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It's my favorite piece, and everytime I think that I've heard a better piece of music, I just have to listen to it again. It's rich, audacious, cute, loving and grand. It's everything right and noble in life in a forty minute piece of music.
I have a copy of Toscanini doing it with the NBC Symphony.
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By the way, speaking of contemporaries, I just transferred a 12-record set of Chopin piano solos to CD. Preludes, waltzes, polonaises, etudes, mazurkas, nocturnes... wow. Can anyone else compose 12 records full of unaccompanied piano solos without sounding boring or repetitive or making you feel the need for orchestral accompaniment? As long as we're talking about 19th century European musical genii, I thought we might as well throw him in. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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You have the Simply Baroque albums, or something else?
Of course, Bach is the master. Let's not start comparing anyone to him, or we can't admire them anymore. Posts: 2804 | Registered: May 2003
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I really love Brahms' first. You can't beat the way that first movement opens, such pomp and splendour....and timpani. Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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The tympani and rich orchestration of the first movement are bold to the point brazen. I get a shock of confidence just thinking about it. I think my favorite moment is the lead in and brass chorale in the last movement. It's like the man parted the clouds and let in the sun.
There is so much drive and purpose to the piece, it's rich and interesting and lovely.
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Speed, your recording is going to be good. The Third symphony and the Tragic Overture are solid pieces. The third starts with that same kind of energy in the first movement, except I think it even has more color owing to the time changes. It's in a major key so it's not as dark and possibly not as deep, but it's an explosion of wonderfulness that keeps me smiling.
The fourth, I don't know what to make of the fourth. The beginning sounds like a series of sighs, and it grew me, and to be honest, it's a Brahms symphony so it's in the top two percent of orchestral music ever written, imo, and while I feel the confusion, I can never get the shape of the piece. It's like a really good book that I can tell is good, but I can't tell why.
quote: I am also listening to Yo-Yo Ma play Bach...it is wonderful!
The Bach cello suites? or something else? If it is the suites then I can recommend a recording that I find to be far superior.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Allegra, I would love that suggestion actually. I'm madly in love with the Bach cello suites (number 6 makes me swoon), but I haven't picked up a recording yet.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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A few years ago I bought a copy of Helene Grimaud playing the Ravel piano concerto because I needed a copy of the Ravel and let's be honest, I had to pick between this copy and this one.
This monitor doesn't due justice to her eyes on the cover of that CD.
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I once listened to Brahm's First for about three days straight on loop, breaking only for sleep and food.
I had a Schenkerian Analysis assignment at the Conservatorium, and the guy who was assessing us studied under one of Heinrich Schenker personal students (or something like that).
I read every analysis book we had in the Con's library and in the state library on the Brahm's First and Schenkerian Analysis - and after 3 solid days of listening and a diagramatic representation of the piece that stretched some 30 feet, I realised I disagreed with every major work to use that style of analysis.
In the end I decided to put forward my own interpretation and got 98% for the assignment; no-one else got above 80% and our lecturer believed my analysis to be so accurate that I should do a thesis on it.
Except who wants that much trouble? Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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I'd love to - but unfortunately that was another life. Over ten years ago. I studied Opera - but there wasn't alot of performance to be had and I wasn't really dedicated enough at those tender years to really go anywhere with it....
I've thought about going back to study, which is kind of ironic, since I'm the assistant manager of a graphic design, 3D, digital film, audio engineering college... lol
Posts: 2245 | Registered: Nov 1998
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Wow! I so didn't know that about you. We should definitely get together and sing sometime. (I'm battling my knee-jerk reaction to go back and get my MM in vocal performance. Teaching is hard and so I'm wanting to run away, but not yet. I'm also toying with the idea of getting an MM in music history. Then maybe I'll borrow your analysis. *sigh* One day.)
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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LOL - I've had a very chequered career. Leaving the Con, I wound up getting into digital audio and was on the front wave of the desktop audio revolution - I worked for the company that imported Cubase VST and was about the 3rd user in the country. I converted analog recording studios across to digital platforms - protools, cubase, etc.
I also gigged in a cover band as a vocalist for about four years until recently.
I got into design when I started working for a multimedia college that wanted me to do an audio course for their net and multimedia courses - I wound up learning so much about that side of things I rewrote much of their multimedia stuff for them. Due to a whacky series of events I also started writing for an industry magazine, specialising in film post-production: every month I get to talk to places like ILM, ESC, Animal Logic, Dreamworks, Pixar, etc. Plus I'm teaching a digital film course here at my college and working on my own design firm with a couple of partners.
SooOooooooo, I get around a bit... lol
It'll be a while before I get to duet with any jatraqueros - my US trip isn't going to be for at least 10months, more likely 2 years away....
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Allegra, I'm curious to know which suites recording you like better. I like the first Yo-Yo Ma recording (not the most recent one..."inspired by Bach" my fanny).
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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I have the Karajan cycle of all the Brahms symphonies and I gave the first a go couple of days back. I adore Brahms--I know that he wrote a lot of chamber music but I pretty much own most of his orchestral material (except the Requiem, Haydn Variations and the overture(s)). When I was first getting into the classical and I came across his First I was immensely perplexed by it-it's big, overwhelming and not really appealing at first. But with time I've come to love it--from the grand and intense first movement to the reference to Ode To Joy in the final movement. It's great! =)
quote: The fourth, I don't know what to make of the fourth. The beginning sounds like a series of sighs, and it grew me, and to be honest, it's a Brahms symphony so it's in the top two percent of orchestral music ever written, imo, and while I feel the confusion, I can never get the shape of the piece. It's like a really good book that I can tell is good, but I can't tell why.
You can't beat that opening melody though!
Posts: 722 | Registered: Jul 2004
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I'm a musical plebian, so forgive me in advance
This year, I've been trying to define what I like in classical music. I've discovered that I prefer solos and chamber music to hugely intense symphonic things. I also decided that I preferred Renaissance choral pieces to baroque and classical.
So last night I got the chance to look for music at the nearest public library and found some amazing music. (the public library has impeccable taste) I picked up La dissection d'un homme arme by a German medieval choral group and Brahms's Requiem. I liked the Renaissance piece, as I suspected, but I loved the Requiem.
I think this is the same piece that I saw a PBS special on - a Jewish concentration camp put together a choir and sang it. Am I thinking of the right Requiem?
Posts: 8504 | Registered: Aug 1999
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Annie, it's VERY likely. I don't recall the special, but the Brahms requiem is performed very, very, very frequently. My church in Atlanta did it every single Good Friday.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Annie, you need to check out some of the later French stuff. (You didn't mention that in your lists.) Debussy, Faure and Ravel anything is some of my favorite. Even the vocal stuff (chanson, the Faure requiem etc.) If you want to get a little funkier, go for some Poulenc. Fantastic. I think you'd love the style, it's not as....huge as the late romantic stuff.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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At first, the melody sounds like a bunch of sighs, what got me was all of the other incarnations, with the colors swirling about, and of course, there is a section about ten minutes into the first movement where Brahms puts all of the weight of the orchestra on those mere sighs and they sound like the most important and serious line ever written.
The fourth movement is the same, taking these simple melodies and making them uncomfortably serious.
My favorite movement of that symphony is the third. I may just like it as a light break from the weight of the rest, but I like it all the same.
As chamber music goes, the second movement of his sextet, op. 18, is something special. It's just a theme and variations, but the theme is one of those great themes in music, and the variations keep digging and digging in your soul. I'm a fan of all three of the violin sonatas too, but they are all very different pieces.
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The passacaglia in the 4th mvmt of the 4th is pretty brilliant. It is also very difficult to perform effectively.
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I disagree with that, actually...Mahler is too, too, too much for me. Not as bad as, say, Bruckner, but still...
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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As far as Poulenc's choral music, there's some amazing stuff. We sang selections from Le Figure Humaine in Carnegie hall for the national ACDA convention a couple years ago. It was so hard to tune, but when we did, it was like silk.
And his vocal solo stuff is a blast.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Oh Megan, you guys are posting too fast and getting me all confused.
I guess his symphonies might be over the top (but sometimes not. the 4th movement of the 5th symphony is one of the most fantastically subtle things ever written....but then there's the 8th symphony. Definitely not subtle. ) But I adore Mahler's vocal music. His lieder is so much more accessible for me than Brahms' is. Maybe it's just me.
Posts: 6415 | Registered: Jul 2000
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Narnia: Ah, thought you were talking about Brahms's lieder.
I have issues with soupy choral music, though; the "like silk" thing is not a seller for me, personally. Then again, I tend to lean toward the instrumental side of things, as well.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Actually, Narnia, I agree with you about Mahler's lieder. When I think of Mahler (or Bruckner, for that matter), I tend to only think sypmhonically. I like Mahler's lieder, though, and Bruckner's motets as well.
And sorry for going too fast...I'm baby-sitting the computer lab with nothing better to do than to post on hatrack.
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I can't get into Lieder. It doesn't do anything for me, it just turns into some chick singing in German. And Mahler is too much for me. I know the first, second, fourth, and fifth pretty well, but they are gangly pieces to my ear.
Posts: 5600 | Registered: Jul 2001
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Mahler is great, though huge symphonically. His lieder is more accessible than Brahms'
Poulenc is awesome, sometimes funky, but soupy choral is a little less funky than say...a wind quintet or some snappy solo stuff.
Brahms is great. 'nuff said. (even his lieder, though it's not as accessible as that of Mahler, as already mentioned.)
Bruckner...well, we'll talk more about him later.
Ok, Irami beat me again. I have to agree with you Irami. As a vocalist, lieder is my most unfavorite thing to sing. It feels ungangly to me actually. Some people just adore it though, I suppose it depends on voice type, etc.
I don't mind singing lieder, though I don't really sing, per se. I like studying and analyzing lieder. I'm not a "listen to music for the sake of listening" kind of girl anymore. Actually, that's why I like them so much, especially when they're skillfully done, as in Brahms or, say, the King of Lieder, Schubert. When you've got the text and a good translation in front of you, the results can be fascinating.
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Yeah, you really are on the opposite end of the spectrum as me...but that's cool.
I prefer smaller things that tend toward precision and subtle motions. I love Haydn and Ligeti, and some of Shostakovich (not, mind you, the symphonies). Huge, melodramatic romantic symphonies leave me utterly cold.
Posts: 4077 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Heehee...and when I'm thinking of Ligeti, I'm thinking of his choral work and his piano etudes.
I like some Crumb, though I am not a huge fan. I generally prefer a twentieth-century aesthetic to a nineteenth-century one, though there are notable exceptions.
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It doesn't do anything for me, it just turns into some chick singing in German. And Mahler is too much for me. I know the first, second, fourth, and fifth pretty well, but they are gangly pieces to my ear.
