Dead-Composers Society

[AC Benus]

I know I posted the rondo from John Field's second piano concerto, but here is the whole gem, performed brilliantly by Michael O'Rourke and the London Mozart Players. 

 

 

Edited October 6, 2018 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

I stumbled on this this morning (thanks Youtube suggested playlist). A recording and performance as perfect as this makes it clear why Paisiello was considered the greatest living composer the entire length of Mozart's career. Can't beat Italians writing Italianate music

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2018 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

Jerome Kern's Bake Believe, 1927

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2018 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

William Boyce, Symphony No.5 in D

 

 

[Saraband]

In preparation for my 11-year old student's AM lesson which will include the Invention #10, I was poking around on YouTube. (I told the kid to do some listening this week, and come back to me with her thoughts on a best-fit tempo, now that most of the notes are under her fingers. I thought I should see what was out there, myself.)  @Tiger 's post from last month reminded me that Valentina is always a good bet when you want to hear a really ballsy take on something, so when I found her Inventions, I couldn't resist.

 

But. . . I have SO MANY QUESTIONS about this:

 

 

And fresh among them is: "is my G Major invention this batshit when I do it fast?"

[AC Benus]

HAUSER - Adagio (Albinoni)

 

 

[Daddydavek]

RIP Montserrat Caballe

 

Montserrat Caballé and Marilyn Horne in concert singing the duet "Belle Nuit", also known as Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Offenbach. Munich, 1990

 

 

 

[AC Benus]

1 hour ago, Daddydavek said:

RIP Montserrat Caballe

 

Montserrat Caballé and Marilyn Horne in concert singing the duet "Belle Nuit", also known as Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Offenbach. Munich, 1990

 

If you are a fan of Caballé, you have to see how she brings the house down with a whisper. The scena that brings Act 1 of Cherubini's Démophoon to a conclusion starts at min. 21:14. 

 

 

 

Here's the same number in recital format:

 

 

[Saraband]

On 10/6/2018 at 2:34 PM, Daddydavek said:

RIP Montserrat Caballe

 

Montserrat Caballé and Marilyn Horne in concert singing the duet "Belle Nuit", also known as Barcarolle from Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Offenbach. Munich, 1990

My favorite thing about that Munich concert is "Montsy"'s humor -- when she introduces one of the encores (O mio babbino caro) she calls it "a little ditty" -- which it is -- and she and Marilyn Horne seem to have such an easy rapport on the stage. Caballe really seems to be struggling physically, though. She looks and sounds (to me, anyway) uncomfortable singing this duet, and I recall seeing somewhere that she had been pretty ill a lot around that time. Her dynamics and control are STILL exceptional, though, especially put right next to Marilyn's less nuanced lines (like, around 4:00).

 

On 10/6/2018 at 4:08 PM, AC Benus said:

If you are a fan of Caballé, you have to see how she brings the house down with a whisper. The scena that brings Act 1 of Cherubini's Démophoon to a conclusion starts at min. 21:14.

 

 

 

Thanks for posting both versions! I listened to both, and really prefer the staged version. I don't think I ever would have seen it otherwise, since I'd never think to look to Caballe for any sort of acting. (Not that she really did any, here, either -- but now I have a great example of what people meant when they called her singing "limpid.")

 

She may have been a lousy actress, but she was definitely a character -- and thanks to youtube, I don't even have to miss her. I can watch her manhandle students with no breath support in a master class any time I want! And we'll always be able to enjoy her sparkling singing, and charming irreverence (not to say, disrespect ) for the music. Still, it's sad to know she's gone.

[Parker Owens]

I ran across this ancient video today, and watched, fascinated. I'd only heard this as an audio recording...

 

 

[AC Benus]

13 hours ago, Saraband said:

Thanks for posting both versions! I listened to both, and really prefer the staged version. I don't think I ever would have seen it otherwise, since I'd never think to look to Caballe for any sort of acting. (Not that she really did any, here, either -- but now I have a great example of what people meant when they called her singing "limpid.")

 

She may have been a lousy actress, but she was definitely a character -- and thanks to youtube, I don't even have to miss her. I can watch her manhandle students with no breath support in a master class any time I want! And we'll always be able to enjoy her sparkling singing, and charming irreverence (not to say, disrespect ) for the music. Still, it's sad to know she's gone.

First of all, thank you! I always intended this thread to be a forum, where opinions and music can be shared (as opposed to a mere bulletin board to tack videos) So I really appreciate your comments.

 

Secondly, in the vid of the full performance of Démophooon, her later scena is also well worth checking out. It starts at 2:39:01. 

 

As for acting, I have noticed most of the statings recorded in Italy in this era eschew any real movement on stage. Perhaps they felt it would cheapen the action to mere melodrama (or plain soap opera). But in any event, you can see it over and over again, particularly in the films made at la Scala. Opera staging was known to be staid in general, and think -- 1985 is exactly the time Peter Sellars was coming to the fore with his (now commonplace style) shakeup of opera settings. It's all a process; someday placid, statuesque staging will be back in vogue. 

 

As for Caballé being a ham on stage...aren't they all?         

 

Edited October 9, 2018 by AC Benus

[AC Benus]

5 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

I ran across this ancient video today, and watched, fascinated. I'd only heard this as an audio recording...

 

 

How does the old saw go...?

 

JSB Snoot: "Bach only wrote two piano concertos."

JSB Fan: "Two is all he needed to write."

 

Thanks for posting this, Parker

 

[AC Benus]

Something for a Sunday  

 

Allegri's miserere mei

 

 

 

[AC Benus]

Bohemian Rhapsody; amazing performance by Mathieu Terrade on the harpejji. It's a must hear

 

 

[AC Benus]

Shostakovich and Schubert -- a merry mix-up for the morning

 

 

 

 

 

[Parker Owens]

@AC Benus The Bohemian Rhapsody on the harpejji is amazing. Where do you find these things?

[AC Benus]

1 hour ago, Parker Owens said:

@AC Benus The Bohemian Rhapsody on the harpejji is amazing. Where do you find these things?

That little treasure came to my attention via Lyssa. She’s also a treasure  

[Mikiesboy]

2 hours ago, Parker Owens said:

@AC Benus The Bohemian Rhapsody on the harpejji is amazing. Where do you find these things?

 

1 hour ago, AC Benus said:

That little treasure came to my attention via Lyssa. She’s also a treasure  

that was super ... wow .