Day 30

Going old school today.

Side One

Piece: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F Major, BWV 1046

Composer: J.S Bach

Performers: Hamburg Chamber Orchestra with the Hamburg Bach Soloists, Adolf Scherbaum on Trumpet

Conductor: Harold Newman

Record Date: Non-given, pressing date 1977

Side Two

Pieces: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047; Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048

Composer: J.S Bach

Performers: Hamburg Chamber Orchestra with the Hamburg Bach Soloists, Adolf Scherbaum on Trumpet

Conductor: Harold Newman

Record Date: Non-given, pressing date 1977

It has been a while since I've listened to Bach and I always find it difficult. He really is boring, yet at the same time amazing. I found myself comparing his music to one of those fractal pictures made by computers; one half beautiful, one half mathematical, and no clear line where the one half begins and the other ends. In the end the Brandenburg Concertos (especially No. 3) will always hold a special place in my heart due to the ridiculous number of times I played them through my Jr high and high school years. Are they redundant? Yes. Are they predictable? Yes. Was Bach writing music that was already 20 years behind his own time? Yes. Was he writing music that will go down in history as some of the best ever put to bar staffs? Without a doubt.

Day 29

Today I listened to some wonderful pieces that I wouldn't had even thought to listen to, if it wasn't for my amazing bride to be.

Side One

Pieces: Pavane pour une Infante defunte; Ma Mere l'Oye (Mother Goose)

Composer: Maurice Ravel

Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Boston Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Fritz Reiner; Charles Munch

Record Date: None given

Side Two

Pieces: Sonatine

1. Modere

2. Mouvement de Menuet

3. Anime

Gaspard de la nuit

1. Ondine

2. Le Gibet

3. Scarbo

Composer: Maurice Ravel

Pianist: John Browning

Date Recorded: Not given

In all honesty I have never given much thought to Ravel. His is a name I have heard, and I'm sure I've heard his pieces through the years; but I never put two and two together and figured out how wonderful his compositions are. The first side being two symphonies, are more whimsical than emotional (though I guess whimsical is an emotion, but I'll say it's not) but it is the ideas which amaze; the intelligence behind what seems a simple tune caught this listener off guard. Whereas Beethoven will use strings to lay the tonal foundations of his masterpieces Ravel uses harps; this creates a much softer approach while allowing for the odd passing chord to be subtly placed. The second side, with its two piano pieces are even more impressive. Now with only one instrument at his command, Ravel creates melodies within melodies, while bending the tonal structure just enough to catch the listener's ear, but not enough to make a statement. All in all, I was impressed; if not for the emotional fortitude that Ravel showed, but rather for the intellectual discussion he brought forth in the forms of songs for children.

Day 28

Sorry, I've missed the last two days mainly due to school, work and the need to travel down-state for wedding planning and for an Ikea run (I now have a bookcase to hold my "new" collection).

Speaking of my new collection, while unpacking the boxes I have run across many (and I do mean many) composers I have never heard of, not to mention plenty of albums that are written completely in French or German. So it seemed fitting to me to find an album that is a complete mystery; and I did. With the entire jacket written in Russian script, I would have been at a complete loss except for what seemed to be two names in latin script. After some googling and such, I now know who the composer was, and after a listening am glad I took the time to listen.

Side one:

Piece: ???? (Something in Russian, maybe Symphony No. 1)

Composer: Kara Karayev (as written on the jacket, name may change)

Performers: ?????

Conductor: ?????

Date Recorded: ????

Side two:

Piece: ????

Composer: Kara Karayev (as written on the jacket, name may change)

Performers: ?????

Conductor: ?????

Date Recorded: ???

This was one of the reasons I started this project. A composer, completely unknown to me, being played by an orchestra also unknown to me, and it was good. I mean, really good. I'm not going to lie and say that it wasn't automatically recognizable as 20th Century Soviet classical music, but I'm not one to label all things Soviet as evil. If you want an idea of what this guy sounds like, go watch Star Wars, since I feel that John Williams may be a fan.

Day 27

Today I finish the Rachmaninoff choral mass, which is good, since I spent my time listening to it reading a chapter on interactions within causal epidemiology theory. It was kind of like reading Joyce, you know what the individual words mean, you just don't know what they mean in that order.

Side One
Piece: The Vigil (Vesper Mass), Op. 37
1. Gloria
2. Resurrection hymn
3. Resurrection hymn
4. Hymn to the Mother of God
Composer: Serge Rachmaninoff
Performers: Bruckner-Mahler Choir of London
Conductor: Wyn Morris
Record Date: None Given, pressing date 1975

Side Two
Piece: Four Motets
1. I see Thy bridal chamber adorned
2. The Lord is God, and hath appeared unto us
3. It is very meet to bless Thee
4. Thou only art immortal
Compser: Alexander Dmitrievich Kastalsky
Performers: Bruckner-Mahler Choir of London
Conductor: Wyn Morris
Record Date: None Given, pressing date 1975

Say what you will about the Roman Catholic Church, but thier mass has inspired some amazing work. Though I wonder, since both these composers are Russian and would more likely be Orthedox. I guess it doesn't make much sense, beauty is beauty, unless it's in the eye of the beholder.

Day 26

Needed something soothing, so I went with a choral mass. Quick bit of advice, if you ever need something soothing, a choral mass is right up there with three fingers of 15 year old scotch and a dash of water.

Side One
Piece: The Virgil (Vesper Mass), Op. 37
1.Venite adoremus
2. Psalm 104
3. Psalm 1-2-3
4. Hymn
5. Nunc dimittis
6. Ave Maria
Composer: Serge Rachmaninoff
Performers: Bruckner-Mahler Choir of London
Conductor: Wyn Morris
Record Date: None Given, pressing date 1975

Side Two
Piece: The Virgil (Vesper Mass), Op. 37
1. Gloria
2. Psalm 136-137
3. Resurrection hymn
4. Praise of Resurrection
5. Magnificat
Composer: Serge Rachmaninoff
Performers: Bruckner-Mahler Choir of London
Conductor: Wyn Morris
Record Date: None Given, pressing date 1975

Amazing, simply amazing.

Day 25

So I'm back from PA, where I returned with 16 boxes of records. Seriously, this was a lot more than I was expecting, and a lot more than I have room for in my apartment; but I will make do.

Side one

Pieces: Prelude a "L'Apres-midi d'un faune"

Images pour orchestre - Nos. 1 and 3

1. Gigues,

2.Rodes de printemps

Composer: Claude Debussy

Performers: Boston Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Charles Munch

Record Date: Non-given

Side two

Pieces: "La Mer"

1. De l'aube a midi sur la mer

2. Jeux de vagues

3. Dialogue du vent et de la mer

Composer: Claude Debussy

Performers: Philadelphia Orchestra

Conductor: Eugene Ormandy

Record Date: Non-given

In all honesty I really wasn't planning on listening to Debussy, I had Schubert's Ave Maria stuck in my head for most of the day and really wanted to listen to that; but after the first couple of Schubert records came up bust I decided on Debussy for his Prelude of a Faun. Why would I choose this piece as a substitute? because I needed something imaginative and ethereal, and if you have heard the Prelude, you know that this piece is exactly that.

While the pieces didn't quite fit what I was craving, they came close and in the end shocked me. After weeks of Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner listening to a piece by Debussy is like a slap in the face with a metaphorical glove. Which is to say that you are not slapped in the face, only feel as though you have been, but still aren't sure if you have or haven't. We're talking close to a hundred years of musical evolution (at least from Beethoven to Debussy) and a switch to something just more French. While I won't say that I was struck by every theme which always seemed to vanish, but I will say that the going from the tonal equivalent of Renoir to Monet without any buildup was...refreshing.

Day 24

Today is going to be quick and dirty, as I have to run and meet up with the parents in PA. This is a good thing, as today I listened to the final classical record in the small collection that I have right now. Come Monday I will have 12 more boxes of classical albums to listen to; which means if you're a sadist (and really who isn't?) you'll have weeks upon months upon years more of my blog to enjoy.

Side One

Piece: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67

1. Allegro con brio

2. Andante con moto

Composer: Beethoven

Orchestra: Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Willem Van Otterloo

Record Date: Unknown, pressing date 1977 or 1978

Side Two

Piece: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op 67

1. Scherzo (Allegro)

2. Finale (Allegro)

Egmont - Overture, Op. 84

Composer: Beethoven

Orchestra: Sydney Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Willem Van Otterloo

Record Date: Unknown, pressing date 1977 or 1978

Quick bit of advice to all you potential audiophiles out there, clean your records! I was about to throw out this album because it sounded awful only to discover my needle was dirty, a quick clean makes all the difference.

'Till Monday.