Monday, June 09, 2014

Roussel

Roussel, Albert, 1869-1937.  Sinfonietta, string orchestra, op. 52 Sinfonietta  op. 52, for string orchestra  Chicago Philips [1968?]   I Musici.
Roussel, Albert Charles Paul1869-1937. Symphonies,no. 3, op. 42,G minor Symphony no. 3, in G minor, op. 42. Symphony no. 4, in A major, op. 53 Epic [1966]  Lamoreux Orchestra; Charles Munch, conductor.
Roussel, Albert, 1869-1937. Festin de l'araignée. Le festin de l'araignée;|bsymphonic fragments from the ballet-pantomime, op.17.Sinfonietta, op.52. Angel, [1965] With the composer's Bacchus et Arione (Ballet) Suite, no.2.  Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, Paris; André Cluytens, conductor.
Roussel, Albert, 1869-1937. Festin de l'araignée. Le festin de l'araignée; symphonic fragments from the ballet-pantomime, op.17. Sinfonietta, op.52. Angel [1965]  With the composer's Bacchus et Arione (Ballet) Suite, no.2. Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, Paris; André Cluytens, conductor.


Saturday, June 07, 2014

Paray

From high atop beautiful downtown of Paray Le Monial  in France, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Dr. Detroit. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Perry Como. The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Jack and Meg White. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Ted Nugent .  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Bob Seger. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Kid Rock.

Paul Paray was born in Le Tréport in 1886. His father, Auguste, was a sculptor and organist at St. Jacques church, and leader of an amateur musical society. He put young Paul in the society's orchestra as a drummer. Later, Paul Paray went to Rouen to study music with the abbots Bourgeois and Bourdon, and organ with Haelling. This prepared him to enter the Paris Conservatoire. In 1911, Paray won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Yanitza.

As World War I started, Paray heeded the call to arms and joined the French Army. In 1914, he was a prisoner of war at the Darmstadt camp, where he composed a string quartet.

After the war, Paray was invited to conduct the orchestra of the Casino de Cauterets, which included players from the Lamoureux Orchestra. This was a springboard for him to conduct this Orchestra in Paris. Later he was music director of the Monte Carlo Orchestra, and president of the Concerts Colonne.

In 1922, Paray composed music for the Ida Rubinstein ballet Artémis troublée. That year he and the Spanish violinist Manuel Quiroga premiered his Violin Sonata. In 1931, he wrote the Mass for the 500th Anniversary of the Death of Joan of Arc, which was premiered at the cathedral in Rouen to commemorate the quincentenary of Joan of Arc's martyr death. In 1935, he wrote his Symphony No. 1 in C major, which was premiered at the Concerts Colonne. He composed his Symphony No. 2 in A major in 1941.

Paray made his American debut with the New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra in 1939. In 1952, he was appointed music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, conducting them in numerous recordings for Mercury Records' "Living Presence" series. Following his departure from Detroit in 1963, Paray returned to France and maintained a healthy international guest-conducting career. He was in his tenth decade when he made his last conducting appearance in the United States, leading the Orchestra of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. A report in Musical America noted: "Now ninety-two, Paray brings to the podium not only a reputation as one of the great conductors of our time, but strength, energy, and a solid technique that have not diminished through the years."

Paray could and did conduct the entire orchestral repertoire well, but he specialized in the French symphonic literature. One of Paray's most renowned recordings, made in October 1957, is that of the Saint-Saëns' Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Organ". The circumstances surrounding the recording were fortuitous. Paray had built the Detroit Symphony Orchestra into one of the world's most distinguished. Marcel Dupré, a friend and fellow student from childhood, was organist for the session. Dupré, as a young student, had pulled the organ stops for the composer Camille Saint-Saëns in a performance of the Symphony No. 3 in Paris, and the organ of Ford Auditorium in Detroit was well suited to the work. As well as being among the most authoritative readings of the work, the original analogue recording on the Mercury label remains an audiophile reference in vinyl, and the analogue-to-digital transfer produced by the original recording director Wilma Cozart for compact disc is also available from Mercury (recording number 432 719-2).

He married Yolande Falck in Cassis, France, on 25 August 1942. He was a National Patron of Delta Omicron, an international professional music fraternity.

The government of France awarded him its highest honor, the Grand-Croix de la Légion d'honneur, in 1975. He died in Monte Carlo in 1979, aged 93.

Schumann, Robert, 1810-1856.   Symphonies,|nno. 1, op. 38,|rB? major    Symphony no. 1, in B Flat major, op. 38 (Spring) Manfred  overture op. 115.  Mercury,  [1959]
 Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Paray conductor.   Recorded in the Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium, Detroit.

 Bouquet de Paray.     Mercury,  [1959] William Tell overture, by Rossini.--Danse macabre, by
 Saint-Saëns.--Invitation to the dance, by Weber.--Mephisto  waltz, by Listz.  Detroit Sympnony Orchestra; Paul Paray, conductor.  Recorded in the Ford Auditorium, Detroit.
Emil Telmanyi, using Vega bow J.S. Bach's Partita No.2, "Chaconne" Recorded in 1953
Digitally remastered in 2003 

Paray, Paul, 1886-1979 .
  Messe du cinquième centennaire de la mort de Jeanne d'Arc
  Mass for the 500th anniversary of the death of Joan of Arc
Chicago, Ill. Mercury, 1957.   Frances Yeend, soprano ; Frances Bible, mezzo-soprano ;
David Lloyd, tenor ; Yi-Kwei-Sze,  bass ; Detroit Symphony  Orchestra ; Rachkam Symphony Choir ; Paul Paray,  conductor.  Recorded in the Henry and Edsel Ford Auditorium, Detroit,
Oct. 20, 1956.
The White Stripes,
"The Hardest Button to Button"  Elephant
Suppé, Franz von, 1819-1895.    Overtures.| Selections    Overtures. Mercury,  [1960]
The  Beautiful Galatea.--Pique Dame--Light cavalry--  Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Paul Paray, conductor.   Recorded in the Cass Technical High School, Detroit.

Sunday, June 01, 2014

The French Revolution



From high atop beautiful place de la Revolution in France, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Maximilian Robespierre. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Jean-Paul Marat. The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Marie Antoinette and Anna Maria Albergetti . The role of Ken Moss is being played by King Louis XVI.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Jacques Necker. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord. 

The Music of the French Revolution and other Uprisings 
Revolution Medley feat. Beatles, Red Army Chorus,
The song of the French Revolution from Les Misérables (2012) Song of the French Revolution Les Miserables
Berlioz, Hector, 1803-1869.,Symphonie funèbre et triumphale, Funeral and triumphal Symphony op. 15.  Urania, 1956.  Josef Rohm, trombone; The Great Symphonic Brass and String Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera; Ernest Graf, conductor; Wiener Kammerchor; Hans Gillesberger, director.
Marc Ogeret- Ah! ça ira (French revolution song) http://youtu.be/z_z3KCs4IR8

Songs of the Russian Revolution Hollywood, Calif Melodiya/Angel, [1970].  From out of the forest -- Cavalry song -- Song of the barge-haulers -- Let us remember, comrades -- The voice of the earth -- Native land Soviet Army Chorus & Band ; Boris Aleksandrov, conductor.
World War 1 Soldiers Song ~ Mademoiselle From Armentieres
 "Weather Report-Unknown Soldier"
 Songs of the Russian Revolution Hollywood, Calif Melodiya/Angel, [1970]-- Song of the machine-gun cart - - The cliff -- Ah, Nastasya.  Soviet Army Chorus & Band ; Boris Aleksandrov, conductor.
FRENCH REVOLUTION SONGS [late XVIII century]
I. Hymne à l'hyver -II. Poursuite et retour de la Famille Ci-devant Royale - III. Chanson nouvelle -IV. Complainte de Louis XVI aux Français et Parodie de la complainte - V. Un pain d'quatr' livres - Arnaud Marzorati (baritone) Jean-François Novelli, Hughes Primard, Arnaud Ledu (tenor) Stéphanie Paulet (violin)
Mélanie Flahaut (flageolet & bassoon) Michel Godard (serpent)  Céline Frisch (harpsichord)
Joël Grare (percussion) Les Lunaisiens / Arnaud Marzorati (conductor)

Friday, May 23, 2014

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

From high atop beautiful downtown Rouses, New York, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Henri Rousseau. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Marius Russo. The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Rene Russo and  Mel Gibson . The role of Ken Moss is being played by Anthony Russo .  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Joe Russo. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by John A. Russo.  Our featured French composer is:
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau's work in music is little known today, but he managed to create and sustain an atmosphere of conflict in the world of French opera during the mid-eighteenth century. Since Rameau, the reigning master of tragédie lyrique at the Opéra, declared one of Rousseau's early operas "the work of a musical ignoramus," Rousseau launched a lifetime vendetta against the traditions of French opera. The primacy of tragédie lyrique was shaken for a few years after Pergolesi's light comedy La serva padrona was presented in Paris in 1752. Rousseau's brief Le devin du village (The village soothsayer), which was written in a similar, simple, Italianate style to a libretto by the composer, extolling the joys of rustic romance, was premiered the same year. It could hardly have demonstrated a greater contrast with Rameau's elaborate, rigorously mannered (and very long) operas based on mythology or ancient history. Rousseau's opera was a popular success, and while it did not succeed in displacing Rameau's aesthetic, it remained in the repertoire until the early nineteenth century.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Le printemps di Vivaldi: I. Allegro II. Largo III.  Allegro
Barthold Kuijken – Flute Recital: Kuijken, Barthold - Bach, J.S. / Hotteterre, J. / Weiss, S.L. / Rousseau, J.-J. / Bach, C.P.E. / Fischer, J.C.
Doron Braunshtein – Jean-Jacques Rousseau  – Words Are My Home
Cantus Firmus Kammerchor & Consort; Gabriela Bürgler, soprano; Michael Feyfar, tenor; Dominik Wörner, baritone; Andreas Reize, conductor This production, by rising young performers in the first year of an annual summer opera festival at the Swiss Castle Waldegg,  is classified as a live performance, but it is almost completely free of the drawbacks of live recordings: no coughing or clapping, no clumping feet or fade-outs as the singers move around, and good balance between singers and orchestra. 
Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Le devin du village: Ouverture Scene 1: J'ai perdu tout mon bonheur (Colette)  Scene 2: Pedrai-je Colin sans retour? (Colette, Le Devin) Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Le devin du village:   Scene 2: Air: Si des galants de la ville (Colette, Le Devin)  Air: L'amour croit s'il s'inquiete (Le Devin, Colette)  Scene 3: J'ai tout su de Colin (Le Devin)   Scene 4: L'Amour et vos lecons (Colin, Le Devin)
Scene 5: Gai    Scene 5: Air: Je vais revoir ma charmante Maitresse (Colin) Scene 6: Je l'appercois (Colin, Colette)  Scene 6: Air: Ta foi ne m'est point ravie (Colin, Colette)  Scene 6: Duet: Tant qu'a mon Colin (Colette, Colin)  Scene 6: Ensemble: A jamais Colin (Colin, Colette)  Scene 7: Je vous ai delivres (Le Devin, Colin)  Scene 7: Venez, jeunes garcons (Le Devin)  Scene 8: Entree de la jeunesse du Village Scene 8: Colin revient a sa Bergiere (Chorus) Scene 8: Pastorelle pour le villageois  Scene 8: Romance: Dans ma cabane obscure (Colin) Scene 8: Pantomime  Scene 8: Il faut tous a l'envi nous signaler ici (Le Devin, Colin)
Scene 8: Souvent une flamme cherie (Colin, Le Devin, Chorus)  Scene 8: Avec l'objet de mes amours (Colette, Chorus)  Scene 8: Menuet et Allemande  Scene 8: Allons danser sous les ormeaux (Colette, Chorus)
Arpeggione Kammerorchester Hohenems – Promenade avec Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Jean Balissat - Jean Perrin: Œuvres pour orchestre à cordes
Llambías X Wazzabi – Jean-Jacques Rousseau Skriver I Begyndelsen Af Sine Bekendelser  – Monte Lema
Jafni – First-Second
Wandering   – Muses of a Lone Wanderer - Hommage À Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Michael Sheen – Confessions: 'Friendship, Confidence, Intimacy, Sympathy Of Soul...' (Jean-Jacques Rousseau) Eugene Cormon – A Lover's Gift: From Him To Her
Papa Razzi and the Photogs – Jean Jacques Rousseau Was a Deep Thinkin' Person Man  – The Life of This Legendary American Music Man Is Quite Good, Yes

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Francois Couperin

From high atop beautiful downtown Cooperstown, New York, it's time once again for Sadko's World of Music. The role of Sadko today is being played by Francois Kevorkian. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Francois Tetaz. The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Francois Hollande and Valerie Trierweiler. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Francois Truffaut.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Francois Rude. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Francois Ozon.  Our featured French composer is:


Francois Couperin   10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733  was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.
Couperin, François, 1668-1733.  Pièces de clavecin Sylvia Marlowe plays François Couperin, Le Grand.  Decca,  1970 Contains the complete 8th, and 6th orders, Les folies françaises from the 13th order, and other selections from various orders.  Sylvia Marlowe, harpsichord. 
Ravel, Maurice 1875-1937. Tombeau de Couperin; RCA Red Seal 1969.   Chamber Symphony of Philadelphia; Anshel Brusilow, conductor. 
Cantatas by A. Scarlatti, Telemann, and Couperin Angel, [1965]  Leçons de ténèbres, 1st lesson for Wednesday of Holy Week, by F. Couperin Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone, with instrumental ensemble. 
Couperin, François, 1668-1733. Leçons de Ténèbres Leçons de Ténèbres Lamentations of Jeremiah. RCA Victor [1969]   Alfred Deller, counter-tenor, with Philip Todd, tenor (in no. 3); Raphaël Perulli, viola da gamba; Michel Chapuis, organ. 
Couperin, Francois, 1668-1733 Apothéose de Lulli Four pieces for two harpsichords. Le Parnasse ou L'apothéose de Corelli.  Decca, [1968]. Instrumental ensemble; Sylvia Marlowe, conductor and harpsichord.
Couperin, François, 1668-1733 Les nations.  Mercury, [1964?] L'espagnole.--La piémontoise.--La françoise. 511 Stuttgart Baroque Ensemble; Marcel Couraud, conductor.



Monday, May 05, 2014

Jean-Baptiste Lully

The role of Sadko today is being played by J.B. Priestley. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Jusrin Bieber.The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by James and Tina Brown. The role of Ken Moss is being played by James Bond.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Jason Bourne. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Joey Belladonna.  Our featured French composer is:


Jean-Baptiste Lully  born Giovanni Battista Lulli; 28 November 1632 – 22 March 1687) was an Italian-born French composer, instrumentalist, and dancer who spent most of his life working in the court of Louis XIV of France. He is considered the chief master of the French baroque style. Lully disavowed any Italian influence in French music of the period. He became a French subject in 1661.Clearly the most successful musician of his time, in terms of power and financial wealth, Jean-Baptiste Lully was almost singularly responsible for the shape of French opera during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Born Italian, he died a wealthy Frenchman at the early age of 54. Although most remembered for his opera compositions, he was also a talented violinist and dancer. His business sense and, some say, unscrupulous manner, made him one of the most powerful musicians in all of France, if not Europe. His patron and friend King Louis XIV further cemented Lully's position at the top of Europe's musical elite. Lully's operas remain his legacy, but he also composed over 30 ballets, motets, incidental music, dances, and marches.

Lully was born the son of a miller who lost custody of him after his mother died. While in his early teenage years, Lully was taken to France by the Chevalier de Guise in March 1646. He served as a musician and page in Mlle de Montpensier's court until she was exiled, in 1652, to her estate at St. Targeau for her role in the Fronde. During his service with the Montepensier court, Lully was schooled in guitar, violin, and dance. His talents brought him to the attention of the young King Louis XIV. After his release from the Montepensier court, Lully joined the King's court, as a composer and dancer. He became the leader of a small string ensemble formed by the King. Lully's prestige at the court, as well as throughout France, grew even more when he was appointed the Superintendent of Music and subsequently, the Master of Music for the Royal Family.

When Lully began composing opera in the 1670s, Italy was the center of great opera. Opera in France was in its infancy. Lully's operas, which were based on Italian models but with French libretto, helped popularize the art form. He composed one a year between 1673 and 1680, and then again between 1682 and 1686. Besides being the premier opera composer in Paris at the time, Lully ensured his exalted position by securing patent rights which would ultimately allow him to determine what opera could be performed and severely limiting performances of operas he himself had not approved of. These patent rights, obtained from librettist Pierre Perrin who had been jailed for debt problems, were for the sole right to form the Royal Academy of Music. Lully bargained with Perrin for those rights, paying off his debts and providing him with a lifetime stipend. Lully formed the Royal Academie in March 1672. A year later, in April 1673, restrictions were passed that limited productions performed outside of the academie's auspices to no more than two singers and six players.

Lully was naturalized a French citizen in December 1661. On July 24, 1662, he married the daughter of his mentor and royal chief musician, Michel Lambert. King Louis XIV attended Lully's wedding to Madeleine Lambert and became the godfather of their eldest son. In 1681, Lully was granted Lettres de Noblesse and named one of the Secretaires du Roi. During a performance celebrating the recovery of the King from an illness, Lully accidentally hit his foot with his conducting staff. An infection resulted, and it ultimately killed him. When Lully died in 1687, he left his wife, six children, and an estate with an estimated value of 800,000 livres, a value more than 500 times the annual salary of an average court musician.
Lully, Jean-Baptiste: Divertissement (for first day of Les plaisirs de l'Ile enchantée), LWV22/1-4 (comedie-ballet), 1.Overture 2.First Entrance 3.Second Entrance 4.Second Overture 5.Gavotte pour les Satyres 6.Sarabande  7.Air pour le Vieillard et sa Famille (edited by Mallon, Kevin) 8.Gavotte pour les Suisses 9.Bourée pour les Coutisans Kevin Mallon Conductor Aradia Baroque Ensemble
Jean-Baptiste Lully Composer Concert donne au souper du roy, for keyboard Work Joseph Bonnet Organ The Britannic Organ, Vol.4 Various Artists Oehms Classics
Marche Militaire, for brass ensemble Stuttgart Brass Quartet
Gavotte en rondeau (arranged by Willy Burmester) Sten Frykberg, piano Carl von Garaguly, Violin
Trios pour le coucher du Roi, for 2 violins and continuo, LWV35, Symphonie #1.Dans nos bois Silvandre s'escrie #1.Symphonie #2. Gavotte Menuet La jeune Iris, Menuet Chaconne #1. Dans nos bois Silvandre s'escrie #2  Chaconne #2. Stephan Van Dyck, conductor; Aline Zylberajch, Harpsichord, Musica Favola,  Ensemble
Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687. Isis.Selections Musical Heritage Society, [1968]  With the composer's Armide. Selections.   Prologue.--Duet of the nymphs.--Shivering chorus.--Rondeau (Plaint of Io).--Act III, scenes 3 to 5.--Act III, scene 6. 511 Nadine Sautereau and Jocelyne Chamonin, sopranos: André Mallabrera, tenor; Roger Soyer, bass; Philippe Caillard Chorus; Jean François Paillard Orchestra; Jean François Paillard, conductor. 
The London Baroque Ensemble conducted by Karl Haas. | Decca, [195-?] Lully, Jean Baptiste, 1632-1687. Marche pour le Régiment du Roi


Thursday, May 01, 2014

Vincent D'Indy

The role of Sadko today is being played by Vincent Price. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Vincent Van Gogh .The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Vincent and Jacob Astor. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Vincent D' Onofrio.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Vincent Cronin. In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Vincent Miceli. Our featured French composer is  Vincent D'Indy.. Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy was born in Paris into an aristocratic family of royalist and Catholic persuasion. He had piano lessons from an early age from his paternal grandmother, who passed him on to Antoine François Marmontel and Louis Diémer. From the age of 14 he studied harmony with Albert Lavignac. At age 19, during the Franco-Prussian War, he enlisted in the National Guard, but returned to musical life as soon as the hostilities were over. The first of his works he heard performed was a Symphonie italienne, at an orchestral rehearsal under Jules Pasdeloup; the work was admired by Georges Bizet and Jules Massenet, with whom he had already become acquainted. On the advice of Henri Duparc, he became a devoted student of César Franck at the Conservatoire de Paris. As a follower of Franck, d'Indy came to admire what he considered the standards of German symphonism.
Prague Symphony Orchestra – La Mort de Wallenstein, Symphonic Poem No. 3, Op. 12 – Berlioz: Le Corsaire, Benvenuto Cellini / D´Indy: La Mort de Wallenstein & Istar
Prague Symphony Orchestra – Istar - Symphonic Variations, Op. 42 – Berlioz: Le Corsaire, Benvenuto Cellini / D´Indy: La Mort de Wallenstein & Istar
Vincent d'Indy – Symphonie sur un chant montagnard francais, Op. 25, "Symphonie cevenole": I. Assez lent - Moderement anime Martin Helmchen Swiss Romande Orchestra – D'Indy - Saint-Saëns - Chausson
Vincent d'Indy speaks  – Les Autographes Vocaux
Vincent d'Indy – Suite en parties pour Flute obligée, Violon, Alto, Violoncelle et Harpe/ I. Entrée en Sonate / II. Air Désuet... III. Sarabande avec deux doubles  end part 1 IV. Farandole variée en Rondeau Carlo Jans, Kateřina Englichová & Martinů Quartet – Françaix/ Bordes/ d'Indy/ Pierné/ Jolivet
Le camp Wallenstein : Finale Various Artists – 300 ans d'opéra à Bruxelles
Vincent d'Indy – Romances sans paroles: No. 2. Moderato No. 3. Allegro vivace Michael Schafer – D'Indy: Piano Works, Vol. 3
Vincent d'Indy – 4 Pieces, Op. 16: No. 1. Serenade   No. 2. Choral grave: No. 3. Scherzetto No. 4. Etude: Agitato Michael Schafer – D'Indy: Piano Works, Vol. 3
Vincent d'Indy – Helvetia, Op. 17: No. 1. Aarau No.2  Schinznach No. 3 Laufenburg Michael Schafer – D'Indy: Piano Works, Vol. 3
Vincent d'Indy – Nocturne, Op. 26 Michael Schafer – D'Indy: Piano Works, Vol. 3
Opera overtures.Columbia [1961] --Fervaal, by Indy  Columbia Symphony Orchestra; Thomas Schippers, conductor.
Leonard Warren on tour in Russia.RCA Victor 1958.   Recorded in Leningrad and Kiev, May 1958.  D'Indy.--Agnus Dei  Leonard Warren, baritone; Willard Sektberg, piano.

Friday, April 25, 2014

One Hit Wonder French Composers



One hit wonders among French Composers
The role of Sadko today is being played by Richard Harris. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Henhouse Five Plus Two.   The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by The Cuff Links. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Kix.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by  the Starland Vocal Band . In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Men without Hats
Itzhak Perlman plays Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor of Jean-Baptiste Accolay Allegro Moderato
The world-famous French organist Marie-Claire Alain (died February 26th, 2013 at the age of 86) plays Litanies by her brother Jehan Alain (1911-1940) on the great organ of the Hofkirche in Luzerne, Switzerland.
This piece, one Jehan Alain's earliest, "Variations sur un thème de Clément Jannequin", is actually no such thing. Scholarship since Alain's death has identified the theme as being by a pen other than Jannequin's.

Gilbert Amy This recording is taken from an old LP - long out of print - recorded by Pierre Segond (to whom the piece is dedicated) at the Reformed Cathedral of Saint Pierre in Geneva on a large Metzler organ of 1965. A particular thank you must go to Segond's arguably most famous pupil, American theatre organist Llewellyn ("Lew") Williams (of the Organ Stop Pizza restaurant, Mesa, Arizona, with its four-manual, 78-rank Wurlitzer), who sent me this fantastic recording.
Angel S 37247 d'Indy Symphony on French Mountain Air   Orchestre de Paris; Serge Baudo, 
conductor.  Franck Symphonic Var & Les Djinns; Ciccolini, Paul Strauss, Orchestre de Liege

The French harpsichord. Angel [1973] Rameau, J.P. Suite in A minor.--Dandrieu, J.F. Suite in C major. Igor Kipnis, harpsichord




Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Easter Sunday


From high atop beautiful downtown Easton, PA, it's time once  again for Sadko's World of Music. It's that annual Easter show.  The role of Sadko today is being played by Luke Easter. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Easter Island.   The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Easter Seals and Bobby Seals. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Easter Bonnet.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Easter Parade . In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Arthur Easter.
Easter 2014
ENRIQUE GRANADOS:Danzas espanolas, Op.37, No.2, Oriental Born in the ancient Russian village of Murom in 1920, pianist Oleg Boshniakovich began his musical training with his aunt, Anna Klekova, a celebrated teacher in Murom. In 1934, Boshniakovich moved to Moscow and entered the Central Music School of the Moscow Conservatory, and then into the Conservatory itself - studying with Professor Konstantin Igumnov. Following a brief interruption brought upon by the Second World War, Boshniakoich resumed his studies with the legendary pianist Heinrich Neuhause.

The Easter Tales, Here comes Peter Cotton Tail, Easter Party Music
Penderecki, Krzysztof, 1933-  Utrenja. The entombment of Christ.  RCA Red Seal [1971]  Stefania Woytowicz, soprano; Kerstin Meyer, mezzo-soprano; Seth McCoy tenor; Bernard Ladysz, Peter Lagger, basses;  Temple University Choirs; Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene  Ormandy, conductor; sung in Old Slavonic.
VALERI KIKTA:Easter Chants of Old Russia, Resurrect, O the Lord Valeri Kikta (October 22, 1941, in Vladmirovka, a village near Donetsk, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian classical composer.
He was educated at the Moscow Choral College, then at the Moscow Conservatoire under Semyon Bogatyryov and Tikhon Khrennikov. On the recommendation of Shostakovich he moved on to post-graduate study. Kikta's compositions include ballets, symphonic, organ and choral works. These include Beyond the Verge of Darkness for tenor and orchestra, and Frescos of the St. Sofia Cathedral of Kiev for harp and orchestra. He was recorded extensively by the USSR state recording company, Melodiya in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Easter Tales,  The Bunny Hop, Easter Party Music
Poulenc, Francis,|d1899-1963.
Bach, Johann Sebastian, 1685-1750.  Oster-Oratorium.  Easter oratorio, BWV 249.  Angel [1966]  Teresa Zylis-Gara, soprano; Patricia Johnson, alto; Theo Altmeyer, tenor; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone; South German Madrigal Choir: Southwest German Chamber Orchestra; Wolfgang Gönnenwein, conductor.
ANATOLY KISSELEV:Stichera of the Easter Stichera of the Easter Work Large Choir of Belorussian Radio and TV Chorus/Choir, V. Rovdo Conductor Anatoly Kisselev was born in Moscow in 1948, and received his training at the Moscow State Choral School (1955-65), studying with Alexander Sveshnikov, Nikolay Demyanov, Victor Rovdo, and Alexander Flyarkovsky; as well as at the Moscow Conservatory (1965-70), studying orchestration and composition with Alfred Schnittke - who recommended Kisselev to the Soviet Union of Composers.

The Easter Tales, The Easter Parade, Easter Party Music

ALEXEY LARIN:Russian Passion, oratorio for soloists, choir, organ and percussion (1994), 14.Easter 15. Alleluia Kapella Moscow Kremlin Chorus/Choir Gennady Dmitryak, Conductor

The Easter Tales – Eggbert The Easter Egg, Easter Party Music

SERGEY LIAPUNOV:4 Songs, Op.14, 4.Vostochnïy romans (Eastern Romance)Vladimir Miller, Bass S. Uryvaev, Piano

The Easter Tales – My Choc'late Rabbit, Easter Party Music

SERGEY RACHMANINOV:Suite No.1 for 2 Pianos, Op.5, 4.Easter Turkina Duo Julia and Galina Turkina formed perhaps the most celebrated piano duo in Russia, with an active performance career spanning from 1937 to Galina's death in 1999. Both studied piano at the Central Music School in Moscow, where their principal teachers were Vasily Argamakov, Konstantin Igumnov, Ilia Kliachko, and Alexander Goldenveiser. During their illustrious careers they worked closely with a number of important composers - including Dmitri Shostakovich and Aram Khachaturian, often collaborating in preparation of a new work. Among the composers who have written works expressly for the Duo include Sergei Evseev, Vasily Argamakov, Nikolai Peiko, and American composer Jon Appleton.

The Easter Tales – The Funny Little Bunny With The Powder Puff Tail, Easter Party Music

NIKOLOAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV:4 Songs, Op.2, 2.Vostochnïy romans: Plenivshis' rozoy, solovey (Eastern Song: Enslaved by the Rose, the Nightingale) Margarita Mamsirova
A multi-faceted talent,with  professional skills, a rare tone of voice - coloratura mezzo soprano, artistry and bright appearance allowed MB Mamsirovoy to gain true recognition and the opportunity to act in the best opera houses in Russia and Europe.
MB Mamsirova is the recipient of many awards and the student of opera singers. In 1999 she received  the Russian theater award "Magic rocker" (Moscow) as "Best Actress" for his performance as Laura in the opera "The Stone Guest" by Dargomyzhsky.
The repertoire of the MB Mamsirovoy includes a large number of complicated opera roles of Russian and foreign composers, including highlights of Carmen ("Carmen" by Bizet), Rosina ("Barber of Seville" by Rossini), Cinderella ("Cinderella" by Rossini), Delilah (" Samson and Delilah "Camille Saint-Saens), Olga (" Eugene Onegin "by Tchaikovsky), Laura (" Iolanthe "Tchaikovsky), Amneris (" Aida "by Verdi), Lyubasha (" The Tsar's Bride "by N. Rimsky-Korsakov), Eboli ("Don Carlos" G. Verdi), Marina Mnishek ("Boris Godunov" by Modest Mussorgsky) and many others.
MB Mamsirova leads an active concert and touring schedule. Included in The repertoire of Mamsirovoy, along with the world of classical vocal literature, are Circassian folk songs,which  the singer who performs with special awe and affection.
In 2001 M. Mamsirova took part in a gala concert dedicated to the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Adygea with a brilliant solo concert at the State Philharmonic of the Republic of Adygea. In 2002 she performed in the city of Maikop, a joint solo soloist with the Bolshoi Theatre of Russia Roman Muravitsky tenor, and in 2006 took part in the concert in which artists celebrated the 15th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Adygea, as well as performing a solo concert, which is dedicated to her native land.
For her great contribution to the development of musical culture of the Republic of Adygea Mamsirovoy was awarded the honorary title "Honored Artist of the Republic of Adygea."

King's College Choir, Cambridge – Jesus Christ is risen today (Easter Hymn), 100 Best Hymns

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Russian Easter Overture, Moscow Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ken Moss

Swedish Chamber Orchestra – Oratorium Festo Paschali: Kommt, eilet und laufet (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249: Oratorium Festo Paschali: Kommt, eilet und laufet (Easter Oratorio), BWV 249: II. Adagio Johann Sebastian Bach – Bach: Oboe Concertos

PAVEL TSCHESNOKOV:Easter Prayer, Academy of Choral Arts, Moscow Chorus/Choir, V. Ladjuk Voice, Viktor Popov Conductor
Iraida Yusupova, Composer From Faust's Fragments Easter Angel's Choir (text by Boris Pasternak) Yusupova, Iraida, Piano Ave Maria Chamber Ensemble Goodkov, V. Voice (Taped), Dmitry Cheglakov, Cello

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Germaine Tailleferre

GERMAINE TAILLEFERRE  

(1892 - 1983)

One of the lesser-known members of Les Six in Paris in the 1920s, Germaine Tailleferre was associated directly with Auric, Honegger and Milhaud in Cocteau’s satirical Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel. Influenced by the clarity and simplicity of Satie, and by her teacher Ravel, she wrote music that later ventured into explorations of new techniques, without ever deserting her original inspiration.
Stage Works
Tailleferre’s stage works include the 1921 collaboration with other members of Les Six Les Mariés de la Tour Eiffel. Other works for the theatre range from the 1923 ballet Le Marchand d’oiseaux (‘The Bird-Seller’) to the 1961 chamber opera Le Maître (‘The Master’), based on Ionesco.
Chamber Music
Examples of Tailleferre’s chamber music are found in her two violin sonatas and her Violin Sonatina, as well as in her Jeux de plein air (‘Games in the Open Air’) for two pianos.

Chamber Music - SAINT-SAENS, C. / MILHAUD, D. / DEBUSSY, C. / HONEGGER, A. (French Music for Clarinet and Piano) (Veglianti, Polimanti)
Naxos Regular CD 9.70166 
Arabesque Germaine Tailleferre – Ouverture - 1953 recording
Valérie Milot – Sonata for Solo Harp / I. Allegretto Various Artists – Atmosphere: Winter
Alexandre Tharaud – Tailleferre: Valse lente  – Autograph
Manuel Zigante – Trio Pour Piano, Violon Et Violoncelle (1916-17, Rev. 1978) Ed. Lemoine: I. Allegro Animato Cristina Ariagno, Massimo Marin, Manuel Zigante – Germaine Tailleferre: Chamber Music
Manuel Zigante – Trio Pour Piano, Violon Et Violoncelle (1916-17, Rev. 1978) Ed. Lemoine: III. Moderato Cristina Ariagno, Massimo Marin, Manuel Zigante – Germaine Tailleferre: Chamber Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: I. Jasmin de Provence Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: II. Coquelicot de Guyenne Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: III. Rose d'Anjou Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: IV. Tournesol du Languedoc Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: V. Anthémis du Roussillon Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Fleurs de France: VI. Lavandin de Haute-Provence Cristina Ariagno – Tailleferre: Chamber Music and Piano Music
Germaine Tailleferre – Images  Porter String Quartet – Tailleferre: The Music of Germaine Tailleferre
Germaine Tailleferre – Bretagne Porter String Quartet – Tailleferre: The Music of Germaine Tailleferre
Cristina Ariagno – Concertino for Harp and Piano: I. Allegretto   – Tailleferre: Musique pour Piano, Harpe, Chant
Cristina Ariagno – Concertino for Harp and Piano: II. Lento   – Tailleferre: Musique pour Piano, Harpe, Chant
Cristina Ariagno – Concertino for Harp and Piano: III. Rondo  – Tailleferre: Musique pour Piano, Harpe, Chant
Jennifer Swartz – 5 Preludes: No. 1. Quietude Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – 5 Preludes: No. 2. Iridescence Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – 5 Preludes: No. 3. Introspection Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – 5 Preludes: No. 4. Lamentation Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – 5 Preludes: No. 5. Whirlwind Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – Suite Galactique, Op. 39: I. Exosphere Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – Suite Galactique, Op. 39: II. Hymne au Bon Combat Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Jennifer Swartz – Suite Galactique, Op. 39: III. Scherzo del Pueblo Various Artists – Grandjany / Hindemith / Lizotte / Salzedo / Tailleferre: Solo Harp Music
Marcia Eckert, piano/Ruth Ehrlich, violin – Violin Sonata No. 2: I. Allegro non troppo Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert/Ruth Ehrlich – Violin Sonata No. 2: II. Adagietto Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert/Ruth Ehrlich – Violin Sonata No. 2: III. Finale: Allegro Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert/Ruth Ehrlich – Violin Sonata No. 1: I. Modere sans lenteur Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert/Ruth Ehrlich – Violin Sonata No. 1: II. Scherzo: Pas tres vite et sans rigueur Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert /Ruth Ehrlich– Violin Sonata No. 1: III. Assez lent Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
Marcia Eckert /Ruth Ehrlich– Violin Sonata No. 1: IV. Final: Tres vite Germaine Tailleferre – Tailleferre, G.: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 2 / Pastorales / Berceuse / Romance / Impromptu / Rondo / Choral / Gaillarde
 

Monday, March 24, 2014

Louis Durey

The role of Sadko today is being played by Louis XIV. Scooter the Wonder Dog will be played by Louis Hayward.   The role of the Bobsie Twins is being played by Louis Tiffany and Louis Vuitton. The role of Ken Moss is being played by Louis Pasteur.  The role of Brian Carpenter is being played by Louis Armstrong . In the third half of the program, the role of Lenny the Listener will  be played by Louis Prima. Our featured French composer and member of Les Six is Louis Durey
Louis Durey was born in Paris, the son of a local businessman. It was not until he was nineteen years old that he chose to pursue a musical career after hearing a performance of a Claude Debussy work. As a composer he was primarily self-taught. From the beginning, choral music was of great importance in Durey’s productivity. His L'Offrande Lyrique (1914) has been called the first piece of French twelve-tone music.The first of his works to gain recognition in the music world was for a piano duet titled Carillons. At a 1918 concert this work attracted the interest of Maurice Ravel, who recommended him to his publisher.
Durey communicated with his colleague, Darius Milhaud, and asked him to contribute a piano piece that would bring together the six composers who, in 1920 were dubbed Les Six. This joint project was L'Album des Six. Despite the acclaim they received, Durey did not participate in the group's 1921 collaborative work Les mariés de la tour Eiffel, a decision which was a source of great irritation to Jean Cocteau.
After the Les Six period, Durey continued with his career. Never feeling the need to belong to the musical establishment, he voiced his growing left-wing ideals that put him in an artistic isolation that lasted for the rest of his life.
Following the break with Cocteau, Durey withdrew to his home in Saint-Tropez, Var, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the south of France. In addition to chamber music, at Saint-Tropez he wrote his only opera, L'occasion. In 1929, he married Anne Grangeon and moved back to Paris the following year. In the mid-thirties he joined the Communist Party and became active in the newly formed Fédération Musicale Populaire. During the years of the Nazi occupation of World War II, he worked with the French Resistance as a prominent member of the Front National des Musiciens and wrote anti-Fascist songs. After the war he embraced hard-line communism and his uncompromising political attitudes hindered his career. Needing to earn a living, in 1950 he accepted the post of music critic for a communist newspaper in Paris.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s he continued to compose but produced nothing of significance. His work on Vietnamese themes in the 1960s, based on his disgust with the turmoil France had left in Vietnam (formerly French Indochina) and the ensuing Vietnam War, seemed at that time in Paris to be a voice in the wilderness. He set poems by Ho Chi Minh and Mao Zedong. Other works include a string quartet, a flute sonatina, and Images à Crusoe.
Probably the least remembered of Les Six, Louis Durey died at Saint-Tropez in 1979.
Arundo-Donax Ensemble – Anime (Louis Durey)  – Les Six - I Sei
Arundo-Donax Ensemble – Lento (Louis Durey) – Les Six - I Sei
Arundo-Donax Ensemble – Tres Anime (Louis Durey) – Les Six - I Sei
Louis Durey – Le printemps au fond de la mer - 1953 recording  Les Six – Le Groupe des Six: Selected Works 1915-1945
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – La Tortue: Louis Durey  Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – Le Cheval: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – Le Serpent: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – La Puce: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – La Sauterelle: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – Le Poulpe: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – Le Boeuf: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Louis Durey – Trois pièces brèves for oboe solo: Nr. 1, Modéré  Leo Lencsés – Various Composers: Fantaisies Pastorales
Louis Durey – Trois pièces brèves for oboe solo: Nr. 2, Modéré  Leo Lencsés – Various Composers: Fantaisies Pastorales
Louis Durey – Trois pièces brèves for oboe solo: Nr. 3, Allegro scherzando  Leo Lencsés – Various Composers: Fantaisies Pastorales
Maria Lagios / Elizabeth Buccheri – La Chévre Du Thibet: Louis Durey Maria Lagios, soprano Elizabeth Buccheri, piano – Songs of Les Six
Louis Durey – Sonatine, Nonchalant Ransom Wilson – Flute Music by Les Six, Milhaud, Poulenc Honegger, Durey, Tailleferre, Auric
Louis Durey – Sonatine, Lent et soutenu, assez animé Ransom Wilson – Flute Music by Les Six, Milhaud, Poulenc Honegger, Durey, Tailleferre, Auric
Louis Durey -Romance sans Paroles, op.21, Mathias Weber, piano