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

[Smiley321]

I don't see any Schumann on the board, so this one is probably still available:

Piano Quintet in E-flat, Schumann

Great chamber music, by one of the great Romantic composers.

[Sachsen]

I don't see any Schumann on the board, so this one is probably still available:

Piano Quintet in E-flat, Schumann

Great chamber music, by one of the great Romantic composers.

I was wondering when Schumann was going to get picked. His omission was one of the ones I was surprised at when I listed the number of times each composer had been picked.

[Sachsen]

Man, you guys are really broadening my horizons. Clarke? Bagley? Janacek? I'm always happy to learn about new stuff. Good work!

Recent picks among my personal favorites:
-- Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony -- love all 5 of his "regular" symphonies (not counting the string symphonies), one of my three personal favorite symphony cycles by any composer

-- Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man -- how simple and, at the same time, how powerful can a single tune be? Brilliant title Copland came up with there. Truly the spirit of America.

-- Beethoven's Violin Concerto -- yes, NGV is stealing my heart with his recent picks. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Absolutely gorgeous music.

--Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag -- a fantastic pick, plain and simple.

Overrated:
Haydn. Meh. ;)

[Sachsen]

PENDING:
Michael K.'s 5th and 6th
YankHibee's 5th and 6th
Ghost's 5th and 6th
Haole's 6th
Karl K's 6th
GringoTex's 6th
Sbry's 6th

The 7th round begins 9/24/2006, at 1:31pm Nairobi time.

[Haole]

My sixth pick:

Symphony No.9 'From the New World' (1893), Dvorak

http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/dvorak_x4.jpg


Wonderful music. Vibrant, singing melodies and the great rhythmic stylings of one of the essential late Romantic composers.

The history of this symphony is well documented in most music history survey classes. A programming favorite and a sure crowd pleaser.

Personally, I knew very little of Dvorak's work until I moved to the L.A. area and came into the acquaintance of KUSC-FM and its' very Dvorak-friendly hosts. In particular, the inimitable Jim Svejda:

http://www.kusc.org/php/images/jsvejda-bw.jpg


One of the best and, most informed, radio hosts I've ever had the pleasure of listening to. He and his fellow hosts are Dvorak campaigners and I owe them a great thank-you for educating me in the many treasures of Dvorak's work.

If you've never heard Jim's syndicated show - 'The Record Shelf' - do yourself a favor and listen in on one of the most articulate and entertaining radio hosts/educators working today.

[Norsk Troll]

My sixth pick:

Symphony No.9 'From the New World' (1893), DvorakHaole - you clearly have tastes similar to mine, as I like this piece as well. But neither one of us can have it, since it was already picked a couple rounds ago.

[Smiley321]

My sixth pick:

Symphony No.9 'From the New World' (1893), Dvorak



it's taken already by Keller

[Haole]

it's taken already by Keller


Aiyi!

Spent 35 mins. for my usual longwinded selection and, now this.

Give me a couple and I'll reshuffle the deck.

[Haole]

My revised sixth pick:

Trois Petites liturgies de la Presence Divine (1944), Messiaen


The work of Olivier Messiaen incorporates so much of the modern and avant-garde that I would feel remiss by not drafting one of his most accessible and purely beautiful works.

The ondes martenot solo, the vocal writing and the wild energy and beauty of 'Trois Petites' will take you to another world altogether. A breathtaking piece on record and, sadly, one that is rarely programmed.

One of the most unique voices in modern 20th century music.





http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Oliviermessiaen.jpg

[Norsk Troll]

One of the most unique voices in modern 20th century music.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/45/Oliviermessiaen.jpgAnd a unique sense of fashion as well, by the looks of it.

[Sachsen]

My revised sixth pick:

Trois Petites liturgies de la Presence Divine (1944), Messiaen


Another guy I'm not familiar with!
You guys are definitely getting me introduced to some new ones.

Crap! I can't believe I only have four picks left! I've got at least seven composers to choose from, four of whom haven't been selected by anyone yet... and multiple works from each. Aarrgghh, decisions, decisions...

[Sachsen]

Big Board has been updated through round 6.

[DoctorD]

My seventh pick is Arcangelo Corelli Sonata for Violin and Continuo "La Folia" Op 5, No 12. I suppose I have rights to the entire Op 5, but this is the only one I'm familiar with.

And the recording is by Frans Bruggen playing the violin part on the recorder. This one is so much fun to listen to that I'll put on the disk just to listen to it, turning it off after this piece.

The Amazon link is here (http://www.amazon.com/Frans-Br%fcggen-Vol-Recorder-Sonatas/dp/B000000SM7/sr=1-1/qid=1159097898/ref=sr_1_1/103-7388925-1942215?ie=UTF8&s=music).

Many of these early violin sonatas, especially in the 17th century, were written for either violin or recorder.

[Smiley321]

For my no. 7, another personal favorite:

Stravinsky, "Les Noces"

A unique and captivating piece. Stravinsky originally devised it for a 150 piece orchestra, but realized it would be a bit impractical. He toyed with other stripped down versions before settling on four pianos, a bunch of other percussion and singers. When something this unorthodox works, for me that's as good as it gets, this is my favorite by Stravinsky.

I've got three versions, a stripped down orchestral version, a very minimalist version with a pianola, and the final one.

[scottinkc]

For my seventh pick, I choose:

Verdi- Rigoletto

I was surprised at all the early love Wagner was getting, while the greatest of all Italian opera composers had to wait until the sixth round.

This work has interesting characters, an interesting plot (enough to get it a good hard look at by Italian censors of the time), and tons of totally hummable melodies.

My favorite recording is RCA with Merrill, Bjorling and Peters, although another RCA with Merrill, Alfredo Kraus and Moffo is good as well.

[Norsk Troll]

For my 7th Round Selection:

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

by Ralph Vaughan Williams

I've got to run for practice in a few minutes, so little time for a write-up. Coming into this round, I've got two "must picks", so I'm getting them out of the way until I decide which way to go with my last pick. This piece may not be well known, but it should be. Though similar in style and mood, I think it's better than ******'s ******, but that one is more famous through use in movies.

This is what you listen to on a grey day, with a crisp wind blowing - when you're morose, and contemplative, or simply brooding. He's one of my favourite composers, and this is my favourite piece of his.

Leonard Slatkin's reading is actually very impressive.

Musical Program:
1 - Beethoven's 9th Sym.
2 - Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
3 - Mahler's 8th Sym.
4 - Grieg's Peer Gynt
5 - Tchaikovsky's 4th Sym.
6 - Verdi's Otello
7 - Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

[Norsk Troll]

while the greatest of all Italian opera composers had to wait <coughPuccinicough>

[Iceblink]

Already have one by him, but I needed this one in the draft. For my 7th pick, I take Tchaikovsky's fifth. I searched for his name and I think this one is still available.

This is the one I've seen live the most times. I recognize it anytime it's playing due to the repeating melody.

My mother also used to play it on the piano when I was a kid...

Then, when I was a little older... I heard it again in one of the greatest movies ever made... Charlie Sheen, Winona Ryder, Corey Haim... yes, I'm speaking of that film which managed to avoid Oscars against all odds... Lucas.


Really, though... if you ever did see that movie... when Lucas takes that new girl down underground to listen to the orchestra... that's Tchaikovsky's 5th!

Hehe.

[Haole]

For my 7th Round Selection:

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

by Ralph Vaughan Williams



This is what you listen to on a grey day, with a crisp wind blowing - when you're morose, and contemplative, or simply brooding. He's one of my favourite composers, and this is my favourite piece of his.
[/I]

Great pick Norsk.

Super writing. The Scherzo opens with a great, propulsive statement that I think is just knock-out stuff. Williams is one of my favorites. Great command of the instrument we know as the 'orchestra.'

[Sachsen]

For my 7th Round Selection:

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

by Ralph Vaughan Williams

I've got to run for practice in a few minutes, so little time for a write-up. Coming into this round, I've got two "must picks", so I'm getting them out of the way until I decide which way to go with my last pick. This piece may not be well known, but it should be. Though similar in style and mood, I think it's better than ******'s ******, but that one is more famous through use in movies.

This is what you listen to on a grey day, with a crisp wind blowing - when you're morose, and contemplative, or simply brooding. He's one of my favourite composers, and this is my favourite piece of his.

Leonard Slatkin's reading is actually very impressive.

Musical Program:
1 - Beethoven's 9th Sym.
2 - Wagner's Tristan und Isolde
3 - Mahler's 8th Sym.
4 - Grieg's Peer Gynt
5 - Tchaikovsky's 4th Sym.
6 - Verdi's Otello
7 - Vaughan Williams Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Gah - this piece was on my short list... in fact, I was THIS CLOSE to picking it instead of The Planets... I went back and forth with myself -- "Tallis or Planets? Tallis or Planets?"

Holst and Vaughan Williams were good friends.

This is the first thing I ever heard by Vaughan Williams - I was driving in the car one afternoon and turned the radio on to the classical music station, and this was already playing... I think my hand froze in midair on its way back from the radio. I said to myself, "What IS this?!" It was unlike almost any other classical piece I had ever heard. First thing I thought was, "Ray Lynch?" Really excellent stuff. Now, I'm with you - VW is one of my favorite composers.

I can't quite figure out who and what piece your *******s refer to; don't let me forget to find out at the end.