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Composers

Bach

Sublime Send Off

Posted on July 10, 2015

Once again I’ll be off the air for a while during the time we are moving up north. From Central Victoria to the Sunshine Coast. Since we are house-sitting while we search for our new home, I won’t have access to my music collection (unless I do some ‘cloud solution’ real soon!) So … here is a sublime send off.

I only ‘discovered’ Bach French suites and his Preludes and Fugues recently. My Bach collection has been lacking for a long time!

What glorious music, and perfect to de-stress during moving!

French Suite #1 in D minor Sarabande III  orange_download_button

 

Prelude and Fugue 1 in C Bwv 846  orange_download_button

Zelenka

Off to India and coming ’round to vocal

Posted on September 26, 2014

In a few weeks I’m off to India for 3 months in Meherabad, Maharastra State – where the tomb shrine of Avatar Meher Baba is. Tricia and I are busy packing and preparing for this Spiritual Adventure! So I’ll just leave you with a final piece until next year. See you in early 2015.

Well I’ve finally started to appreciate, and be moved by Vocal pieces. (*See Opera Apology at the top of the page) I find this particular piece by Jan Dismas Zelenka to be “Compelling.” Bach liked his music. What else need be said! (* How about what the piece is?! It’s Miserere I)

Enjoy

Jan Dismas Zelenka Miserere I orange_download_button

Composers Composers - Ignored and Almost forgotten!

Ignaz Pleyel another ignored, almost forgotten composer

Posted on May 1, 2014

Here’s another composer who has been almost forgotten and whose music is rarely performed these days; and yet ‘back in the day’ was hugely popular. The interesting thing about Pleyel from what I gather via the Wikipedia link below, is that his popularity was due in some part to the simplicity of his compositions. Easy listening!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignaz_Pleyel

Here’s his concerto for Clarinet in B flat major followed by the Sinfonia Concertante for flute in B flat major. Both pieces are the second movements.

Concerto for Clarinet in B flat major orange_download_button

 

Sinfonia Concertante for flute in B flat major orange_download_button

Beethoven Blog Titles String Quartet

Where have you been Jim?!

Posted on January 25, 2014

September 2013 was my last posting! Amazing how time flies when you’re battling prostate cancer! Yep … the adventure of my life and it’s going better than I would have hoped. Determined to avoid any of the intrusive horrors; I’m using many of the natural cancer fighting modalities. Tons of powerful nutraceuticals and supplements, fresh veggie and wheatgrass juices, meditation, exercise, month by month hormone injections (the least intrusive of the ‘effective’ mainstream tools)  and a secret weapon!

Hey I just thought of a cool way to mark my progress. What better than Beethoven’s answer to being healed!

His string quartet #15 –  Heiliger Danksgesang eines Genesenen an die Gottheit-Neue Kraft fuehlend

translated: “A Convalescent’s Holy Song of Thanksgiving to the Divinity, in the Lydian Mode”

Like all of his late string quartets this is a ripper! (Aussie slang for good stuff)

Beethoven String Quartet No.15 in A minor Op.132 orange_download_button

Mendelssohn

Welcome Back!

Posted on June 30, 2013

After a long absence from the site – I’m back! I want to share with you this wonderful piece by Mendelssohn which I heard for the first time a few days ago. It was played on the radio station where I present a classical program. The other fellow who does a Classical Music program played it on his show. I immediately went shopping to find it! The same recording he played: (Deutsche Grammophon) With Martha Argerich on piano and Gidon Kremer on violin. Fantastic piece of music.

Hans (the other presenter) introduced the piece saying that Mendelssohn wrote it when he was 14; and that when he presented it to his teacher, the teacher made a remark along the lines of now Felix could join the ranks of Mozart and other greats. It’s really hard to imagine the emotional depth shown in the second movement coming from a 14 years old! (actually he may have been 13 if the Wikipedia article is correct)

Here is the Wikipedia article about the piece.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concerto_for_Violin_and_Strings_%28Mendelssohn%29

Here are the three movements from Felix Mendelssohn’s Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra in D minor

Hummel

Johann Nepomuk Hummel

Posted on April 26, 2013

This Sunday, April 28, 2013 I’m presenting an all Hummel program in my new role as a DJ! Whist researching for the program I came upon this web site:
www.jnhummel.info

It gives an insight into just how great Hummel was as a composer and links to how and where you can enjoy his music. Also if you use the search function here on my web site you’ll find several postings with his music.

Piano Schubert

Paul Lewis and Schubert

Posted on September 7, 2012

The other night I traveled to Melbourne and attended an all Schubert concert by the wonderful pianist Paul Lewis. Paul is in the process of (I think) recording all of Schubert. My favorite piece in the concert was this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyJtzibykUw

At the end of the concert I got in the line to have CD’s signed. I said something to him like: ‘Hi Paul .. I’ve got a bunch of your Beethoven, and I just wanted to ask you; what do you feel Schubert brought to the table that his Master and guru, Beethoven, hadn’t done better already?’ I then said, ‘Something has happened to me in the past year that I never thought would happen … I’ve become a Beethoven freak’ – He said, “Really!” with a bit of intensity as though he found it very interesting! (he was quite personable and lovely)

Paul answered rapidly along the lines of how very different they were and at the end said, ‘Schubert is instinctive while Beethoven is logical.’ I thanked him and we shook hands. He had a firm handshake!

Hmmmm? I’ve been pondering the instinctive/logical bit, and don’t quite get it yet!

Farrenc Female Composers

Louise Farrenc Clarinet

Posted on July 23, 2012

Arguably the greatest female composer in history; Louise Farrenc like so many other female composers, faded into obscurity. If the woman who runs this web site has anything to do with it … you’ll be hearing a lot more from her! http://oboeclassics.com/~oboe3583/ambache/women.htm

(*there is a fair bit on my site already that features female composers, but I was struck today by this piece: And I do love the clarinet!)

Louise Farrenc’s clarinet trio / second movement

Louise Farrenc’s clarinet trio second movement orange_download_button

Haydn

A Soul Soother

Posted on May 13, 2012

An email from a loyal listener (don’t laugh Ian!) reads:

Here’s a good soother for the soul – Haydn Piano Concerto #9 in G major second movement.

BUT THEN … a week later! Ian writes and says, Actually, the one I meant was No. 4, not 9 – my mistake. I like all of them, but it is the No. 4 that’s my favorite slow movement.

So now we have Haydn’s piano concerto #4 in G major second movement.

Enjoy

Beethoven

Should I just give this Web Site up? To Beethoven!

Posted on May 3, 2012

A friend of mine recently said, “I’m starting to wonder … why listen to anything else?!”

He meant Beethoven.

Now I find myself slipping into some similar  ‘Beethoven vortex!’

With 503 pieces in my library; (each movement counts as 1) –  I’m also starting to wonder: Why listen to anything else? His music just ‘does the job’. The job of touching head and heart, disturbing, uplifting and challenging one’s musical conceptualizations. I offer this piece up as an example of “Music at it’s Best”

So what do you reckon dear listeners? Would you still tune in to jimsclassicalmusic.com? If all I played was the Big B?

here’s his String Quartet #16 the third movement