jmc's classics
among the lesser known Christmas music is Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) which is actually a series of six contatas about the nativity of Christ. Camille Saint Seans also wrote a Christmas Ortatorio (Opus#12) Which I heard live a few years ago at a Christmas Concert. There are a few records available of this work. I have a copy of Bach's work it is on the Naxos label with the Hungarian Radi Choir. This is a good recording. Naxos is a budget label and uses lesser known orchestras and soloists. many of whom come from the former Soviet Block where copy right laws were different.
I don't know much about Saint Sean's work there are several versions available of this work. Saint Seans was Catholic and he was an organist at the Church of La Madeline (St. Mary Magdaline) in Paris France. This is a famous church in Paris. St. Mary Magdalene is one of the patron saints of France. Legend has it that she had preached in what is now France. This work was written in 1858 for soloists, choir, organ and orchestra. Also it would not be Christmas with out hearing Handel's Messiah, Tchaikovsky's Nutckracker or What child is This? As I have said there are many awesome areas from the Messiah. Nutcracker was one of the firtst pieces of music I remember. I recall when I was five watching it on TV. "What Child is this? " is taken form Ralph Vaughan-Williams' Green Sleeves. Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) was a British composer who had an interest in British folk melodies. I have a CD of him conducting Bach's St. Matthew passion. it is one of the few versions available in English.
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Conductor James Levine is now in trouble for Sexual harassment. Men are dropping. He looked funny with his afro hair style. He was the music director of the Metropolitan Opera. It is ashamed that he will be remembered for his actions.
The Grammy Nominations are out. The ceremony is January 28. Next tear will be the 60yh anniversary of the Grammys. There are a lot of categories.
In the Classical field two of Handel's works are nominated. Fist in the choral the Messiah is nominated. It is conducted by Andrew Litton with the Toronto Mendelssohn choir. The other is in the Opera category. It is his opera Ottone. It is conducted by George Petrou who I have never heard of. The Operas of Handel, Vivaldi and other Baroque era composers are not popular today. It would take too long to explain why. the Messiah has many other magnificent areas in addition to the Halleluja chorus. Just like Beethoven's Fifth and Ninth Symphonies. The rest of these works needs to be heard. In the Orchestra category, Debussy, Mahler and Shostokovich are represented. Debussy, Images for Orchestra conducted by Mihael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Orchestra, Mahler's fifth symphony conducted by Osmo Vanska with the Minnesota orchestra and Shostokovich's fifth symphony conducted by Manfred Hoenek with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. I am not a fan of Mahler. Much of his music sounds depressing. I like Debussy's music. next tear will be the centennial of his death. His most famous work is the Clair De Lune. Hi was involved with The French impressionist music. Demetri Shostokovich (1906-1975) was a soviet composer. His son is the conductor Maxim Shostokovich. the work is coupled with saumel Barber's Adagio for Strings. Barber (1919-1981) was an American composer. the Adagio is his most famous work taken from his string Quartet. It was arranged for orchestra. It was played on the radio at the assassination of President Kennedy, the Death of Franklin Roosevelt and 9-11. I have purchased two new CDs one of them is of Beethoven's First and Second Piano Concertos with Wilhelm Kempff on piano and the Berlin Philharmonic with Ferdinand Leitner. I don't know much about those two individuals It is on the Deutsche Grammophone label. the other is of Richard Strauss' Second Symphony (Opus#13) with his Romance for Cello and Six songs. It is on the Chandos lable with the Royale Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi. Raphael Wallifish plays the Cello in the romance.
I have written about Beethoven's first Piano concerto before. Both Beethoven and Strauss could have volumes written about. Richard Strauss wrote two early Symphonies early in his career. He is not known for these two works. He also wrote Symphony Domestica (Opus #530 and his more famous Alpine Symphony (Opus#64) which I have also written about. both of his early symphonies along with his Violin concerto need to be listened to and need to be heard by any classical music enthusiast. He wrote a First Symphony in F which I do not know much about either. Richard Strauss (1864-1949) was born in the Romantic era and died in the early years of TV. He remained mainly romantic. his best known work is Thus Spoke Zarathustra which was used in the Movie 2001 a Space odyssey which I have not seen. I am not in to science fiction. Richard Strauss is known primarily for his tone poems and his operas. He wrote concerti, chamber music and songs and other genres of music. The Second symphony has influence from Beethoven's middle period. Some of this symphony is influenced by Beethoven's Third and Seventh Symphonies. A version of this work has been written for piano duel. I am not in to that form of music. Richard Strauss did conduct this work with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra in 1935 but any recordings of it are lost. He was also a good conductor and conducted many of his own works. It dates from 1885. His other symphony dates from 1880 when he was only 16! He had completed it after he completed his musical studies. As I had mentioned earlier, his father was also a composer and a French horn player. In fact the senior Strauss was involved in the premier of this work. There are very few recordings of this work. I have only seen one or two on Arkiv Music. There may be some others that are out of print. I also like his Violin concerto which there are also very few works available. I especially like the second movement of the Violin Concerto. I have seen recordings of both works on YouTube. I think that both woks need to be re-examined and performed more. So does the Violin concerto. Most Richard Strauss fans or anybody else will not be disappointed! |
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