Daily Archives: October 1, 2014

– Composer: Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin (12 November 1833 — 27 February 1887)
– Performers: Borodin String Quartet
– Year of recording: 1980String Quartet No. 2 in D major, written in 1881.

00:00 – I. Allegro moderato in D major and 2/2 time
08:26 – II. Scherzo. Allegro in F major and 3/4 time
13:19 – III. Notturno (Nocturne): Andante in A major and 3/4 time
22:03 – IV. Finale: Andante — Vivace in D major and 2/4 time

Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 in D major differs from many of the composer’s other works in two ways: it was completed quickly, during August 1881, and it lacks a published program. These two factors may be related; Borodin dedicated the quartet to his wife Ekaterina, and it was written as an evocation of when they met and fell in love in Heidelberg 20 years earlier. The composer seems to have represented himself in this quartet with the cello (he was an amateur player), while Ekaterina is portrayed by the first violin. Each of the movements is warm and blissful, the whole suggesting the depiction of a growing, deepening love.

– The first movement opens with a sweet, sighing melody, traded between first violin and cello in an almost conversational manner. Borodin and Ekaterina dominate the rest of the movement with a beguiling discourse; even the development brings effortless, serene reshapings of the exposition’s melodies, and the luminous coda rounds out the movement nicely.
– A Scherzo, written in a free sonata form, follows. The light first subject skips along gracefully, while the second subject is reminiscent of a waltz; both are gentle dances, gently handled. The development is in more decisive duple rhythm, but the recapitulation soon brings back the triple rhythm and its attendant character.
– Borodin and Ekaterina reappear in the famous Nocturne which follows. Over a luminous gauze of accompaniment from the second violin and viola, the cello introduces a long, tender, ardent melody marked cantabile ed espressivo. This melody soon passes to the first violin, which plays it over commentary from the cello. A more decisive second theme enters on both instruments, which develop it before playing the first theme in an intimate canon. The first theme lingers until the end of the movement, when in a long coda it ascends until the violin and cello play it together in a silvery thread of tone.
– The finale begins with an Andante introduction, as if unwilling to come down from the emotional heights of the previous movement, soon leading into a quicksilver, energetic Vivace, whose long coda provides a fittingly joyous conclusion to the entire work.

As love letters go, Borodin’s String Quartet No. 2 is unsurpassed; as string quartets go, it is deservedly loved.

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Tagged Alexander Borodin, alexander glazunov, Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin, Borodin Quartet, Borodin String Quartet, Ekaterina, EUZICASA, Ivan Bilibin, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, Modest Mussorgsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolay Zinin, Prince Igor, String Quartet No. 2

Flight of the bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: great compositions/performances

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Flight of the bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

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Tale of Tsar Saltan: Suite, Op. 57 – Flight of the bumblebee by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Russian National Orchestra. Moscow State Conservatory (Grand Hall), Mikhail Pletnev (conductor), September 19, 2008

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Tagged EUZICASA, flight of the bumblebee, Great Compositions/Performances, Mikhail Pletnev, Moscow State Conservatory, Music, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Opera, rimsky korsakov, Russian National Orchestra, Tale of Tsar Saltan, Tsar, Tsar Saltan

Antonín Dvořák -Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66: great compositions/performances

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Antonín Dvořák -Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Paavo Järvi

Antonín Dvořák -Scherzo Capriccioso, Op. 66 14’52

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Tagged Antonín Dvořák, Antonín Dvořák -Scherzo Capriccioso, Bedřich Smetana, dvorak, euziasa, Great Compositions/Performances, National Conservatory of Music of America, paavo jarvi, royal philharmonic orchestra, Scherzo Capriccioso, Tempo, United States, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Franz Doppler – Duettino on Hungarian Themes, Op. 36 – Two Flutes & Piano: make music part of your life series

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Franz Doppler – Duettino on Hungarian Themes, Op. 36 – Two Flutes & Piano

UriShohamFlutist

Uri Shoham and Yossi Arnheim, flutes, accompanied by Yoav Talmi, piano, perform Doppler’s Duettino on Hungarian Themes, Op. 36 in a live concert. At the time of this concert, Uri Shoham was Principal Flute and Yossi Arnheim was Assistant Principal of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. After 46 years of playing First Flute with the IPO, Uri Shoham retired in 1997. Since then, Yossi Arnheim has served as Principal Flute of the IPO.

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Tagged altoflute, EUZICASA, flute, israel philharmonic orchestra, Juilliard School, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, Music, Principal Flute, Yoav Talmi, YouTube

Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 2 [COMPLETE]: make music part of your life series

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Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 2 [COMPLETE]

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Ottorino Respighi (1879 – 1936)
Ancient Airs and Dances / Antiche arie e danze per liuto
Suite No. 2 (1923)I. Laura soave (0:00)
II. Danza rustica (3:51)
III. Campanae parisienses & Aria (7:32)
IV. Bergamasca (12:41)***Sir Neville Marriner
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
1976***
*********************************************

from wikipedia

Ancient Airs and Dances (Italian: Antiche arie e danze) is a set of three orchestral suites by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. In addition to being a renowned composer and conductor, Respighi was also a notable musicologist. His interest in Italian music of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries led him to compose works inspired by the music of these periods:
Suite No. 1
was composed in 1917. It was based on Renaissance lute pieces by Simone Molinaro, Vincenzo Galilei (father of Galileo Galilei) and additional anonymous composers.

Balletto, “Il Conte Orlando”
Gagliarda
Villanella
Passo mezzo e mascherada

Suite No. 2
was composed in 1923. It was based on pieces for lute, archlute, and viol by Fabritio Caroso, Jean-Baptiste Besard, Bernardo Gianoncelli, and an anonymous composer. It also includes an aria attributed to Marin Mersenne.

Laura soave
Danza rustica
Campanae parisienses & Aria
Bergamasca

Suite No. 3

was composed in 1932. It differs from the previous two suites in that it is arranged for strings only and somewhat melancholy in overall mood. It is based on lute songs by Besard, a piece for baroque guitar by Ludovico Roncalli, and lute pieces by Santino Garsi da Parma and additional anonymous composers.

Italiana (Anonymous: Italiana (Fine sec.XVI) – Andantino)
Arie di corte (Jean-Baptiste Besard: Arie di corte (Sec.XVI) – Andante cantabile – Allegretto – Vivace – Slow with great expression – Allegro vivace – Vivacissimo – Andante cantabile)
Siciliana (Anonymous: Siciliana (Fine sec.XVI) – Andantino)
Passacaglia (Lodovico Roncalli: Passacaglia (1692) – Maestoso – Vivace)

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Tagged Ancient Airs, Ancient Airs & Dances, Ancient airs and dances, Ancient Airs and Dances Suite III, arturo toscanini, Baptiste Besard, Bird, Birth of Venus, Elsa Respighi, Fabritio Caroso, galileo galilei, Jean-Baptiste Besard, Ludovico Roncalli, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, ottorino respighi, Pines of Rome, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Respighi, Santino Garsi da Parma, Simone Molinaro, Tempo

Cimarosa: “Il Matrimonio segreto” – Ouverture (Daniel Barenboim): make music part of you rlife series

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Cimarosa: “The Secret Marriage” – Ouverture (Daniel Barenboim)

TheGreatMaster77

The Secret Marriage is a comic opera in two acts written by Domenico Cimarosa between the end of 1791 and beginning of 1792 to a libretto by Giovanni Bertati.
was represented for the first time February 7, 1792 at the Burgtheater in Vienna.

was l ‘ the only work of history that, at the behest of the Habsburg emperor of the time (ie Leopold II), was completely replicated in the same evening of the “first”.

Visit the blog http://operaomniablog.blogspot.com/ , in which the ‘ work is analyzed piece by piece. The site also presents other works, being devoted entirely to the world of opera.

, I propose a third version of this song that is in addition to those which I have already posted the overture; of course the aim is to foster the musical competence of users through the comparison between the different versions of individual songs.

Q Fischer-Dieskau (Baritone): Geronimo,
Julia Varady (Soprano): Elisetta;
Arleen Auger (soprano): Carolina,
Julia Hamari (Mezzo-soprano): Fidalma;
Alberto Rinaldi (Baritone): Earl Robinson,
Ryland Davies (tenor): Pauline.

Daniel Barenboim conducts here Inglese Chamber orchestra.

I let you discover the plot! Just wikipedia: http: … //it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Il_matri

Original text in Italian and translated by Google Translate< an awersome application, a must have on your browser: Get your today, after all it’s free (as far as money goes…whatever else Google is interested in, who they share with and what…One thing is sure: power hungry they are!

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Tagged daniel barenboim, Domenico Cimarosa, Geronimo, Giovanni Bertati, Il matrimonio segreto, Julia Hamari, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, Ryland Davies, Vienna

Chile avalanche kills extreme skiers

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Chile avalanche kills extreme skiers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-29439003

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Chile avalanche kills extreme skiers

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Chile avalanche kills extreme skiers http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-29439003

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Franz Schubert – Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double-bass, in A major, D 667 “The Trout: great compositions/performances

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Franz Schubert – Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double-bass, in A major, D 667 “The Trout

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

Amati Chamber Ensemble. Gil Sharon, violin. Ron Ephrat, viola. Alexander Hülshoff, cello. Jean Sassen, double-bass. Dalia Ouziel, piano.
Franz Schubert – Quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello & double-bass, in A major, D 667 “The Trout”
I. Allegro vivace
II. Andante
III. Scherzo, presto
IV. Tema con variazioni (Die Forelle)
V. Allegro giusto

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Tagged Cello, Die Forelle, Double bass, Franz Schubert, Great Compositions/Performances, Piano, Tempo, Trout Quintet, viola, Violin

iesLudwig van Beethoven – Fidelio Overture, Op. 72b: make music part of your life series

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Ludwig van Beethoven – Fidelio Overture, Op. 72b

Wolfgang Amadé Mozart

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about Beethoven’s opera; for other uses, see Fidelio (disambiguation).
“Leonore” redirects here; for other uses, see Leonore (disambiguation).

The theatrical mask contemplated by a putto on the Beethoven monument by Kaspar von Zumbusch (Vienna, 1880) commemorates Beethoven’s sole opera in the city where it made its debut

Fidelio, playbill of the premiere, Vienna, Kärntnertortheater, 23 May 1814

Fidelio (Leonore, oder Der Triumph der ehelichen Liebe: Leonore, or The Triumph of Married Love)^[1] (Op. 72) is a German opera with spoken dialogue in two acts by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is his only opera. The German libretto was prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, which had been used for the 1798 opera Léonore, ou L’amour conjugal by Pierre Gaveaux, and the 1804 opera Leonora by Ferdinando Paer (a score of which was owned by Beethoven).

The opera tells how Leonore, disguised as a prison guard named “Fidelio”, rescues her husband Florestan from death in a political prison.

Performance history

The theatrical mask contemplated by a putto on the Beethoven monument by Kaspar von Zumbusch (Vienna, 1880) commemorates Beethoven’s sole opera in the city where it made its debut

Like many other works in Beethoven’s career, Fidelio went through several versions before achieving full success. The opera was first produced in a three-act version at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien, on 20 November 1805, with additional performances the following two nights. The 1805 and 1806 versions are referred to, by academic convention, as Leonore in order to distinguish them from the final two-act version. However all three versions were premiered as Fidelio.

The success of these performances was greatly hindered by the fact that Vienna was under French military occupation, and most of the audience were French military officers. After this premiere, Beethoven was pressured by friends to revise and shorten the opera into just two acts, and he did so with the help of Stephan von Breuning. The composer also wrote a new overture (now known as “Leonore No. 3”; see below). In this form the opera was first performed on 29 March and 10 April 1806, with greater success. Further performances were prevented by a dispute between Beethoven and the theatre management.

20th century

Florestan (Günther Treptow) and Leonore (Karina Kutz); September 1945, Deutsche Oper Berlin

Fidelio was Arturo Toscanini‘s first complete opera performance to be broadcast over the NBC radio network, in December 1944, by the NBC Symphony Orchestra, featuring soloists from the Metropolitan Opera (though a shortwave broadcast of one act, conducted by Toscanini, had earlier been relayed from an 16 August 1936 performance at Salzburg.) Divided into two consecutive broadcasts, the 1944 performances were later issued by RCA Victor on LPs and CDs.^[5] Toscanini made it clear that Beethoven believed in liberty and was opposed to tyrants such as Napoleon; in the conductor’s opinion, Beethoven would have likely opposed Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini as well.^{[citation needed]}

Fidelio was the first opera performed in Berlin after the end of the World War II, with the Deutsche Oper staging it under the baton of Robert Heger at the only undamaged theatre, the Theater des Westens, in September 1945.^[6] At the time, Thomas Mann remarked: “What amount of apathy was needed [by musicians and audiences] to listen to Fidelio in Himmler‘s Germany without covering their faces and rushing out of the hall!”^[7]

Not long after the end of World War II and the fall of Nazism, conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler remarked in Salzburg in 1948:

[T]he conjugal love of Leonore appears, to the modern individual armed with realism and psychology, irremediably abstract and theoretical…. Now that political events in Germany have restored to the concepts of human dignity and liberty their original significance, this is the opera which, thanks to the music of Beethoven, gives us comfort and courage…. Certainly, Fidelio is not an opera in the sense we are used to, nor is Beethoven a musician for the theater, or a dramaturgist. He is quite a bit more, a whole musician, and beyond that, a saint and a visionary. That which disturbs us is not a material effect, nor the fact of the ‘imprisonment’; any film could create the same effect. No, it is the music, it is Beethoven himself. It is this ‘nostalgia of liberty’ he feels, or better, makes us feel; this is what moves us to tears. His Fidelio has more of the Mass than of the Opera to it; the sentiments it expresses come from the sphere of the sacred, and preach a ‘religion of humanity’ which we never found so beautiful or necessary as we do today, after all we have lived through. Herein lies the singular power of this unique opera…. Independent of any historical consideration … the flaming message of Fidelio touches deeply.

We realize that for us Europeans, as for all men, this music will always represent an appeal to our conscience.^[8]

On 5 November 1955, the Vienna State Opera was re-opened with Fidelio, conducted by Karl Böhm. This performance was the first live television broadcast by ORF at a time when there were about 800 television sets in Austria.

The first night of Fidelio at the Semperoper in Dresden on 7 October 1989 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the DDR (East Germany) coincided with violent demonstrations at the city’s main train station. The applause after the “Prisoners’ Chorus” interrupted the performance for considerable time, and the production by Christine Mielitz (de) had the chorus appear in normal street clothes at the end, signifying their role as representatives of the audience.^[9] Four weeks later, on 9 November 1989, the fall of the Berlin Wall signalled the end of East Germany’s regime.

The overtures to Fidelio

Beethoven struggled to produce an appropriate overture for Fidelio, and ultimately went through four versions. His first attempt, for the 1805 premiere, is believed to have been the overture now known as “Leonore No. 2”. Beethoven then focused this version for the performances of 1806, creating “Leonore No. 3”. The latter is considered by many listeners as the greatest of the four overtures, but as an intensely dramatic, full-scale symphonic movement it had the effect of overwhelming the (rather light) initial scenes of the opera. Beethoven accordingly experimented with cutting it back somewhat, for a planned 1808 performance in Prague; this is believed to be the version now called “Leonore No. 1”. Finally, for the 1814 revival Beethoven began anew, and with fresh musical material wrote what we now know as the Fidelio overture. As this somewhat lighter overture seems to work best of the four as a start to the opera, Beethoven’s final intentions are generally respected in contemporary productions.

While some believe that Gustav Mahler introduced the practice of performing “Leonore No. 3” between the two scenes of the second act, something which was common until the middle of the twentieth century, Cairns states that it goes back to the middle of the 19th century and was therefore prior to Mahler.^[10] In this location, it acts as a kind of musical reprise of the rescue scene that has just taken place. A new, modern-styled production that premiered in Budapest in October 2008, for example, features the “Leonore No. 3” overture in this location.^[11]

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Posted in ARTISTS AND ARTS - Music, BOOKS, Educational, FILM, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MEMORIES, MY TAKE ON THINGS, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Uncategorized, YouTube/SoundCloud: Music, Special Interest

Tagged Beethoven, Fidelio, Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, Joseph Sonnleithner, Leonore, Ludwig van Beethoven, Make Music Part of Your Life Series, Pierre Gaveaux, Vienna

Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 “Polish” – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: great compositions/performances

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Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 “Polish” – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

SymphonyOfAThousand

Symphony No. 3 in D Major, Op. 29 “Polish” – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Composed in 1875

I. Introduzione e Allegro. Moderato assai (Tempo di marcia funebre) – Allegro brillante (0:00)
II. Alla tedesca. Allegro moderato e semplice – Trio (15:30)
III. Andante. Andante elegiaco (26:38)
IV. Scherzo. Allegro vivo – Trio (36:32)
V. Finale. Allegro con fuoco (Tempo di polacca) (42:42)

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Yuri Temirkanov, cond.
Recorded in 1991
http://www.amazon.com/6-Symphonies-P-…

***Image: Tchaikovsky (published 1906), courtesy Wikipedia

“The purpose of this video is to foster a love of music. No copyright infringement of this recording is intended, but if you hold the copyright and would like this video removed, please let me know, and I will do so.”

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Tagged Allegro, Glossary of musical terminology, Great Compositions/Performances, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, scherzo, Serenade for Strings, Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven), Tempo, wikipedia

Saint of the Day for Wednesday, October 1st, 2014: St. Therese of Lisieux

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English: Statue of St Therese of Lisieux, in the Padre Pio garden at Ladyewell, Fernyhalgh (near Preston), Lancashire (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

St. Therese of Lisieux

Generations of Catholics have admired this young saint, called her the “Little Flower”, and found in her short life more inspiration for own lives than in volumes by theologians. Yet Therese died … continue reading

More Saints of the Day

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Posted in Educational, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MEMORIES, MY TAKE ON THINGS, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, SPIRITUALITY, Uncategorized

Tagged Lisieux, Little Flower, Nicetius, Ralph Crockett, Romanos the Melodist, Saint Remigius, Sazana, Thérèse of Lisieux

today’s holiday: Tuvalu Independence Day

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Tuvalu Independence Day

Independence Day is the only national celebration in Tuvalu, which consists of nine islands in the South Pacific with a total surface area of 10 square miles. The day is marked in the capital city of Funafuti with an official government flag-raising ceremony followed by a parade of policemen and schoolchildren; similar events are held in smaller communities throughout the country. Also held in addition to several days of feasting and dance is the Independence Day Sports Festival, in which citizens enjoy a number of sporting competitions. More… Discuss

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Posted in Educational, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Uncategorized

Tagged Andris Piebalgs, Funafuti, List of European Commission portfolios, New Zealand, Pacific Ocean, South Pacific, Tuvalu, United State

quotation: What hath night to do with sleep? John Milton

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What hath night to do with sleep?

John Milton (1608-1674) Discuss

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Posted in ARTISTS AND ARTS - Music, BOOKS, Educational, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, MY TAKE ON THINGS, ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Poetry, Poets, Writers, QUOTATION, Uncategorized

Tagged Andy Warhol, john milton, Latin, London, Oliver Cromwell, paradise lost, Poetry, United States

today’s birthday: Jimmy Carter (1924)

Posted on October 1, 2014 | 2 comments

Jimmy Carter (1924)

Carter served as US President from 1977 to 1981. His foreign policy had some success—he mediated the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt and signed a treaty with Panama regarding control of the Panama Canal—but his domestic policy was less effective, and oil-related inflation and unemployment hurt his bid for re-election. He has since been active in human-rights causes and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. In 2007, Carter earned a Grammy Award for best album in what category? More… Discuss

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Posted in Educational, IN THE SPOTLIGHT, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Uncategorized

Tagged Camp David Accords, Carter, Egypt, Israel, Jimmy Carter, Nobel Peace Prize, Panama, Panama Canal

this day in the yesteryear: The Honeymooners Premiers on CBS (1955)

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The Honeymooners Premiers on CBS (1955)

The Honeymooners was a short-lived American sitcom based on sketches by comedian Jackie Gleason. It starred Gleason and Audrey Meadows as a struggling working class couple in New York—a drastic departure from other popular comedies of the era that depicted their characters in comfortable, middle-class, suburban environments. Though The Honeymooners was cancelled after just 39 episodes, it has been aired for decades in syndication. What animated TV series did Gleason’s show inspire? More… Discuss

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Tagged Audrey Meadow, CBS, Gleason, Honeymooner, Jackie Gleason, Jackie Gleason Show, New York, United States

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Wildlife Declined By More than Half in 40 Years

Human activities have dramatically altered the balance of life on Earth, according to a report by the Zoological Society of London. Wildlife populations around the globe have plummeted by more than half over just the past four decades, and the decline shows no signs of letting up any time soon. When broken down by habitat type, the data show that terrestrial and marine species both declined by 39 percent between 1970 and 2010, while freshwater species suffered a staggering 76 percent drop. The report calls “unsustainable human consumption” leading to habitat loss and degradation the greatest threat to biodiversity on our planet. More… Discuss

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Posted in Educational, Environmental Health Causes, Health and Environment, MEMORIES, MY TAKE ON THINGS, PEOPLE AND PLACES HISTORY, GEOGRAPHY, Uncategorized

Tagged Earth, Habitat destruction, Living Planet Index, Living Planet Report, London, London Zoological Society, World Wide Fund for Nature, Zoological Society

story: Windsor Castle

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English: Photograph of Windsor castle showing visitors. Taken Summer 1989 by contributor. All rights waived. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Windsor Castle

Located in the county of Berkshire, west of London, Windsor Castle has been a principal official residence of British monarchs since the 11th century. The Queen herself is quite fond of Windsor and frequently weekends there. Windsor has the distinction of being the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. The modern castle, which contains about 1,000 rooms and occupies 13 acres (5 hectares), consists of three “wards”—the upper, middle, and lower. What damaged more than 100 rooms in 1992? More… Discuss

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Tagged Berkshire, London, Mexico, queen, Queen Victoria, St George's Chapel Windsor Castle, Windsor, Windsor Castle

word: pliant

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pliant

Definition:	(adjective) Easily bent or flexed; pliable.
Synonyms:	bendable
Usage:	The connections of the several sections of the raft are slack and pliant, so that the raft may be readily bent into any sort of curve required by the shape of the river. Discuss.