Rachmaninov Piano Trio élégiaque no. 1 in G minor

Well, I haven't written a blog post in some time! As my New Year's resolution, I plan to have one blog post up a week- on or by Wednesday of each week. When I first started this blog in May, I kept up with it by posting everyday. Now that I'm a college student that is just too much to keep up with. But then, I did start full-out neglecting my blog- which is a shame because it is a great way for me to learn more about music while educating and/or entertaining others at the same time.

So, I'm back with a vengeance... and some Rachmaninov! Music by Sergei Rachmaninov (also spelled Rachmaninoff) has never been discussed on this blog. Now that I am home, I have a couple resources sitting in my bookshelf to help me- and you (my readers)- learn a little more about the history of the composers and the music discussed on this blog.

Sergei Rachmaninov was born in Oneg Russia, April 1, 1873 and demonstrated musical talent at young age, entering the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1882. However, the young Rachmaninov proved to be an idle student, and as advised by his cousin, he was taken to Moscow to study at the Moscow Conservatory. There Rachmaninov came under the influence of Nikolai Zverev, "a severe taskmaster, who proved successful in disciplining the boy to a systematic study and inflaming his passion for music." Rachmaninov graduated from the Moscow conservatory as a pianist in 1891 and as a composer in 1892.

Rachmaninov wrote two Trios named élégiaque. This first one in G minor was written while Rachmaninov was finishing his degree at the Moscow conservatory. It is obviously influenced by Tchaikovsky's style, and the second Trio élégiaque was dedicated to Tchaikovsky after his death. This trio is written as one 15 minute movement and there are 12 changes of meter throughout it.

Over Winter Break I treated myself to some new CD's one of which being a Deutsche Grammophon recording of Lang Lang, Vadim Repin and Mischa Maisky playing Rachmaninov's Trio élégiaque No. 1 and Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A minor op. 50. I like this recording very much, and I suggest you buy it. However, I like to leave my readers with a youtube link to each piece.

This is a recording of Nino Gvetadze, Liviu Prunaru and Godfried Hoogeveen playing live in Amsterdam.

Part I

Part II

You'll notice that I talked more about the history of the piece today and less about my interpretation of the piece. Please let me know your thoughts- and I leave you with one of Lang Lang's: "When Mischa and Vadim begin playing, it feels like a time machine starting, and after the first few notes you are inside its world." (taken from the album cover's notes)

You can find the score HERE to follow along with the music

Variations on the Last Rose of Summer

Variations on the Last Rose of Summer by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst is potentially one of the hardest pieces of music for solo violin out there- reserved for only elite professional violinists. Ernst took a simple melody and wrote several variations that showcase virtuosic violin playing, but also keeps the idea of the piece.

Midori Goto, violin prodigy performed this piece of music at Carnegie Hall when she was only 19 years old. For me, this performance is not only a great showcase of virtuosic violin playing but also a really nice interpretation. My favorite variation is the one where the melody is played as left hand pizzicato while arpeggios are softly bowed. Here the violin is the accompaniment and melody at the same. I am always in awe of the coordination it must take to do this and the sound that Midori manages to produce.

So- Here is Midori Goto's Variations of the Last Rose of Summer by Heinrich Ernst. Please let me know your thoughts, opinions- and of course- your favorite interpretation of the melody! :)

Capriccio Italien

One would expect that someone's musings over the folk tunes of the Italian countryside to be light-hearted and jovial. However, Capriccio Italien was written by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, and therefore, we can assume otherwise. Don't be mislead by me though; this piece certainly is lighthearted and jovial, however, only half of it is. In no way do I mean to mock Tchaikovsky's music either, for I am certainly a big fan of his music. Sometimes I wonder why some of his music expresses such extremes- of loneliness and hurt, and othertimes triumph and wonder. But through those extremes, I always feel like there is a sublime force pulsing through his music.

The beginning of this piece starts of with trumpet call, supposedly the Italian post's military bugle call. The strings then lead a somber melody, the woodwinds take over with the strings playing underneath and then the trumpet cuts through with the military call again. The winds finish this somber melody and the music slows down until it stops. Out of the silence, the oboes lead a folk tune. The strings then embellish this tune with ascending scales until the music changes themes into a full-out dance.

In case we had forgotten the melancholy theme from before, Tchaikovsky brings it back after such a jolly theme. Then, we get a sort of mix of the dance theme and the somber theme in a sort of tarantella. This tarantella is then turned into a new theme accompanied by heavy percussion and ends with a loud, brilliant flourish.

Here is Part One
Part Two

The Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra led by Antal Dorati

Bach Partita No 3 E Major (Preludio)

So I have some more violin music for you tonight! I don't believe I have posted any Bach at all, and so I need to change that.

Have you ever been around a person or event that has such "good vibrations" (to quote the Beach Boys) that you can't help but catch onto them and become absorbed in that energy? That's how this prelude makes me feel mostly. There is no doubt of the boundless energy that this music possesses; the perpetual sixteenth notes and joyful energy push it forward without a single glance back to past events.

However, the part I really enjoy about this piece of music is that it does not only embody sheer happiness, but also finesse and refinement. Like a person who is undiscriminating to whom they share their jollity with but is also elegant and mentally aware in social and academic standings.

Nathan Milstein was an accomplished violinist of the twentieth century and learned all of the Bach 6 sonatas and partitas for violin solo when he was still in his teens. Milstein was most known for his performances and interpretations of these works. So please indulge with me in this beautifully refined, yet vivacious interpretation of Bach's preludio in E Major.


Partita No. 3 in E
I. Preludio

Bruch Concerto 3rd Movement

Hello there everyone!

After quite a break from the blog, I am back. I guess it's been about three weeks from the last time I posted since I have been moving and settling into college (exciting, exciting!)

Well, I wanted to post a piece of music that would celebrate a "new chapter of life" (yes, very cliche expression... sorry) I first thought that perhaps an overture would be fitting, since it is the beginning of an opera and therefore would make metaphorical sense as the beginning of a journey. I did have a couple overtures in mind: The Marriage of Figaro and Overture from The Royal Fireworks. However, I instead changed my mind, as I often do. :P

This performance is probably my most favorite musical performance right now, and while I'm not sure if I would call this concerto my favorite composition, I still love it a lot. Kyung Wha Chung made quite a name for herself when she first debuted with the Tchaikovsky Concerto when Itzhak Perlman canceled a performance and she took his place as the soloist. She was only eighteen at the time, and this performance is from shortly after, during her time spent touring and performing with the London Symphony Orchestra.

What I love about this performance is that Ms. Chung really works the orchestra, with the help of Maestro Previn. The communication between the soloist and the orchestra is phenomenal. One certain strength Chung is known for is her dynamic range and her ability to convey emotion through her playing; the energy put into this performance really makes it stand out against others.

So here is Kyung Wha Chung playing the Bruch Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn
III. Allegro Energico

Enjoy!

The Maple Leaf Rag

As a classical violinist, I think I'd have to say that my guilty pleasure is ragtime music. I really do like ragtime, and I'm well aware that many people find it annoying and say that it all sounds the same, but I like it anyway :)

I picked the Maple Leaf Rag to talk about tonight, it's pretty much the staple of ragtime music, and you've probably heard it before, probably several times before. I know the ice cream truck that comes around my neighborhood plays it! What I like about this piece though, is that it isn't trying to be anything, it's just a simple tune in the usual ragtime form. There is no heavy statement or meaning attached to it, it's just a rag- good to dance to, if you like or chat over.

The Maple Leaf Rag was composed by Scott Joplin, the most well known composer of ragtime music.
Here is Scott Joplin himself playing on an old pianola roll!
But I also wanted to find another, more modern recording...
So here is one! Unfortunately this person did not leave their name, so I cannot credit them properly, but I like the tempo of this recording a lot!
Hope that's enough syncopation for you tonight, folks!

Finlandia

In 1899, a Finnish composer, Jean Sibelius wrote Finlandia: A Tonal Poem for Orchestra as a salute to his country. The first few minutes of this music is turbulent and disruptive representing the country's struggle for peace. Eventually, the music becomes peaceful and joyous with just as much energy as the beginning of the music. This composition was later reworked into a hymn and had lyrics written for it, and is now one of the most important patriotic songs to Finland.

Although Sibelius was a composer of the modern era, he preferred to compose his music in the older romantic style. I generally just love music of the romantic era, but I think that this style also fits well as a patriotic song.

Because I like both recordings:

Here is a very energetic and bright recording of the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra led by Lim Kek-tjiang.

This recording of the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra led by Sakari Oramo starts of a little darker, but has an equally fantastic finish.