Classical Music Lovers

[QuasiPseudo]

I would like to share some classical music sets at BM2005, but am only familiar with the old standards.

What would YOU suggest? Which songs elicit a feeling of Burning Man in you?
Im looking for classical music with lots of whimsy & wonder, wild, powerful, peaceful, & emotional stuff.

Thinking along the lines of "Dance of the Little Trolls" and "Sorcerer's Apprentice".

[samtzu]

Rite of Spring and Night on Bald Mountain spring to mind.... also the Queen of the Night's aria from the Magic Flute...

[Ranger Genius]

Holst's The Planets suite, and when the rangers are taking "The Walk" down to the man for the burn, I always hear the Grand March from Aida in my head. Maybe it's just me.

[stuart]

Bach organ works. The busier the better. Also, Guillaume de Machaut's messe de nostre dame <sp all fucked> is perhaps one of the most psychedellic works I have ever heard.



or did you mean classical in the pure period sense?

[Ranger Genius]

Bach

I was gonna suggest Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, specifically. it has the advantage of being pretty recognizable. Plus you get to tell a limerick when you play it:

A young woman from South Carolina
place fiddle-strings across her vagina
and with proper sized cocks
what was sex became Bach's
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

--Isaac Asimov

[Rian Jackson]

Albinoni Adagio in G Minor
Mozart's Requiem.
The Pines of Rome

but they'll make you cry.

did someone already say Fingall's Cave? It's along the same lines as most of these suggestions.

Most people are suggesting programmatic music, which can be quite good, but sometimes feels limited in scope.

[theCryptofishist]

Beethoven's 3rd and 7th symphonies are wonderfull--not sure how burny.
Sibelius's violin concerto.
Carnival of Animals has some good bits.
2nd on Rite.
And bring the toreado song--just in case. There are some blowhards that need that played over their oratory.

[stuart]

aint nothing programmatic about a fugue or passacaglia

also, some works really blur the line. Many earlier sacred works for example. Tallis, spem in alium comes to mind. Sure, it's got liturgical text in it, but that's really just a canvas, as is the case with the Machaut, I feel. Then there are the works wich were never intended to be programmatic by the composer but later got that label due to the critics of the time. Like the 6th symphony of Beethoven. Called the pastorale and given a story line by ciritics (and later Walt Dinsey) even though the composer intended it to be absolute.

[QuasiPseudo]

Thank you thank you all!! Really great suggestions, I cant wait to check out some of these.

I love the Bach organ stuff, got that covered.

Im definitely not limiting the suggestions to 'pure period'.

Anything classical or symphonic from any time period, including musicals & movie soundtracks are all welcome. Its all about the feel of the music, what moods they create in relation to the burner experience.

[Rian Jackson]

Bolero

[bullD]

Rachmoninov,,, very romantic.

[Rian Jackson]

Bolero

Ravel's btw.

anything Hildegaard von Bingen.
it's actually contemporary, but some Garmarna would go over well.

Any of the Russians. Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky.
try Scheherezade.

[Rian Jackson]

.. and PDQ Bach.

[theCryptofishist]

Any of the Russians. Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky.
try Scheherezade.

I can't do the russians anymore. too smaltzy. Except Rite of Spring and I could see someone declaiming it's too overdone too. But overdone so well.

On the otherhand, Rians a more musical person than I am.

[Ranger Genius]

I've got N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov right here on my desk. Scheherezade is great stuff. I used to take it to work with me as a punishment for my coworkers put in Metallica. I made it clear that on my next turn they would have to listen to the whole Scheherezade suite. An effective deterrent for the under-40's (in reference to their IQs).

Another recommendation: Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.

[theCryptofishist]

I love the Hall of the MOuntain King. For extra atmosphere you could find the child-molester Peter Lorre whistling version. . .

[Rian Jackson]

Any of the Russians. Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky.
try Scheherezade.

I can't do the russians anymore. too smaltzy. Except Rite of Spring and I could see someone declaiming it's too overdone too. But overdone so well.

On the otherhand, Rians a more musical person than I am.

More musical my ass. It's just a matter of taste, that's all.

Actually, I tend to feel that way about a lot of the romantic music. They drive me up the wall. I normally (these days) prefer Mozart and the like. The exacting nature of the work hold much more for me than fortississimos and suchlike. For something recent, look at Holst. Much as i love the theme to Jupiter, I can't listen to the Planets very often. It's not intricate or rich enough for me. In fact, i think what's attractive about Mozart, for instance, is the seeming simplicity of his work. Really, it isn't simple at all - it's just an incredible talent for clarity and direction.

However, the Russians have always captivated me, and probably will continue to. I think it's because the Russian greats somehow found a synthesis of technical mastery and (yes, overt) emotion that is hard to come by.

Course, I could be wrong.

[theCryptofishist]

Back in the day I had a "slavic soul" Now that pertains to Czech animation more than anything else.

I love Mozart for similear reasons. It always seems to me that given the begining riff on many of his pieces, the end always follows perfectly, mathematically. Not explaing well.

[stuart]

most mozart bores me. It isn't until he discovers bach that I start to dig him. I feel that way about most of the classical period. I'd rather drink paint than listen to haydn or handel. Stop with the alberti bass already. For a ripe old combo of intricacy and emotion I turn to the old standard: the ninth. Beethoven, arguably the greatest bridge artist the world has ever seen.

[bullD]

I've got N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov right here on my desk. Scheherezade is great stuff. I used to take it to work with me as a punishment for my coworkers put in Metallica. I made it clear that on my next turn they would have to listen to the whole Scheherezade suite. An effective deterrent for the under-40's (in reference to their IQs).

Another recommendation: Grieg's In the Hall of the Mountain King.

Make everybody happy, even the folks under 40 (in reference to your referencing their IQ's), and get , " Metallica - S & M with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra," conducted by composer Michael Kamen and of course, Metallica.

[Rian Jackson]

most mozart bores me. It isn't until he discovers bach that I start to dig him. I feel that way about most of the classical period. I'd rather drink paint than listen to haydn or handel. Stop with the alberti bass already. For a ripe old combo of intricacy and emotion I turn to the old standard: the ninth. Beethoven, arguably the greatest bridge artist the world has ever seen.

I used to feel that way, really until high school when I first played the Requiem. I can never go back to being bored by Mozart now.

Stu: Bach... PDQ, JS, JC...? I adore the Bach (JS) cello concertos. They're fascinating in their mastery, their apparent simplicity, their difficulty, their colour. I admit it. I'm an addict. But the fuckers destroyed my wrists, more than once!

Stuey, how do you feel about chamber music in general?

I have some lesser known, interesting works at home... I'll try to remember to make a list tonight. You might also look into things like Bruch. I'm thinking Schnittke was one that I wanted to recommend, but the brain is a bit addled at the moment, so let me check first. I also have some great quartets on hand at home, but I'll also have to get back to you.

[stuart]

Requiem

is after mozart discovered bach (JS) and subsequently baroque counterpoint, which was very out of favor when mozart was learning his craft. I can absolutely rock the requiem. Later mozart is AOK with me.

chamber music

I am always amazed at how a well written quartet can have as full and complex a sound as an orchestral piece. I generally also find the character of the recordings (very important to me) to be more enjoyable. It is pretty rare that a full orchestral recording is faithfull to the live experience but I find this is not the case with chamber music. Unfortunately chamber works, save for the beethoven quartets and myriad baroque works, were not as big a part of my education as I would have liked. And then there was that bartok piece we chatted about a year ago.

[samtzu]

Jesus! You guys are so erudite on this...

I am uneducated in classical music, but I love it... especially Mozart. Now, I agree with Stuie, that his later work, after he discovered Bach, is his best, and that the Requium (without what's his name's additions) is a masterpiece... But, his crowning acheivement (IMHO) is Piano Concerto #20. It defines classical beauty... IMHO...

[Rian Jackson]

Jesus! You guys are so erudite on this...

I am uneducated in classical music, but I love it... especially Mozart. Now, I agree with Stuie, that his later work, after he discovered Bach, is his best, and that the Requium (without what's his name's additions) is a masterpiece... But, his crowning acheivement (IMHO) is Piano Concerto #20. It defines classical beauty... IMHO...

actually, I like the additions. i think they are fascinating. besides, M dies in the middle of the lacrimosa - that's only about halfway through. granted, i don't know if he was working serially, but a large portion of the piece wouldn't exist without sussmayer's completions.

i gotta confess, i'm shitty enough about my music history that i couldn't tell you which of his pieces came earlier or later. i dropped out of college before i got a chance to take it.

[Rian Jackson]

I'm sorry, looks like you're right, Sam.

Requiem (KV626) by W. A. Mozart (1756-91)
Robert Levin Completion


When Mozart died in the early morning hours of December 5, 1791, he left his final masterpiece, the Requiem, unfinished. Less than three months later, a completed score of the Requiem was delivered to its anonymous commissioner. How was the Requiem completed and how would Mozart have completed it had he lived? These mysteries have tantalized musicians for over two centuries.


Mozart received the commission to compose the Requiem from a mysterious 'Gray Messenger' in the summer of 1791. The Messenger paid half the commission in advance, but insisted on guarding his patron's anonymity. Already committed to compose an opera for the Bohemian Court, Mozart left for Prague and didn't begin work on the Requiem until his return in September. Before long he became convinced that the Messenger had come to warn him of his own mortality and that he was indeed composing the work for his own death. Concerned with this morbid fascination, his wife Constanze hid the score and forbade him to work on the Requiem for several weeks. But, shortly after resuming work in mid-November, Mozart became ill and took to his bed. He gathered a choir of friends around his bedside the afternoon of December 4th to sing the movements he had completed. He died less than twelve hours later.


In dire need of money to support herself and her two young sons, Constanze asked several noted composers to complete the Requiem so that she could collect the balance of the commission. Feeling unequal to the task, they declined. Mozart's students Freystädtler and Eybler filled in some of the orchestration, but it fell to Franz Xaver Süssmayr to actually complete the score. Busy composing an opera of his own, Süssmayr rushed to meet the February deadline imposed by the mysterious Messenger. Able to imitate Mozart's handwriting, Süssmayr forged Mozart's signature on the title page and gave no indication that he had composed any part of the finished score.


Not content with collecting the commission, Constanze had two copies of the Requiem made for her own use. One she sold to King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia. The other she later sold to publishers Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig in 1799. Learning of the pending publication, the anonymous patron finally revealed himself. Franz Count von Walsegg confessed that he had commissioned the work in honor of his late wife Anna, and had passed it off as his own composition at her memorial service. No longer able to claim authorship of the Requiem, he at least wanted a refund of his investment. He eventually compromised by accepting several pieces of music in compensation.


Those conversations with the publisher sparked a great controversy surrounding the Requiem. Süssmayr, who had kept his silence for eight years, wrote the publishers stating that the Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei were entirely his own composition. Abbé Maximilian Stadler, one of Mozart's close associates, carefully marked Count Walsegg's score to indicate which handwriting was Mozart's and which was Süssmayr's. Still, Breitkopf & Härtel published the first edition attributing the entire work to Mozart. Some considered the work not worthy of Mozart, noting many errors in voice leading and also recognizing melodic material borrowed from Handel and Bach. Controversy as to the merits of the Requiem raged within the musical community for decades. In 1826, 23 years after Süssmayr's death, André of Offenbach finally published an edition giving Süssmayr credit for his completion.


Half a century later, Johannes Brahms published a new edition of the Requiem in which he declined to fix any of Süssmayr's errors. History, it seemed, had decided to accept the version delivered to Count Walsegg as definitive. Then, in 1960, musicologist Wolfgang Plath discovered previously unknown sketches for the Requiem in a collection of Mozart manuscripts at the Berlin Staatsbibliothek. These were clearly among the "scraps of paper" given Süssmayr by Constanze, which he had disregarded in his haste to meet the February deadline. The most important sketch indicated that Mozart intended the Lacrimosa to end in a fugue on the text "Amen."


This was the final clue Harvard musicologist Robert Levin needed to create his own solution to the mystery of Mozart's unfinished Requiem. A noted Mozart scholar, Levin had completed many Mozart fragments and specialized in historically informed performances of Mozart piano works. A lifetime of study allowed him to "get into Mozart's mind." He recognized in Mozart's original score a structure, first suggested by fellow musicologist Christoph Wolff, of five major sections, each ending in a fugue. By completing the "Amen" fugue found in the Berlin sketch and revising Süssmayr's amateurish "Hosanna" fugue, Levin restored Mozart's original structure. Recognizing recurrences of Mozart's original Requiem theme hidden in the movements attributed entirely to Süssmayr, Levin deduced that Süssmayr either had sketches, now lost, or oral instructions from Mozart guiding their composition. By retaining what he recognized as Mozart's themes while revising Süssmayr's compositional errors, Levin created a new and compelling completion of the Requiem.


The mystery of Mozart's Requiem can never truly be laid to rest. With this inspired and historically accurate completion, Dr. Levin has offered one possible solution to the puzzle posed by Mozart over two centuries ago.


Notes by - Yvonne Grover

[samtzu]

Thanks, Sweetie... I can hear the parts of the Requiem that don't match up, but I'm not clear on where they are or what they were called. There are pieces that seem very redundant, almost derivitive, in the later part of the piece, and Mozart never seemed to repeat himself in any of his other works. Nor was he boring, and the last part of the Requiem puts me to sleep...

Then again, it could just be me...

[Rian Jackson]

Thanks, Sweetie... I can hear the parts of the Requiem that don't match up, but I'm not clear on where they are or what they were called. There are pieces that seem very redundant, almost derivitive, in the later part of the piece, and Mozart never seemed to repeat himself in any of his other works. Nor was he boring, and the last part of the Requiem puts me to sleep...

Then again, it could just be me...

actually, i was surprised - that list includes some of my least favorite movements. that said, much of the thematic work is mozart's - just not the construction/orchestration.

just goes to show that a theme isn't everything, huh?

[samtzu]

Thanks, Sweetie... I can hear the parts of the Requiem that don't match up, but I'm not clear on where they are or what they were called. There are pieces that seem very redundant, almost derivitive, in the later part of the piece, and Mozart never seemed to repeat himself in any of his other works. Nor was he boring, and the last part of the Requiem puts me to sleep...

Then again, it could just be me...

actually, i was surprised - that list includes some of my least favorite movements. that said, much of the thematic work is mozart's - just not the construction/orchestration.

just goes to show that a theme isn't everything, huh?

To stretch a metaphor to a breaking point, the first part of the Requiem is FIRE to me... while the last bit is just a bunch of smoke.... but, he was dying as he wrote it, so he was not at his best...

[stuart]

i dropped out just shy of completion of my Bmus, but after 4 semesters of history. I have forgotten most of it I am sure. I remember a listening test where you had to flag the parts of Requiem that were not completed by Mozart though.

[Rian Jackson]

i don't know, though. i have no actual reason to believe he wrote it serially.

just because we see it/hear it in one order doesn't necessarily mean that's the order of composition.

for some reason i thought that sussmayr did some finalising work on all of the movmements; none of them were 'finished' per se. but then, i've *ahem* been known to be wrong.