Let the Games Begin: The Classical Music Draft, Part I

[Norsk Troll]

"I only know two tunes. One is "Claire de lune" and the other isn't."

I could had sworn someone had taken it. But I was wrong.


Suite Bergamasque- Claude DebussyI had a feeling I'd lose out on that one, which is a shame because it IS so wonderful. And as much as I do like the entire Suite, I really do think that the Claire movement exceeds the rest, and stands on its own magnificently. No matter how overplayed it may be (or how often I hear it during The Right Stuff), it never fails to make me stop and listen. I think that's the reason it was the only part of a Victor Borge routine that was performed seriously. He must have loved it the same way.

[Sachsen]

Panfilo is on the clock until 12:42 am, Thursday morning. YankHibee and Michael K. are overdue.

Can we please get rid of the draft order now and just start picking once per day? Does anyone think this is going to improve the longer it goes on?

Ghost is up, then Sbry, and Michael K. is overdue.

The 4th round, and all rounds thereafter, will switch to everyone being able to pick every 24 hours, draft order be hanged. This madness will begin as soon as Sbry has picked, or when his clock is up, whichever comes sooner.

Hang on to your hats, this may get a little bumpy!

[Ghost]

My third pick:

http://www.wienerphilharmoniker.at/upload/images/CMSEditor/johann_strauss_001.jpg

Johann Strauss - The Blue Danube Waltz

Come on. I'm a film guy. Of course I'm going to pick this ethereal waltz eventually. Best known film-wise in

http://www.30doradus.org/spaceships/images/ssV.jpg

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, d. Stanley Kubrick)

[Sachsen]

Always room for a great dance tune in the draft! Good to see the Waltz King. And one of my favorite movies, to boot.

Sbry has until 5:31am central time for his pick. At that time, or when he makes his 3rd round pick, the 4th round will commence.

At that point, ALL drafters may make their 4th round pick, regardless of draft order or when you picked during the 3rd round. When you make your 4th round pick, your personal 24 hour clock starts over. In other words, please wait 24 hours between picks. If you keep up, you'll be all finished in six days. You're on the honor system here - I don't think I'm going to try and keep up with everyone's clock to make sure you're not picking less than 24 hours since your last pick.

As for Michael K., I seem to recall he was a little late on his picks in the album draft as well, so no worries - he'll catch up eventually. ;)

[Haole]

Those were mushrooms floating in your tequila.


'Shrooms were better with snorkling during the day.

[sanariot]

My 3rd round pick is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

[NGV]

My 3rd round pick is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
That one was already picked, try again.

[Iceblink]

That one was already picked, try again.

Well, crap, now he's gone -- thinking that he has chosen when he picked something that was chosen yesterday.

Is that our problem? Can we start round four? He's obviously not going to be picking again before 5:XX A.M.

[Michael K.]

So Michael K.'s clock expired at 11:30 pm, and I saw NGV, who comes after him, on at 11:10 pm, but then he signed off without waiting 20 more minutes to pick.

Er...sorry about that. Never got a PM.

[Michael K.]

Once again, sorry about the delay in picking. I hadn't checked on the thread in a day or two and figured it was just running awfully (and mysteriously) slow for some reason.

There's so much great music out there left to be had, that I feel no bashfulness at all picking a fantastic, though perhaps not so immortal or genre-bending work out of pure sentiment and pleasure.

http://www.manueldapena.com/1936/joaquin-rodrigo.jpg

Joaquin Rodrigo - Concierto Madrigal

My first job out of college (after a prolonged period of lying around the house) was writing radio ski reports, a seasonal job that ran through the winter (obviously) with some slightly kinky hours - 6 AMish till the early afternoon. One mid-January afternoon was unseasonably, almost unbelievably sunny and balmy, so I dropped the top on my car and cruised all the way home. It's a little silly to do when there's still half a foot of snow on the ground, but that never really stops me.

I was in the midst of a classical guitar jag anyway, listening to stuff by the likes of ******* and ******** when Rodrigo's Concierto Madrigal came on the radio. This, I had never ever heard. I was around the corner from home, so it turned into one of those perfect driveway moments - the winter sun shining through brisk air, the melting snow dripping from the eaves in time with the music. I just sat and threw my head back at the blue sky and trees for a while and listened. Intricate in the interplay between two guitars and orchestra, tranquil and light, then loping and graceful, I've loved the piece ever since. I'm no music scholar, but I don't know of much else that sounds like it.

Oh, and it goes without saying that you should get a recording of the Romero brothers playing it. Try a taste here (http://www.romeroguitarquartet.com/media/56k/007_J_RodrigoFanfare.ram).

There's at least one other Rodrigo work which I think is better known (and which is also a favorite of mine), but I'm most attached to this one, so it's worth the high pick to me.

[Norsk Troll]

Alright - since Sbry's clock expired after the mistaken pick, and no one else has jumped in yet - I'll start off this 4th round myself!

Taking this before anyone else gets it, since a few pieces are very well known: My 4th Round Pick:

Incidental Music to Peer Gynt, Op 23

by Edvard Grieg

Everyone will know "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King", but "The Death of Ase" and "Solveig's Song" are just as wonderful. And I don't just select the suites, but the entire incidental music, as appears on Neeme Jarvi's recording (with Barbara Bonney singning) - since there is a lot of great music that didn't make it into the suites. The "Whitsun Hymn: 'Blessed Morn'", for instance, is fabulous - I had them do that at my wedding.

[Sachsen]

The 4th round is underway! I think it goes without saying that while we're in the midst of what Haole calls "12 tone free-for-all" (!) that you carefully read the thread before posting, to make sure we don't continue with picking works that have already been picked!...

Anyway, EVERYONE is welcome to post their 4th round pick, immediately. Then count 24 hours after you pick, and you can post your 5th round pick. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[Sachsen]

Alright - since Sbry's clock expired after the mistaken pick, and no one else has jumped in yet - I'll start off this 4th round myself!

Taking this before anyone else gets it, since a few pieces are very well known: My 4th Round Pick:

Incidental Music to Peer Gynt, Op 23

by Edvard Grieg

Everyone will know "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King", but "The Death of Ase" and "Solveig's Song" are just as wonderful. And I don't just select the suites, but the entire incidental music, as appears on Neeme Jarvi's recording (with Barbara Bonney singning) - since there is a lot of great music that didn't make it into the suites. The "Whitsun Hymn: 'Blessed Morn'", for instance, is fabulous - I had them do that at my wedding.

Ooooo... two thumbs way up on this one. I'm not familiar with the songs, but I love the suites.

[Sachsen]

I haven’t picked a Beethoven symphony yet – and every good draft should have one ;)

It was a tossup between this one and an odd-numbered symphony that shall remain nameless, and at the end of the day (Bruce Arena’s favorite phrase), I chose this one because, well, I like it more. For my 4th round pick, I choose:

Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 (“Pastoral”) by Ludwig van Beethoven

This has always been one of my absolute favorite works. It started when I was a child taking piano lessons and one of my pieces was “After the Storm”, in a piano book I had called Music That Paints a Picture. And does it ever! This may have been the very first “symphonic tone poem” – a musical work where the composer tries to describe a scene without using words. I love the picturesque titles Beethoven gave each movement:

I. Awakening of happy feelings upon arrival in the country
II. Scene by the brook
III. Merry gathering of the peasants
IV. Thunderstorm
V. Shepherd’s song: Happy and grateful feelings after the storm

This is one of the few symphonies I would gladly listen to many times in a row. Is it Beethoven’s best symphony? Probably not – that may go to the unmentioned work, or the 7th, or the 9th. But in my opinion, this symphony, chock full of some of the best tunes he ever wrote, and they come one right after another, is the most fun.

[sardus_pater]

I would have much likely picked Grieg's Peer Gynt later...

[GringoTex]

Cello Concerto in B Minor by Dvorak.

I love the Czech Bohemian music.

[Smiley321]

I don't mind hoarding Bach - this is one of my favorites

Tocatta and Fugue in D minor

Great organ music, never gets old. I would like to be able to hear this in one of the great cathedrals, like der Dom. A majestic work.

I've got an E. Power Biggs version. This and Bach's mass make sunday mornings complete.

[DoctorD]

Since our leader has officially changed the draft rules, let's go.

My style is kind of a blend of Mozart and Bach. I call it Mach

For my fourth pick I choose J. S. Bach's Musical Sacrifice, err. Musical Offering. I'm not going to recommend a recording, but I will recommend a reconstruction: the order proposed by H. T. David.

If you don't know the story, the Musical Offering is a collection of 10 canons, 2 fugues, and a trio sonata. All are based on the "Royal Theme" that Frederick the Great came up with and challenged JSB to develop into an improvised 3- and 6-part fugue during a visit by the latter to court. JSB did come up with the 3-part fugue on the spot but begged off on the 6-part. 2 months later, Bach published the Musical Offering, including the worked out 6-part fugue.

In 1945, David published a book proposing that when the Musical Offering was published, it was published using the minimum amount of paper. This put some of the canons at the end, for example. David proposed the following order instead.
Ricarcar (fugue) a 3
5 Canons upon the Royal Theme
Trio Sonata
5 Canonic Elaborations of the Royal Theme
Ricarcar a 6

This order is much more satisfying to listen to than the published order. If you have a CD with any other order, burn a copy using David's order and you'll see what I mean.

The Musical Offering has plenty to offer. Bach has taken the king's angular and chromatic theme, not the most hummable melody, and turned it into a thing of beauty. The ricarcar a 3 has structural flaws and it is frankly exciting to listen to it with the realization that you are listening to Bach's honest transcription of the original improvisation.

Then comes the first set of canons, some for keyboard and some for multiple instruments. In this set the Royal Theme is played by one voice and variations swirl around it.

Then comes the magnificent trio sonata, which is often played as a stand-alone work. The first movement, largo, alludes to but does not directly quote the Royal Theme (for the first time in the work). This creates incredible tension. The second movement, allegro, does not quote the Royal Theme until about 1 1/4 minutes into it. And when the basso continuo finally plays it, chills run up your spine.

After the sonata comes the second set of canons, this time elaborating the Royal Theme itself. Finally the amazing 6-part ricarcar.

So you get the intellectual challenge of the canons, the historical interest of the genesis of the work, the personal interest of the actual improvised 3-part fugue, and the overall beauty of the complete work, especially the trio sonata. What more could you ask for?

P.S. David's book (still in print) was the inspiration for Goedel, Escher, Bach and is a good read.

[DoctorD]

yikes - that took 50 minutes to write!

[scottinkc]

For my fourth pick, I choose:

Copland- Old American Songs

A wide variety of songs, from the spiritual (Zion's walls is my favorite), to the traditional (Simple gifts, All the little horses), to work songs (Ching-a ring chaw), to the rediculous (I bought me a cat). Copland utilized a lot of modern tones, while still retaining a traditional feel. They are not difficult to sing, the piano/orchestra always supports the voice, which is not something you find in a lot of 20th century vocal pieces.

My recording recommendation is that you avoid the overly-affected stylings of Thomas Hampson. The best recording is Williard White, for whom these songs were written, I believe. He has a very straight-forward approach, but it is quite effective and moving.