Monthly Archives: November 2013

Day 61: Scottish Songs? George Thomson?

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HaydnCD61Today’s CD looked like an incredibly interesting diversion from the previous compositions. And it is. Just not the way I was hoping.

I love songs from the U.K. Give me Ireland, Scotland (even England) any day. There’s something about the sound and feel of music from that spot on the globe that does it for me.

But, today’s music isn’t exactly giving me goosebumps.

For one thing, the tempo is too slow for a Scottish song – at least, my favorite Scottish songs. (Come to think of it, I don’t believe I could name any Scottish songs. I’m thinking of Irish songs full of tin whistles and “Laddies” and “Lasses” and Danny Boys.)

The song titles on this CD certainly have the right feel to them. Track 4, for example, is called “The wee, wee man.”

I’m glad I’m not a wee, wee man. (But I’ve had a lot of coffee this morning. So I may be soon.)

Here’s what I find off-putting about this music: The vocalists .

They are listed as Lorna Anderson, soprano, and Jamie MacDougall, tenor. (MacDougall sounds like the right guy for the job.) However, Ms. Anderson sounds more like a contralto to me. Her soprano range is definitely lower register. And Mr. MacDougall’s tenor range sounds more like baritone to me. So the two of them together are not endearing me to what I thought would be a toe-tapping round of Gaelic drinking songs.

Here. Listen for yourself. This is the exact same performance to which I’m listening this morning.

To be sure, laddie, “Rattling roaring Willy” (Track 6) is making me yearn for a pint or two. But, overall, this music sounds less festive and more pensive than is my preferred style. Continue reading →

Day 60: Seven Last Words of Christ

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HaydnCD60I was tempted to come up with a goofy title for today’s blog entry. After all, today marks two continuous months for me, listening to Haydn every day.

But the title of today’s Haydn composition is Die Sieben Letzten Worte, or The Seven Last Words of Christ.

How could I write a goofy headline with a subject matter like that?

Obviously, I couldn’t.

According to its entry on Wikipedia, today’s composition,

is an orchestral work by Joseph Haydn, commissioned in 1785 or 1786 for the Good Friday service at Cádiz Cathedral in Spain. The composer adapted it in 1787 for string quartet and in 1796 as an oratorio (with both solo and choral vocal forces), and he approved a version for solo piano.

The seven main meditative sections — labelled “sonatas” and all slow — are framed by an Introduction and a speedy “Earthquake” conclusion, for a total of nine movements.

Given those dates, Haydn was 54 or 55 when he composed this piece.

I have nothing against Jesus, last words or first. However, Haydn’s Die Sieben Letzten Worte is wearisome. It’s too ponderous (strike that: let’s call it lugubrious) for my tastes. No breakout arias. No orchestration that just knocks me back.

I often wonder if sacred/religious music like this is meant to be heard many decades (or even centuries) after it was composed. To me, it seems akin to somebody setting my prayers to music and releasing it as an album. In other words, making public very private, personal moments. The meaning I intend for that private moment may not be understood by an audience.

But what do I know? I’m not a Continue reading →

Day 59: Il Ritorno Di Tobia – Oratorio (Part III) And…Happy Thanksgiving!

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HaydnCD59You’d think listening to Part III of Il Ritorno Di Tobia, one of Haydn’s least-played and -recorded oratorios, would be a chore. Especially on Thanksgiving Day, which here in the States, is a big deal.

And you’d be absolutely right.

Except the longer Haydn’s oratorio goes, the more interesting it becomes.

Before I dive right in, let’s cover the basics again:

Haydn’s oratorio Il Ritorno Di Tobia was composed in 1775.

This recording harkens back to 1971.

Despite the age of this recording (42 years, as of today’s date), I think it sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded last week. (Which is more than what I could say about most of yesterday’s selection. It didn’t sound fresh at all.)

The Cast:

Sarah: Veronika Kincses soprano
Raphael: Magda Kalmar soprano
Anna: Klara Takacs contralto
Tobias: Attila Fulop tenor
Tobit: Zsolt Bende baritone

The Musicians:

Budapest Madrigal Choir
Hungarian State Orchestra
Ferenc Szekeres

Incidentally, I couldn’t find much information on the Budapest Madrigal Choir or Ferenc Szekeres. The Hungarian State Orchestra changed its name to the Hungarian National Philharmonic.

I can tell you soprano Magda Kalmar was 27 when this was recorded. Contralto Klara Takcs was 26. Soprano Veronika Kincses was 23. Tenor Attila Fulop was 29.

Haydn was 43 when he composed Il Ritorno Di Tobia.

Track 2 (“Aria No. 12b: Quel felice nocchier”) features a truly remarkable performance by tenor Attila Fulop as the titular Tobias. He hits notes in this Aria that I didn’t know he had in him. This aria is a tenor’s dream.

Here. Listen for yourself:

The track begins at the 1:56:50 mark in the YouTube clip below. (NOTE: The YouTube clip is the exact same performance to which I’ve been listening. The time coordinates I’m directing you to this morning represent Track 2 on today’s CD.)

Fulop’s voice is outstanding. He elevates this aria to a level at which it becomes something to which I sit up and take notice. I wonder if he’s Continue reading →

Day 58: Il Ritorno Di Tobia – Oratorio (Part II)

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HaydnCD58What can I write about a Part II of something I didn’t like as a Part I?

Before I dive right in, let’s cover the basics again:

Haydn’s oratorio Il Ritorno Di Tobia was composed in 1775.

This recording harkens back to 1971.

Despite the age of this recording (42 years, as of today’s date), I think it sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded last week. (Which is more than what I could say about most of yesterday’s selection. It didn’t sound fresh at all.)

The Cast:

Sarah: Veronika Kincses soprano
Raphael: Magda Kalmar soprano
Anna: Klara Takacs contralto
Tobias: Attila Fulop tenor
Tobit: Zsolt Bende baritone

The Musicians:

Budapest Madrigal Choir
Hungarian State Orchestra
Ferenc Szekeres

Incidentally, I couldn’t find much information on the Budapest Madrigal Choir or Ferenc Szekeres. The Hungarian State Orchestra changed its name to the Hungarian National Philharmonic.

I can tell you soprano Magda Kalmar was 27 when this was recorded. Contralto Klara Takcs was 26. Soprano Veronika Kincses was 23. Tenor Attila Fulop was 29. And Haydn was 43 when he composed Il Ritorno Di Tobia.

I can also tell you that, so far, I like Part II better than Part I. I’m not sure why.

However, I think it’s because Continue reading →

Day 57: Il Ritorno Di Tobia – Oratorio (Part I)

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HaydnCD57Today’s performance – Haydn’s oratorio Il Ritorno Di Tobia (Part I) – harkens back to 1971.

Despite the age of this recording (42 years, as of today’s date), I think it sounds as fresh as if it had been recorded last week.

What doesn’t necessarily sound fresh to me is the music itself. It sounds, for want of a better word (and I’m sure I’ll get struck by the Haydn gods for even thinking such thoughts), lackluster.

The Cast:

Sarah: Veronika Kincses soprano
Raphael: Magda Kalmar soprano
Anna: Klara Takacs contralto
Tobias: Attila Fulop tenor
Tobit: Zsolt Bende baritone

The Musicians:

Budapest Madrigal Choir
Hungarian State Orchestra
Ferenc Szekeres

Incidentally, I couldn’t find much information on the Budapest Madrigal Choir or Ferenc Szekeres. The Hungarian State Orchestra changed its name to the Hungarian National Philharmonic.

I can tell you soprano Magda Kalmar was 27 when this was recorded. Contralto Klara Takcs was 26. Soprano Veronika Kincses was 23. Tenor Attila Fulop was 29.

Haydn was 43 when he composed Il Ritorno Di Tobia.

Track 1 (“Sinfonia”) doesn’t grab me by the lapels – not that I have any lapels at the moment. (Come to think of it, I’m not sure I even know what lapels are.)

Track 2 (“Chorus No. 1: Pieta d’un infelice”) featuring contralto Klara Takacs and baritone Zsolt Bende not only doesn’t Continue reading →

Day 56: L’Infedelta Delusa (Act II)

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HaydnCD56Today’s musical selection is Act 2 of L’Infedelta Delusa, a Haydn opera set in the Tuscan countryside. It may have premiered on 26 July 1773. If so, Haydn was 41.

As I found with Act I, the vocal performances are superb, and the recording is likewise excellent, despite it being recorded some 40 years ago. Brilliant Classics does nothing half-assed. They have a world-wide reputation for offering high-quality recordings at extremely reasonable prices.

And, no, they’re not paying me to say that. (I sure wish they would.)

Act II opens with Sinfonia, a wonderful musical composition that sets the stage for the story that follows.

Track 3 (“Recitative: Sbrigati! – Vengo”) and Track 4 (“Aria: Ho un tumore”) feature some truly expressive, over-acted-even-for-the-stage performances. I’m not sure what the story is at this point (it’s in Italian, remember?). But the soprano performances (especially in Track 4 from Magda Kalma as Vespina) are Continue reading →

Day 55: L’Infedelta Delusa (Act I)

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HaydnCD55A truly wonderful Overture kicks off another Haydn opera, this one called L’Infedelta Delusa, which is set in the Tuscan countryside. The opera may have premiered on 26 July 1773. If so, Haydn was 41.

According to its entry on Wiki this,

…is an operatic burletta per musica by Joseph Haydn. The Italian libretto was by Marco Coltellini, perhaps reworked by Carl Friberth who also took part in the first performance.

Of course, that begs the question: “What is an operatic burletta per musica”?

Fear not, Gentle Reader. I shall endeavor to ascertain the answer to that question.

And I did.

From its entry on Wiki, here’s the definition of burletta (it was just what I expected):

A burletta (Italian, meaning little joke), also sometimes burla or burlettina, is a musical term generally denoting a brief comic Italian (or, later, English) opera. The term was used in the 18th century to denote the comic intermezzos between the acts of an opera seria, but was sometimes given to more extended works; Pergolesi’s La serva padrona was designated a ‘burletta’ at its London premiere in 1750.

In England the term began to be used, in contrast to burlesque, for works that satirized opera but without using musical parody. Burlettas in English began to appear in the 1760s, the earliest identified being Midas by Kane O’Hara, first performed privately in 1760 near Belfast, and produced at Covent Garden in 1764. The form became debased when the term ‘burletta’ began to be used for English comic or ballad operas, as a way of evading the monopoly on opera in London belonging to Covent Garden and Drury Lane. After repeal of the 1737 Licensing Act in 1843, use of the term declined.

The word ‘burletta’ has also been used for scherzo-like instrumental music by composers including Max Reger and Bartók. In America, the word has sometimes been used as an alternative for burlesque.

So, the term that was once used to denote a legitimate genre of opera became Continue reading →

Day 54: I Know What to Say

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HaydnCD54I didn’t know what to say yesterday for Part I of Haydn’s opera La Fedelta Premiata.

But I know what to say today.

Ugh.

Way too much talking in Italian. Not enough singing and orchestration.

For me, the only redeeming aspect of La Fedelta Premiata is that this CD was recorded before a live audience. So there’s clapping and laughing, presumably at appropriate times.

I didn’t include the opera as a link to YouTube yesterday. I didn’t want you listening ahead. But I don’t care if you do or not today. Here it is, the very same performance to which I’ve been listening for two days:

As you’ll see, the singers are fantastic. The orchestration is first rate. And I’m sure the audience is comprised of a bunch of really nice folks.

But this is one of my least favorite Haydn operas. I don’t know why. It just is.

Day 53: I Have No Idea What to Say

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HaydnCD53La Fedelta Premiata is an opera in three acts composed by Franz Joseph Haydn “first performed at Eszterháza on 25 February 1781 to celebrate the reopening of the court theatre after a fire. It was revised for a new version first performed in 1782,” according to its entry on Wikipedia. It was composed in 1780. Haydn was 48.

I liked it from the first few bars of the Overture.

That’s probably because I love orchestral music, played allegro con spirito – and Haydn’s Overture to La Fedelta Premiata is very spirited, indeed.

So is the Introduction, when the voices first appear (as a chorus).

The cast:

Amaranta: Ellen van Haaren soprano
Nerina: Maja Roodveldt soprano
Diana: Ester Beens soprano
Celia: Xenia Meijer alto
Fileno: Patrick Henckens tenor
Lindoro: Frank Fritschy tenor
Perruchetto: Tom Sol baritone
Melibeo: Julian Hartman bass

The performers:

Esterhazy Chorus & Orchestra
Frank van Koten

The plot:

The people of Cumae worship Diana, goddess of hunting and chastity. Their rites however have been defiled by a nymph whose treachery has brought a curse on them. To propitiate the angry goddess, two faithful lovers must be sacrificed each year to a lake monster until a faithful lover can be found to offer his own life. Fidelity, therefore, is at a premium in Cumae, and victims are hard to find.

The plot is “part thriller about lovers being sacrificed to a monster, part burlesque sending up pseudo-classical and early romantic emotions”.

Once again, today’s CD (par for the course in the Brilliant Classics Haydn Edition) features a high-quality recording of an inspired performance at Haydnsaal, Esterhazy Castle, Eisenstadt, Austria. It must be Continue reading →

Day 52: Like a German Monty Python

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HaydnCD52Today’s CD, Haydn’s opera Die Feuersbrunst (“The Burned-Down House”), is a very odd duck indeed.

For one thing, some of this sounds like a Monty Python skit with a couple of guys talking in high-pitched voices pretending to be women. Or kids. Or marionettes, as is the subject-matter of this “comic opera in two acts.”

From the website Answers.com:

The plot, involving the adventures of a buffoon named Hanswurst who speaks in a light Viennese dialect, is truly absurd enough to defy summary, but it’s fast-moving and full of amorous intrigue between masters and servants. Both the arias and the spoken interludes are brief, and Haydn rose to the occasion with a mixture of jolly tunes and exaggerated pathos that must have been great fun for all involved. The singers (there are four vocal parts) enter into the situation-comedy spirit of the action…

Buffoons and situation-comedy jocularity. Yes. It’s all here.

Along with lots and lots of talking. In German. It’s like an immersive German-language course.

What I can’t figure out is why this comedic opera is called Die Feuersbrunst. When I typed “Feuersbrunst” into Google, up popped these images:

Screen Shot 2013-11-21 at 9.12.34 AMSo that’s what a Feuersbrunst looks like. Here are a couple more definitions from Continue reading →