Holst's The Planets

[Peter Power Pop]

Dies Irae is certainly in the Isle, and in several other works by Rakhmaninov.

I didn't notice. I guess my mind started wandering as it kept going. (The more I listened, the more it became a generic High Romantic piece of Moody Melodrama.)

http://www.ukessays.com/essays/music/dies-irae-the-haunting-of-rachmaninov-music-essay.php
http://www.victoryvinny.com/svr_and_di/RachmaninovandDiesIrae-Version04.pdf

Thanks for those links. Time for some reading.

[Peter Power Pop]

Perhaps Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite?
https://www.youtube.com/v/oVokwvf0ONI

Or The Oceanides -

https://www.youtube.com/v/HSDoYJC4DCk

For me, both of those go under the "Nope, not popular enough" category.

Yours heartlessly,

Ruthless Pete.

[Peter Power Pop]

Perhaps Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite?
https://www.youtube.com/v/oVokwvf0ONI

Or The Oceanides -

https://www.youtube.com/v/HSDoYJC4DCk

Now, if you were to say, "How about Sibelius' Third Symphony?", I'd say, "Now you're talking."

I adore the slow movement of Sibelius' Third Symphony. It's probably my favourite bit of music Sibelius wrote. I adore it.

Cue 11:18 in this video. Oh yeah.

https://www.youtube.com/v/jMafXOaKzZg

All this talk of Sibelius has reminded me that I haven't heard his music in ages. I've been too busy listening to Carmina Burana and The Planets.

[Mirror Image]

For me, both of those go under the "Nope, not popular enough" category.

Yours heartlessly,

Ruthless Pete.

Are you looking for a work that has a thousand recordings or something? In that case, any symphony by Beethoven will do.

[North Star]

For me, both of those go under the "Nope, not popular enough" category.

Yours heartlessly,

Ruthless Pete.

Come and say that in Finland, of Lemminkäinen anyway.  0:)

Now, if you were to say, "How about Sibelius' Third Symphony?", I'd say, "Now you're talking."

I adore the slow movement of Sibelius' Third Symphony. It's probably my favourite bit of music Sibelius wrote. I adore it.

Cue 11:18 in this video. Oh yeah.

How about Sibelius' Third Symphony?  0:)

Incidentally, I watched a Colin Davis document today, where he told that the Third was his introduction to Sibelius, and that he was rather obsessed by it when he was nine years old. He used to listen to it while doing a jigsaw or knitting. The only chore I've done while listening to it is mowing the lawn. 

All this talk of Sibelius has reminded me that I haven't heard his music in ages. I've been too busy listening to Carmina Burana and The Planets.

I love The Planets, but listening to that and CB (which I like, too, but don't listen to regularly) and foregoing Sibelius sounds as tempting as replacing meat and potatoes with marshmallows. 

[Peter Power Pop]

Are you looking for a work that has a thousand recordings or something? ...

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not at all.

I'm just looking for something that has some degree of popularity. I'm not keen on the idea of creating a blog that'll be seen by about three people.

... In that case, any symphony by Beethoven will do.

That way lies madness. And incompleteness. ("Hey, why did you blog about that Beethoven symphony? Why not this one? And why not all of them?")

[Peter Power Pop]

Come and say that in Finland, of Lemminkäinen anyway.  0:)

I'm sure that young Jean is considered a demigod in the Nordic countries, but I'm thinking globally, baby. The Internet reaches far and wide.

How about Sibelius' Third Symphony?  0:)

That's fine by me.

But what about the other symphonies?

Incidentally, I watched a Colin Davis document today, where he told that the Third was his introduction to Sibelius, and that he was rather obsessed by it when he was nine years old. ...

I'm not surprised. When I was a whippersnapper, I borrowed a cassette from the local library. that had the Sibelius Third Symphony on it. It was probably the second thing of his I ever heard (I think the first was the Karelia Suite), and I fell in love with that symphony -- especially the slow movement. I know where Colin's coming from.

... He used to listen to it while doing a jigsaw or knitting. The only chore I've done while listening to it is mowing the lawn. 

I'm not surprised.

I love The Planets, but listening to that and CB (which I like, too, but don't listen to regularly) and foregoing Sibelius sounds as tempting as replacing meat and potatoes with marshmallows. 

I may have said this before, but: Each to their own.

[North Star]

I'm sure that young Jean is considered a demigod in the Nordic countries, but I'm thinking globally, baby. The Internet reaches far and wide.

Yes, I know JS isn't quite as popular outside Finland.

But what about the other symphonies?

Any of nos. 3-7 would be very interesting, nos. 4-7 even more than no. 3 to me.

I may have said this before, but: Each to their own.

Absolutely.

[Mirror Image]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Not at all.

I'm just looking for something that has some degree of popularity. I'm not keen on the idea of creating a blog that'll be seen by about three people.

That way lies madness. And incompleteness. ("Hey, why did you blog about that Beethoven symphony? Why not this one? And why not all of them?")

Ah, okay. I understand where you're coming from much better now. How about Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5? This work is quite an international success, wouldn't you agree?

[Mirror Image]

Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie would be a damn fine choice as well.

[brunumb]

Peter,
As the project will be your labour of love, you should choose a work that will give you the most pleasure.  I'm sure everyone else will be happy to come along for the ride whatever you decide.

That said, you seem to favour Scheherazade and it certainly has the right sorts of elements for consideration.  It is a popular and colourful piece with interesting orchestration. The inclusion of the solo violin representing the heroine telling her tale gives another distinct point for comparison between performances.  The sonic stage would also be significant factor in finding the best recordings.  It seems a natural follow up to The Planets in my opinion.

[Peter Power Pop]

Peter,
As the project will be your labour of love, you should choose a work that will give you the most pleasure.  I'm sure everyone else will be happy to come along for the ride whatever you decide.

Thanks.

That said, you seem to favour Scheherazade and it certainly has the right sorts of elements for consideration.  It is a popular and colourful piece with interesting orchestration. The inclusion of the solo violin representing the heroine telling her tale gives another distinct point for comparison between performances.  The sonic stage would also be significant factor in finding the best recordings.  It seems a natural follow up to The Planets in my opinion.

Given everything about Scheherazade – great tunes, great orchestration, great story, hi-fi spectacular – as well as the other things you mentioned, I think it's the ideal work for a comprehensive survey.

But as I was drifting off to sleep last night, and when I woke up this morning, and throughout the day when I was lying on the scanning machine for an all-day lymphatic test*, my brain kept whispering in my ear, "Do Carmina Burana, do Carmina Burana...".

I tried to fight that urge by telling my brain, "Yeah, but Scheherazade – there won't be anywhere near as many versions to plough through, and it probably won't take you a year to do. Plus, you don't know Scheherazade all that well because you have probably only have two versions of it, so you'll get to know it better, along with your readers."

However, that brain of mine started whispering again: "But you really like Carmina Burana. You're already familiar with the 26 versions you bought. Go on, do it. Do iiiiiit..."

But now that I've read your message above (or "message from above" – tee hee), I'm leaning very heavily in the direction of Scheherazade . It makes perfect sense. Unlike Carmina Burana, Scheherazade won't see me spending months and months being consumed by trying to review all 9,547,328 versions of a piece of music, shunning family and friends in the process. ("I'd love to go see that movie, dear, but... you know... Carm... What's that? You're leaving me? But I only have 532 more versions to review!", or: "When's that family reunion? Saturday? Gee, I'd like to go, but... you know...")

I reckon Scheherazade is the way to go. Oh, I just thought of another reason to do it: I don't think a comprehensive survey of Scheherazade has been done before.

Carmina Burana can come later. Much later.


(*Don't worry. My feet swell up in the warmer weather, and my doctor wants to know why.)

[Peter Power Pop]

Ah, okay. I understand where you're coming from much better now. How about Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5? This work is quite an international success, wouldn't you agree?

Yep. The only trouble is that, on any long list of composers, he's down somewhere around "Doesn't do anything for me" and "Shostakovich? Do I have to?"

Admittedly, that's coming from a position of total ignorance. I've heard bits of some of his symphonies, bits of some piano works, and one of his cello concertos (I've forgotten which one).

However, I think this is great:

https://www.youtube.com/v/5rfle8wSwJM

[Peter Power Pop]

Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie would be a damn fine choice as well.

(Note to Self: Listen to Eine Alpensinfonie sometime.)

https://www.youtube.com/v/JHHqbtU7boU

[North Star]

How about Ravel's Daphnis & Chloe? Or Shostakovich Symphony no. 4/5/8/10 ? (at least listen to those at some point - I would think that liking Planets helps appreciating Shostakovich too).

[brunumb]

Thanks.

Given everything about Scheherazade – great tunes, great orchestration, great story, hi-fi spectacular – as well as the other things you mentioned, I think it's the ideal work for a comprehensive survey.

But as I was drifting off to sleep last night, and when I woke up this morning, and throughout the day when I was lying on the scanning machine for an all-day lymphatic test*, my brain kept whispering in my ear, "Do Carmina Burana, do Carmina Burana...". I tried to fight that urge by telling my brain, "Yeah, but Scheherazade – there won't be anywhere near as many versions to plough through, and it probably won't take you a year to do. Plus, you don't know Scheherazade all that well because you have probably only have two versions of it, so you'll get to know it along with your readers."

However, that brain of mine started whispering again: "But you really like Carmina Burana. You're already familiar with the 26 versions you bought. Go on, do it. Do iiiiiit..."

But now that I've read your message above (or "message from above" – tee hee), I'm leaning very heavily in the direction of Scheherazade . It makes perfect sense. Unlike Carmina Burana, Scheherazade won't see me spending months and months being consumed by trying to review all 9,547,328 versions of a piece of music, shunning family and friends in the process. ("I'd love to go see that movie, dear, but... you know... Carm... What's that? You're leaving me? But I only have 532 more versions to review!", or: "When's that family reunion? Saturday? Gee, I'd like to go, but... you know...")

I reckon Scheherazade is the way to go. I just thought of another reason to do it: I don't think a comprehensive survey of Scheherazade has been done before.

Carmina Burana can come later. Much later.


(*Don't worry. My feet swell up in the warmer weather, and my doctor wants to know why.)

WOW!  If you haven't quite convinced yourself, you've certainly convinced me   

If you do get started and need some help obtaining recordings, I can help you with a few if you are content with CD-Rs.

Here is my collection:

London PO / Haitink   
Seattle SO   / Schwarz   
Concertgebouw / Kondrashin   
Chicago SO / Reiner   
Orch des Conc du Conservatoire / Ansermet   
New York PO / Bernstein   
Royal PO / Stokowski   
Philadelphia / Ormandy   
London SO    / Svetlanov   
Philadelphia / Stokowski   

Take care.

[betterthanfine]

Scheherazade would be awesome. It's a work that I'm not too familiar with yet, I would love to discover it with you.

I bet there's at least 50 of the Sibelius VC, probably more. It's a staple. I have Heifetz, Gitlis/Vox, (young) Perlman/RCA, and Lin. (On the wishlist: Haendel, and maybe Hahn and Wicks.)

This was a few pages back, but I cannot refrain from commenting: GET THE HAHN. The Sibelius is one of my favourite pieces of music. Hahn and Salonen are  just perfect in this recording. Also worth a listen is Vilde Frang's debut record from a few years back. The orchestra's not that great, but Frang makes for a compelling interpreter. The opening has me holding my breath every time.

[/hijack]

[Pat B]

This was a few pages back, but I cannot refrain from commenting: GET THE HAHN. The Sibelius is one of my favourite pieces of music. Hahn and Salonen are  just perfect in this recording. Also worth a listen is Vilde Frang's debut record from a few years back. The orchestra's not that great, but Frang makes for a compelling interpreter. The opening has me holding my breath every time.

[/hijack]

Oh, this thread was hijacked long before your post.

Anyway, I caught the finale of Hahn's Sibelius on the radio a couple weeks ago, which is how it got on my list. It was great, and I'll probably get it eventually, but I am trying to pace myself with purchases.

[Peter Power Pop]

How about Ravel's Daphnis & Chloe? ...

I like the suggestion of Daphnis et Chloé. However...

Although Ravel is my second-favourite composer (after Rameau), Daphnis et Chloé isn't one of my favourites Ravel works. I'm fully aware of how a lot of people consider it his masterpiece, and that young Maurice toiled away at it for three years, but – and this may be considered sacrilege among Ravellians – I find it has too many longueurs. For me, it meanders a bit too much. I like how it starts, but for the next half an hour I tend to zone out, and only start paying attention again when Part III begins. A lot of the time I prefer to hear the Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 (which is basically Part III anyway).

So, despite my love for Ravel, and semi-love for Daphnis et Chloé, I'll pass on doing that – for the time being. I might do it later. (Never say never.)

https://www.youtube.com/v/YHrstmOPKBQ

...Or Shostakovich Symphony no. 4/5/8/10 ? (at least listen to those at some point - I would think that liking Planets helps appreciating Shostakovich too).

I want to listen to Shotakovich, er, sometime, but so much of his music is, how shall I put it, is what I'd call "moaning". For what I can tell, he spent so much time with one eye on the manuscript paper (as he was writing his music) and one eye on the authorities that his music contains a bit too much paranoia for me to fully engage with. Putting it much more simply: It's a bit of a downer.

Having typed all that, I do want to hear more of his music. With his symphonies, I've heard remarkably little. I heard one of the symphonies years ago (I have no idea which one), and didn't enjoy it much. I'm not one to wallow in misery, so I didn't respond to it.

With The Planets being a step to Shostakovich, I don't see it myself. For me, Holst wrote the music he wrote despite his afflictions (I don't hear suffering anywhere in his music), whereas Shostakovich wrote what he wrote because of them.

[Peter Power Pop]

WOW!  If you haven't quite convinced yourself, you've certainly convinced me   

If you do get started and need some help obtaining recordings, I can help you with a few if you are content with CD-Rs.

Yes please. That would be magnificently and wonderfully fabulous.

Here is my collection:

London PO / Haitink   
Seattle SO / Schwarz   
Concertgebouw / Kondrashin
Chicago SO / Reiner   
Orch des Conc du Conservatoire / Ansermet
New York PO / Bernstein
Royal PO / Stokowski
Philadelphia / Ormandy
London SO / Svetlanov
Philadelphia / Stokowski

Excellent. You'll be receiving a PM shortly.

Take care.

Can do.