jmc's classics
I usually watch jeopardy. They have some interesting categories including some that have to do with classical music.
0 Comments
Another conductor has been in trouble with sexual allegations made against him. Charles Dutoit the longtime conductor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra.
He is Swiss. He is married to French Canadian violinist Chantel Juillet with whom he has made various recordings. He had been married to previously Canadian economist Marie-Josee Drouin and Argentine pianist Martha Argerich. He currently resides in California. He has never been associated with any American orchestras and none of the allegations took place in America. As with Levine, it is a shame that they will now both be remembered for sexual allegations. I do not know if they are true or not. I do not consider this as behavior becoming of a gentlemen. I was listening to Bill McLaughlin's Exploring the Music today. he mad some interesting insights. He was saying that you can't tell what the composer is saying in the music. In the Soviet Union, Poets and writers were sent to the gulags while poets were not.one of the things about
Classical Music excluding Opera or songs is that you try to figure out what the composer is saying in that piece of music. The composer is usually trying to tell a story in a piece of music or sometimes express an idea. Tomne pomes and symphonies like Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique and Harold in Italy and Lalo's symphonie Espagnol are trying to tell stories or express a poem or play. During the Soviet era and in Nazi Germany many writers and other people who did not agree with the government were imprisoned for disagreeing with the state. Many famous writers and musicians left Nazi Germany because of that situation. Many also defected form the Communist countries because of that same situation. I was at the annual Christmas party for the St. Luis Symphony Orchestra volunteer association this evening. It is Still Christmas Season until January sixth or Epiphany Day. The Principal oboest Jelenia Dirks spoke. She said that Oboes have a very short shelf life. The reeds only last for a short time. The reed is a wooden part fo the mouth piece on a woodwind instrument that vibrates and makes the sound.
The oboe is part of the woodwind family of instruments which includes the flute, bassoon, clarinet and English Horn. another branch of the woodwind family is the saxophones. the saxophone is not usuallu associated with classical music. It is usually associated with jazz and big band. Debussy wrote a rhapsody for Saxophone and Piano. The woodwind family is a part of classical music. The reed on an instrument makes the sound. There pieces for wind ensemble. The reed makes the noise. There are a lot of Oboe Concertos and chamber pieces for oboe. Mozart, Vaughan-Williams and Richard Strauss all wrote concertos for the Oboe. J. S. Bach wrote several oboe concertos ass well as the Brandenberg Concertoes which use oboe and a concerto for Violin and Oboe. Franz Krommer (1759-1831) wrote concertos for oboe as well as the clarinet. He was of Czech origin and was considered to be a rival to Beethoven. Today he is almost forgotten. The Ovoe is also associated with marching bands, jazz anad big Bands. Big band and swing were popular in the 30's and 40's. Some big bands even played classical music! Happy 2018! Christ is born!-Glorify Him!
It is still Christmas Season until January 6 Epiphany Day. The Coptic from Egypt and certain Eastern Orthodox groups observe Christmas on January 7 because they use the Julian Calendar which is 13 days late. I am glad that the music channel on cable still plays Christmas music in to January when most radio stations turn it off at Midnight on December 25 |
Archives
April 2024
Categories |