It’s time we got a lowercase-c classical/Western academic/art music thread going. Post favorites, new discoveries, dissections etc, and interpret “classical” loosely
Starting off with one of the most popular pieces in the canon, at the store I found this interesting new version of the Mozart/Süssmayr Requiem which, aside from boasting handsome recordings of the standard work, incorporates otherwise unrelated compositions into the sequence. There are three pieces before the standard Introit, the first of which isn’t even by Mozart (credited anonymously as far as I can tell). The third movement of Serenade No. 10 for winds shows up—and has been reworked to include an entire choral section—in the middle of the now-divided Offertory.
Humble amateur though I am, I’ve listened to the Requiem a number of times and think these additions don’t feel stapled on. It’s a little incongruous but I feel it expands and illuminates the work. Since recording technology has been around it’s been common practice to include multiple works on the same record/tape/CD to take advantage of the space, but I haven’t chanced upon anything like this before. It seems the conductor/arranger Raphaël Pichon is known for this but is it otherwise a new popular phenomenon? Am I just out of the loop?
I’m otherwise most familiar with this recording conducted by Neville Marriner
The recording has some glitches in it but this is far and away my favorite rendition of dido’s lament. I don’t go in for a lot of classical unless it’s massively depressing (lol), but I can get into opera a bit more. I’ve heard lots of folks attempt this one, including live, and just nobody can hit the notes as clearly as she does. Especially the big piercing “remember me” in the middle there. Everybody flubs it!
I liked this piece more before the abuse allegations about the composer became known, who I technically also have only two degrees of separation from (one of my composition mentors studied with him). However upon separation of art and artist it is an all time fave
I bet you’d chill with some Luigi Dallapiccola, a fellow serialist. Interesting guy. Was initially a supporter of Mussolini and Italian fascism, out of basically believing the early propaganda, only to turn a complete 180 once any of it became remotely real.
This is an opera called Volo di notte, or “Night Flight,” based on a French novel. Synopsis below:
The opera takes place in the control room of the airport at Buenos Aires, at a time when an airline, run by Rivière, is experimenting with a new form of flying by night to speed up the recently introduced airmail services to Europe. Three flights meet at Buenos Aires and a new aircraft, with all the collected mail aboard, sets off northbound. Rivière himself is able to follow the progress of the flights, with news being relayed by the radio operator. Madame Fabien, wife of a pilot, is waiting anxiously for her husband’s arrival. On this occasion, the weather over South America is bad, and Pellerin, flying in from Chile, only just makes it across the Andes. The second flight, flying from Patagonia in the deep south, encounters serious problems, communicated by its pilot, who is Fabien. The tension builds as he struggles through the stormy weather, running dangerously short of fuel. At last, having decided to crash land he discovers that he is now off course, out over the ocean. Aware that he is doomed, he flies up above the clouds and gazes at the stars until his fuel runs out. The third flight from Paraguay, further north and away from the storm, lands safely. Rivière decides that even with only two-thirds of its cargo, the flight for Europe must set off.
I met Gabriel Prokofiev, he’s a nice guy, and I think this piece is cool as hell. I think I resisted the urge to tell him his grandpa is one of my favourite composers. But I can’t say for sure if I did or not anymore
when it comes to automated surveillance marketing, i’m never sure about coincedence, but no, i don’t use spotify. i did try to post that a couple weeks ago in this thread but it kept giving me anerror. if that were the reason it got in your spotify… it’s too creepy to worry about too much.
>be Arnold Schoenberg
>develop an intense phobia of the number 13
>write music using a compositional technique heavily based
on a number of parameters only one less than the number he
has a phobia of
