Ballade for Violin and Piano – Porumbescu

Having once written about J.S. Bach being sentenced to jail for his strong desire to leave his position of concertmaster, I admit that it wasn't a serious law violation. Okay, composers are generally not involved into something of a like kind, however I can't help but recall a case of a greater misdemeanor: a Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu was arrested for his political activity one day. Luckily for us and him, all turned out well and he was able to continue composing. One of the major composers of Romania, he and his quite diverse oeuvre deserve a close look. Here is his Ballade for Violin and Piano.

posted by Igor @ 2:16 AM  

Der Freischütz Overture – Carl Maria von Weber

Given that fugue is rightly considered to be the most complex contrapuntal form, it is really amazing that it became a German composer Carl Maria von Weber's form of choice when he was only eleven or twelve years old. This and that he had never composed anything before must've been already a good reason for people surrounding him to realize von Weber's name will without a doubt create a stir in music. And so that happened.

I have no evidence whether young Carl was surprised with success of his opera Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins, which was composed when he was 14 – what is important is that he had kept the momentum ever since. Of everything that was written by von Weber particularly interesting is Der Freischütz, a cornerstone of German romantic opera. Find a score of an overture here: Der Freischütz. Ouvertüre, J.277 Op.77.

posted by Igor @ 1:36 AM  

A Vucchella – Paolo Tosti

Originally Italian, Francesco Paolo Tosti in his life had managed to gain exceptional success abroad: soon after visiting the United Kingdom he became the most popular composer of songs in the country, not to mention that he had got a high position – of singing master to the Royal family, – and was knighted a few decades later. Indeed all of this wouldn't have been possible if Tosti's music wasn't outstanding, but it was: his works have been firmly established in the repertoire of some of the greatest opera singers (particulary tenors), including Enrico Caruso. Download one of the most famous Tosti's compositions here: A Vucchella (for Voice and Piano), – and watch it sung by a great Italian tenor below:

posted by Igor @ 5:17 AM  

Abschiedslied der Zugvögel, Op.63 No.2 by F.Mendelssohn

Despite what one may think, Abschiedslied der Zugvögel is rather a title of a composition by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy than a tongue-twister. It can with big success be considered the one, though – I think that to hear it pronounced right from a non-native German, the latter should at least be given a Speak & Spell device. Jokes aside, it is a beautiful song – unusually for Mendelssohn, with words this time, – and comforting for anyone saddened that summer has ended – listening to this text about migratory birds, listeners will feel that they are not alone. In this sense, a song is edificatory even – the same as birds in it everyone is free to travel the world, to a place where summer is in full swing... Download it here: Six Songs for Two Voices and Piano, 'Abschiedslied der Zugvögel', Op.63 No.2.

posted by Igor @ 4:05 AM  

Song Without Words for Cello and Piano, Mendelssohn

Don't judge a book by its cover and a series of piano works by its – in this case, quite undistinguished, – title. No matter what one might think, Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words is anything but yet another collection of instrumental music. Quite the opposite, there definitely is something special about these lyrical pieces: a composer was working in this, invented by himself, genre throughout all his life in attempt to express the inexpressible. For this reason an idea – even though it was his friends', – of setting words to this music was declined. Additionally, this set of pieces inspired such composers as Edward Grieg, Gabriel Fauré, and Anton Rubinstein to compose their own series under the same name.

As I already mentioned, Mendelssohn was writing songs without words exclusively for piano. However, once he made an exception and composed a piece also for cello, and it is as good as you would expect it to be. If you happen to play cello, don't miss this one: Song without Words for Cello and Piano, Op.109.

posted by Igor @ 4:49 AM  

Gymnopédie No.1 in D Major

True innovator, Eric Satie perhaps didn't even expected that his works would be so important not only for development of classical music, but music in its other instances too, and even in very minor, different to notice, aspects of it. Considered a godfather of minimalism and very likely ambient, Satie is particularly known for giving very intricate and ironic titles to his works. Perhaps if it wasn't for his influence, it would be more uncommon to find an offbeat bandname these days ("...and You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead" is one such), but now there are quite a few. And, acknowledging the truth, neither now nor ever there were many works titled Desiccated embryos in academic (or nearly academic) music. At that, derisive or obscure titles don't make Satie's works less splendid – it is obvious that he was composing from the heart and indeed liked what he was doing. His Gymnopédie No.1 in D Major is one of the most notable piano pieces ever created – enjoy.

posted by Igor @ 6:33 AM  

Bridal Waltz by Niels Gade

A Folk Tale is a 1854 ballet created by August Bournonville, Niels Gade, and Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann. It isn't any surprising that together they created something as magnificient as it is – of them two (Gade and Bournonville) were sharing the passion at folklore. As a composer, Gade had a primary interest in folk music and wasn't very much concerned about its mythological side, and Bournonville, being an amateur of Hans Christian Andersen and Grimm brothers, pretty much outdone himself writing the plot – A Folk Tale is almost as captivating as works of storytellers he himself was inspired by.

Once I noticed that Camille Saint-Saëns considered Carnival of Animals to be a joke – talking about a given ballet, Niels Gade was thinking the same about a piece he composed for the final scene. Nevertheless, now this composition (called Bridal Waltz) accompanies almost every Danish wedding and is a favorite among both newlyweds and amateurs of classical music. Download a piece here: Waltz from Ballet 'Et Folkesagn'.

posted by Igor @ 5:33 AM