SUNDAY MORNING CLASSICS ON TBP

A collaboration of: “The Classic Music Mafia”
nkit, and Steve C.

Every Sunday morning we present selections for our TBP family to enjoy.

We present symphonies, ensembles, quartets, octets, etc.

Not all of our music is strictly ‘classical’. We may stray a little, but we strive to make all of our selections ‘classy’.

We offer tips on proper ‘symphony etiquette’ and even some selections that are a bit light-hearted and fun aimed at a younger audience. Those pieces will be so designated, and might be a good way to introduce kids to a world of music that they might not have been exposed to or think of as old and ‘stuffy’.

A full symphony will run as long as it will. We don’t want to cut a symphony short. However, we also include some shorter pieces that we try to keep under fifteen minutes in length. You can sample each and hopefully find one or more that pleases you.

We hope that you enjoy our Sunday selections.

Johann Strauss Gala Concert in Vienna with José Carreras and Zubin Mehta (1999)

From the Heldenplatz in Vienna, 29. May 1999

ZubinMehta conducts the tenor JoséCarreras and the soprano AndreaRost

Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra)

Zubin Mehta – conductor

Andrea Rost – soloist

José Carreras – soloist

0:00 Einzugsmarsch from the “Zigeunerbaron”
4:18 Im Sturmschritt, Polka
7:15 Wiener Blut, Waltz
16:17 Stadt und Land, Polka Mazur
21:14 Nur fort!, Polka
24:34 Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka
28:05 Overture “Die Fledermaus”
37:04 Csárdás from “Die Fledermaus”
43:00 Loreley-Rhein-Klänge, Waltz
50:50 Beliebte Annen-Polka
53:15 Sperl Galopp
55:53 Im Krapfenwald’l, Polka française
1:00:39 Wiener Bonbons, Waltz
1:09:59 Wer uns getraut from “Der Zigeunerbaron”
1:15:16 Unter Donner und Blitz, Polka
1:19:06 Gondellied from “Eine Nacht in Venedig”
1:24:15 Duett from “Wiener Blut”
1:28:13 An der schönen blauen Donau, Waltz
1:38:00 Johann Strauss – Radetzky-Marsch

Johann Strauss II (October 25, 1825 – June 3, 1899), also known as Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, the Son (German: Sohn), Johann Baptist Strauss, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as “The Waltz King”, and was largely then responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.

Some of Johann Strauss’ most famous works include “The Blue Danube”, “Kaiser-Walzer”, “Tales from the Vienna Woods”, and the “Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka”. Among his operettas, Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron are the best known.

The Next Two Come To Us Thanks To SMC

I always liked this song because of the guitar riffs in it, and the album was pretty good, too.

Circa late 70’s or early 80’s when rock music artists were at their creative best.

At that time, I was trying to play guitar, and recreate some of the best sounding songs I would come across. Watching and studying guitar players and their hand placements and styles.

One of my three older brothers paved the way for me. But, neither him nor I ever became accomplished musicians, or learned how to read music. I thought I had this one down, but no. Not even close.

Now, lest you think we’re deviating from classical music, I’ll submit this for the complexity and teaching of the sheet music, and the difficulty of playing it on a classical guitar.

So first, a humble request to try and follow along with this Aussie who teaches guitar, discussing the difficult playing of such creativity.

Then, the original, by the song’s very talented guitarist, singer, composer, and producer who is underrated, in my humble opinion.

I hope you can enjoy the study of the piece, and the catchy sound and great vocals, yet disregarding the possibly sad interpretation of the lyrics.

To wit, Let The Music Do The Talking.

Cheers!

Fleetwood Mac’s IMPOSSIBLE picking song

Never Going Back Again

Glenn Gould and Leonard Bernstein: Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 1 (I) in D minor

Today we are going to listen to a great pianist. In fact, many people consider Glenn Gould to be the greatest pianist of modern times. If you are unaware of Mr. Gould, then you are in for a bit of a treat.

Glenn Gould was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 25,1932 and passed away, too soon in Toronto on October 4, 1982. More on his life and death further on.

Gould was an incredible piano player, but personality-wise was also a bit of a strange duck. Rarely can you find him playing with a musical score. He rarely needed them. He was, in fact, a genius who was detected with perfect pitch at the age of three. Gould never used a piano bench. He would only play with his own chair just as Josef Hoffman, the famous Polish-American pianist and Ignacy Paderewski, the Polish pianist before him did. Gould injured his back as a youngster when he fell from a boat ramp on the shore of Lake Simcoe. “This incident is almost certainly related to the adjustable-height chair his father made shortly thereafter. Gould’s mother would urge the young Gould to sit up straight at the keyboard. He used this chair for the rest of his life, taking it with him almost everywhere. The chair was designed so that Gould could sit very low and allowed him to pull down on the keys rather than striking them from above.”

Gould was a master of Bach and Beethoven, but also played Mozart, Haydn and Brahms. Gould was known for his eccentricities, from his unorthodox musical interpretations and mannerisms at the keyboard to aspects of his lifestyle and behavior. He stopped giving concerts at age 31 to concentrate on studio recording and other projects. One of his unusual behaviors that you will immediately notice is his humming or singing, if you will, while he is playing.

So, with that background, let’s listen to one of my favorites, both for his mesmerizing music, and Leonard Bernstein’s educational five minutes. Gould’s hands resemble two large Snow Crabs as he moves over the keys and mouths words to a Bach concerto. The orchestra is the New York Philharmonic.

Glenn Gould Moments Partita no.2 in C minor

I’ll follow that with another informative and interesting piece depicting Gould picking out a piano at Steinway and Sons in New York City. Later, at his home north of Toronto, Gould plays his old favorite Chickering piano with its rich tone and Harpsichord sound.

Glenn Gould plays Bach Partita No.2 in C-minor

This next piece is interesting as an example of his unorthodox interpretations. If you listen to this on YouTube and follow the comment thread it seems that some other musicians had the score to this Bach piece, and they know the music well. It seems that Gould intentionally omitted the last half of measure number fourteen (the last eight one sixteenth notes in the measure), but was able to seamlessly slide into measure number fifteen. He did this every time he played this particular piece, every single time. To Bach enthusiasts Gould’s interpretation amounted to sacrilege. Much as a dog will “mark his spot,” Gould seems to be doing the same with Bach’s vintage piece, so that people will not only recognize this as Bach, but as Glenn Gould playing Bach. Gould was indeed a narcissist and his hiking his leg on this piece is understandable. Such actions have earned Gould quite a few detractors especially when one adds in Gould’s “vocalizing” of some famous pieces.

As I mentioned, he was very odd. “Gould was averse to cold and wore heavy clothing (including gloves) even in warm places. He was once arrested, possibly being mistaken for a vagrant, while sitting on a park bench in Sarasota, Florida, dressed in his standard all-climate attire of coat, hat and mittens. He also disliked social functions. He hated being touched, and in later life limited personal contact, relying on the telephone and letters for communication. On a visit to Steinway Hall in New York City in 1959, the chief piano technician at the time, William Hupfer, greeted Gould with a slap on the back. Gould was shocked by this, and complained of aching, lack of coordination, and fatigue because of it. He went on to explore the possibility of litigation against Steinway and Sons if his apparent injuries were permanent. He was known for cancelling performances at the last minute, which is why Bernstein’s aforementioned public disclaimer opened with, “Don’t be frightened, Mr. Gould is here … [he] will appear in a moment.”

So, let’s get to Bach’s Partita in C minor

0:00 Sinfonia
4:15 Allemande
8:03 Courante
9:17 Sarabande
11:53 Rondeaux
13:29 Capriccio

Glenn Gould – Bach, Concerto For Piano & Orchestra No. 1 in D-minor: II Adagio

Gould was an admitted hypochondriac. Gould had many pains and ailments, but his autopsy revealed few underlying problems in areas that often troubled him. He worried about everything from high blood pressure (which in his later years he recorded in diary form) to the safety of his hands. (Gould rarely shook people’s hands, and habitually wore gloves.) Gould took a lot of antidepressants, Thorazine, and reserpine with many other medications – “he was taking pills to counteract the side effects of other pills, creating a cycle of dependency”.
There has also been speculation that he may have had bipolar disorder, because he sometimes went several days without sleep, had extreme increases in energy, drove recklessly, and in later life endured severe depressive episodes.

On September 27, 1982, two days after his 50th birthday, after experiencing a severe headache, Gould had a stroke that paralyzed the left side of his body. He was admitted to Toronto General Hospital and his condition rapidly deteriorated. By October 4, there was evidence of brain damage, and Gould’s father decided that his son should be taken off life support.

Glenn Gould – Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D-major

We’ll conclude this exercise with Gould playing Bach, The Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D Major.

Glenn Gould – Bach, Concerto No. 7 in G minor

Oh what the heck..uno mas…in color no less.

I hope that you have enjoyed this. Very soon we’ll listen to Gould performing his other favorite – Beethoven.

Have a great Sunday.

How To Fascinate Three Dutch Girls

I guess we’ll make this a piano Sunday here in the shorts.

Some more of Brendan and his boogie woogie antics.

Dutch girls like boogie woogie and rock & roll

Senior Citizen Plays Piano…Then Magic Occurs

A random old man plays piano….then magic happens. Enjoy!

Two Girls Have A Blast At A Public Piano

Laura plays sax, Olivia dances boogie woogie style.

Blonde Boy’s Boogie Turns into Disco Groove Jam

15 years old Olek on holiday in the UK from Poland waited by this public piano all day in the hope that Dr K might show up. He did. This is the second spontaneous duet recorded.

Red Head Girl’s Raw Talent Rocks The Station

And now he does something different with Kezia Gill.

Kezia Gill randomly showed up at a public piano where Dr K happened to be playing…

The Classic Music Mafia – Adding some class to this joint one Sunday at a time.

Heaven help us…

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