The Classical Chat Thread

Started by DavidW, July 14, 2009, 08:39:17 AM

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ChamberNut

Bass Quintet??  Was this a string quartet with a double-bass as the fifth instrument?

Dana

      Yup! It's really young Dvorak too. The op.77 was reassigned to the work after it was edited (it originally had an additional slow movement between the sonata movement and the scherzo) - it's actually op.18. The inclusion of the bass means for a thicker, bigger sound, and it's usually used to double the cello as a melody instrument, or the viola as a blending instrument, or to add Brahmsian rhythmic support. While none of this is really ground breaking, it does make the ensemble a bit more versatile, and allows Dvorak to get creative with textures.

DavidW

Okay I guess in my cd sets Op. 77 is probably what I'll find then but Op. 18 is the actual composition?

Dana

      It's always referred as op.77, so far as I know. I found out what I wrote above by reading the preface to a mini-score.

Elgarian

'Offbeat' asked for some comments on this recent purchase:



I thought I'd put them here, if no one objects, rather than in the 'Today's purchases' thread, where it'll soon be swept away by the tidal flood of posts announcing recent newcomers.

As I suspected it would be, for me the highlight of this disc is the string concerto. Its character is quite quite typical of what you'd expect of an English pastoral strings piece. It doesn't rise to the heights of Elgar's Intro and Allegro, nor RVW's Tallis Fantasia - it mostly lacks their dark, savage side - but its roots are in the same place, or thereabouts. I was also reminded quite often of Parry (eg second symphony), in the somehow masculine jauntiness of the Scherzo, and the sweet melodic-ness of the slow movement. This is not to say it's some kind of pastiche of Parry, Elgar or RVW - it isn't; but those are its reference points. Or at least, those are my reference points, while listening to this.

I found it very easy to like. Might be a little too rosy in its outlook for some (though it doesn't entirely avoid looking into the dark), and if you wanted something to remind you of a day's walk through Wiltshire along the Ridgeway, this might well be it. At £5.60 in Hyperion's sale, I'm very pleased to have it. At its usual full price .... well, I think I'd not have rushed into buying it.

Dana

Quote from: Elgarian on September 27, 2009, 11:35:29 AMIt doesn't rise to the heights of Elgar's Intro and Allegro, nor RVW's Tallis Fantasia - it mostly lacks their dark, savage side - but its roots are in the same place, or thereabouts.

I'm not sure I buy that word... I think I know what you mean but...

Elgarian

Quote from: Dana on September 27, 2009, 03:07:47 PM
I'm not sure I buy that word... I think I know what you mean but...

Possible alternatives might be 'rawness', or 'bleakness', though they don't quite hit the feeling I was trying for. One might describe a sudden rush of cold wind and sleeting rain as 'savage' in the sense I mean.

karlhenning

Aye, 'tis no ungawa sort of savage.

Dana

      Ugh, I'm in trouble. My Sibelius Maazel set came in late last week, and all I want to do is listen to the 7th symphony (my favorite), but I'm also committed to listening to the symphonies in chronological order, and I can't even get off of the first symphony yet. What a gorgeous 2nd movement, and compelling finale! This recording has me convinced that this is one of the most overlooked symphonies of the century, and I can't wait to dig into the rest... Once I'm done with the first.

Brian

Quote from: Dana on September 21, 2009, 05:32:50 AM
      Yup! It's really young Dvorak too. The op.77 was reassigned to the work after it was edited (it originally had an additional slow movement between the sonata movement and the scherzo) - it's actually op.18. The inclusion of the bass means for a thicker, bigger sound, and it's usually used to double the cello as a melody instrument, or the viola as a blending instrument, or to add Brahmsian rhythmic support. While none of this is really ground breaking, it does make the ensemble a bit more versatile, and allows Dvorak to get creative with textures.
The Op. 77 is one of my favorite Dvorak pieces. There's a tune about a minute into the scherzo that knocks me out every time.

Elgarian

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on September 28, 2009, 08:25:35 AM
Aye, 'tis no ungawa sort of savage.

Exactly. There's absolutely no hint of swinging from tree to tree in my use of the word.

Dana

Quote from: Elgarian on September 28, 2009, 06:49:42 AMPossible alternatives might be 'rawness', or 'bleakness', though they don't quite hit the feeling I was trying for. One might describe a sudden rush of cold wind and sleeting rain as 'savage' in the sense I mean.

      Rawness comes close. It's a kind of heart-on-sleeve emotion, but I'm not really sure what the emotion is, come to think of it. Perhaps awe or fealty.

Elgarian

Quote from: Dana on September 28, 2009, 10:43:54 AM
      Rawness comes close. It's a kind of heart-on-sleeve emotion, but I'm not really sure what the emotion is, come to think of it. Perhaps awe or fealty.

Perhaps it's one of those things that Wittgenstein said needed to be shown, not said. We're shown it through the music, and we both know what we're discussing, but there's no accurate way of saying it.

offbeat

Quote from: Elgarian on September 27, 2009, 11:35:29 AM
'Offbeat' asked for some comments on this recent purchase:



I thought I'd put them here, if no one objects, rather than in the 'Today's purchases' thread, where it'll soon be swept away by the tidal flood of posts announcing recent newcomers.

As I suspected it would be, for me the highlight of this disc is the string concerto. Its character is quite quite typical of what you'd expect of an English pastoral strings piece. It doesn't rise to the heights of Elgar's Intro and Allegro, nor RVW's Tallis Fantasia - it mostly lacks their dark, savage side - but its roots are in the same place, or thereabouts. I was also reminded quite often of Parry (eg second symphony), in the somehow masculine jauntiness of the Scherzo, and the sweet melodic-ness of the slow movement. This is not to say it's some kind of pastiche of Parry, Elgar or RVW - it isn't; but those are its reference points. Or at least, those are my reference points, while listening to this.

I found it very easy to like. Might be a little too rosy in its outlook for some (though it doesn't entirely avoid looking into the dark), and if you wanted something to remind you of a day's walk through Wiltshire along the Ridgeway, this might well be it. At £5.60 in Hyperion's sale, I'm very pleased to have it. At its usual full price .... well, I think I'd not have rushed into buying it.
tks for that Elgarian - impression i had from ImmortalHour was music that was very romantic and very englishmaybe a combination of elgar and delius - will look forward to hearing this  :)



ChamberNut

Quote from: DavidW on September 21, 2009, 03:04:43 AM
I think you've motivated me to give that bass quintet a fresh listen Dana. :)

Smallmouth
Largemouth
Striped
Spotted
Demented sea bass

Brian


Dana

Sibelius 1st Symphony. Again. For the 8th time in less than a week. Is it time for an intervention yet? I hope not.

DavidW

Quote from: Dana on September 29, 2009, 09:35:13 PM
Sibelius 1st Symphony. Again. For the 8th time in less than a week. Is it time for an intervention yet? I hope not.

I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that does that! :)  Obsessed repeated listenings that is... I did the same thing with Shostakovich's SQs a couple of years back.

ChamberNut

Quote from: DavidW on September 30, 2009, 03:16:36 AM
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that does that! :)  Obsessed repeated listenings that is... I did the same thing with Shostakovich's SQs a couple of years back.

I also have that obsessive repeated listenings behavior.  Time to start a support group.  ;D

jochanaan

Quote from: Dana on September 29, 2009, 09:35:13 PM
Sibelius 1st Symphony. Again. For the 8th time in less than a week. Is it time for an intervention yet? I hope not.
There are worse works to be obsessed with. :D

More scores: Just finished with Janacek's Sinfonietta and Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy. :D Now on Varèse's Arcana.  That one's massive! :o ;D
Imagination + discipline = creativity