![Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 18, K. 464 [With score] @DamonJHK](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QM4ypK3SZHw/maxresdefault.jpg)
Uploaded September 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
-Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
-Performers: Quatuor Mosaïques
String Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K. 464, written in 1785 [Haydn Quartet V]
00:06 – I. Allegro
10:08 – II. Menuetto
15:53 – III. Andante
28:16 – IV. Allegro non troppo
The penultimate of a group of six quartets composed between 1782 and 1785, the A major String Quartet (for two violins, viola and cello) was entered in Mozart's thematic catalog on January 10, 1785, just four days before the final work, the Quartet in C, K. 465. In a letter to his daughter Nannerl dated February 16th, Leopold, the composer's father, remarks on the "very fine quarters" Mozart now occupies, continuing with an account of the success of his son's latest series of subscription concerts. "On Saturday evening," continues Leopold, "Herr Josef Haydn...came to see us and the new quartets were performed, or rather the three new ones which Wolfgang has added to the other three which we have already. The new ones are somewhat easier, but at the same time excellent compositions. Haydn said to me 'Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.'"
Behind this famous anecdote lies a friendship founded on mutual respect and admiration, on Mozart's part engendered to no small degree by recognition of the unique role played by his older colleague in the development of the string quartet. Haydn's own set of six String Quartets, Op. 33 is widely recognized as inspiring Mozart's interest in the medium. The two had first met shortly after Mozart settled in Vienna in 1781, the same year Op. 33 first appeared in print. Mozart doubtless had early practical experience of playing the older man's influential works with their composer -- the two composers are known to have played quartets together. It is, therefore, not surprising that when Mozart came to have his six quartets published in Vienna by Artaria later in 1785 they bore a famous dedication entrusting them to the protection of his "dear friend Haydn."
The dedication also makes reference to the "long and laborious endeavor" the quartets had cost Mozart, a highly significant admission from one of the most fluently equipped of all composers. Despite Leopold's suggestion that the last three quartets (K. 458, K. 464, and K. 465) are "somewhat easier," the signs are that K. 464 caused Mozart more trouble than any of the other quartets. The autograph manuscript shows that the construction of the Andante's set of variations underwent changes, and there are also uncharacteristic alterations in the Minuet. A fragmentary Rondo (K. Anh. 72) is probably a discarded initial attempt at the final movement. There is, needless to say, scant evidence of these problems in the finished result, Beethoven's favorite among the "Haydn" set. The opening Allegro is a sonata-form movement of both grace and power, while the variations that form the Andante are richly varied. Both the Minuet and final Allegro non troppo are notable for their economy of thematic material, a trait characteristic of both Haydn and Beethoven.
[allmusic.om]
-Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
-Performers: Quatuor Mosaïques
String Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K. 464, written in 1785 [Haydn Quartet V]
00:06 – I. Allegro
10:08 – II. Menuetto
15:53 – III. Andante
28:16 – IV. Allegro non troppo
The penultimate of a group of six quartets composed between 1782 and 1785, the A major String Quartet (for two violins, viola and cello) was entered in Mozart's thematic catalog on January 10, 1785, just four days before the final work, the Quartet in C, K. 465. In a letter to his daughter Nannerl dated February 16th, Leopold, the composer's father, remarks on the "very fine quarters" Mozart now occupies, continuing with an account of the success of his son's latest series of subscription concerts. "On Saturday evening," continues Leopold, "Herr Josef Haydn...came to see us and the new quartets were performed, or rather the three new ones which Wolfgang has added to the other three which we have already. The new ones are somewhat easier, but at the same time excellent compositions. Haydn said to me 'Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.'"
Behind this famous anecdote lies a friendship founded on mutual respect and admiration, on Mozart's part engendered to no small degree by recognition of the unique role played by his older colleague in the development of the string quartet. Haydn's own set of six String Quartets, Op. 33 is widely recognized as inspiring Mozart's interest in the medium. The two had first met shortly after Mozart settled in Vienna in 1781, the same year Op. 33 first appeared in print. Mozart doubtless had early practical experience of playing the older man's influential works with their composer -- the two composers are known to have played quartets together. It is, therefore, not surprising that when Mozart came to have his six quartets published in Vienna by Artaria later in 1785 they bore a famous dedication entrusting them to the protection of his "dear friend Haydn."
The dedication also makes reference to the "long and laborious endeavor" the quartets had cost Mozart, a highly significant admission from one of the most fluently equipped of all composers. Despite Leopold's suggestion that the last three quartets (K. 458, K. 464, and K. 465) are "somewhat easier," the signs are that K. 464 caused Mozart more trouble than any of the other quartets. The autograph manuscript shows that the construction of the Andante's set of variations underwent changes, and there are also uncharacteristic alterations in the Minuet. A fragmentary Rondo (K. Anh. 72) is probably a discarded initial attempt at the final movement. There is, needless to say, scant evidence of these problems in the finished result, Beethoven's favorite among the "Haydn" set. The opening Allegro is a sonata-form movement of both grace and power, while the variations that form the Andante are richly varied. Both the Minuet and final Allegro non troppo are notable for their economy of thematic material, a trait characteristic of both Haydn and Beethoven.
[allmusic.om]
![Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 18, K. 464 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QM4ypK3SZHw/mqdefault.jpg "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - String Quartet No. 18, K. 464 [With score]
-Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
-Performers: Quatuor Mosaïques
String Quartet No. 18 in A Major, K. 464, written in 1785 [Haydn Quartet V]
00:06 – I. Allegro
10:08 – II. Menuetto
15:53 – III. Andante
28:16 – IV. Allegro non troppo
The penultimate of a group of six quartets composed between 1782 and 1785, the A major String Quartet (for two violins, viola and cello) was entered in Mozarts thematic catalog on January 10, 1785, just four days before the final work, the Quartet in C, K. 465. In a letter to his daughter Nannerl dated February 16th, Leopold, the composers father, remarks on the very fine quarters Mozart now occupies, continuing with an account of the success of his sons latest series of subscription concerts. On Saturday evening, continues Leopold, Herr Josef Haydn...came to see us and the new quartets were performed, or rather the three new ones which Wolfgang has added to the other three which we have already. The new ones are somewhat easier, but at the same time excellent compositions. Haydn said to me Before God and as an honest man I tell you that your son is the greatest composer known to me either in person or by name. He has taste and, what is more, the most profound knowledge of composition.
Behind this famous anecdote lies a friendship founded on mutual respect and admiration, on Mozarts part engendered to no small degree by recognition of the unique role played by his older colleague in the development of the string quartet. Haydns own set of six String Quartets, Op. 33 is widely recognized as inspiring Mozarts interest in the medium. The two had first met shortly after Mozart settled in Vienna in 1781, the same year Op. 33 first appeared in print. Mozart doubtless had early practical experience of playing the older mans influential works with their composer the two composers are known to have played quartets together. It is, therefore, not surprising that when Mozart came to have his six quartets published in Vienna by Artaria later in 1785 they bore a famous dedication entrusting them to the protection of his dear friend Haydn.
The dedication also makes reference to the long and laborious endeavor the quartets had cost Mozart, a highly significant admission from one of the most fluently equipped of all composers. Despite Leopolds suggestion that the last three quartets (K. 458, K. 464, and K. 465) are somewhat easier, the signs are that K. 464 caused Mozart more trouble than any of the other quartets. The autograph manuscript shows that the construction of the Andantes set of variations underwent changes, and there are also uncharacteristic alterations in the Minuet. A fragmentary Rondo (K. Anh. 72) is probably a discarded initial attempt at the final movement. There is, needless to say, scant evidence of these problems in the finished result, Beethovens favorite among the Haydn set. The opening Allegro is a sonata-form movement of both grace and power, while the variations that form the Andante are richly varied. Both the Minuet and final Allegro non troppo are notable for their economy of thematic material, a trait characteristic of both Haydn and Beethoven.
[allmusic.om]")
![Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux (Book 5) [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QRWyZMMDgPk/mqdefault.jpg "Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux (Book 5) [With score]
Composer: Olivier Messiaen (10 December 1908 27 April 1992)
Pianist: Yvonne Loriod (Messiaens wife)
Olivier Messiaen - Catalogue doiseaux, written between 1956-1958, Book 5 (Cinquième livre)
00:15 - VIII. LAlouette calandrelle (Greater short-toed lark)
05:58 - IX. La Bouscarle de Cetti (Cettis warbler)
The shortest movement, Lalouette calandrelle (the short-toed lark) follows, recalling Le loriot with its simple evocation of the songs of larks. La bouscarle (Cettis warbler) closes the fifth book with an evocation of a river as well as the bird.")
![R. Schumann, J. Brahms, A. Dietrich - F-A-E Sonata [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QoyziXiaqDo/mqdefault.jpg "R. Schumann, J. Brahms, A. Dietrich - F-A-E Sonata [With score]
-Composers:
Albert Dietrich (28 August 1829 – 20 November 1908)
Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856)
Johannes Brahms (7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897)
-Performers: Isabelle Faust (Violin), Alexander Melnikov (Piano) (Played on period instruments)
F-A-E Sonata for Violin and Piano, written in 1853
00:00 - I. Allegro (Albert Dietrich)
11:55 - II. Intermezzo. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (Robert Schumann)
14:20 - III. Scherzo. Allegro (Johannes Brahms)
19:04 - IV. Finale. Markiertes, ziemlich lebhaftes Tempo (Robert Schumann)
The sonata was Schumanns idea as a gift and tribute to violinist Joseph Joachim, whom the three composers had recently befriended. Joachim had adopted the Romantic German phrase Frei aber einsam (free but lonely) as his personal motto. The compositions movements are all based on the musical notes F-A-E, the mottos initials, as a musical cryptogram.
Schumann assigned each movement to one of the composers. Dietrich wrote the substantial first movement in sonata form. Schumann followed with a short Intermezzo as the second movement. The Scherzo was by Brahms, who had already proven himself a master of this form in his E flat minor Scherzo for piano and the scherzi in his first two piano sonatas. Schumann provided the finale.
Schumann penned the following dedication on the original score: F.A.E.: In Erwartung der Ankunft des verehrten und geliebten Freundes JOSEPH JOACHIM schrieben diese Sonate R.S., J.B., A.D. (F.A.E.: In expectation of the arrival of their revered and beloved friend, Joseph Joachim, this sonata was written by R.S., J.B., A.D.).
The composers presented the score to Joachim on 28 October at a soirée in the Schumann household, which Bettina von Arnim and her daughter Gisela also attended. The composers challenged Joachim to determine who composed each movement. Joachim played the work that evening, with Clara Schumann at the piano. Joachim identified each movements author with ease.
The complete work was not published during the composers lifetimes. Schumann incorporated his two movements into his Violin Sonata No. 3. Joachim retained the original manuscript, from which he allowed only Brahmss Scherzo to be published in 1906, nearly ten years after Brahmss death. Whether Dietrich made any further use of his sonata-allegro is not known. The complete sonata was first published in 1935.
[source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-A-E_Sonata]")
![Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492 {Act IV} [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R0MySvXpuHA/mqdefault.jpg "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Le nozze di Figaro, K. 492 {Act IV} [With score]
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791)
Libretto: Lorenzo da Ponte
Conductor: René Jacobs
Performers: Simon Keenlyside (Il Conte), Véronique Gens (La Contessa) Patrizia Ciofi (Susanna), Lorenzo Regazzo (Figaro), Angelika Kirchschlager (Cherubino), Marie McLaughlin (Marcellina), Kobie van Rensburg (Basilio & Don Curzio), Antonio Abete (Bartolo & Antonio), Nuria Rial (Barbarina), Elisabeth Rapp & Yeree Suh (Due Ragazze)
Choir: Collegium Vocale Gent
Orchestra: Concerto Köln
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), K. 492, opera buffa in 4 acts, written in 1786 {Act 4}
Act IV
00:03 – XXIII. Cavatina: Lho perduta... me meschina!
04:29 – XXIV. Aria: “Il capro e la capretta”
10:15 – XXV. Aria: “In queglanni in cui val poco”
14:02 – XXVI. Recitativo ed Aria: Tutto è disposto
15:34 – Aprite un po quegli occhi
19:25 – XXVII. Recitativo ed Aria: “Giunse alfin il momento”
20:42 – Deh vieni, non tardar
24:27 – XXVIII. Finale: Pian pianin, le andrò
27:26 – Partito è alfin laudace
30:09 – Tutto è tranquillo e placido
30:42 – Ehi, Figaro tacete!
33:45 – Pace, pace, mio dolce tesoro
35:27 – Gente, gente
37:01 – Contessa, perdono
39:22 – Questo giorno di tormenti
Lorenzo da Ponte wrote the libretto for Mozarts Figaro after falling out with Antonio Salieri, who, as imperial court composer, had obtained the position of court poet for da Ponte. At the time of the operas composition and first performances, there was a climate of antagonism among factions of Italian musicians and poets living in Vienna, among whom was counted Salieri. Although the efforts of the anti-Mozart Italian clique did not succeed in having Mozarts Figaro banned from the stage, the opera did receive fewer than ten performances in Vienna immediately after its première at the Burgtheater on May 1, 1786. Figaro would have tremendous success in Prague, however, before spreading to other parts of Europe and becoming a classic of the opera buffa repertory. So began the fortuitous Mozart/da Ponte relationship, from which would come two further masterworks, Don Giovanni (1787) and Così fan tutte (1789-1790).
Mozart admired Pierre Auguste Caron de Beaumarchais politically radical play Le mariage de Figaro (1781), the second play in what would become a trilogy based on the autobiographical character Figaro. Beaumarchais Le barbier de Séville had been performed in 1775 and the third play of the trilogy, La mère coupable, would be premièred in 1793. In his Figaro plays, Beaumarchais, who himself was a participant in the Revolution, working towards anti-aristocratic revolutionary ideas, sharply spoofs pre-Revolution French society.
Mozarts music for Figaro consists of conventional dry and accompanied recitative, aria, and ensemble pieces. The overture, despite having no development section, is essentially in sonata form. Mozart musically conveys the range of Figaros perturbation in his Act One cavatina, Se vuol ballare, by whimsically changing the character of his music to correspond with Figaros machinations. Mozart also imbues Figaros rondo-form aria, Non più andrai, farfallone amoroso, with colorful musical depictions of Cherubinos forthcoming military service through dotted rhythms and trumpet arpeggio fanfares. The Countess cavatina, Porgi amor, conveys the characters elevated social status through its graceful melodic language. The duet (Aprite, presto, aprite) between Susanna and Cherubino in Act Two bristles expectantly with its moto perpetuo string writing and nervous, patter vocal declamation. In the Counts and Susannas Act Three duet (Crudel! Perchè finora), the minor mode conveys the Counts initial grief and a shift to major mode, after Susanna agrees to come to the garden, confirms a sense of momentary resolution. Later, in the Counts accompanied recitative (Hai già vinta la causa!), the orchestra adds an extra emphasis to his verbal expression of anger and agitation through impetuous dotted rhythms and string tremolos. Through furiously rapid-scale passages and trills, the orchestra maintains this angry intensity in the Counts vengeance aria (Vedrò mentrio sospiro). Barbainas Act Four cavatina, Lho perduta...me meschina! introduces a minor mode melody of classic Mozartean pathos. The finale of Act Four brings the principal characters to beg the Counts forgiveness and the music swells from a pious hymn-like ensemble to a triumphant fanfare-laden exultation.
[allmusic.com]")
![Lili Boulanger - Faust et Hélène [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R2yhp5CWkNU/mqdefault.jpg "Lili Boulanger - Faust et Hélène [With score]
Composer: Marie-Juliette Olga Lili Boulanger (21 August 1893 15 March 1918)
Orchestra: BBC Philharmonic
Conductor: Yan Pascal Tortelier
Performers: Ann Murray (mezzo-soprano), Bonaventura Bottone (tenor), Jason Howard (baritone)
[Cantata] Faust et Hélène, written in 1913
Lili Boulanger was the first woman to win the Paris Conservatoires coveted Prix de Rome, in 1913, with the cantata Faust et Hélène, as she was passing her 20th birthday. Doubtless, there was an element of gallantry at work among her judges for la Boulanger was both very attractive and physically frail and, after the Ravel affair (the refusal of the Prix de Rome to Maurice Ravel five times between 1900 and 1905 provoked a major scandal), a political need to be perceived as fair came into play. The sardonic account of his Prix de Rome trials in Berliozs Memoirs he took First Prize only on his fifth attempt in 1830 might make hilarious reading but did nothing to change a system designed to reward faceless mediocrity and spurn genius. Faust et Hélène breathes genius in every bar, and a rare sophistication in handling the lush, shimmering tropes of post-Romanticism, an idiom situated somewhere between Massenets most voluptuous utterances and a potent premonition of Schrekers empurpled sensuality. The text, by one Eugène Adénis (whose other signal achievement was providing doggerel for a song arrangement of Chabriers España), is ostensibly adapted from Goethes Faust, Part II, though studded with baneful clichés and more palpably beholden to Barbier and Carré, the librettists of Gounods Faust. Faust, a tenor, awakens to demand of Mephisto, a bass, the revival of Helen of Troy, whom he fulsomely hymns. Mephisto attempts to dissuade him (Anything but that...to possess the beauty That appeared but once upon the earth And caused so many rivers of blood to flow from adulterys spring Is to tempt the wrath of God) but Faust is adamant and music of a suitably enigmatic sort spurs and accompanies her appearance. Helen, a soprano, is at first reluctant to be awakened, but Fausts insistence prompts a brief but soaringly passionate love duet interrupted at its clamorous height by Mephistos warning that the specters of the legions whose death Helen caused have come to reclaim her as the phantasmagoria suddenly ends. Adénis stick figures nevertheless distantly recall the central mystery of Goethes play. As Berlioz had in setting a similarly bombastic text in his Prix de Rome cantata, Cléopâtre, Boulanger responds to the larger, grander associations of the familiar names, breathing into them the vibrant, potent life of a girls inflamed imagination embracing yet transcending operatic stereotypes to lend them a few moments of hectic existence powerfully looming in the minds eye, the minds ear.
[allmusic.com]
Original Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BQgfSfMG4E")
![Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 2 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/R9AmMWrc4ZA/mqdefault.jpg "Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Concerto No. 2 [With score]
Composer: Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 1906 - 9 August 1975)
Orchestra: Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin
Violin: David Oistrakh
Violin Concerto No. 2 in c-sharp minor, op. 129, written in 1967
00:00 - I. Moderato
12:47 - II. Adagio
21:37 - III. Adagio - Allegro
As was the case with its predecessor, Shostakovichs Second Violin Concerto was inspired by and dedicated to David Oistrakh. Written in 1967 with the intention of being a 60th birthday present, the work was, by mistake, presented to the virtuoso a day early. Like many other works written following the composers heart attack in 1966, this concerto exhibits the very dark, introspective tone, repeating rhythmic cells, and obscure thematic motifs so common to Shostakovichs later style. And like both of his cello concertos, the horn has a dominant role as accomplice and foil to the solo violin. Though the opening movement begins with some restraint, the first subject hurriedly reaches an agonized, dissonant climax. The beginning of the second subject eases the tension somewhat, with a segue into the development section by way of irreverent, mocking five-note figures that interchange with lyrical, imitative violin and wind passages. The ensuing development distorts the main thematic material until four vast, even chords announce the arrival of the recapitulation. The return is brief, however, as a long, unaccompanied cadenza, based upon the primary subject, gives way to an emotionally drained dissolution of thematic and rhythmic motiifs.The slow second movement, though more relaxed in tempo, offers no respite from the tension, confusion and sadness of the opening, as the violin seems to search for clarity and validation, but is repeatedly denied. The solo line responds by lashing out in frustration with a feral, recitative-like cadenza. The movement closes with an elegiac horn solo which is subsequently swept aside by the crass opening of the Finale. Opened by a brief series of imitative, sardonic exchanges between the violin and horn, the last movement soon settles into a frenetic, uncomfortably charged Allegro dominated by a chromatic, rondo-style theme which, while lively and complex, has bitter, sadistic undertones. The orchestras momentum is then interrupted by a cadenza in which the introductory material is distorted and broken in a self-mocking fashion. The end of the piece finds major modality striving for dominance and eventually winning out, though the subsequent feeling is more dubious than triumphant.
[allmusic.com]")
![Edvard Grieg - 4 Album Leaves, op. 28 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/RX2XZZQJcuM/mqdefault.jpg "Edvard Grieg - 4 Album Leaves, op. 28 [With score]
-Composer: Edvard Hagerup Grieg (15 June 1843 – 4 September 1907)
-Performer: Gerhard Oppitz (Piano)
4 Album Leaves for Piano, op. 28, written in 1864-1878
00:00 - I. Allegro con moto
02:14 - II. Allegretto espressivo
05:40 - III. Vivace
08:43 - IV. Andantino serioso
From Edvard Griegs rather large body of works for piano, only a handful of works have ever achieved any kind of renown at all (a few of the Lyric Pieces are somewhat famous, and of course the Piano concerto is a staple of the repertoire) and yet these varied works represent some of the composers finest noble miniatures and character- pieces that rival the best that the nineteenth century has to offer. The four Album Leaves (or, more properly, Fire albumblade), Op. 28 are just such works: subtle, delicate, technically undemanding, and, in the hands of a skilled and insightful player, richly expressive.
The Album Leaves were composed over the span of almost fifteen years, and thus to the interested musician present a fascinating cross-section of Griegs pianistic and compositional development. They are arranged in chronological order as follows: Allegro con moto (1864), Allegretto espressivo (1874), Vivace (1876), and Andantino serioso (1878).
The main melody of No. 1, Allegro con moto, is prefaced by six introductory bars built on three offbeat chords and a three measure melodic descent into A flat major. A gracefully ornamented triplet figure gives the melody a delicate flavor that even the slightest heavy-handedness will quickly destroy. Frequent stretti appear throughout this colorful piece; the middle section is more melodically flowing.
No. 2 recalls something of the rich chromaticism of Wagners later work. The decoration of the middle section outlines a series of ninth chords and is entirely characteristic of the composer. The piece dissolves away after a repeated sixteenth-note pattern, especially graceful in its three-against-four rhythm.
No. 3, Vivace, is an up-tempo waltz in A major with a more subdued A minor middle section. The last piece, Andantino serioso, is perhaps the finest of the group. Its legato C sharp minor melody is lifted straight out of the Norwegian folk-music tradition. A particularly striking Allegro giocoso middle section frolics over a sustained low D flat, providing an eloquent musical narrative but never displacing the deeply Nordic sentiment of the opening idea.
[allmusic.com]")
![Hector Berlioz- Harold en Italie [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SGkzjX6A1-s/mqdefault.jpg "Hector Berlioz- Harold en Italie [With score]
Composer: Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 - 8 March 1869)
Orchestra: Philharmonia Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Colin Davis
Viola: Yehudi Menuhin
Year of recording: 1962
Harold en Italie [Harold in Italy], Symphonie en quatre parties avec un alto principal [Symphony in Four Parts with Viola Obbligato], Op. 16, written in 1834
00:00 - I. Harold aux montagnes, Scènes de mélancolie, de bonheur et de joie [Harold in the mountains. Scenes of melancholy, happiness and joy]
16:32 - II. Marche de pélerins chantant la prière du soir [Procession of pilgrims singing the evening hymn]
25:36 - III. Sérénade d’un montagnard des Abruzzes à sa maîtresse [Serenade of an Abruzzi-mountaineer to his sweetheart]
32:11 - IV. Orgie de brigands. Souvenirs des scènes précédentes [The brigand’s orgies. Reminiscences of the preceding scenes]
Though the work was originally intended as a vehicle for the virtuoso violinist Nicolo Paganini to exhibit his considerable skill on the viola, Berliozs Harold in Italy (1834) eventually became a four-movement symphony which Paganini, who wanted to be playing all the time, eventually declined to perform. Somewhat akin to the Symphonie fantastique (1830) in its quasi-autobiographical cast and employment of a unifying idée fixe, Harold finds Berlioz imagining himself in the role of Byrons Harold for the purpose of recounting his own experiences in Italy.
The first movement, entitled Harold in the Mountains, outlines a progression from melancholy into happiness and ultimately, into joy. The sobering fugato which opens the movement soon gives way to an uncertain melody in the woodwinds, which blossoms until the viola presents it in full as Harolds theme, the idée fixe. The movement continues its ascent into joy with an effervescent, unrelenting allegro which eases up only to allow the viola to restate the idée fixe, now fitted into another fugato, before the accelerating momentum brings the movement to an end.
Like Mendelssohn, Berlioz made the second movement of his Italian symphony a Pilgrims March. Essentially restricted to a strophic march structure, the movement is notable for its daring modulations, each marked by the tolling of two bells. The viola enters again in the middle section, lyrically presenting the idée fixe in the periphery of the passing march before taking on an accompanying role as the procession moves off into the distance.
The third movement, Serenade of an Abruzzi Mountaineer, begins with an accurate replication of Italian bagpipes, or piferari. The rustic affect is made complete with the introduction of the serenades main melody by the English horn. The viola restates the melody in conjunction with the idée fixe, and the movement develops as Berlioz expounds upon the counterpoint between the two melodies. A somewhat resigned coda, comprising all three elements, ends the movement on a misleadingly peaceful tone.
The Orgy of Brigands, as the finale is titled, opens with the viola revisiting several thematic ideas from prior movements before it is unceremoniously interrupted by the brash, rhythmic power of the orgy itself. Following this brass-fueled, slightly demented fury, the viola briefly returns with the Pilgrims March and a final statement of Harolds theme as the composers nostalgic reminiscence comes to a close.
[allmusic.com]
Original Audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWzyz0nnak0")
![Igor Stravinsky - Feu dartifice (Fireworks) [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/SWOAu_T5DuI/mqdefault.jpg "Igor Stravinsky - Feu dartifice (Fireworks) [With score]
-Composer: Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (17 June 1882 – 6 April 1971)
-Orchestra: Columbia Orchestra
-Conductor: Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky
-Year of recording: 1961
Feu dartifice [Fireworks], Fantasy for Orchestra op. 4, written in 1908
One of a handful of Stravinskys early compositions with an opus number, Fireworks (1908) is perhaps most significant for its role in propelling the composer toward fame. Indeed, it was this work that caught the attention of the members of the Ballets Russes and led to the composition of the first of Stravinskys epochal ballets, The Firebird (1910).
Fireworks is a short, brilliant showpiece for orchestra composed in just six weeks in late spring 1908. The work is notable for its juxtaposition of chromatic color and diatonic themes, a feature that suggests Stravinskys debt to turn-of-the-century Russian symphonic style. In fact, Stravinsky composed Fireworks with the intention of showing to it Rimsky-Korsakov, his teacher and mentor, who died before Stravinsky could present the work to him.
While Stravinskys early works are somewhat rigid and derivative, Fireworks is a harbinger of his compositional maturity. Among the more notable features are the masterful instrumental effects, which presage the virtuoso orchestration of The Firebird. The metric asymmetry and unpredictability that became a hallmarks of Stravinskys music are present in the irregular barring, providing contrast to the regularity of the composers earlier works. Foreshadowing another characteristic of his later style, Stravinsky develops the opening theme through the use of fugue and canon.
[allmusic.com]")
![Alexander von Zemlinsky - Clarinet Trio op. 3 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TCb2lgK9LWI/mqdefault.jpg "Alexander von Zemlinsky - Clarinet Trio op. 3 [With score]
-Composer: Alexander von Zemlinsky (14 October 1871 – 15 March 1942)
-Performers: Wolfgang Meyer (Clarinet), Mischa Meyer (Cello), Markus Hadulla (Piano)
Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in d minor, op. 3, written in 1895-96
00:07 - I. Allegro ma non troppo
13:14 - II. Andante
21:31 - III. Allegro
The Trio for piano, clarinet & cello in D minor, Op. 3, from 1896, of the Austrian composer Alexander von Zemlinsky is a work of conservative Romanticism modeled on Brahms own trio scored for the same instruments of 1892. Indeed, the closing Allegro in D minor of Zemlinskys Trio takes its main theme directly from the main theme of the parallel movement in Brahms Trio. Nor is Brahms the only influence apparent in Zemlinskys work: the opening Allegro ma no troppo in D minor sounds distinctly Slavic with echoes of Tchaikovsky and Dvorák in its themes and the central Andantes big sentimental tune in D major recalls the gestures of the passionate second theme of the closing movement of Mahlers First Symphony. Despite these imitations, Zemlinskys Trio is an appealing and well-made work by a minor master of the fin de siècle.
[allmusic.com]")
![Robert Schumann - Bunte Blätter op. 99 [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TGzJ7rL8OlA/mqdefault.jpg "Robert Schumann - Bunte Blätter op. 99 [With score]
Composer: Robert Schumann (8 June 1810 – 29 July 1856)
Performer: Sviatoslav Richter
Year of recording: 1971 (Studio recording)
Bunte Blätter {Colored Leaves}, op. 99, for piano solo, written in 1836-1849
Drei Stücklein
00:03 – I. Nicht schnell, mit Innigkeit
01:55 – II. Sehr rasch
02:44 – III. Frisch
Fünf Albumblätter
03:40 – IV. Ziemlich langsam
05:51 – V. Schnell
06:29 – VI. Ziemlich langsam, sehr gesangvoll
08:39 – VII. Sehr langsam
10:44 – VIII. Langsam
12:10 – IX. Novellette. Lebhaft
14:38 – X. Präludium. Energisch
15:49 – XI. Marsch. Sehr getragen
24:44 – XII. Abendmusik. Im Menuetttempo
28:26 – XIII. Scherzo. Lebhaft
32:36 – XIV. Geschwindmarsch. Sehr markiert
This collection of mostly small piano pieces written during various periods from 1836 to 1849, was not assembled and published until 1852, two years before Schumann suffered a debilitating mental breakdown and entered a mental asylum, where he would die in 1856. Bunte Blätter is a unique collection, containing two small collections within it, as well as six additional separate pieces.
It opens with Stücklein III (Three Small Pieces), the first of which, dating to 1838, is songful and sweet in its lovely melody and sonorous harmonies. Schumann presented the piece to his wife-to-be Clara as a Christmas gift. The next two, from 1839, are each less than a minute: the first is anxious and driven, the latter, nearly as fast, but brimming with joy and sunshine in its prancing, less harried gait.
Following are the five (untitled) Albumblätter (Album-leaves), slightly more substantial efforts, but none longer than two-and-a-half minutes. The opening piece, from 1841, is slow and ponderous, but thematically rich enough to inspire Brahms to write a theme and variations work based on it. It is followed by a breathless, stormy dash (1838), lasting less than a minute. Another slow piece (1836) ensues, this one lyrical and melancholy, and originally designed for Schumanns popular collection Carnaval. An even more melancholy work (1838) follows. Its heartbreaking, almost listless manner was well served by its original title, Pain of Youth. The closing Albumblätter is also slow and sad, but at least shows some sunshine in its less somber musical landscape.
The chipper 1838 Novelette follows, with its jaunty outer sections and swirling, mysterious but light interior. The toccata-like Praeludium is next, filling its minute length with stormy, muscular sonorities and an ominous sense. The ensuing Marsch (1843), at around seven or eight minutes, is the longest piece in the set. It opens gently in its somber manner, lightens up for the Trio, and closes with the same stately seriousness with which it began. Abendmusik (Evening music) follows, a playful, gentle piece suggesting the evening has a little sunlight mixed with its shadows. The ensuing 1841 Scherzo is bright and energetic in its outer sections, while its Trio is just as lively and colorful. Colorful is also the word to describe the closing Geschwindmarsch (Quick march) from 1849. It brims with good-natured menace and quirky energy in its somewhat exotic sonorities.
[allmusic.com]")
![Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Sonata [With score]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T_kvs_F5tKY/mqdefault.jpg "Dmitri Shostakovich - Violin Sonata [With score]
Composer: Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich (25 September 1906 - 9 August 1975)
Performers: David Oistrakh (violin), Sviatoslav Richter (piano)
Recorded in 1969
Sonata for Violin and Piano, op. 134, written in 1968
00:00 - I. Andante
10:20 - II. Allegretto
16:56 - III. Largo
The story goes that in 1967 Shostakovich presented David Oistrakh with a 60th birthday present, the Violin Concerto No. 2. But the composer was premature by a year, and felt obligated to write another composition for the violinists actual 60th birthday. The work he produced was this 1968 Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134, one of his finer late efforts.
The piece opens with an allusion to serial music: the piano presents a theme in octaves starting in the bass and rising to the upper register, playing all 12 notes of the chromatic scale before the violin enters. The tempo is Andante. The mood is grim, as is typical of the composers late works, especially the last several quartets. A second theme appears, march-like and cynical. The two instruments exchange renditions of it, and then the main theme is reprised by the violin. Shortly thereafter another engaging idea is presented by the violin, seeming to glide eerily downward from its upper ranges, while the piano delivers chilling harmonies in both registers. There is also some ghostly sul ponticello playing in the latter pages. Not long after this work appeared, Soviet musicologists tried in vain to explain the mood of this bleak music as pastoral.
The second movement, marked Allegretto, begins with a heroic-sounding theme. But the mood quickly turns anxious, as if the composer were expressing his irony under some considerable pressure. A waltz seems to promise relief from the unbounded energy and tension, but does not manage to break the rigid mood.
The finale, marked Largo, begins with a somber introduction. Then the violin, played pizzicato, presents the dark main theme, after which come 13 variations. The pianos first rendition of the melody calls to mind the late compositions of Liszt. The music shifts moods, going from pensive to playful, from sinister to simple. An outburst on the piano just past the middle of the movement leads to a climactic episode on the violin. The eerie music from the first movement returns, as does the march-like theme, and the work ends chillingly.
A typical performance of this sonata lasts about a half hour. Oistrakh premiered it on January 8, 1969, in a private performance before the Union of Soviet Composers. The pianist on that occasion was composer Moisei Weinberg. Sviatoslav Richter played the piano part with Oistrakh in May of that year for the first public performance.
[allmusic.com]")
