jmc's classics
Christ has Risen!-Truly He has risen!
It is the season after Easter! memorial Days is at the end of next month. On Memorial Day the SLSO has one of their biggest money makers the Gypsy Caravan. Vendors come in and sell their wares a lot of antiques. I have helped out the Sunday before. I get to see a lot of eccentric people
0 Comments
I volunteered at the Coffee Concert on April 7. They played Darius Milhaud's Creation of the World, Leonard Bernstein's Three Dances from Fancy Free and two pieces by George Gershwin. His Rhapsody in Blue, and his concerto(for piano) in F.
I have discussed Bernstein before. I am not familiar with Milhaud. he was a Frenchman of Jewish extraction he lived form 1892-1974. He like Gershwin and Bernstein were fascinated and influenced by American Jazz. The Creation of the world lasts about 15 minutes. When I had first heard of this piece I thought that it would have some kind of choral music associated with it but I was wrong. It is actually a bellet based on African themes! George Gershwin (1898-1937) Like Bernstein and Milhaud was of Jewish heritage. The above pieces are his most known along with his opera Porgy and Bess. This is the first American Opera to be performed at La Scala in Milan. La Scala is one of the most famous opera houses in the world. Porgy and Bess is one of the first if not first operas or musicals to have an all black cast. It is known for the song "summertime" which has been on the top 40 charts. All of the above pieces have Jazz influence in them. I have never seen the opera Porgy and Bess. in Person. The Rhapsody in Blue and the Concerto in F is one of the first CDs that I purchased in 1994. I don't know if it is still available. It is Seijo Ozawa and the San Francisco Symphony and Kurt Masur with the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzinbg. It also contained An American in paris. I have had problems with my inner net connection off and on the past two weeks. I am back up. It was frustrating with Charter.
During Lent St. John's and St. Matthew's Passions are common. There are a lot of good choral pieces around Easter and the Lenten season. When we think of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff we do not think that much of choral or religion music. I am Greek Orthodox and The above two were Russian Orthodox the same religion and tradition. Rachmaninoff wrote a setting of the Vespers (Opus #37) and the Devine Liturgy (Opus #31). So did Tchaikovsky (Opuses # 52 and 41). The works of the Rachmaninoff are more popular. Beethoven, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Saint- Saens and Vaughan-Williams also wrote a fair amount of choral music of both secular and a religious nature There are a lot of contemporary composers of choral music such as John Rutter and Morton Lauridsen. Rutter is English and Lauridsen is American. Their works are common during the Christmas season. some of Mahler's music is written for chorus. His Second, Third, Fourth and Eighth Symphonies have parts for chorus and soloists in them. I am not in to Mahler's music. Much of it is depressing. He wrote several song cycles which are interesting. I have looked up Morton Lauridsen on You Tube. I have found a good video of one of his songs "This Shining Night" mortenlauridsen.net. Check it out! Mendelssohn wrote a large number of choral music including three oratorios, the Christmas carol "Hark the Harold" and the Second Symphony "Lobesgang" which has a choral section of Protestant hymns. The Episcopal church in the United States which is the American branch or the Anglican Church (Church of England) has had a long rich tradition of choral music. So have most Lutheran branches in America. The Episcopal Church has been loosing members at an alarming rate. I don't know what will happen with this trend. I hope that they keep their tradition of choral music. Many of their cathedrals and major churches have had choirs and good singing traditions. |
Archives
November 2023
Categories |