos trademark) with Emma Stone's Bella and Mark Ruffalo's despicable Duncan. Again this is a bit different from my usual posts but regardless I hope you can enjoy the bizarre and wonderful soundworld that Fendrix created for this film.
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mikrokosmos · 28 days
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Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) - Phryné, Acte II, Scène 2: Suite, air et trio. Un soir, j'errais sur le rivage ·
Florie Valiquette · Anaïs Constans · Cyrille Dubois ·
Orchestre de l'Opéra de Rouen Normandie · Hervé Niquet
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mikrokosmos · 28 days
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J.S. Bach - Orchestral Suite no.3 in D Major, BWV 1068 (c.1730)
I want to say I was listening to this one in my rocking chair next to my books on music. Or with wine and cheese at someone's party. No, I put this on while I washed the dishes. I thought I'd share my old post on this same piece but realized that I'd never written about this suite. And I don't have anything profound or introspective to say about it. It made taking down this mountain if dirty dishes feel like a grand accomplishment. It's a reminder that this music was written for the audience to enjoy. It doesn't have to be treated like music theory homework. That being said, I do like looking at the history of the orchestral suite, which would develop into the symphony. What can we hear from Bach's Proto-Symphony no.3? The Orchestral Suite was a carryover from France's Ouvertures. It would start with a slow section to draw in the audience, and then a lively counterpunctual exercise. After the "heavier" opening movement, the rest of the pieces are light dances, galanteries (minuets, bourrées, courantes, sarabandes, gavottes, allemandes, gigues, etc.). Because the German political elite had a taste for French art, they would have music played during their banquets and parties. Bach had no real interest in this kind of music (which would be a decent income source) because he was already dedicated to writing church music. But what few he did leave behind (we only have four Orchestral Suites attributed to him) sounds like great party music. The Suite in D Major is scored for 3 trumpets, timpani, oboes, violins, viola, basso continuo, giving it a louder sound than the others. The Ouverture starts with the slower grand statement announced by the trumpets and timpani. As you'd expect from Bach, this opens into a counterpunctual explorations of the melodies that developed out of the opening, but with the vibrancy of Vivaldi's fast paced concertos. The ending section cuts back and ends with a more subdued coda. The Air of this suite has stuck in our culture through films and TV, popular for its beautiful melodies. I remember first hearing it in the most ironic example I know; played during the library scene in Seven (or "Se7en") from the 1995 film. The ugliness and depraved misanthropy in the film is contrasted for a moment by the idealized "beautiful music" by an idealized "Great Composer". I thought it was showing the spectrum of human minds, that the "greatest" Baroque composer comes from the same human family as a lunatic serial killer using the Christian "Seven Deadly Sins" for gruesome punishments against his victims. Listening to it now I think it's fascinating that someone could have been touched or moved by the gorgeous Aria without words Bach wrote for whatever party or occasion, and she would have no idea that the same music would be heard again as so many of these festival pieces were back then. The latter dances show off the trumpets to make each one boisterous and lively. Two Gavottes with heavy emphasis on the beat, an upbeat Bourrée, and ending on the always fun and swaying Gigue. Of these dances I think I love Bach's gigues the most because they're always densely woven with his long waves of counterpoint across each instrument to create a dance that makes me think of old pub drinking songs or sailors dancing and drinking at sea. Another reminder that this music is supposed to be fun and enjoyable for anyone, and you can turn your own living room into an 18th century court for fun.
Movements:
Ouverture
Air
Gavotte I/II
Bourrée
Gigue
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mikrokosmos · 29 days
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what are they playing?
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The Pianolesson (1897) by Henriëtte Ronner-Knip
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mikrokosmos · 1 month
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I love when the moon is shining through clouds giving off a cold glow like ghostly light, and I see it now outside my window glowing through the bare tree branches
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mikrokosmos · 1 month
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Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848-1918) - Duo for Two Pianos, in E minor [also "Grand Duo" / "Grosses Duo"] (first ed. 1877)
I. Allegro energico, ma moderato [00:00] II. Andante tranquillo e molto espressivo [05:56] III. Maestoso – Allegro ma non troppo [12:15]
Parnassius Piano Duo :
Hiroaki Takenouchi & Simon Callaghan
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mikrokosmos · 1 month
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results are in, Symphony got number 1 (not too surprising), followed by Concertos and then to my actual surprise, Fugues got in no.3!
For fun; what is your favorite form/genre?
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mikrokosmos · 1 month
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When I first got into classical the immediate challenge was the length of different pieces. The average sonata, symphony, or concerto are about 30 minutes long, and many examples go beyond an hour. Not to mention the operas and oratorios that stretch beyond two hours. So the idea with this playlist was to share short pieces, either full works or more often movements from larger works. I'm keeping every track less than 3 minutes. Are there any others you'd suggest I add? Let me know, I hope this can grab people's ears!
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mikrokosmos · 1 month
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For fun; what is your favorite form/genre?
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mikrokosmos · 3 months
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is it a cosmic coincidence that he was born on Eastern Christmas / Western Epiphany & Three Kings Day?
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Alexander Scriabin ( 6 January 1872 - 27 April 1915 )
Happy Birthday, Alex!!!
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mikrokosmos · 3 months
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Franck - String Quartet in D Major (1890)
It's been a long time since I updated this blog with a new post. Too long. And to be honest it's been a tough year for me personally. I've gone through different kinds of losses and had lost enthusiasm for this hobby of writing about music. Today was a pretty rough day emotionally and, if I'm allowed to use cliches, music "saved" me. At least this quartet brought me back into a music mindset, and I don't write about Franck that often here. Main reason is that, despite his esteem as a major or great composer of the later 19th century, his reputation relies on a handful of works from much later in his life. This String Quartet was his last completed work and it shows the hallmarks of his self-realized style; very lyrical and melancholic, constantly modulating and flowing through a stream of tonality. He had completed this after studying quartets by Beethoven, Schubert, and Brahms. Especially from Schubert is where we get unexpected modulations. Ironically this last work was the first to get him praise during his lifetime. And as with his other major works, the quartet is cyclical, with themes from each movement returning in the finale. And I hope this music lifts your spirits as well to end off 2023
Movements:
Poco Lento, Allegro
Scherzo: Vivace
Larghetto
Finale: Allegro molto
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mikrokosmos · 3 months
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Merry Christmas everyone!
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Messiaen - Vingt Regards sur l’enfant-Jésus (1944)
Twenty Regards [Contemplations, or Gazes] on the Infant Jesus. Messiaen lived through both World Wars, and was a prisoner of war during the Second. He returned to Paris after it was liberated from the Nazis. The city was in disarray at that point with few resources and food and electricity shortages. And it was during the August of 1944 that French citizens and the Allied army worked to push the Nazis out. Messiaen had been working on this suite around the time, and the subject matter seems reflective of the Advent season; the darkness, living in a broken world sick with sin, and longing for the promised Savior, longing for redemption and freedom and love.Originally to be a set of twelve works accompanying poetry by a different artist, Messiaen expanded it into twenty pieces, each with their own poetic titles and descriptions. Messiaen was a devout Catholic, and was enraptured by Christian Mysticism, and so he expressed his spirituality through music depicting Mystic images and ideas. So, the Vingt Regards is, for the most part, a collection of works trying to express different perspectives of the Nativity, mostly abstractions such as the Holy Spirit [the Spirit of Joy], the star, the cross, time itself, and the gaze of the Son upon the Son [that is, the mystery of Jesus as fully human and fully God].The music is long, and full of very difficult piano playing, with extended harmonies and uses of Eastern rhythm and color [Messiaen loved the rhythm of Indian music, and he also loved the sound of Javanese gamelan music], along with interjections of imitated birdsong [because Messiaen believed birdsong to be the purest music]. There’s even jazz thrown in! The suite was hated by critics at the time for a few reasons. First, the music itself has a lot of fantastic, theatrical, and flashy moments, which seems inappropriate for the intimate and sacred subject matter. Secondly, Messiaen’s poetic and spiritual descriptions are somewhat detached from the music itself; hearing what each piece is titled and its subsequent epitaph suggests that the listener should expect direct representation of the ideas portrayed, and so they are thrown off when they can’t hear a clear connection.But it is a great piece of music. One of the greatest solo piano works in history. It’s so long that it is rarely played in its entirety, but the work is thematically connected by three main themes and listening to it at once in order feels like a spiritual journey, listening to the transformation of the music over time. It’s hard to really go through and describe each work as it happens, so you should listen for yourself. The soft chimes of bells in the opening, the contemplation of the Son on the Son, the intensity and chaos of the universe, the tambor and harp of the spirit of joy, the angels, and eventually the consolation of the sleeping mother and child…
Movements:
Gaze of the Father
Gaze of the Star
The Exchange
Gaze of the Virgin
Gaze of the Son upon the Son
By Him was Everything Made
Gaze of the Cross
Gaze of the Heights
Gaze of Time
Gaze of the Spirit of Joy
The First Communion of the Virgin
The All-Powerful Word
Christmas
Gaze of the Angels
Kiss of the Infant Jesus
Gaze of the Prophets, the Shepherds, and the Magi
Gaze of Silence
Gaze of the Terrible Unction
I Sleep, but my Heart keeps Watch
Gaze of the Church of Love
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mikrokosmos · 5 months
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Ogiński - Polonaise in a minor, "A Farewell to the Homeland" (unknown arrangement) (1794)
I'm not above using a Harry Potter reference, but remember when Hermione picked up that brick of a book and said she was doing some "light reading"? That's how I feel carrying Alan Walker's ~700 page biography "Fryderyk Chopin, A Life and Times" out of the library. The name Ogiński comes up in the early chapters on Chopin's childhood compositions and performances. Prince Michał Ogiński was a diplomat, military leader, and national hero for late 18th/early 19th century Poland. He also composed polonaises for the piano, and this one "A Farewell to the Homeland" is the most popular. The impressionable Chopin was greatly influenced by this music. I was listening to this and struck by how much of a resemblance to his mature style is here...except this *isn't* the original polonaise. I cannot find any information on this arrangement, but it is a lightly Chopin-ized version of the more simple original, with little ornamentations, modulations, and added voices. Unfortunately since this was my introduction to the piece, the original is somewhat disappointing (although, historically, more believable). Even with these post-Chopin elaborations, you can still hear the strong influence on Chopin's style, and makes me wonder about the nature of a "piece" of music. Is this arrangement inauthentic for trying to recreate Chopin's style? Or is it a loving performance of a traditional polonaise that tries to retroactively translate it into Chopin's style because he defines the idiom of 19th century polonaise? It is a shame that I can't find more information on who arranged this, and makes me think of a downside to the Internet where so much information is shared but can easily be severed from its source and be left to float around as a digital mystery. As far as I can tell, this youtube video is the only evidence of this arrangement existing. If anyone knows more, please reach out to me! The polonaise opens with a melancholic melody, and the phrase ends with a gorgeous sighing cadence. We jump up the keyboard a bit into a B section that features a very flashy, more Lisztian cadenza that even evokes cimbalom mallets. The trio is charming, bright, and more classical. It continues its homage to Chopin's style by recreating military fanfare. I am disappointed that I've fallen in love with this obscure rendition of the work, where there are no other recordings and where it wrongfully presents itself as the 1794 Ogiński original. But at least this arrangement is its own act of composition, even while being derivative of Chopin's 'juvenile' style (which despite using this word, is nowhere near "juvenile" in its musical brilliance).
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mikrokosmos · 5 months
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how can I go through the month of October without putting on Saint-Saëns Gothic masterpiece
also, the scariest part of this is the 404 error (why??) but at least the link is there
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(via https://open.spotify.com/user/number9muses/playlist/3acIPFjghU97gF4X4mDXct?si=ho_Q4qoMRPKwmgArGlUHRw)
Happy Halloween.
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mikrokosmos · 6 months
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what's he listening to? Bela Barktok?
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