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

[Sachsen]

Sorry for the formatting -- I can't figure out how to import a spreadsheet and make it look nice.

Through 74 total picks... a bit surprised at the high counts for Prokofiev, Copland, and Wagner. Many great composers still completely unpicked, and many others have only been picked once. The last 5 rounds are gonna be fun!


Bach 7
Beethoven 7
Prokofiev 4
Tchaikovsky 4
Copland 3
Mozart 3
Schubert 3
Wagner 3
Chopin 2
Debussy 2
Dvorak 2
Gershwin 2
Handel 2
Mussorgsky 2
Ravel 2
Stravinsky 2
Albinoni 1
Bartok 1
Bizet 1
Brahms 1
Desprez 1
Elgar 1
Glass 1
Grieg 1
Hildegard v. Bingen 1
Janacek 1
Liszt 1
Mahler 1
Mendelssohn 1
Moncayo Garcia 1
Orff 1
Pachelbel 1
Puccini 1
Rachmaninoff 1
Rodrigo 1
Rossini 1
Sibelius 1
Strauss 1
Villa-Lobos 1
Vivaldi 1

[DoctorD]

And now for something completely different.




A march.


For my sixth pick I choose Bagley's National Emblem march.


Out of the tens of marches we played in high school this was my favorite. It starts with a circus-like introduction. Then Bagley has put The Star Spangled Banner as the counter melody in the first strain. The famous second strain ("and the monkey wrapped his tail around the flagpole") has subtle uses of tympani. Then the third strain builds from a bombastic low brass entrance to its exhilarating climax.

I don't have any "pick up the girl" stories with this one. It's just a lot of fun to play and listen to.



<middle aged rant on> I attended my first marching band competition in 25 years last year and the regrettable victory of "corps style" over "military style" is now complete. A triumph of small-town philistinism over musical excellence. Gone are the crisp lines and abstract patterns of yesterday, replaced with sloppy curved lines and shuffling "marching". The silks have gone from a decoration to the major part of the show. Drum majors stand on ladders uselessly flapping their arms. Band parents frantically drive up all sorts of percussion equipment. And the music is no longer selected from standalone, concert-playable works, but is rather expensively commissioned drek to show off the trumpets. A true loss for these kids. <rant off>

[Norsk Troll]

<middle aged rant on> I attended my first marching band competition in 25 years last year and the regrettable victory of "corps style" over "military style" is now complete. A triumph of small-town philistinism over musical excellence. Gone are the crisp lines and abstract patterns of yesterday, replaced with sloppy curved lines and shuffling "marching". The silks have gone from a decoration to the major part of the show. Drum majors stand on ladders uselessly flapping their arms. Band parents frantically drive up all sorts of percussion equipment. And the music is no longer selected from standalone, concert-playable works, but is rather expensively commissioned drek to show off the trumpets. A true loss for these kids. <rant off>And the whole emphasis on the flag corp, and dancing, and themes, etc. - the Broadwayification of marching band was it's downfall.

[Sachsen]

And the whole emphasis on the flag corp, and dancing, and themes, etc. - the Broadwayification of marching band was it's downfall.

"76 trombones led the big parade..."

http://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/images04/music_man_crop.JPG

[Sachsen]

I was so happy when they stripped Pluto of planet status -- that means Holst was right all along! ;)

Round 6: The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst

http://www.agu.org/sections/planets/photoj.jpg

Movements:
I. Mars, the Bringer of War
II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
VI. Uranus, the Magician
VII. Neptune, the Mystic

From dozens of movie soundtracks, to an unofficial British National Anthem ("I Vow to Thee, My Country"), to countless 'new age' recordings -- the number of musical works which owe a debt to Holst's astronomical triumph are innumerable. This collection runs the full gamut, from beautiful, peaceful melodies (Venus) to bombastic, jarring hard rock (Mars) to moments of chest-swelling pride (Jupiter) to some of the most eerie, spooky feelings music can induce (Uranus and Neptune.) Absolutely great stuff.

I have an excellent recording by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley.

[Norsk Troll]

For my 6th Round Selection:

Otello

by Giuseppe Verdi

One of the weakness of Verdi's operas, especially his younger and middle ones, were the weakness of the drama. He could always compose good music, even at the earliest stages, but the weak, improbable, even silly at times, dramas undermined him. The operas were still successful, and they are still played frequently today, and deservedly so, but they can't compete against his final works, and for me Otello is the best combination in his career of music and drama. The characters are fully formed, and there are no contrived plot devisces. Clearly, using the proven drama of Shakespeare was something he should have thought about doing earlier.

Just as importantly for me, this work represents the height of his musical powers as well. I could live without Desdemona's Willow Song, but it's not enough to remove the opera from the great category. The duets especially, between Otello and Desdemona and between Otello and Iago, are worth the inclusion alone, and the orchestra work truly integrates with the opera as a whole, not sounding merely as accompaniment, as is sometimes the case in his earlier work.

If you want a visual as well as audial introduction to the piece, get the Zefferelli movie starring Placido Domingo, Katia Ricciarelli.and Justino Diaz (if it's still available). It was shot on location in Malta as a real movie, not merely the capture of a stage performance. (Otello is probably Domingo's best role, both vocally and dramatically).

Musical Program:
Beethoven's 9th Sym.
Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
Mahler's 8th Sym.
Grieg's Peer Gynt
Tchaikovsky's 4th Sym.[/quote]
Verdi's Otello

[Norsk Troll]

Round 6: The Planets Suite by Gustav HolstI was really wondering what was taking so long to pick that one. I love it, but for some reason just had to relegate it to an alternate choice.

[Iceblink]

Is this my fifth or sixth pick? I dunno....

Anyway, for this round, I take one of my absolute favorite baroque composers... Joseph Haydn.

Two of my all time favorite symphonies came from a period that he went through. Am I allowed to name the style since I'm picking one? I imagine that it's ok.

Anyway, this is one of his "Sturm und Drang" symphonies... and, like so many of the other things I've picked, the melody is so cool and memorable.

I chose the one with the most memorable melody, IMO.

It's his Symphony no. 35 in B-Flat, especially the Allegro di Molto... awesome.

Everybody should go get it.

[sardus_pater]

I was so happy when they stripped Pluto of planet status -- that means Holst was right all along! ;)

Round 6: The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst

Movements:
I. Mars, the Bringer of War
II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace
III. Mercury, the Winged Messenger
IV. Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity
V. Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age
VI. Uranus, the Magician
VII. Neptune, the Mystic

From dozens of movie soundtracks, to an unofficial British National Anthem ("I Vow to Thee, My Country"), to countless 'new age' recordings -- the number of musical works which owe a debt to Holst's astronomical triumph are innumerable. This collection runs the full gamut, from beautiful, peaceful melodies (Venus) to bombastic, jarring hard rock (Mars) to moments of chest-swelling pride (Jupiter) to some of the most eerie, spooky feelings music can induce (Uranus and Neptune.) Absolutely great stuff.

I have an excellent recording by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Vernon Handley.

That was in my list...

[NGV]

I was so happy when they stripped Pluto of planet status -- that means Holst was right all along! ;)

Round 6: The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst

This was supposed to be my fifth rounder - I missed out on it by a couple hours! That's what I get for going out of town for a day.

I'll post my next two picks shortly.

[DoctorD]

"76 trombones led the big parade..."

http://www.fnal.gov/pub/today/images04/music_man_crop.JPG
they'd lose. Robert Preston doesn't flap his arms enough.

[NGV]

For my fifth pick, I take the "Italian" Symphony of Felix Mendelssohn (Symphony No. 4, Op. 90).

http://www.baerenreiter.com/html/mendelssohn/enmendelssohn/mendelssohn3.gif

Is there anyone who dislikes this piece? The first movement is the most well known, and it deserves the fame - it's among the most joyful pieces ever written, and features two tunes that are both better than anything most composers could manage to come up with in an entire career. But the other three movements are also extraordinary; the second and third are gorgeous and the fourth is a thriller. Like much of Mendelssohn's great music, this symphony incorporates the best of both the Classical and Romantic eras.

[scottinkc]

Well, Haole did pick Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2. That always worked for me.

(writes down piano concerto #2)

Ok, I've got a piece, now I just need to find a girl.

[Norsk Troll]

[i](writes down piano concerto #2)[/]

Ok, I've got a piece, now I just need to find a girl.Play it loud enough - they'll come to you.

[scottinkc]

With my sixth pick, I choose:

Rebecca Clarke- Viola sonata

This piece was written in 1918/19, and shows all the influences of the time. When I listen to it, I can pick out bits of Impressionism, or some Victorian/Edwardian tonalities. There's even a theme in the first movement which always strikes me as American Indian. What I like most about this piece is that it always seems to be moving forward, even in the slow/soft sections. It has a sense of tension, much like a good book that you "just can't put down"

[scottinkc]

<middle aged rant on> I attended my first marching band competition in 25 years last year and the regrettable victory of "corps style" over "military style" is now complete. A triumph of small-town philistinism over musical excellence. Gone are the crisp lines and abstract patterns of yesterday, replaced with sloppy curved lines and shuffling "marching". The silks have gone from a decoration to the major part of the show. Drum majors stand on ladders uselessly flapping their arms. Band parents frantically drive up all sorts of percussion equipment. And the music is no longer selected from standalone, concert-playable works, but is rather expensively commissioned drek to show off the trumpets. A true loss for these kids. <rant off>

As a former drum corps marcher, I agree with your sentiments completely. The same thing has happened within drum corps itself in the last 25 years.

For my 6th Round Selection:

Otello

by Giuseppe Verdi

Yeah! Verdi! I like him. I even like his earlier works. Yes, they lack a real coherent plot, but if the singers are good, I somehow just don't care.

I'm going to choose a Verdi eventually, but haven't decided which one yet. Quite simply the epitome of Italian grand opera.

Play it loud enough - they'll come to you.

You 'da man!! I'm going to name my first child after you.

[NGV]

For my sixth selection, I take the Violin Concerto (Op. 61) of Ludwig van Beethoven.

http://213.239.214.67/lily/good_res/1104969409447.293715179689.preview.png

I don't have a lot to say about this one. It's my favorite violin concerto, and probably my favorite of all of Beethoven's orchestral works. Its mood ranges from tranquil to solemn to cheerful - but Beethoven's intensity and eccentricity lurk beneath the surface, exemplified by the mysterious timpani strikes that introduce the piece. I listened to it incessantly for a few months while I was in college, and never came close to getting tired of it.

[sardus_pater]

Ok for my 6th pick I'll go with my J. S. Bach and it's

http://image.allmusic.com/00/acg/pic200/drz000%5Cz000%5Cz000015wg2v.jpg

Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 in F major - BWV 1046

It was a tough choice with another one, generally the most appreciated (and also 2 sets of keyboard pieces who has not been selected yet)

But apart from the fact that all the 6 concertos are masterpieces of the baroque concertos "all'italiana" (infact J.S. was a great "fan" of Vivaldi) so it's ok whatever one chooses, the first concerto has a highlight which I am very fond of and it is the 2nd movement, the adagio, the best ever written IMO.
Simple, heartbreaking, profound, with the main wonderfully sad, a quiet sadness, theme who surfaces continually played by all the instruments in all the octaves.
Counterpoint at sublime levels as always. Brain and heart, the almost unbelievable mix who makes of J.S. my preferred composer ever and not only mine.

If you all allow it I take all the brandenburg concertos btw. :D

Also the other one who saddens me to leave to others with that incredible 1st movement (those who know will understand)

[Panfilo]

Maple Leaf Rag- Scott Joplin

Some people might not think this is classical music.

F' them I say.

It is original American classical music.

No rhapsody in blue without Joplin.

His first big hit.

Maple Leaf Rag has been heard by every American. Be it in movies, your ice cream man, or Disneyland. :p

Upbeat, carefree music that always brings a smile to my face. For all ages.

[Sachsen]

If you all allow it I take all the brandenburg concertos btw. :D

Nope, sorry. I could see an exception for the Four Seasons, because those are very much a set. But the Brandenburgs are six very distinct compositions, each one entirely different in key, instrumentation, mood, format (French vs. Italian), scoring, etc etc etc.

It would be like... (wait for it)

picking all 9 Beethoven symphonies at once :D

That said, great pick. I love the Brandenburgs - actually wrote a thesis on them in graduate school. (I was a history major but took a seminar on Bach.) The 1st is probably by third favorite of the six, but it's still a great one. When those horns kick in at the beginning, you KNOW you're listening to a masterpiece.

(Incidentally, I once lived in Koethen for two months -- where Bach composed the Brandenburgs -- and played on a harpsichord in the castle chapel where Leopold lived!)