Name: John Ireland - Phantasie Trio in A minor (1906) @musicanth
Uploaded: 2026-09-25T08:17:00-05:00
Duration: 8 min 17 s
Description: John Ireland - Phantasie Trio in A minor (1906)

John Ireland - Phantasie Trio in A minor (1906)

musicanth 2026-09-25 | John Ireland - Phantasie Trio in A minor (1906)

Enescu — Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor, Op. 30 (1943–44)

musicanth 2017-08-10 | Piano Quartet No. 2 in D minor, Op. 30

00:00 — I. Allegro moderato
10:23 — II. Andante pensieroso ed espressivo
18:18 — III. Con moto moderato

Violin: Grigori Zhislin
Viola: Paul Biss
Cello: Philippe Muller
Piano: Christian Ivaldi

This is the second piano quartet by Romanian composer George Enescu (1881–1955), sometimes known as Georges Enesco. Enescu was a violin and piano prodigy, who became the youngest person ever admitted to the Vienna Conservatory at the age of seven. He even gave a private recital for Austrian Emperor Franz Josef at the age of 10. He matured and developed a distinctive compositional style incorporating the melodic idiom of Romanian folk music. He also absorbed the influence of Asian music, collaborating with choreographer Uday Shankar and studying Indonesian gamelan music with the young Yehudi Menuhin at the Paris Colonial Exhibition of 1931.

Enescu composed his second piano quartet during the Second World War, and he dedicated it to the memory of his early mentor, Gabriel Fauré. It was premiered by the Albeneri Trio with violist Milton Katims at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, in 1947. It adheres to a cyclic structure, with characteristic motivic passages recurring throughout all movements in various guises.

Honegger — Symphony No. 3 Symphonie Liturgique (1945–46)

musicanth 2017-08-08 | Symphony No. 3 "Symphonie Liturgique"

0:00 — I. Dies irae
7:31 — II. De profundis clamavi
19:21 — III. Dona nobis pacem

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Conductor: Mariss Jansons

This is the third symphony of Swiss composer Arthur Honegger (1892–1955), a member of the Paris-based group Les Six. The work was composed in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second World War, and it takes as its theme the liturgy of the Requiem Mass, or the Mass for the Dead. Each movement is titled for a portion of the text: "Dies irae" ("Day of Wrath"); "De profundis clamavi" ("I called out from the depths"), from Psalm 130; and "Dona nobis pacem" ("Grant us peace"). A recurring melody in this symphony is the robin song from Honegger's earlier oratorio "Joan of Arc at the Stake." The work was commissioned by the Pro Helvetia public foundation and premiered by Charles Munch in Zürich in 1946.

Karl Richter plays Bach — Partita diverse sopra O Gott, du frommer Gott, BWV 767

musicanth 2017-08-05 | Partita diverse sopra "O Gott, du frommer Gott" ("O God, thou O righteous God") for organ, BWV 767

In this video, the German organist, conductor, and choirmaster Karl Richter (1926–1981) plays an early chorale partita (a set of organ variations on a traditional chorale) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). The work is believed to date to the period 1701–1705, when Bach was in his late teens. After introducing the theme, it builds steadily over the course of six variations, reaching a moment of highly expressive and chromatic four-voice polyphony in the seventh, and resolving into a bright presto finale that wraps up the eighth and final variation.

Galuppi — Mass for the Delivery of Slaves (1765)

musicanth 2017-08-02 | Mass for the Delivery of Slaves (1765)

00:05 — Kyrie
07:14 — Gloria
32:00 — Credo

This mass setting was composed by Venetian composer Baldassare Galuppi (1706–1785) for the choir of St. Mark's Basilica in 1765, where he served as "maestro di capella" at the Doge's chapel. To the extent that he is remembered today, it is usually for his comic operas written in collaboration with Carlo Goldoni, or in the English-speaking world, as part of the title of the poem "A Toccata of Galuppi's" by Robert Browning. Clearly he was a composer of prodigious talents, writing music in the galant style of the mid-18th century.

Soloists: Roberta Canzian (soprano), Laura Polverelli (mezzo-soprano)
Lege Artis Chamber Choir
I Solisti Veneti
Conductor: Claudio Scimone

Dvořák — Te Deum, Op. 103 (1892)

musicanth 2017-07-29 | Te Deum, Op. 103, B. 176

00:01 — Te Deum laudamus
06:16 — Tu Rex gloriae, Christe
10:30 — Aeterna fac
13:15 — Dignare Domine

Prague Symphony Orchestra
Prague Philharmonic Choir (directed by Pavel Kuhn)
Soprano: Livia Agova
Bass: Ivan Kusnjer
Conductor: Jiří Bělohlávek

This is a sacred choral and orchestral work by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (1841–1904) based on the Latin hymn "Te Deum laudamus" ("We praise thee, O God"). The work was commissioned by Jeannette Thurber, the founder of the National Conservatory of Music of America, upon Dvořák's acceptance of the position of director of her conservatory. It was meant to be performed in 1892 in honor of the quadricentennial anniversary of the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus. The text was originally supposed to be a poem called "The American Flag" by Joseph Rodman Drake, but because Dvořák did not receive the text on time, he chose the Te Deum praise hymn instead. This work was premiered at Dvořák's first concert in New York City in 1892.

Latin text:

I.

Te Deum laudamus:
te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem
omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli;
et caeli et universae potestates;
Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim
incessabili voce proclamant:
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra
majestatis gloriae tuae.
Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus.

Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus.
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus.
Sanctus Dominus Deus Sabaoth.

Te per orbem terrarum
sancta confitetur Ecclesia,
Patrem immensae majestatis:
Venerandum verum et unicum Filium
Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum.

Te Deum laudamus:
te Dominum confitemur.
Te aeternum Patrem
omnis terra veneratur.

II.

Tu Rex gloriae, Christe.
Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem,
non horruisti Virginis uterum.
Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti
credentibus regna caelorum.

Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni:
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.

Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris.
Judex crederis esse venturus.

Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni,
quos pretioso sanguine redemisti.

III.

Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari.
Salvum fac populum tuum,
Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae.
Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in æternum.
Per singulos dies benedicimus te;
Et laudamus Nomen tuum in sæculum,
in sæculum sæculi.

IV.

Dignare, Domine, die isto
sine peccato nos custodire.

Miserere nostri, Domine.
Fiat misericordia tua,
Domine, super nos,
quemadmodum speravimus in te.

Miserere nostri, Domine.
In te, Domine, speravi:
non confundar in æternum.

Miserere nostri, Domine.
Benedicamus Patrem, et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu.
Alleluja!
Benedicamus Patrem, et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu.
Alleluja!
Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in saecula.
Alleluja!

Brahms — Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)

musicanth 2017-07-26 | Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)

00:00 – I. Allegro con brio
11:52 – II. Andante
20:41 – III. Poco allegretto
26:35 – IV. Allegro — Un poco sostenuto

Conductor: Roger Norrington
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra

This is the great third symphony of German composer Johannes Brahms (1833–1897). It was premiered in 1883 by the Vienna Philharmonic under the baton of Hans Richter. The work was received rapturously by the conservative music establishment of Vienna, with Hans Richter declaring it "Brahms' Eroica" and Eduard Hanslick describing it as "artistically the most nearly perfect" work by the composer. The F – A♭– F motif that recurs in this symphony probably originates from the motto "Frei aber froh" ("Free but happy"), which Brahms used in reference to his bachelor lifestyle.

Jazz Piano Legends Play Caravan (Ellington, Tatum, Flanagan, Garner, Monk, Peterson, Petrucciani)

musicanth 2017-07-23 | 0:01 — Original composition by Duke Ellington, performed by the Duke Ellington Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1946
3:54 — Art Tatum (piano), recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in 1956
6:37 — Tommy Flanagan (piano), with George Marz (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums), recorded in 1989
12:57 — Erroll Garner (piano), with Wyatt Ruther (bass) and Fats Heard (drums), recorded in 1953
20:03 — Thelonious Monk (piano), with Oscar Pettiford (bass) and Kenny Clarke (drums), recorded in 1955
26:03 — Oscar Peterson (piano), with Joe Pass (guitar), David Young (bass), and Martin Drew (drums), recorded at the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles in 1986
32:52 — Michel Petrucciani (piano), recorded at the Alte Oper Concert Hall in Frankfurt in 1997

Just what is it about "Caravan" that brings out the best in so many musicians? The driving rhythm? The exotic harmonies? The languid melody? The sharp contrasts?

"Caravan" is a 1936 jazz standard composed by Duke Ellington (1899–1974) and Juan Tizol (1900–1984), a trombonist in Ellington's band. We first hear a rendition by the Duke Ellington Orchestra live in Carnegie Hall, before moving on to six distinctive takes on the standard by the following jazz piano legends: Art Tatum (1909–1956); Tommy Flanagan (1930–2001); Erroll Garner (1923–1977); Thelonious Monk (1917–1982); Oscar Peterson (1925–2007); and Michel Petrucciani (1962–1999).

Five Jazz Piano Giants Play “The Way You Look Tonight” (Garner, Brubeck, Peterson, Jamal, Tatum)

musicanth 2017-07-20 | 0:00 – Orchestral rendition of the original tune by the National Philharmonic Orchestra, with John McGlinn (conductor)
2:27 – Erroll Garner (piano), with John Simmons (bass) and Shadow Wilson (drums)
6:19 – Dave Brubeck (piano), with Paul Desmond (alto sax), Ron Crotty (bass), and Lloyd Davis (drums)
14:07 – Oscar Peterson (piano), with Ray Brown (bass) and Herb Ellis (guitar)
18:48 – Ahmad Jamal (piano), with James Cammack (bass) and Idris Muhammad (drums)
22:10 – Art Tatum (piano)

The song “The Way You Look Tonight” by Jerome Kern (1885–1945) is originally from the 1936 film “Swing Time,” where it was first sung by Fred Astaire, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song. It later became a jazz instrumental standard, and it was popularized in a particularly well-known rendition by Frank Sinatra. In this video, we hear five renowned jazz pianists of the last century give their personal, idiosyncratic takes on the tune.

First is Erroll Garner (1923–1977), a brilliant, self-taught master of the piano from Pittsburgh, who never learned to read music. He developed a distinctive lyrical style based around repeated octaves with grace notes, subtle, expressive right-hand rubato, and intricate cross rhythms. He composed the famous ballad “Misty,” which was featured in the 1971 Clint Eastwood thriller “Play Misty for Me.”

Next comes Dave Brubeck (1920–2012) and his quartet, including saxophonist Paul Desmond (1924–1977). Brubeck, an exponent of cool jazz, is of course best known for the ubiquitous “Take Five” and other compositions involving experimentation with unusual time signatures and polyrhythms. His solo in this recording of “The Way You Look Tonight” is no exception. Brubeck studied for some time under the French composer Darius Milhaud after serving in the US Army in World War II.

We also hear a rendition by the celebrated Canadian jazz pianist Oscar Peterson (1925–2007) and his trio. As a child, Peterson received classical training from a Hungarian teacher who had studied under a Franz Liszt pupil. He was deeply influenced by Art Tatum, whom we also hear at the end of this video. Peterson incorporated classical pianistic techniques and late Romantic harmonization into his jazz idiom. He achieved great success during the 1950s in a trio with bassist Ray Brown and guitarist Herb Ellis. In addition to eight Grammys, Peterson received a plethora of accolades from his native country, where he is revered, including the Order of Canada.

Ahmad Jamal (born 1930) is next, giving a more contemporary modal jazz style rendition of the standard. In his youth in his native Pittsburgh, Jamal absorbed the influence of Earl Hines, Billy Strayhorn, and Erroll Garner, beginning to perform professionally at the age of 14. He developed a more restrained, poised pianistic style, focusing on rich harmonization. His six-decade career is by no means over, as he continues to perform and record into his late 80s.

Finally, the king himself: Art Tatum (1909–1956). Born in Toledo, Ohio, Tatum lost most of his vision due to cataracts in his childhood. He picked up the piano early on, mimicking piano roll recordings and developing a brilliant, rapid playing style. He received some classical training from a local teacher, whom he quickly surpassed, and he gained national attention after being promoted by Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington. Tatum’s legendary recordings of “Tiger Rag” and “Tea for Two” rank among the greatest, most virtuosic jazz recordings ever made. His free-flowing, intricate improvisations astonished Vladimir Horowitz, among others, and inspired generations of jazz musicians.

Dizzy Gillespie – A Night in Tunisia (from Jivin in Be-Bop, 1946)

musicanth 2017-07-18 | American jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993) leads a performance of his composition "A Night in Tunisia" in this excerpt from the 1946 concert film "Jivin' in Be-Bop," featuring dancers Audrey Armstrong and Phil Harris. Gillespie was a pioneer of the bebop style, which grew out of Kansas City jazz in the early 1940s. At the time of this recording, Gillespie's band included such luminaries as vibraphonist Milt Jackson and bassist Roy Brown.

Stéphane Grappelli plays I Got Rhythm (1984)

musicanth 2017-07-18 | Legendary French jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908–1997) plays the jazz standard "I Got Rhythm" in this 1984 live performance in New Orleans. The tune was originally composed by George Gershwin (1898–1937) for the musical "Girl Crazy" in 1930. Grappelli received classical training at the Paris Conservatoire, but he was inspired to play jazz after hearing Joe Venuti perform with Paul Whiteman's orchestra. Grappelli co-founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt, and he went on to collaborate with such figures as Yehudi Menuhin, Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon, and L. Subramanian.

Glazunov – Overture No. 2 on Greek Themes, Op. 6 (1883)

musicanth 2017-04-18 | Overture No. 2 on Greek Themes, Op. 6 (1883)

The young Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936) dedicated this early piece to his mentor, the eminent Russian composer Mily Balakirev, who conducted its premiere. Having studied Greek and Near Eastern folk melodies, Glazunov transformed them into the nationalistic, somewhat exoticized musical language of the Russian Mighty Handful, of which Balakirev was a prominent member. Like his composition teacher Nikolai RImsky-Korsakov, Glazunov demonstrates a natural mastery of orchestral textures and vibrant colors in this concert overture.

Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov
USSR State Symphony Orchestra

Glazunov – Overture No. 1 on Three Greek Themes, Op. 3

musicanth 2017-02-01 | Alexander Glazunov (1865–1936)
Overture No. 1 in G minor on Three Greek Themes, Op. 3 (1882)

USSR State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov

This is an early orchestral work by Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and protégé of Mitrofan Belyayev, who later became director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Composed by Glazunov when he was a 16-year-old prodigy, this piece takes as its source material a collection of melodies from Greece and the Middle East published by the French composer and scholar Louis-Albert Bourgault-Ducoudray, who is also its dedicatee. The overture was premiered under the baton of the famous pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein.

Anton Arensky — Overture to Raphael, Op. 37

musicanth 2017-01-25 | Anton Arensky (1861–1906)
Overture to Raphael, Op. 37 (1894)

USSR State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov

This is the overture to the one-act opera "Raphael: Musical Scenes from the Renaissance" by Russian composer Anton Arensky, a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and disciple of Tchaikovsky. The subject matter of the opera is the great painter Raffaello Sanzio and the apparent conflict between his sublime religious artwork and his all-too-earthly passion for the model Margarita Luti, the subject of the famous semi-nude painting "La Fornarina" ("The Baker"). The painting can be seen here: http://www.wga.hu/art/r/raphael/5roma/5/06forna.jpg

Anton Arensky — Marguerite Gautier: Fantasia for Orchestra, Op. 9

musicanth 2017-01-24 | Anton Arensky (1861–1906)
Marguerite Gautier: Fantasia for Orchestra, Op. 9 (1886)

USSR State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov

This fantasia is an early work by Russian composer Anton Arensky, a student of Rimsky-Korsakov and disciple of Tchaikovsky. It is named for the protagonist of the famous novel La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils, which also forms the basis for Verdi’s opera La traviata. The 25-year-old budding composer sent a score to Tchaikovsky, whose exceptionally high standards and rigid tastes led him to send the following rather scathing letter:

“Dear Anton Stepanovich,—I wrote to you in August that I would pronounce judgment on Marguerite Gautier as soon as I had heard the work and had leisure to study the score. I held it all the more my duty to wait because, although I value your talent very highly, I do not like your Fantasia. It is very easy to praise a man who is highly esteemed. But to say to him: ‘Not beautiful; I do not like it,’ without basing one’s judgment on a full explanation, is very difficult. …

”I must state my opinion briefly. First the choice of subject. It was very painful and mortifying to me, and to all your friends that you had chosen La Dame aux Camélias as the subject of your Fantasia. How can an educated musician—when there are Homer, Shakespeare, Gogol, Pushkin, Dante, Tolstoy, Lermontov, and others—feel any interest in the production of Dumas fils, which has for its theme the history of a demi-mondaine adventuress which, even if written with French cleverness, is in truth false, sentimental, and vulgar? Such a choice might be intelligible in Verdi, who employed subjects which could excite people’s nerves at a period of artistic decadence; but it is quite incomprehensible in a young and gifted Russian musician, who has enjoyed a good education, and is, moreover, a pupil of Rimsky-Korsakov and a friend of S. Taneyev.

“Now for the music: (1) The Orgies.—If we are to realise in these orgies a supper after a ball at the house of a light woman, in which a crowd of people participate, eat mayonnaise with truffles, and afterwards dance the cancan, the music is not wanting in realism, fire, and brilliancy. It is, moreover, saturated with Liszt, as is the whole Fantasia. Its beauty—if one looks at it closely—is purely on the surface; there are no enthralling passages. Such beauty is not true beauty, but only a forced imitation, which is rather a fault than a merit. We find this superficial beauty in Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini, Mendelssohn, Massenet, Liszt, and others. But they were also masters in their own way, though their chief characteristic was not the Ideal, after which we ought to strive. For neither Beethoven, nor Bach (who is wearisome, but still a genius), nor Glinka, nor Mozart, ever strove after this surface beauty, but rather the Ideal, often veiled under a form which at first sight is unattractive.

“(2) Pastorale in Bougival.—Oh God! If you could only understand how unpoetical and unpastoral this Bougival is, with its boats, its inns, and its cancans! This movement is as good as most conventional pastoral ballets that are composed by musicians of some talent.

“(3) The Love Melody: [E, D sharp, D natural, F double sharp, G sharp, C sharp] is altogether beautiful. It reminds me of Liszt. Not of any particular melody, but it is in his style, after the manner of his semi-Italian melodies, which are wanting in the plasticity and simplicity of the true Italian folk airs. Moreover, the continuation of your theme: [C sharp, D sharp, A, G, F sharp, E] is not only beautiful, but wonderful; it captivates both the ear and the heart.

“No one can ever reproach you with regard to the technical part of your work, which deserves unqualified praise.”

—P. I. Tchaikovsky, Maidanovo, April 2nd, 1887

Mozart - Masonic Funeral Music (Maurerische Trauermusik), K. 477 (1785)

musicanth 2013-07-08 | Masonic Funeral Music in C minor (Maurerische Trauermusik c-moll), K. 477 (1785)

An orchestral piece composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) for the funeral service of two of his Viennese Freemason brethren, Duke Georg August of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and Count Franz Esterházy von Galántha.

Conductor: Martin Haselböck
Wiener Akademie

Mozart - Divertimento in D major, K. 136 (1772)

musicanth 2013-07-07 | Divertimento No. 1 in D major, K. 136 (K. 125a), "Salzburg Symphony No. 1" (1772)

1. Allegro [0:00]
2. Andante [5:34]
3. Presto [10:44]

A well-known and high-spirited composition for string quartet or string orchestra by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).

Conductor: Florian Heyerick
Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim

Massenet - Le dernier sommeil de la vierge (1880)

musicanth 2013-07-06 | Le dernier sommeil de la vierge [The Final Sleep of the Virgin] (1880)

An orchestral excerpt from the fourth scene of the sacred oratorio "La Vierge" by French composer Jules Massenet (1842-1912). The oratorio is based on the biblical story of the Virgin Mary, and this particular scene depicts the Assumption.

Cello: Blair Lofgren
Conductor: Yoav Talmi
Orchestre symphonique de Québec

Constant Lambert - Concerto for piano and nine instruments (1931)

musicanth 2013-07-05 | Concerto for piano and nine instruments (1931)

1. Ouvertüre (Allegro - Cadenza - Andante espressivo - Coda) [0:00]
2. Intermède (Andante recitando - Allegro scherzando - Andante tranquillo - Allegretto non troppo) [8:15]
3. Finale (Lugubre - Lento) [17:52]

A work by British composer and conductor Constant Lambert (1901-1950) bearing the influence of jazz and blues music and French neoclassicism. A child prodigy who began composing orchestral music at age 13, Lambert was taught by such figures as Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Dyson, Malcolm Sargent and Herbert Fryer. His breakthrough came at age 20 with a commission from Serge Diaghilev for the Ballet Russes, a ballet based on Romeo and Juliet. This piano concerto was completed in 1931.

Pianist: Alessandro De Curtis
Conductor: Giuseppe Grazioli
Harmonia Ensemble

Leonard Bernstein - Piano Trio (1937)

musicanth 2013-06-15 | Piano Trio (1937)

1. Adagio non troppo - Allegro vivace - Largamente [0:00]
2. Tempo di marcia [7:45]
3. Largo - Allegro vivo e molto ritmico [11:20]

An early work for piano, violin and cello by American composer, conductor and pianist Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), composed while he was a 19-year-old undergraduate student at Harvard University. It was not published until four decades later in 1979. The music is written in a playful, acerbic and sometimes dissonant but firmly tonal idiom, with elements of neoclassicism and the influence of folk music.

The Australian Piano Trio
Violin: Donald Hazelwood
Cello: Susan Blake
Piano: Michael Brimer

Paul de Schlözer - Étude in A flat, Op. 1, No. 2

musicanth 2013-05-15 | Pianist Raphael Levsky warms up with a quick run-through of the notoriously difficult Étude in A flat major, Op. 1/2, by Paul de Schlözer (1841 or 1842-1898). This is one of only two pieces published by Schlözer, and some controversy exists as to the true identity of the composer. According to a possibly apocryphal story, he might have won the two études (Op. 1) from Moritz Moszkowski in a card game.

Apologies for the poor sound quality and muddy acoustics.

Reinhold Glière - Romance for violin and piano in D, Op. 3 (1902)

musicanth 2012-06-25 | Romance for violin and piano in D, Op. 3 (1902)

An early piece by Russian composer Reinhold Glière (1875-1956), dedicated to Lia Ljuboschiz.

Violin: Alexander Sitkovetsky
Piano: Olga Sitkovetsky

Reinhold Glière - Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra in F minor, Op. 82 (1943)

musicanth 2012-06-24 | Concerto for coloratura soprano and orchestra in F minor, Op. 82 (1943)

I. Andante [0:07]
II. Allegro [8:23]

A concerto for wordless coloratura soprano and orchestra by Russian composer Reinhold Glière (1875-1956).

Soprano: Erna Berger
Conductor: Sergiu Celibidache
Berlin Philharmonic

Wieniawski - Polonaise de concert No. 1 in D major, Op. 4 (1852)

musicanth 2012-06-07 | Polonaise de concert No. 1 in D major, Op. 4 (1852)

A showpiece for solo violin and orchestra by Polish composer and virtuoso violinist Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880), performed here by Aaron Rosand, accompanied by conductor Louis de Froment and the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra of Radio-Télé Luxembourg.

Tomás Bretón - En la Alhambra (1888)

musicanth 2012-06-02 | En la Alhambra (1888)

An orchestral serenade by Spanish composer and conductor Tomás Bretón (1850-1923), who directed the Madrid Conservatory and conducted the concerts of the Sociedad de Conciertos de Madrid in the late 19th century. This work was inspired by a visit of the Sociedad de Madrid to religious festivities in Granada, which is the site of the famous Moorish palace complex, the Alhambra.

Conductor: Miguel Roa
Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid

Siegfried Wagner - Prelude: Das Fluchlein, das jeder mitbekam, Op. 18 (1929-30)

musicanth 2012-05-29 | Prelude: Das Fluchlein, das jeder mitbekam [The Little Curse that Everyone Experiences], Op. 18 (1929-30)

An operatic overture by German composer and conductor Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930), the son of Richard Wagner. This unorthodox opera was Siegfried Wagner's last major work. Set in the 1920s, it treated a number of controversial topics such as unemployment and the rise of fascism in Europe. It contained a rather unsavory character called "Wolf", which was the Wagner family's nickname for Adolf Hitler. Overall, in this opera Siegfried Wagner portrayed fascism in a very unflattering light, and for this reason, the Wagner family immediately suppressed its performance and publication. The ban lasted until 1984, when Das Fluchlein received its first performance.

Conductor: Werner Andreas Albert
Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra

Siegfried Wagner - Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär! (1922)

musicanth 2012-05-29 | Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär! [And if the world were full of devils!] (1922)

A light-hearted orchestral scherzo by German composer and conductor Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930). In this piece, his musical language belongs more to the sound world of his teacher Engelbert Humperdinck than to that of his father, Richard Wagner; the influence of earlier models such as Heinrich Marschner is also discernible.

Conductor: Werner Andreas Albert
Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra

Frederick Delius - In a Summer Garden, arranged for piano by Peter Warlock (1921)

musicanth 2012-05-24 | In a Summer Garden (1908, rev. 1911) - Piano transcription by Peter Warlock (1921, published 1982)

An orchestral fantasy by English composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934), arranged for solo piano by his admirer and colleague Peter Warlock, a.k.a. Philip Arnold Heseltine (1894-1930). The score contains two literary quotations. The first is a couplet by Dante Gabriel Rossetti:

"All are my blooms; and all sweet blooms of love.
To thee I gave while Spring and Summer sang."

The second is of unknown origin:

"Roses, lilies, and a thousand scented flowers. Bright butterflies, flitting from petal to petal. Beneath the shade of ancient trees, a quiet river with water lilies. In a boat, almost hidden, two people. A thrush is singing in the distance."

Pianist: Charles Abramovic

Frederick Delius - Five Pieces (1922-23)

musicanth 2012-05-23 | Five Pieces (1922-23)

I. Mazurka [0:00]
II. Waltz for a Little Girl [1:09]
III. Waltz [2:25]
IV. Lullaby for a Modern Baby, for violin and piano [3:31]
V. Toccata [6:07]

A set of five pieces - four for solo piano and one for violin and piano - by English composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934).

Piano: Charles Abramovic
Violin: Davyd Booth

Frederick Delius - Three Preludes for Piano (1923)

musicanth 2012-05-23 | Three Preludes (1923)

I. Scherzando [0:00]
II. Quick [1:51]
III. Con moto [2:48]

Three short pieces for piano by English composer Frederick Delius (1862-1934).

Pianist: Charles Abramovic

Debussy - Danse sacrée et danse profane, for harp and strings (1904)

musicanth 2012-05-21 | Danse sacrée et danse profane, L. 103, for harp and strings (1904)

I. Danse sacrée [0:00]
II. Danse profane [5:13]

A piece for harp and string orchestra by French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918). In 1904, the Parisian instrument manufacturing company Pleyel approached Debussy with a commission for a piece to showcase the newly invented chromatic harp, which Pleyel had patented in 1897. Unlike the older pedal harp that was tuned to the notes of the diatonic major scale and had seven foot pedals for chromatic changes, the new harp had no pedals; instead, strings were added for each missing note in the chromatic scale. Accordingly, Debussy composed this set of two contrasting dances for the chromatic harp and string orchestra. The work soon entered the repertory of the conventional harp, and the unwieldy chromatic harp was abandoned.

The commission of the Danses also prompted the rival instrument manufacturer Érard to commission Maurice Ravel for a piece to showcase the capabilities of its double-action pedal harp. That work, the Introduction and Allegro of 1905, can be found on my channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBm1w8J63mg

Harp: Ann Mason Stockton
Conductor: Felix Slatkin
Concert Arts String Ensemble

In memoriam: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 - 18 May 2012)

musicanth 2012-05-18 | "Die alten, bösen Lieder"
from Dichterliebe, Op. 48 by Robert Schumann

English translation of text (by Heinrich Heine):
"The old bad songs, and the angry, bitter dreams, let us now bury them, bring a large coffin. I shall put very much therein, I shall not yet say what: the coffin must be bigger than the 'Tun' at Heidelberg. And bring a bier of stout, thick planks, they must be longer than the Bridge at Mainz. And bring me too twelve giants, who must be mightier than the Saint Christopher in the cathedral at Cologne. They must carry the coffin and throw it in the sea, because a coffin that large needs a large grave to put it in. Do you know why the coffin must be so big and heavy? I will also put my love and my suffering into it."

Baritone: Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau
Piano: Jörg Demus

Ture Rangström - Song of the Sea [Havet sjunger] (1913)

musicanth 2012-05-13 | Song of the Sea [Havet sjunger] (1913)

A symphonic poem (or as the composer called it, a "tone painting") by Ture Rangström (1884-1947), one of the pioneers of modernism in Swedish music. He composed this work during the summer of 1913 in the fishing village Harstena in the Östergötland archipelago.

Conductor: Niklas Willén
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra

Louis Aubert - Offrande (1952)

musicanth 2012-05-13 | Offrande (1952)

A brief orchestral piece in the form of a passacaglia by French composer Louis Aubert (1887-1968), dedicated to the memory of all who died in the Second World War. This work bears the influence of Gabriel Fauré, with whom Aubert had studied composition nearly five decades earlier.

Conductor: Leif Segerstam
Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra

Louis Aubert - Tombeau de Chateaubriand (1948)

musicanth 2012-05-13 | Le tombeau de Chateaubriand (1948)

An orchestral work by French composer Louis Aubert (1887-1968). This piece was composed in honour of the centenary of the death of the famous writer François-René de Chateaubriand, widely considered the founder of Romanticism in French literature. Like his compatriot Chateaubriand, Aubert turned to his homeland of Brittany (Bretagne) for inspiration in this work, using orchestral colour to evoke the majesty of the ocean.

Conductor: Leif Segerstam
Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra

Louis Aubert - Dryade: Tableau symphonique (1924)

musicanth 2012-05-12 | Dryade: Tableau symphonique (1924)

A symphonic poem by French composer Louis Aubert (1887-1968). A child prodigy and piano virtuoso, Aubert studied composition under Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatoire. He shared aesthetic sensibilities with Maurice Ravel, who dedicated his "Valses nobles et sentimentales" to Aubert. Although he achieved early success in the 1910's and 20's, his musical style was of the previous generation and by the mid-20th century, he fell into obscurity.

Aubert's "Dryade" is part of a Symbolist/pagan strain that emerged in Impressionist music in the early 20th century, with compositions such as Debussy's "Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune" and Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloé". It was originally intended to accompany a film by Murphy; the plot is summarized at the top of score:

"A maleficent god has transformed the fauns into trees, where the Dryads are kept prisoner. A young shepherd plays his flute, with notes so sweet and passionate that a cedar opens and lets its captive escape. He runs after her, but the Dryad disappears, recaptured by the enchanted tree. Above the confused sound of the water and of the forest, the voice of the Dryad rises, commanding and alluring. At her call the shepherd leaps from a high promontory to rejoin in eternity the nymph that he loved."

Conductor: Leif Segerstam
Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra

Aarre Merikanto - Two Pieces for Orchestra (1941)

musicanth 2012-05-10 | Two Pieces for Orchestra (1941)

1. Andante cantabile [0:00]
2. Allegro ritmico [6:20]

A set of two brief orchestral pieces by Finnish composer Aarre Merikanto (1893-1958), son of the famous composer Oskar Merikanto.

Conductor: Tuomas Ollila
Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra

Marschner - Overture: Kaiser Adolph von Nassau, Op. 130 (1845)

musicanth 2012-05-06 | Overture: Kaiser Adolph von Nassau, Op. 130 (1845)

An operatic overture by German composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861). The Romantic opera "Kaiser Adolph von Nassau", with a libretto by Heribert Rau, was premiered in Dresden in 1845 with the help of Richard Wagner, although it was not financially successful. The plot concerns the historical King Adolf of Nassau, who ruled Germany from 1292 to 1298. Adolf of Nassau was elected "Rex romanorum" (King of the Romans), but he was never crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope.

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Overture: Lukretia, Op. 67 (1827)

musicanth 2012-05-06 | Overture: Lukretia, Op. 67 (1827)

An overture by German composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861) from the two-act opera "Lukretia", with a libretto by August Eckschlager based on the legend of the rape of Lucretia by Sextus Tarquinius. Sextus was the youngest son of the last Etruscan tyrant of Rome, Tarquinius Superbus (Tarquin the Proud). According to Livy's account in "Ab Urbe Condita", Sextus Tarquinius' rape of the beautiful, virtuous patrician maiden Lucretia and her subsequent suicide sparked the revolt led by Lucius Junius Brutus that ended the Monarchy and led to the establishment of the Roman Republic in 509 BC.

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Overture: Des Falkners Braut, Op. 65 (1830)

musicanth 2012-05-06 | Overture: Des Falkners Braut, Op. 65 (1830)

An operatic overture by German composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861). In 1830, he was appointed conductor at the Hanover Hoftheater; although by this time he was well-known in Hanover and Leipzig, he had not yet made his mark in Berlin. To this end, he composed the comic opera "Des Falkners Braut" (The Falconer's Bride), with a libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück, after Alexander Julius Carl Spindler. Even though the planned Berlin premiere never materialized due to the influence of Spontini in that city, the subsequent Leipzig premiere was very successful, leading the University to award Marschner an honorary doctorate. Three years later, he found success in Berlin as well with the staging of the Romantic opera "Hans Heiling".

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Overture: Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, Op. 56 (1821)

musicanth 2012-05-05 | Overture: Prinz Friedrich von Homburg, Op. 56 (1821)

An orchestral overture by the German Romantic composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861). In 1821, he was commissioned to write incidental music for the last play of Heinrich von Kleist, "Prinz Friedrich von Homburg oder die Schlacht bei Fehrbellin" (Prince Friedrich of Homburg, or the Battle of Fehrbellin). The protagonist and title character is loosely based on the a military commander from the Margraviate of Brandenburg at the Battle of Fehrbellin in 1675 during the Scanian War, which was fought by an alliance of Denmark-Norway, the Dutch Republic, the Holy Roman Empire and the Margraviate of Brandenburg against Sweden and France. The story of the insubordination of Prince Friedrich of Homburg at the Battle of Fehrbellin is derived from a later memoire by King Friedrich II of Prussia (known in English as Frederick the Great). Although he recorded the episode in his "Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de la maison de Brandenbourg", it appears not to be grounded in historical fact. In reality, Prince Friedrich of Homburg was a highly disciplined and effective soldier.

The following summary of Kleist's play is taken from Wikipedia:

"The Prince of Homburg, a young officer of the Great Elector (Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg), is exhausted after a long campaign. Walking in his sleep, he puts on a laurel wreath. Several noblemen notice this, and the Great Elector plays a trick on the Prince, which leads him to declare his love for the Elector's niece, Natalie. He is able to take one of her gloves. After waking from his dream the Prince is puzzled by the glove in his hand. When at the next council of war the plans for the next battle are being discussed, and duties are being handed out, the Prince is thrown into confusion by the appearance of Princess Natalie, who reveals herself as the owner of the glove, and he is distracted to the extent that he fails to take on board his orders, which are not to engage the enemy without a direct order to do so. Contrary to his instructions he attacks the enemy at the Battle of Fehrbellin - and wins.

"The Elector however is concerned above all with discipline. Regardless of the victory, he has the Prince arrested for disobeying an order and tried at a court martial, where the Prince is condemned to death. He fails initially to grasp the seriousness of the situation, and starts to be truly concerned only when he hears that the Elector has signed his death warrant. The reality of his situation only hits home when he is shown the grave that has been dug for him. In the famous and controversial "fear of death scene" (Todesfurchtszene) the Prince begs for his life, prepared to give up all that is dear to him in return. When the Elector hears of the Prince's reaction, he too is confused, possibly astonished, but claims to have the greatest respect for the Prince's feeling. Instead of simply pardoning him, however, he sets a condition: if the Prince can genuinely call his condemnation unjust, he will be pardoned. The question raises the Prince to a state of enlightenment: he conquers his fear of death and is prepared to "glorify" the sentence by a "free death". It remains debatable whether he really considers his sentence justified. Nor does it ever come to light to what extent the Elector may have planned all this to teach him a lesson.

"Meanwhile Natalie, without a legitimate order, has recalled Kottwitz's regiment to obtain support for Homburg's pardon. In the face of the general pressure now put on him, the Elector now listens to his officers. Kottwitz is of the opinion that what counts on the field of battle is victory, and that there is nothing with which to reproach the Prince. Hohenzollern goes further and attributes the guilt to the Elector, as he caused the Prince's confusion and consequent insubordination by the trick he played on him, and therefore bears the responsibility himself. Finally the Elector asks the officers if they are happy to continue to trust themselves to the Prince's leadership - to which all say yes.

"The Prince learns nothing of his pardon, but is led blindfold into the open air, in the belief that he is about to be executed. But there is no bullet: instead, the niece of the Elector crowns him with a laurel wreath. To his question whether this is a dream, Kottwitz replies, "A dream, what else" ("Ein Traum, was sonst"). The Prince faints."

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Grande Ouverture solenne, Op. 78 (1842)

musicanth 2012-05-05 | Grande Ouverture solenne, Op. 78 (1842)

A concert overture by the German Romantic composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), written in honour of the birth of a son to Queen Victoria. Marschner incorporated the English national anthem into the thematic material treated in this overture.

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Overture: Der Bäbu, Op. 98 (1837)

musicanth 2012-05-04 | Overture: Der Bäbu, Op. 98 (1837)

An operatic overture by German composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861). "Der Bäbu" is a comic opera with a libretto by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück that centers around the mischief of the wily title character, who is a slave in the household of Sultan Ali. Set in colonial Calcutta, characters in this opera include Muslims, Hindus and Englishmen. In some respects, "Der Bäbu" resembles Carl Maria von Weber's earlier comic opera "Abu Hassan".

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Marschner - Overture: Der Templer und die Jüdin, Op. 60 (1829)

musicanth 2012-05-04 | Overture: Der Templer und die Jüdin, Op. 60 (1829)

An operatic overture by German composer Heinrich Marschner (1795-1861), who played a crucial role in the development of German Romantic opera; in music historical terms, Marschner is the link between Weber and Wagner. The 1829 three-act opera "Der Templer und die Jüdin" (The Templar and the Jewess) is derived from Walter Scott's famous novel "Ivanhoe". The libretto was written by Wilhelm August Wohlbrück. It became Marschner's most successful opera in his lifetime, although today he is better remembered for "Der Vampyr" and "Hans Heiling" (if he is remembered at all...)

The version of the overture recorded here was edited by Hans Pfitzner in 1912.

Conductor: Alfred Walter
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Košice

Benjamin Britten - Young Apollo, Op. 16 (1939)

musicanth 2012-05-01 | Young Apollo, Op. 16 (1939)

A work for piano, string quartet and orchestra by English composer and pianist Benjamin Britten (1913-1976). It was commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and premiered in 1939 with Britten as solo pianist and Alexander Chuhaldin conducting; Chuhaldin was also the dedicatee of this composition.

Piano: Nikolai Lugansky
Conductor: Kent Nagano
Hallé Orchestra

Schoenberg - Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, Op. 41 (1942)

musicanth 2012-05-01 | Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, Op. 41 (1942)

A melodrama by Austrian composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951), setting a poem by Lord Byron for a reciter, piano and string quartet. Schoenberg, whose Jewish background forced him to emigrate to the United States soon after the election of the Nazis in 1933, saw Napoleon as a forerunner of Hitler. Although this work was composed in 1942, at the height of the Second World War, Schoenberg correctly predicted Hitler's downfall. In 1948, Schoenberg told his biographer, H. H. Stuckenschmidt: "Lord Byron, who had at first admired Napoleon greatly, was so disappointed by his simple resignation [actually his abdication in 1814 at Fontainebleau] that he made him the object of his most bitter scorn. I do not think that I failed to reflect this in my composition."

In this work, Schoenberg makes use of the twelve-tone technique, which he had pioneered decades earlier; the basic tone row is E-F-D flat-C-G sharp-A-B-B flat-D-E flat-G-F sharp. However, there are numerous references to tonal music, including the E flat major chord that concludes Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, which was originally dedicated to Napoleon.

The text of Byron's poem is available here:
http://theotherpages.org/poems/2001/byron0101.html

Reciter: David Wilson-Johnson
Piano: Jeremy Denk
Conductor: Robert Craft
Fred Sherry String Quartet

Zygmunt Stojowski - Le printemps, Op. 7 (1895)

musicanth 2012-04-30 | Le printemps (Spring-time), Op. 7 (1895)

A cantata for mixed choir and orchestra by Polish pianist and composer Zygmunt Stojowski (1870-1946), written in 1895 during his stay in Paris, where he had been studying at the Paris Conservatoire under Léo Delibes. This light-hearted work sets a text derived from an ode by Horace in French translation by Jules Barbier. Stojowski dedicated his youthful cantata to the memory of his teacher Delibes. The same year, it received a notable performance at Buckingham Palace by command of Queen Victoria; Sir Walter Parratt conducted an ensemble of 160 orchestral musicians and choral singers.

A vocal score with text in English translation is available here:
http://urresearch.rochester.edu/handle/1802/5018

Ode: Solvitur Acris Hiems
By Horace [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
English translation by John Conington

The touch of Zephyr and of Spring has loosen'd Winter's thrall;
The well-dried keels are wheel'd again to sea:
The ploughman cares not for his fire, nor cattle for their stall,
And frost no more is whitening all the lea.
Now Cytherea leads the dance, the bright moon overhead;
The Graces and the Nymphs, together knit,
With rhythmic feet the meadow beat, while Vulcan, fiery red,
Heats the Cyclopean forge in Aetna's pit.
'Tis now the time to wreathe the brow with branch of myrtle green,
Or flowers, just opening to the vernal breeze...

Orchestra and Chorus of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, Białystok
Conductor: Marcin Nałęcz-Niesiołowski

Igor Markevitch - Cantique damour (1936)

musicanth 2012-04-29 | Cantique d'amour (1936)

An orchestral work by Ukrainian composer and conductor Igor Markevitch (1912-1983). It was composed in Markevitch's opulent early style which he later rejected in favour of more astringent harmonies and characteristically sharp rhythms.

Conductor: Christopher Lyndon-Gee
Arnhem Philharmonic Orchestra

Mikhail Gnesin - Adygea, Op. 48: Sextet for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, horn and piano

musicanth 2011-12-08 | Adygea, Op. 48 - Sextet for violin, viola, cello, clarinet, horn and piano (1937)

Music for a sextet of strings, winds and piano by Russian Jewish composer Mikhail Gnesin (1883-1957), who was associated with the symbolist and Futurist artistic movements. The son of a prominent rabbi, Jewish folk musical idioms were a source of great inspiration for Gnesin; he was among the original founders of the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music. After this became a dangerous preoccupation under Stalin's oppressive rule, Gnesin turned instead to the traditional music of various other ethnic groups within the Soviet Union. In this case, Adygea is a region of the north Caucasus, which was part of the Cherkess (Circassian) Autonomous Oblast at the time of this work's composition. In 1937, the Cherkess Oblast became part of the district known as Krasnodar Krai.

Moscow Soloist Ensemble
Violin: Edward Iatsoun
Viola: Stanislav Koriakin
Cello: Dimitri Surikov
Clarinet: Alexandre Morogovsky
Horn: Nikita Glagolev
Piano: Basinia Shulman

(The painting is by Lev Lagorio.)

Mikhail Gnesin - Songs of a Knight Errant, Op. 28, for two violins, viola, cello and harp

musicanth 2011-12-08 | Songs of a Knight Errant, Op. 28, for two violins, viola, cello and harp (1929)

A chamber work by Russian Jewish composer Mikhail Gnesin (1883-1957), the son of a rabbi who came from a prominent musical family. His own compositions were influenced by a wide variety of sources - from the traditional forms of his teachers Rimsky-Korsakov and Lyadov to Jewish folk music, Medieval songs and the experiments of the Russian Futurist school of composers.

Moscow Soloist Ensemble
Violin: Edward Iatsoun, Anna Zlozcovskaya
Viola: Stanislav Koriakin
Cello: Dimitri Surikov
Harp: Svetlana Paramonova

(The image is part of the famous woodcut "Knight, Death and the Devil" by Albrecht Dürer.)

Mikhail Gnesin - Requiem, Op. 11, for two violins, viola, cello and piano

musicanth 2011-12-08 | Requiem, Op. 11, for two violins, viola, cello and piano

A work of chamber music by Russian Jewish composer Mikhail Gnesin (1883-1957), who studied composition under Rimsky-Korsakov, Lyadov and Glazunov. He went on to join the Futurist movement and help co-found the Society for Jewish Folk Music. Gnesin's three sisters established the famous Gnesin Musical College in Moscow.

Moscow Soloist Ensemble
Violin: Edward Iatsoun, Anna Zlozcovskaya
Viola: Stanislav Koriakin
Cello: Dimitri Surikov
Piano: Basinia Shulman

(The painting is by Egon Schiele.)