Operation Opera (part I)

The word operation sounds interesting. More interesting than the actual project I'm doing. I'm not going to sing in an opera or something. Nor is it a code name of a James Bond mission. No, I'm going to explore the world of Faust, Mimi and Carmen. Let me explain.

Aida, without a doubt one of the most famous operas of history. And, shame on me, I'm not well acquainted with it. I think I have been to the opera a few times when I was a teeny-weeny little girl. I would recognize some arias or choirs, and I've heard of Aida, but that's it.

Time to discover it! While writing this article, on my phone, in bed, with closed curtains to prevent the cold from coming in my bedroom, I'm listening to the beautiful opera performed by Katia Ricciarelli, Placido Domingo, Elena Obratsova, Leo Nucci, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Ruggero Raimondi and the 'Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala', conducted by Claudio Abbado. (Deutsche Grammophon, highlights)

Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Opera_Garnier_Grand_Escalier.jpg 
Photographer: Benh LIEU SONG

Long

To be honest, I wasn't that into opera at all until recently when I got more serious about singing and acting. I did however, always respect opera singers. I honestly think, and you may agree with me, that they are one of the best artists out there. An opera is a musical, concert and dramatic theater piece at the same time. And operas are long. Have you seen the Charles Heston movie 'Ben Hur' or 'the Ten Commandments'? That's the feeling you get. An opera is long, takes at least a couple of hours. You get to know the characters really well, and well, it's quite long. Did I mention an opera is long? But what a piece of art it is! And so emotional. How skilled the actors are. To memorize the words, the acts, the melodies in such a piece of substantial duration... It's emotionally exhausting. Not everyone is able to do that, only the best artists can be opera stars. I'm listening to Domingo's soothing voice (I have a weak spot for beautiful male voices) and Verdi's imagination.

What I like very much about Verdi is the atmosphere he creates. The ambience of grandeur, majesty and confidence. The epitome of Italian opera. I must confess something else... My mother told me the story of Aida when I was little but I forgot it. Yes, someone dies in the end. But I don't know if remembering that particular detail is a sign of my good memory or a sign of good judgement I occasionnally have. Since I don't know the story very well and I only understand Italian when spoken slowly, I'm just going to guess where the story is about and after posting this article I'll read the actual story.

Romanza
HA. Something I recognize. The first song sung by Radamès. I know it because this romanza is on a Benjamino Gigli CD I've listened like a thousand times as background music while painting. I never knew it was from Aida. 

Se quel guerrier io fossi!
Se il mio sogno si avverasse!
Un esercito di prodi da me guidato
E la vittoria e il plauso di Menfi tutta!
E a te, mia dolce Aïda,
Tornar di lauri cinto
Dirti: per te ho pugnato,
Per te ho vinto!

Celeste Aïda, forma divina,
Mistico serto di luce e fior,
Del mio pensiero tu sei regina,
Tu di mia vita sei lo splendor.
Il tuo bel cielo vorrei ridarti,
Le dolci brezze del patrio suol
Un regal serto sul crin posarti,

Ergerti un trono vicino al sol,

You don't need to have a lot of knowledge of the Italian language to know that it is a love song. Your ears will tell you. I find it so beautiful. Only music can touch your soul this way.
Let's start with my version based on what I'm hearing... I could be completely wrong. This is just one big guess. You are allowed to laugh at my ignorance.

Amonasro is the bad guy
Radamès and Aida are in love. It's a secret relationship. But they can never love each other because Aida is only a poor girl and Radamès a strong warrior. Amonasro should be the bad guy, his name sounds criminal. And the King of Egypt should be evil aswell. Aida sings: "Ritorna vincitor!". Perhaps because her Radamès has gone to war and she is very concerned about his wellbeing. He kills Amonasro, returns and finds Aida ill. They are happy to be together and he holds her in his arms. 

In the end, the King of Egypt condems her to death because he is jalous. 

I cannot wait to post this so I can finally read where Aida is about...

... to be followed... 

Playing an instrument or making music?

Technically speaking, we need only food, water and clothing to live. But most people will agree with me if I say that music and other hobbies are 'needs' for our minds. We listen to music, we play instruments because we know it has a certain effect on us. It influences our mood, how we feel, it amazes us. Music is a way of expressing ourselves, a way of communicating.  

A performance is a finger print of a musician. You will never find two identical finger prints, even on twins. That is what makes music so unique and intriguing.  

If you are an addict to Youtube, just like me, you will have noticed that you can find hunderds of different performances of one single piece. A lot of choice for us, viewers. We listen and decide whether if we like the piece or not. 

But what are the ingredients of a good performance? Is it a perfect technique? Charisma? The dynamics?

Our way of making music changed through the years. The top musicians of some decades  ago could permit themselves to play a few wrong notes and still, their reputation would remain unharmed. Think of Vladimir Horowitz. He is still considered as one of the best pianists that have ever lived although his playing was not entirely perfect. But then, what is perfection?

Music has a lot things in common with sports. In 1912, the 100 m world record was 10.6 seconds. Almost a century later, in 2009, Usain Bolt finishes in 9.58. More than one second faster over a hundred meters is an incredible difference. Things that were seen as impossible are reality nowadays. The pressure becomes higher and higher for the athletes. 

Are we humans capable of breaking records until eternity?

Technique

Considering the fact that the level of performing gets higher, we keep trying to find a new record to break. Also in music. The new record to break is that of technique. A lot of musicians are known for their perfect technique, let's say Christian Zimmermann, Simone Lamsma, Boris Berezovsky. Classical music is not something 'European' anymore. Instead, a lot of Asian and American artists are taking over this field. More competitors means even more pressure to be better than the others. This creates a never-ending vicious circle of rivalry, jealousy and egoism. 

In my opinion, technique is overrated. I highly respect people who are able to play a bunch of notes smoothly. But better doesn't mean necessarily more beautiful. In their struggles to reach the top, some forget the other aspects that have greater impact on the public than just skillful playing. 

We should ask ourselves, is technique a methode to reach a goal or is it a goal itself?

We must never forget that music has a lot in common with acting. In fact, the only difference is that musicians  don't move a lot around the stage. But musicians and actors have the same goal: Whether if it is with their voice or with an instrument, they want to tell a story. 

Actors know the importance of articulation and posture, especially in a big theater hall. If we translate it to a musical performance, a good musician should have an 'open', accessible sound. One should try to capture the attention of the audience by a clever use of dynamics, rubatos and other embellishments. 

What did the composer feel when he wrote this piece? What story do you want to tell?

Fingerprint

So, as I wrote before: What are the ingredients of a good performance? Is it a perfect technique? Charisma? The dynamics?

Horowitz said something interesting:

"I must tell you I take terrible risks.  Because my playing is very clear, when I make a mistake you hear it.  If you want me to play only the notes without any specific dynamics, I will never make one mistake.  Never be afraid to dare."  

If I hear a performance, I don't look for perfect technique in the first place. Instead, it's that one cheesy word: 'Emotions'. The fingerprint of your inner self. Yes, you can make a robot play the piano perfectly but you can't make him play with feelings. That is what makes us humans so unique! 

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Rachmaninoff - III. Romance, Suite no. 2 for two pianos

Sergej Vasiljevitsj Rachmaninoff, born on April 1st 1873 in Novgorod, was the last composer of the era of Russian Romanticism and one of the best pianists of his time. He was best known for his second and third piano concerto. Unforunately, he received a lot of negative criticism throughout his life because his music was considered too traditional. A lot of connoisseurs nowadays recognise his fabulous harmonic twists and the incredible depth in his music.
Rachmaninoff suffered from severe depressions. This influenced his compositions although his pieces are not sad or depressing per se. I would rather say they are 'heavy' but nevertheless very accessible.
Trademark: depth, sensitivity, majesty, humanity, minor chords, seriousness

How did he know?
Although I love Baroque and classicism, I must call myself a true Romanticist. I think Rachmaninoff is the composer I can completely relate to. You can hear in his music that he cleary understood human nature: moments of agony, moments of euphoria. He was gifted. He could translate every emotion into his music... If you take your time to discover Rachmaninoff's music, and I hope you will, you'll hear your life story in one of his masterpieces and then you will ask yourself: "How did he know?" There will be moments that you won't be able to listen to his compositions because it's too confronting. Moments when you can't handle floating to heaven, then being thrown on earth again. Rachmaninoff moves you and you can't help it.

Suite no. 2
The Suite no. 2 for two pianos was written in 1901, at the same time as the 2nd Piano concerto. It consists of four movements:
I. Introduction (Alla marcia)
II. Valse (Presto)
III. Romance (Andantino)
IV. Tarantelle (Presto)

I have strong memories when I listen to the Romance. It reminds me of my happy childhood and the great afternoons I spent at my grandparents'. I was about six years old and my parents used to play this together on the two grand pianos at my grandparents' house. It was my custom to lie down on the white woollen carpet under the Grotrian-Steinweg. The bass notes on the Bösendorfer sounded incredible. I was in my own little world and I thought this piece was the most beautiful thing ever.
My opinion about it hasn't changed. Rachmaninoff's Romance is still number one, but since I know a lot more music now it has to share this place with other masterpieces from other composers.

Romance
Romance. Love. We hear different 'chapters' of a love story: delicacy, tenderness or strong passion.
We hear Rachmaninoff's excellent pianistic qualities in this composition. He clearly knew the capacity of the instrument and how to get the most out of it.

The melodical line is quite simple but it sounds so beautiful combined with the harmonies.
The first piano passes the melody to the second piano, the latter gives it back. The constant interaction between the two instruments makes me think of a conversation. One asks, the other one answers. This is not a conversation with odd silences that occur when somebody doesn't know what to say. The conversational partners are familiar with each other.
The Romance does not show us childish, superficial affection. No, it's about deep, sincere, mature love that surely will last some time.

I think you'll understand my choice of words... I listened to the Romance while writing this blogpost.


If you like this, you'll probably like Saint-Seäns - The Swan , Rachmaninoff - 2nd piano concerto 2nd mvt. 

(Picture of the composer, source: Wikipedia)



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Feel free to comment and to correct my grammar mistakes, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for reading!

Hutspot and musical marriages

When my parents told me we were going to visit concerts where we would listen to string quartets, I can tell you I wasn't very pleased. Another hour would be spent counting the seats in the concert hall, staring at the ceiling and wondering why people would ever pay to hear this. This was my opinion about string quartets and string ensembles in general. It sounded boring, monotonous, it didn't have the grandeur of an orchestra, nor the majestic sound of the piano as an accompanying instrument which is in fact a mini orchestra on it's own. It was just run-of-the-mill to me.
If you have ever linked string quartets to feelings of deep boredom, please keep reading.

A big change took place exactly three weeks ago. It all happened at a violin festival where I attended some quartet rehearsals. I realized what an effort has to be put in producing a decent sound together, let alone, making music. I had to reset my mind.

Hutspot
I love the Australian Masterchef series where aspiring chefs de cuisine prepare their best meals and are summoned to present them to the jury. Those nerve-wracking moments, when the jurymembers prick with their fork in the juicy partridge, taste the truffle mousse and take a sip of the old Bordeaux wine... Good meals are a form of art for sure! Why am I mentioning this?
Well, let's compare a string quartet to a meal.

Let's say, a simple Dutch meal called hutspot. This is an extremely popular winter meal because it's filling and easy to prepare. Hutspot consists of four basic ingredients: potatoes, carrots, onions and meat. All the ingredients have to be prepared very carefully because, in my most humble opinion, hutspot tends to taste boring.
So we had the four basic elements of our warm winter meal. Now you have to add salt, pepper, bouillon, butter and some other things in the right amounts to make it taste good.

It's the same thing with quartets.
The musicians are the basic ingredients of a dull meal. They have to prepare their part very well in order to sound well together. Let's say this is the case (unfortunately it isn't always the case). In order for the music to sound beautiful as a quartet, to make it sound as one instrument, you have to add extra things. Expression, dynamics, you have to determine the tempi and check the balance between the instruments etc.

Being a tasty potato

Being a potato, if you aspire to be a part of a delicious hutspot, you have to be a tasty potato. And that's where the problems start. I started to play viola. I know more or less how to hold the instrument and the bow and I can play some easy scales and that's it. Let's see what challenges you have to face if you start playing a string instrument:

1. Holding your instrument. You have to be able to hold the violin between your shoulder/collar-bone and your chin without too much tension.
The first hours of practice caused me some muscle cramps in my neck but that is a matter of habit. 

2. Holding your bow. You don't simply make a fist and hold the bow like that. No, you have to spread your fingers, bend your thumb and hold the bow very relaxed between your fingers and your thumb. 

3. Making sound (instead of noise). You have to use your bow to strike a string between the bridge and the finger board. It's kind of difficult to play one string at the time. 

4. Playing in tune. The key to playing actual music is the combination of pressing with your finger(s) on a string(s) and at the same time striking with your bow. Now try playing in tune... This will take you hours of practice...

So, now that we have considered the challenges of playing a violin, think about four string instrument players. Four different minds, different levels of skills and different musical opinions! A musical marriage between four people!

Hearing a good performed quartet, whether if you like the melody or not, is a true piece of art of the composer and the performers. I was present at some quartet rehearsals. I've seen the struggles, the doubts of both the musicians and the teachers.
If you don't like quartet music itself, learn to appreciate the teamwork!


Good hutspot
This is my hypothesis, based on what I've seen and heard from professional and amateur musicians.
Enough words, let's listen to some great string quartet music.

Dvorak's American quartet
Antonin Dvorak composed this American quartet shortly after his New World Symphony. A lot of folkloric elements can be heard.

Brahms String Quartet No. 3 
Brahms is Boss, no doubt, excuse my slang expression. This first movement is tough, rough, yet very beautiful.

Beethoven String Quartet No. 18 (adagio)
Beethovens melodies and harmonic changes are exceptional. You can feel the pain and the depth of the emotions in this beautiful movement.



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Feel free to comment and to correct my grammar mistakes, I'd appreciate it. Thanks for reading, enjoy the music!

Gershwin: The bridge between classical music and jazz

New york, 1915

A seventeen year old boy is on his way to the Jerome H. Remick and Company, carrying some sheets of paper under his arm. The young George is song plugger for the music firm: He performs newly released songs on the piano to promote the new sheet music.

He has a very good technique and his exceptional sense of rhythm made him popular with the regular costumers. Some of them come to the shop only to listen to him. They all agree that George will become a great musician!

But today he has brought his first own composition to play, the song When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em... Will they be pleased with it?

Gershwin

George Gershwin (born Jacob Gershowitz), son of Russian immigrants was born on September 26th, 1898. He was initially a composer of "light" music: an easy listening genre which was quite different from the Western classical music in the 19th and early 20th century. Popular songs and musicals were a part of his earliest works. His brother Ira wrote lyrics for the songs.

Despite of his national success, Gershwin wasn't satisfied with his popular image and decided to use traditional classical elements in next compositions.

The combination between classical elements and jazz manifested itself in the Rhapsody in Blue for piano and orchestra. The Concerto in F, and Three preludes for piano were also the result of Gershwin's attempts to get a more serious reputation as a classical composer.

Many consider the opera Porgy & Bess to be his absolute masterwork.

George Gershwin died at the age of 38, because of a brain tumor.

Trademark: jazzy harmonies, playfulness, tender and moving melodies.

Concerto in F & Rhapsody in Blue

This concerto is a potpourri of jazz, Latin-American rhythms, emotional parts, explosions and so on. Gershwin takes you on a journey through happy and sad moments in life. It has great similarities to Ravel's concerto.

I suggest listening to the performance with soloist Werner Haas, director Edo de Waart and the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra.

The Rhapsody in Blue is a phenomenal virtuoso piece for piano and orchestra. Everything is included: fast passages, boogie woogie elements and a slow, very romantic theme. The description I give may appear to be the same as the description of the Concerto. Although there are similarities between the two, the Rhapsody is suitable for a larger audience because of it's more accessible and less complex structure.

The amazing composer

Think of America in the Roaring Twenties, Broadway on the eve of it's golden age, black and white pictures. Happiness, sorrow, depression, love, bitterness... Gershwin knew how to capture the story of your life in his music!

If you are not well acquainted with Gershwin, I recommend that you should listen to:

- 'I've got Rhythm' (rhythmic, fast, fun)

- 'Three preludes' for piano (1st & 3d: fast, rhytmic, 2nd: slow, relaxed)

- 'Summertime' from the opera Porgy & Bess (emotional, slow)

- 'The man I love' (romantic)

- 'Liza' (romantic, nostalgia)

- 'Swanee' (rhythmic, romantic)

- 'Rhapsody in blue'

(* pictures are taken from: ecupress.edu, culture24.org.uk, didyouseethatone.files.wordpress.com, Brassaï; music: 'Rhapsody in Blue' from Gershwin. Performed by Leonard Bernstein in the London Royal Albert Hall)

Schumann - Fantasie-Stücke Op. 73

Robert Schumann was a German composer of the Romantic period. He was born on June 18th 1810, the fifth son of a bookseller and publisher. Schumann developed a great interest in literature. This passion would inspire him for a lot of his compositions. Although his childhood and the first years of his marriage with his wife Clara were happy, Schumann's life ended in a miserable way, suffering from a depression and hallucinations that caused him to go to the lunatic asylum where he remained until his unfortunate death.

Trademark: lively, lyrical melodies, elegant harmonies, always with serenity.

Fantasie-Stücke Op. 73, 1-3 for clarinet 

The Fantasie-Stücke are originally written for clarinet, but the clarinet part can also be played on violin or cello. There are a lot of resemblances with parts in Schumann's piano and cello concerto.

This series of pieces consists of three parts. Schumann required his music to be played with strong emotional involvement, very typical for the Romantic period.

Let's take a closer look at the movements.

I. Zart und mit Ausdrück (Tender, and with expression)

The first measures take us right into a 'conversation' between the piano and the clarinet.

There are a lot of crescendo-decrescendos in the sheet music. The melodical line sounds like a waterstreamlet, constantly moving. It's lively and yet a little timid. The clarinet asks, the piano answers in a lyrical way. The further the melody flows, the less hesitancy and indecisiveness. There is a general crescendo, then, suddenly, we hear the theme again with more confidence. Gradually, the conversation comes to an end, confirmed by a tender major chord on the piano.

II. Lebhaft, Leicht (Lively, light)

The clarinet and the piano keep interacting, but faster and more lighthearted than their 'conversation' in the previous movement. The middle parts sound childlike and innocent, without any fear or worries. The melody goes upwards, portraying the question of a curious child. We go back to the main theme which revives for a moment, then fades away to the end.

III. Rasch und mit Feuer (Quick, and with fire)

The third movement is dynamic and temperamentful without losing it's serenity. First measures are an 'attack' from the piano and the clarinet. The same scale is heard several times, but every time with a different approach, leading us to another viewpoint.

We perceive a new theme. It's mysterious and restless.

The reprise is tempestuous with much feeling, building up to a small climax, decreasing again and eventually followed by the resolute final chords.

Recommendations

Here are a few of my favourite performances on Youtube:

Cello: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWZmeJAE70Q

Clarinet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmd1zKHtGN0

But the absolute best performance of the Fantasie-stücke is on the album I mentioned in a previous article about Joey Roukens. Fragments can be heard on this link:

http://www.muziekweb.nl/Link/CJX8112

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Source of the picture: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:R_Schumann_Bonngasse.jpg?uselang=nl#filehistory

Beginner's guide to Classical music

Getting rid of the dusty image

When hearing the word 'classical music', many people imagine a party of old-fashioned and dull men in secondhand green suits, playing old music with their cracky instruments. It's a wrong image, for classical music has a great assortment of different styles. I have to admit that stuffy and boring pieces do exist. However, the classical genre has much more to offer!

Why is it worth it?

First, it is a part of our cultural heritage. Classical music is the mother of all current popular music, whether you listen to Coldplay, Rihanna or Nickelback.

Secondly, this genre can have a very good effect on you. I myself love almost every kind of music, yet I prefer classical music to any other style because I notice that it has a positive effect on my mood and personality. Many songs nowadays are about Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n Roll and it would be senseless to assume that the songs are beneficial to our sense of ethics.

By the way, scientists made cows listen to Mozart and observed that they were far more relaxed, good-tempered and produced more milk than their fellows (Read more about this experiment). I doubt whether Nickelback would have the same effect on them.

Of course, we are not cows...

Where to start?

Starting with Bach and Mozart, the most famous classical composers, isn't a very good idea since their works are not always very accessible and there are so many other beautiful pieces most people don't know!

Starting with the Romantic classical composers though, should be a better idea. Nota bene: people link Romanticism to love, sunsets, flowers and red wine, but it is something completely different. Romanticism is a subgenre of classical music that originated in the second half of the 18th century. Circumstances in Europe were dreadful due to wars and other crises. Therefore, people rejected rational thinking as the way to solve the problems. Instead, they reached for dreams and happiness, for fairytales and nostalgia. Forms of art became a manner to release their strong inner feelings.

I will list a few of my favourite works related to different moods, linked to Youtube.

Tender

1. Liebestraum - F. Liszt. Liebestraum means 'love dream'.

The performance is by one of the iconic pianists of history, Artur Rubinstein.

2. Méditation de Thaïs - J. Massenet. A heart-warming piece and performance, played very passionately by Janine Jansen.

3. The sweet Panorama from ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" - P.I. Tschaikovsky. Think of green hills and spring. Performed by the Vienna Philarmonic, known as one of the best orchestras in the world.

Feelgood

1. The well known Four Seasons -  A. Vivaldi needs no explanation.

2. Carmen Fantasy P. Sarasate. A joyful, virtuoso piece for violon with a Spanish accent.

3. La donna è mobile G. Verdi, a very famous opera song, exhibited by Caruso.

4. Alla turca - W.A. Mozart, a piano solo piece.

Majestic/intense

1. Polonaise As-dur Op. 53 "Heroique" - F. Chopin (starts at 2.10").

2. Revolutionary Etude op. 10 no 12 - F. Chopin. It is fast and very difficult.

3. Symphony 4, mvt 4 - P.I. Tchaikovsky (See article I have written before here)

4. 2nd Piano concerto - S. Rachmaninoff. One of the best musical pieces ever written. I will dedicate one or several articles to this masterwork. The atmosphere and the harmonies are incredible.

5. S. Rachmaninoff's prélude Op. 32 no. 10.

Nostalgic

1. Vocalise - S. Rachmaninoff, a moving piece transcribed for cello.

2. Élégie for Cello and Orchestra - G. Fauré. A slow piece with very different dynamics. It's beauty lies in it's simplicity.

3. Arabesque - C. Débussy. Very dreamy, the melody creates the atmosphere of Arabia.

4. Another famous piece from Débussy: Clair de Lune. 

Lighthearted

1. Petrushka - I.F. Stravinsky. This crazy piece is very difficult for the piano.

2. Scaramouche, mvt 3 - D. Milhaud. Jazzy and fun.

3. "Papageno, papagena duet" from opera The Magic Flute - W.A. Mozart. What was Mozart thinking when composing this ingenious, comic duet?

4. Flight of the Bumblebee - N. Rimsky-Korsakov (arrangment by Cziffra). One of the fastest solo works ever written.

Of course, these are only a few out of hundreds of masterworks. My partiality for Russian music is, again, very obvious. I mentioned Rachmaninoff a few times, Tchaikovsky again. In future I will make more "must-hear" lists with pieces from other great composers like Brahms, Dvorak, Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Schumann, Liszt, Ravel and those who I do not recall at the moment.

For now, I hope you'll enjoy.

Introducing Joey Roukens...

Joey Roukens

Recently I discovered 'Un cuadro de Yucatán', a solo piece for violin by the young Dutch composer Joey Roukens. (Picture by Joyce Vanderfeesten)

What is to be expected and how did Roukens get inspiration for this work?

According to the CD booklet, the composer was on a holiday in Mexico and got inspired by the streets, the atmosphere of the lively towns and villages and Mayan temples. The violinist plays different parts: sometimes 'sounding like a Mexican street performer, then shrieking like a tropical bird from the Yaxchilán jungle.'

How would the composer manage to translate all this elements in one piece?

I wasn't acquainted with Roukens' compositions and therefore I expected a typical contemporary style, which is not to my taste. However, I ended up pleasantly surprised.

Un cuadro de Yucatán

Un cuadro de Yucatán is playful, virtuoso and very lively. 'Paganinian' components are there. It has a lot of interesting harmonies. It's a sort of piece a violinist could easily impress people with on a final exam or a recital.

Do we hear Mexico? Yes. If you know a little of Mexican folk music, you can recognize some melodical and rhythmical parts twining through the piece.

This dance converts into a glorious panorama on the jungle and Mayan ruins, represented by the calm, long bowing. A little light-heartedness, dance, and bird shrieking now and then... Un cuadro de Yucatán never bores. It's tempestuous but accessible. Perhaps one should listen a few times before really appreciating. But it is definitely worth it.

Performed by: Janine Jansen, need I say more?

You can listen to a fragment of Un cuadro de Yucatán (CD: Vlaardingen klassiek) on this link: http://www.muziekweb.nl/Link/CJX8112

Read more about Joey Roukens on his website: http://www.joeyroukens.com/

Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade

Scheherazade is one of the jewels of classical music. I have a particular relationship with the piece, which I will briefly explain before lighting out the composer and the piece itself:

In former days, the trips of two hours and a half by car to visit our family , were filled with Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and Borodín's Polovtsian Dances. The sound volume was quite high and I remember feeling overwhelmed by the great music... Scheherazade keeps impressing me everytime I hear it.

Russian Romanticism

As you will notice in future reviews, I'm very fond of Russian music. I love the severeness and the atmosphere composed of interesting harmonies.

I wrote a thesis on high school about the connection between Romanticism and the piano. In one chapter I mentioned the Russian composers Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, which in my opinion, are principal figures in Romantic classical music. Their works are full of emotions with tendency toward fairytales and misery, characteristics of Romanticism.

Now about Rimsky himself...

Rimsky-Korsakov

Nikolaj Rimsky-Korsakov was born in Tichvin, a city near St. Petersburg, on March 18th 1844. He was raised in a wealthy family. As a 18 years old marine officer. he travelled around the world. Undoubtedly, this experiences had influence on his compositions. (For example the first movement of Scheherazade: 'The sea and Sinbad's ship'.) Back home, a famous director convinced him to study music. He composed symphonies, fifteen opera's, but he is mainly known for 'Scheherazade' and the impressive 'Flight of the Bumblebee'.

Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the following lines as an introduction for his symphonic suite 'Scheherazade':

"The Sultan Schariar, convinced that all women are false and faithless, vowed to put to death each of his wives after the first nuptial night. But the Sultana Sheherazade saved her life by entertaining her lord with fascinating tales, told seriatim, for a thousand and one nights. The Sultan, consumed with curiosity, postponed from day to day the execution of his wife, and finally repudiated his bloody vow entirely." (©Wiki)

Since there are a lot of articles about the technical elements and components, I will focus more on the exhibition of Kirill Kondrashin and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Sadly I do not know where the cassette-tape is with the version I always cherished. By the way, cassette-tapes and L.P.'s are in my opinion better than CD's because they have a much warmer sound.

In general I prefer live performances since they are more dynamic and lively. I tried to review a live performance of Yvan Fischer and the RCO I found of Youtube, but the interpretation was way too slow in my opinion and I switched back to my CD.

1. The sea and Sinbad's ship

(Live version:) The first notes are warm and heartfelt, not violent at all. We get introduced to the first violin solo, one of the motives that will keep returning in the course of the story. On the live version the solo is brilliant and moving and I'm dying to know who plays it. Sadly, the description gives no information about the violin soloist.

After the solo, Rimsky-Korsakov throws us on a ship in rough sea. The tempo is way too slow though. I hoped the director Ivan Fischer would accelerate a bit but since he didn't, I got back to my CD.

(Continuing with the studio version:) These are pretty good waves. I love the tempo and the dynamics, swooping up and off. A short intermezzo: the violin is tense, not peaceful as it was in the beginning. There is a big climax that quickly decreases.

2. The story of the Calendar Prince

The melody is played in a sweet and modest manner, yet beautiful. However, the violinist could have made more of this. I am curious to hear the interpretation on the live version (around 11:00"). After hearing it I can say that I prefer that one, which sounds more brilliant and intense.

Back to the CD. In my opinion Scheherazade lends itself very well for different approaches of the musical elements. I realize again how I love the tempo and interpretation of the Kondrashin version. I don't know the story of the Calendar Prince but Kondrashin makes us believe that he knows it by heart.

3. The young prince and the young princess

The warm sound of the stringed instruments welcomes us in the palace of the young prince and princess. Rimsky-Korsakov inserted Oriental elements: the dreamy musical scales in between for clarinet, then repeated by the strings, and finally played at the same time. It's enchanting and we step right into a fata morgana. The violin motif was peaceful in the first movement, feeling in the second movement, but playful in the third one. A short and intense tutti, then we hear a potpourri of all the previous motives, fading to the end.

4. Festival at Baghdad - The sea - The ship goes to pieces against a rock surmounted by a bronze warrior

There are a lot of dynamical contrasts. We are on the ship again, but the tempo is a lot faster this time. The winding drum represents the festival at Baghdad. We switch between these locations. It is confusing and everything is mixed. When taking a look into the sheet music, we see that Rimsky-Korsakov intended this last movement to sound entangled. The waves are majestic and violent, the wind is strong, leading to the climax: the shipwreck. Then, we hear the violin for the last time. Not peaceful as in the first movement, tender as in the second, or sparkling as in the third movement, but sad and nostalgic, fading to the end...

My opinion of the performance: 8/10 (studio version)

Kondrashin's interpretation was very dynamic and fluent. The only remark I have is the violin solo which could have been better, but the orchestral part was good.

I don't like comparing but I cannot be silent on this: Place the violinist of the 2006 live version in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of 1963 with Kondrashin, put it on a cassette-tape and I will be perfectly satisfied.

Picture source: wikimedia commons

Tchaikovsky - Symphony 4, 4th movement

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky has always been a Romantic composer who truly fascinates me. He was born on May 7th 1840. In his homeland, his oeuvre was considered too 'European'. However, he succeeded to combine both West-European and Russian musical elements in his work.

Trademark: Sentimental melodical phrases, big contrasts, grandeur and majesty, complexity, (at least a touch of) seriousness, references to Russian folk songs.

In my opinion he is the best composer for wind instruments in his orchestral works. It's obvious that a well played delicate violin can move people very easily, but Tchaikovsky manages to give me the chills by the way he uses the wind instruments in his symphonies. One good example is the 4th movement of his 4th symphony.

I have searched on Youtube for the best versions of this movement and chose two of them to write about. Not to decide which one is better, but to sum up the differences.

Michael Tilson Thomas/San Fransisco Symphony Orchestra

(Watch the performance here)

The first measures are an explosion of vigour and strength.

The balance between the different instruments is very good. The bass notes stand out and form a good outline for the whole orchestra. As the musicians rush fluently through the movement, we experience great contrasts. The strings also do a good job on articulation and uniformity. The wind instrument section and the percussionists are incredible.

A point of criticism can hardly be found, it's an impeccable, intense performance!

Herbert von Karajan/Berliner Philarmoniker

(Watch the performance here)

The first thing that stands out is the incredibly high tempo and energy, which makes it sound as if Karajan and the Berliner 'attack' Tchaikovsky. It sounds as if they almost lost their self-control in a good way. The contrasts are enormous and are just on the border line: piano is almost a pianissimo, a fortissimo almost a fortisissimo. Karajan clearly wanted his orchestra to push their limits. And he succeeded extraordinarily!

Compared to the previous version, Karajan and the Berliner play the movement more fierce and tumultuous, with more feeling. In my opinion, he definitely beats Michael Tilson Thomas in terms of interpretation, but not in terms of flawlessness, depth and uniformity.

Choosing which one was best is not the point of this article though. Everybody has their own preferences and priorities when it comes to music.

A performance is good if a musician does credit to the composer instead of attracing attention to himself in first place. MTT and Karajan obviously understood Tchaikovsky's intentions when he wrote this movement. The performances are majestic, turbulent and thrilling, both in their own way.

Source of the picture: wikimedia commons

Maurice Ravel - Jeux d'eau

Performed by Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden.

Before I start to write about the piece itself, here is some information about Maurice Ravel. The French composer was born in May 1875 and was one of the first impressionists in classical music.

Trademark: Most of his compositions sound very 'clean'. Ravel's music is never too heavy. In my opinion you need to change pedal a lot in this piece. It should sound articulated, yet not too dry.

Style: Impressionistic

Jeux d'eau, Introduction

As I am drinking my glass of water and study it's texture and flexibility, I realize that Ravel admired this traits of the fluid that is required for life and it's miracles.

In the first measures of Jeux d'eau, we can hear a streamlet, flowing from a source, down the rocky hills. It's marked pianissimo and nothing warns us of the waterfalls downhill. The performance is played very clean but with feeling. We hear little "bells" played by the left hand, as pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet calls them.

Middle part

The water flows faster and there's a large crescendo towards a fortissimo which disappears as fast as it came to it's existence. Mr. Vanden Eynden allows practically no extended rubato except where it's indicated, but inserts a 'comma' now and then to let the lively piece respire from it's quick moving forward.

One comma is inserted before the forte, which announces the first waterfall: The left hand is obviously leading the melody, dominating but never sharp. If freedom is allowed by the pianist, the freedom is given to the left hand. The right hand motifs are played in a continuous smooth manner, following the melodical notes.

Climax, summary

We return to a pianissimo, more peaceful than the first measures, but the subito piano anticipates on the forthcoming pointed notes and grave basses. The pedal is important. A musical rule is that two frases played in exactly the same way, are boring and therefore one must try to avoid it. Mr. Vanden Eynden does avoid it by using the pedal in ways that never bore, playing sometimes a little drier than usual, sometimes making it sound like a mishmash, but never too long, for every single note has to be heard.

There's an accellerando towards the climax, the fortisissimo, the high waterfalls. The wind keeps teasing the water, producing a real "jeux d'eau" (watergame) which is not playful anymore but really grave and intense.

However, we return to the peaceful theme moving towards the end. The left hand plays the melodical bass notes, more intense than before. We hear a summary of what happened. The streamlet has grown big and has lost it's youthfullness or playfullness when it came out of it's source.

Has it? The last measures reveal the answer.

My opinion of the performance: 9/10

By far the best performance of this masterpiece. It's often played way too neutral or too fast. Jean-Claude Vanden Eynden though inserted brilliancy, constancy, feeling without getting too heavy. The tempi allows the listeners to follow it's fluent musical sentences and make them able to understand the originate of the stream, the climax and the end of the 'jeux d'eau'.

Picture source: http://www.jeanclaudevandeneynden.com/nl/Jean-Claude_Vanden_Eynden_NL/Discografie.html

Appoggiatura: A short introduction.

Music is a passion of mine. So are other forms of art, writing and languages. In this blog I can combine all of them. Music will be the main theme here.

I was born in the Netherlands, as a member of a family consisting of professional musicians. A lot of my earliest memories are about music. Playing music, listening to music, composing music, going to concerts... I grew up with it and learned to play the piano.

My parents are both piano teachers. They taught me a lot, especially my father. Music is not simply a bunch of notes for which you need technique to play. Instead, it's a way of communicating. One thing that helps me a lot is imagining that one has no vocal chords, only an instrument and hands to express himself. Every thought and feeling has to be translated on the instrument. If people can capture that feeling you are playing well. Technique only helps you to achieve your goal, it's not a goal itself.

When I listen to musical pieces, I try to take a lot things into account, to throw light on different elements of the music. If one element is not performed perfectly it doesn't mean that the whole piece isn't beautiful. I will try to write down my analyses and be as extensive and clarifying as possible. Perhaps it will help me appreciate more some componists and I would be glad to take you with me on this musical journey full of discoveries.

Why 'appoggiatura'?

Well, an appoggiatura is a musical ornament or embellishment that is not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony), but serves instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. (©Wiki)

I hope my articles can serve as an embellishment of the beautiful oeuvres composed in the course of history.

The first masterpiece I will write about is Maurice Ravel's "Jeux d'eau".

If you detect any grammatical errors, don't hesitate to write it down in the comments. Requests for articles are welcome too. I appreciate your feedback.

Greetings,

Alexandra