Category Archives: 1796

Day 247: Piano Sonatas Op. 10 No. 3, Op. 2 Nos. 2 & 3

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BeethovenCD52Piano Sonata No. 7 in D Op. 10 No. 3 starts off with a bang – Movement I carries the tempo “Presto” – and never lets up.

I’ve heard a lot of opening movements in my journeys through all of these composers. I don’t recall too many that began like a race horse out of the gate.

But I do believe that may be the unifying theme on today’s CD.

Each of the piano sonatas on today’s CD begin with a speedier-than-usual opening movement:

Presto
Allegro vivace
Allegro con brio

Respectively.

At least, they all sounded that way to me.

What do I know? I’m not a musicologist.

Here’s what I’m Continue reading →

Day 224: Cello Sonatas I

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BeethovenCD29Just two musicians are making all of this beautiful music!

They are:

Timora Rosler cello
Klara Wurtz piano

The level of musicianship is outstanding. The full, rich, dynamic sounds emanating from this duo need to be heard to be believed. I realize the lion’s share of credit goes to Ludwig himself who composed these sonatas. But, still, they’re played with extraordinary skill.

Cello Sonata in F Op. 5 No. 1 (composed 1796; Beethoven was 26)

Cello Sonata in G Minor Op. 5 No. 2 (composed 1796; Beethoven was 26)

Cello Sonata in A Op. 69 (composed in 1808; Beethoven was 38)

Of the last sonata, its entry on Wikipedia says this:

The Sonata No. 3 dates from Beethoven’s most productive compositional period. Composed in the same year were the Violin Concerto and the two piano trios of Op. 70; the same year also saw the completion and publication of the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies.

Day 209: Dances II

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BeethovenCD14This morning’s CD, like yesterday’s, is filled to the brim with dance music.

Forty-six tracks of it, to be precise.

More menuets than I can shake a stick at.

Which wouldn’t phase them a bit, anyway.

Menuets are tough.

Today’s music sounds different, however, from what I heard yesterday. Not as dance-like. More complex. More like full orchestras playing very, very short pieces of music.

Here are the performers and orchestras on this CD:

Kammerorchester der Staatskapelle Weimar
Friedemann Batzel conductor
(tracks 1-12)

Capella Istropolitana
Ewald Donhoffer conductor
(tracks 13-19)

Sachiko Kobayashi violin (track 20)
Michael Wagner piano (track 20)
Rainer Maria Klaas piano (tracks 21-46)

Because of the wide variety of selections on Beethoven CD 14, it’s hard for me to know how old Beethoven was when these were composed. Plus, they’re all designated Wo0, meaning Works Without Opus number (Works without Opus). That indicates they were scraps of music gathered together at some point, more less authenticated as being Beethoven’s, and given a special type of cataloging number to tell them apart.

There are eight different Wo0 catalog numbers on today’s CD:

Wo07
Wo024
Wo010
Wo042
Wo083
Wo023
Wo011
Wo013

Of those, only one has a date assigned to it, according to the Wiki list of the complete works of Beethoven: Wo042, which is given the date of 1796.

If that is correct, then Beethoven was 26.

I have no idea how old he was for the rest of these.

If you’re interested in knowing how authentic some of these pieces are, scan the listing on Wikipedia. Some are considered “spurious” and/or composed by Beethoven’s brother, Carl.

Day 41: God In Time of War

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HaydnCD41My day started early, even by my standards – somewhere around 4:30am.

I don’t know why.

Once up, it’s always tough for me to return to my previous state of slumber. So, I made the best of it.

I watched Sons of Anarchy, Season One, Episodes 1 and 2. I read the latest issue of Tricycle magazine. And then, around 6:30, I headed to Denny’s, where I now sit…listening to Haydn’s Mass in Time of War (Missa “In Tempora Belli”) while watching people who bear a scary resemblance to a Far Side comic.

531901_609303722468316_1408418453_nI don’t know which is worse.

Opera has not been a favorite of mine. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the talent – especially the vocal talent – required to master this art form. I do appreciate it. Deeply. (Well, maybe not deeply. But at least superficially. Earnestly superficially.)

Just between you and me, I gained deep appreciation for two opera singers when I listened to everything Mozart composed: Nicolai Gedda and Pilar Lorengar, especially their electrifying performance of the Love Duet from Madame Butterfly.

The notes they hit…

Well, watch them hit said notes Continue reading →

Day 38: St. Martin, Dennis Brain, and the French Horn

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HaydnCD38Today’s CD features a performance by the acclaimed Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Sir Neville Marriner, conductor.

I’ve always liked performances by Marriner and the Academy. I’ve never heard a bad one. They’re consistent, and consistently first-rate at that.

Trumpet Concerto in E Flat No. 1 is no exception. Written in 1796 (Haydn was 64) for his friend Anton Weidinger, this performance features the late Alan Stringer (1928 – 2012) as the trumpet soloist. And a marvelous player he was, too. Stringer possessed a wonderful fluidity and expressiveness. He seemed to caress the notes. Not bad for a guy who was, at the time of this recording, 66.

Here. Listen for yourself. This is the exact performance to which I’m listening right now.

The entire Trumpet Concerto – all three movements – is a delight. No one movement stands out to me, although Continue reading →