Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Giuseppe Tartini - Devil's Trill Sonata

Amazed by the myth, and also amazed by the difficulty...

Devil's Trill Sonata, perhaps is the only Giuseppe Tartini's (1692 - 1770) music that is recognise by everyone nowadays...

The story behind "Devil's Trill" starts with a dream. Tartini allegedly told the French astronomer Jérôme Lalande that he dreamed that The Devil appeared to him and asked to be his servant. At the end of their lessons Tartini handed the devil his violin to test his skill—the devil immediately began to play with such virtuosity that Tartini felt his breath taken away. When the composer awoke he immediately jotted down the sonata, desperately trying to recapture what he had heard in the dream. Despite the sonata being successful with his audiences, Tartini lamented that the piece was still far from what he had heard in his dream.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil%27s_Trill_Sonata


It is a 4 movement music. I'm attracted by the soft 1st movement, and also the fast 2nd movement...

You can listen to this music from youtube in here...
Video 1
Video 2

(Since that imeem doesn't allow to have full length streaming, I also have upload this music to megaupload)
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=9BDSODMR

Is everything that related to "devil" will bring something nice? Just like the myth of Paganini deal with devil, and also this music that come from devil......

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major - Shostakovich

Dmitri Shostakovich was a Soviet musician. For me, he is like making rock music at that time... Influenced by other late Romantic Era musician, most of his music are atonal, consider to be "special" for the audience at that time...

One of the example is his Cello Concerto No. 1. It is a music that give me the same feeling with his String Quartet No. 3 (my another favorite Shostakovich's music)

Shostakovich do not have many cello music. He started to composed this concerto in July 1959, and passed the score to his friend, Mstislav Rostropovich, who later memorised the work in 4 days, and premiered same year on 4 October in Leningrad.


Concerto No.1 for Cello and Orchestra In E Flat Op. 107: Allegretto

This is the first movement. Shostakovich using DSCH motif as the main theme, which sounds aggressive...

2nd, 3rd and 4th movement are played continuously without break. 2nd movement become slow and melancholy, which is totally different with the 1st movement; 3rd movement is cello solo cadenza throughout the movement which still can heard the theme in 1st movement; and 4th movement goes back to the excited powerful state, and end with the theme of 1st movement.

=======================================================

Interesting background:

This cello music is a concerto that Shostakovich written to his friend, Mstislav Rostropovich.

"The First Cello Concerto was the first work that Shostakovich wrote specially for me", Rostropovich revealed in an interview: "Interestingly enough, I never asked him to write anything. Once, when talking to Shostakovish's wife I raised the question of a commission. She answered, 'If you want Dmitri to write something for you the only recipe I can give is this - never ask him or talk to him about it.' So, with the greatest difficulty, I managed to restrain myself. But although I never spoke about it, Dmitri knew that I constantly dreamt of his writing a piece for me."

(taken from the Marc Rochester's MPO Programme Notes for SAT 17 & SUN 18 JAN 09)

Friday, February 20, 2009

Transcendental Etude No. 4 in D minor - Mazeppa

One of the Liszt most famous piano music piece: Transcendental Etude. It is also one of the most technical demanding piano music composed ever...


This etude has some clearly defined sections. Each section is like having its own theme that repeating in that section...

Franz Liszt's Transcendental Etude No. 4 in D minor, "Mazeppa", is the fourth Transcendental Etude, inspired by Victor Hugo's dramatically morbid poem Mazeppa, in which a Ukrainian page named Mazeppa is strapped onto a horse and the horse is set free to gallop, resulting in the critical condition of both the horse and Mazeppa. At the end, Mazeppa is crowned king.

Source: Wikipedia

If this is a journey of naked Ivan Mazeppa tied on a horse, then the beginning (around 0:22 - 0:59 in this recording) of the horse gallop is powerful, and Mazeppa either have a "dangerous", or maybe "excited" journey...
(This is also my most favorite section in this music)

This part is later repeat again, and go into a slower section which sounds beautiful... The horse is tired? Or he is dying??

After the slow section, this music seen like go back to its fast pace, and later become ever faster... but quiet totally after that...

At the end, after the "dying" experience, this music end with grand finale represent "Mazeppa rises as a king"! And this poem/music is remembered by everyone......

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Symphony No. 7 in D minor - Dvorak

Antonín Dvořák have composed 9 symphonies in total, and his Symphony No. 7 is one of the finest symphony he have composed...

Dvorak's Symphony 7 and Symphony 8 are like contrast to each other. Symphony No. 8 sounds cheerful and joyful; while the 7th sounds more emotional and stormy...

This symphony have 4 movements:
  1. Allegro maestoso
  2. Poco adagio
  3. Scherzo: Vivace - Poco meno mosso
  4. Finale: Allegro

I usually just listen to the First movement and Third movement only...


First movement starts with slow and quiet theme, and the theme later become a more emotional, stormy and lively music...


Third movement is a Scherzo, which is another movement that I like...

Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, 8, and 9 remind me the same number of Beethoven's Symphony...
Both composer also have some similarity:
  • Symphony No. 7: Sounds more complicated if compare with their 8th;
  • Symphony No. 8: Sounds lightweight and more lively;
  • Symphony No. 9: Their masterpiece...
The symphony free recording can be found in Peabody Symphony Orchestra website.

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Prelude in G minor - Rachmaninoff



Gilels plays Rachmaninoff Prelude Op. 23 No. 5

This is the music I like recently...
A nice piano composition from Rachmaninoff...

Even though Rachmaninoff is one of my most favorite composer, but I only know about this music after the Malaysia Roland Piano Competition because my friend perform this music in the competition.

Anyway, this is just for Malaysian...
MPO (Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra) will perform Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 on 28th of February and 1st of March!!
Go and get your ticket now~~

Friday, January 2, 2009

What I have listen for this New Year...

1/1/2009

Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube op. 314
Waldteufel – Les Pâtineurs "The Skaters"
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, 1
Julius Fučík – Entrance of the Gladiators
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in g, BWV 1058 - Andante
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in F, BWV 1057 - Allegro assai
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto In A, BWV 1055 - Allegro Ma Non Tanto
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in E Major, BWV 1053 - without tempo indication
Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in C, BWV 1063 - 3rd movement
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in f, BWV 1056 - Presto
Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in C, BWV 1065 - 1st movement
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in g, BWV 1058 - [without tempo indication]
Johann Sebastian Bach – Chorale Prelude Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 645)
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #9 in D minor, Op.125 "Choral" - 1st Movement
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No 5 in C minor
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No 5 in C minor
Antonín Dvořák – Symphony Nº 9 in E minor, op.95 Allegro Con Fuoco
Antonín Dvořák – 'From the New World' Symphony, 3rd mvt
Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World": II. Largo
Antonín Dvořák – 'From the New World' Symphony, 1st mvt
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40: No. 1, Allegro vivace (Alla breve)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – 1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 (Original Scoring)
Luigi Boccherini – String Quintet In E Major 3rd mvt or Minuet for strings
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 41 in C, K. 551 "Jupiter" 1. Allegro vivace
Johann Strauss II – Unter Donner und Blitz Polka (Thunder and Lightning Polka), Op. 324
Johann Strauss II – Roses From the South Op. 388
Johann Sebastian Bach – Chorale Prelude Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (BWV 645)
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 7, 2nd mvt
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No. 7, 1st mvt
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 8 in F major, op. 93 - 2. Scherzando: Allegretto
Johannes Brahms – Symphony N° 2 in D Major Op 73 IV Allegro con spirito
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – 1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 (Original Scoring)
Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский – The Firebird Suite: Finale
Johann Strauss II – Explosions-Polka, Op. 43
Johann Strauss II – Unter Donner und Blitz Polka (Thunder and Lightning Polka), Op. 324
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Capriccio Espagnol
Julius Fučík – Entrance of the Gladiators
Frédéric Chopin – Minute Vals
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker, Op.71, Act 1: No. 9 Scene and Waltz of the Snowflakes
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker, Op.71, Act 2: No. 13 Waltz of the Flowers
Dmitri Shostakovich – Suite for Variety Stage Orchestra, Waltz 2
Frédéric Chopin – Waltz No 6 In D Flat Major
Frédéric Chopin – Waltz in C#, Op. 64, No. 2
Frédéric Chopin – 3 Waltzes, Opus 34 - A Flat Major
Alexander Glazunov – Concert Waltz No. 1, op. 47
Johann Strauss II – Wine, Women and Song op. 333
Johann Strauss II – Roses From the South Op. 388
Johann Strauss II – Vienna Blood
Johann Strauss I – Radetzky March
Johann Strauss II – Tritsch-Tratsch Polka
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube op. 314

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31/12/2008
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony No 9, 4th mvt 'Choral'
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #9 in D minor, Op.125 "Choral" - 3rd Movement
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #9 in D minor, Op.125 "Choral" - 2nd Movement
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #9 in D minor, Op.125 "Choral" - 1st Movement
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 8 in F major, op. 93 - 4.Allegro vivace
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 8 in F major, op. 93 - 3.Tempo di Menuetto
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 8 in F major, op. 93 - 2. Scherzando: Allegretto
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony no. 8 in F major, op. 93 - 1.Allegro vivace e con brio
Sir Edward Elgar – In The South (Alassio), Op. 50
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube op. 314
Alexander Glazunov – Concert Waltz No. 1, op. 47
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Symphony No. 41 in C, K. 551 "Jupiter" 1. Allegro vivace
Georg Friedrich Händel – Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 8 in G major (HWV 441) - 3. Corante
Georg Friedrich Händel – Suite de pièce Vol. 2 No. 8 in G major (HWV 441) - 5. Menuetto
Georg Friedrich Händel – Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 in G minor (HWV 432) - 5. Passacaille
Georg Friedrich Händel – Suite de pièce Vol. 1 No. 7 in G minor (HWV 432) - 4. Gigue
Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in C, BWV 1065 - 1st movement
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27: III. Adagio
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – 1812 Festival Overture, Op. 49 (Original Scoring)
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, 1
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov – Capriccio Espagnol
Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21: V. Rondo allegro
Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21: IV. Andante
Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21: III. Intermezzo
Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21: II. Scherzando
Edouard Lalo – Symphonie Espagnole in D minor, Op. 21: I. Allegro non troppo
Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni – Adagio in G minor
Sergei Rachmaninoff – Symphonic Dances, Op.45: Non allegro
Jean Sibelius – Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47 - 1. Allegro moderato
Ludwig van Beethoven – Symphony #9 in D minor, Op.125 "Choral" - 2nd Movement
Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for 4 Harpsichords in C, BWV 1065 - 1st movement
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in g, BWV 1058 - Allegro assai
Johann Sebastian Bach – Concerto for 3 Harpsichords in C, BWV 1064 - 2nd movement
Johann Sebastian Bach – Harpsichord Concerto in g, BWV 1058 - [without tempo indication]
George Gershwin – Rhapsody in Blue
Johann Strauss II – Emperor Waltz
Antonín Dvořák – Symphony Nº 9 in E minor, op.95 Allegro Con Fuoco
Antonín Dvořák – 'From the New World' Symphony, 3rd mvt
Antonín Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95 "From the New World": II. Largo
Antonín Dvořák – 'From the New World' Symphony, 1st mvt
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube op. 314
Johann Strauss II – The Blue Danube op. 314

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scrobbled in last.fm

I know it is nothing special with all these track... and even have repetitive...
But this is my 1/1/2009, my musical day XD

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Concert that I have attend on Year 2008

This is for my own record...

3th May 2008
Paul Mann conductor
Colin Currie percussion

EDWARD ELGAR - In the South (Alassio) (Op. 50)
JOE DUDDELL - Ruby
CARL NIELSON - Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable" (Op. 29)

13th July 2008
Free Organ Recital - Midsummer Murmurs

13th July 2008
Matthias Bamert conductor
Indra Thomas sporano
Natascha Petrinsky mezzo soprano
Paul austin Kelly tenor
Pauls Putnins bass baritone
Jonathan Gerieves-Smith chorus master
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Chorus

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 8 in F (Op. 93)
LUDWID VAN BEETHOVEN - Symphony No. 9 in D minor (Op. 125) - "Choral"

17th August 2008
Claus Peter Flor conductor
Borodin Quartet artist-in-residence

GIOACHINO ROSSINI - Overture: William Tell
LOUIS SPOHR Concerto in A minor for String Quartet and Orchestra (Op. 131)
ANTONIN DVORAK Symphony No. 9 in E minor (Op. 95) - "From the New World"

23rd August 2008
Roland - Night of the Keys

12nd October 2008
Claus Peter Flor conductor
Robert Levin piano
Ya-Fei Chuang piano

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN - Overture: Egmont (Op. 84)
FELIX MENDELSSOHN - Concerto for Two Pianos in A flat
SOHANNES BRAHSM - Symphony No. 1 in C minor (Op. 68)

2 November 2008
Maximiano Valdes conductor
Sarah Chang violin

NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV - Capriccio espagnol (Op. 34)
MAX BRUCH - Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor (Op. 26)
KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI - Symphony No. 2 - "Christmas Symphony"

9th November 2008
Gilbert Varga conductor
James Ehnes violin

ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK - Overture: Hansel and Gretel
ALEXANDER GLAZUNOV - Violin Concerto in A minor (Op. 82)
MAURICE RAVEL - Tzigane
MAURICE RAVEL - Mother Goose
MAURICE RAVEL - La Valse

22nd November 2008
NOT a concert
3rd ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition
8:00pm - 10:30pm
Concerto B and Concerto C Final

14th December 2008
Free Organ Recital - The DFP Christmas Party!!!!