The Classical Chat Thread

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

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Lethevich

What's the difference between lento and largo?
Peanut butter, flour and sugar do not make cookies. They make FIRE.

ChamberNut

Quote from: Lethe on October 03, 2009, 06:32:21 PM
What's the difference between lento and largo?

One is a Celibidache Allegro movement, and the other is a Celibidache Allegro con brio movement.  :D

Dana

I think lento tends to have more of a pulse to it, while largo tends to be more songful. I say that without doing the slightest iota of work.

The new erato

Gian Francesco Malipiero's violin concero of 1932. I've found myself playing this repeatedly lately. An extremely beautiful concerto with only one recording that I'm aware of, this:



And very successful it is as well! A recording from 1972.

It starts with a lively Allegro con Spirito, full of southern European lyricism and warmth, punctuated by lively rhytms. The second movement is one of my favorites ever, quite the equal of Bruch's g minor, cantabile and melancholic with some heartrendering modulations midways, a quiet, lyrical song like a provencal "Lark Ascending" with the Mediterranean in the hazy distance.

The final Allegro is again lively, almost baroque (no surprising thing for a man involved in Monteverdi and Vivaldi editorial research) with folkloristic dancing and a resolute cadenza before the Mediterranean lyricism reappears and an energetic episode closes the concert at 21 minutes.

I've owned this recording since the 70-ies on LP, where it was very appropriately coupled with Milhaud's equally Mediterranean and beautiful 2nd violin concerto. On CD , which I recently reaquired, it is coupled with Casella, a logical choice perhaps, but I find Malipiero concerto more akin to Milhaud than Casella in style and general outlook, and the recoupling robs us of a very fine account af the Milhaud, which doesn't seem to be available on Supraphon currently. They ought to do a Gertler edition, he did Hartmann, Hindemith and tons of Bartok, and probably other stuff as well, and he did it very well!

ChamberNut

Figuring out my favorite Shostakovich quartets proves to be harder and harder, not easier.

Opus106

Quote from: ChamberNut on October 06, 2009, 06:40:01 AM
Figuring out my favorite Shostakovich quartets proves to be harder and harder, not easier.

Don't bother figuring that out. Just enjoy listening to them. 0:)
Regards,
Navneeth

ChamberNut

Quote from: opus106 on October 06, 2009, 08:02:22 AM
Don't bother figuring that out. Just enjoy listening to them. 0:)

Force of habit.  I can't help it!  This is how my brain works.  :D

Opus106

Regards,
Navneeth

DavidW

I had that same OCDNut treatment of WTC I(1), now when I listened to WTC I(2) I just let it wash over me and I find it sublime and moving.  Try less and you'll enjoy more. :)

:D

Dana

Each one, with some overlap, appeals to a different facet of your brain.

DavidW

Quote from: Dana on October 06, 2009, 11:12:28 AM
Each one, with some overlap, appeals to a different facet of your brain.

Yup that makes sense. :)

Dana

      After finally getting unstuck from the 1st symphony, and listening once or twice to the 2nd, I've gotten stuck again on Sibelius' 3rd Symphony (Maazel again). It's slightly forced - I'm having to work at it - but there's still a lot of good stuff (especially the second movement!). It's just really understated.

DavidW

Quote from: Dana on October 06, 2009, 09:13:33 PM
      After finally getting unstuck from the 1st symphony, and listening once or twice to the 2nd, I've gotten stuck again on Sibelius' 3rd Symphony (Maazel again). It's slightly forced - I'm having to work at it - but there's still a lot of good stuff (especially the second movement!). It's just really understated.

Those symphonies are difficult for me, I'm not completely drawn in until #4-7. :)

DavidW

Hey this thread has been stickied! :)

I've been listening to some of Haydn's songs and I really like them.  A few years ago listening to songs in classical music would be like pulling teeth! :D  What happened? I wondered what's the difference?  I find them to be lovely, moving music now.  And I realized the difference is that I was used to singing in pop/rock context, which was very different.  And even when I put on vocal music, it would be huge chorus, and then they become another wall of sound like the violins which is not the same thing.

The thing that changed was I wanted to hear lots of Bach, and his vocal works can't be avoided.  And so I decided to listen anyway to the strangeness and it grew on me.  And now I can here it as beautiful singing.


I think it's time that I revisit Schubert now. 8)

Brian

Quote from: DavidW on October 07, 2009, 05:09:39 AM
Hey this thread has been stickied! :)

I bet it's going to get to 2000 pages long and unmanageable now, and then we'll have to start a Classical Conversation Thread...  ;D

DavidW

Quote from: Brian on October 07, 2009, 05:16:21 AM
I bet it's going to get to 2000 pages long and unmanageable now, and then we'll have to start a Classical Conversation Thread...  ;D

Yeah and on that thread the rules will have to be at least one page long posts with references and a proper bibliography or it goes in the chat thread instead. ;D

Elgarian

Quote from: DavidW on October 06, 2009, 09:21:47 PM
Those symphonies are difficult for me, I'm not completely drawn in until #4-7.

Interesting comment, and fascinating choice of word. I love the first three, and then fade away (apart from a subdued enthusiasm for no. 5) because I find 4, 6 and 7 just too 'difficult'. I wonder what drives our notions of 'difficult'.

DavidW

Quote from: Elgarian on October 07, 2009, 07:24:02 AM
Interesting comment, and fascinating choice of word. I love the first three, and then fade away (apart from a subdued enthusiasm for no. 5) because I find 4, 6 and 7 just too 'difficult'. I wonder what drives our notions of 'difficult'.

If it's not compelling so I'm not drawn into the music and have to work at focusing on it, then I consider it to be difficult. :)  So by that definition Carter is highly engaging (to me) and Dittersdorf is crazy difficult! :D  I find emotional resonance with the later ones, especially with 4 and 6 which are my favorites. :)

Elgarian

Quote from: DavidW on October 07, 2009, 07:33:11 AM
If it's not compelling so I'm not drawn into the music and have to work at focusing on it, then I consider it to be difficult.

I think I'd say that too; but also I'd add something along the lines of not being able to discern the patterns clearly, so I'm continually losing my way and wondering where I am, where I'm going, and why. (Sounds a bit like my experience of life in general!)

DavidW

Quote from: Elgarian on October 07, 2009, 07:39:56 AM
I think I'd say that too; but also I'd add something along the lines of not being able to discern the patterns clearly, so I'm continually losing my way and wondering where I am, where I'm going, and why. (Sounds a bit like my experience of life in general!)

Well my opinion based on listening is that as you progress into the 20th century the more you try to follow that complex music, the more it slips through your fingers.  Instead of focusing on the horizontal, I focus on the vertical, just what's happening right then in terms of harmony and rhythm.  Much more satisfying than following the melody.  That's also how I listen to Bach. :)