composeroftheweek

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Fanny Mendelssohn (14 November 1805 – 14 May 1847)

Felix's older sister. Why not! I listened to one of her piano sonatas while looking for Felix's and it was nice and brooding. Also I haven't covered any female composers yet and haven't really listened to any other than Hildegard von Bingen

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Felix Mendelssohn (3 Feb 1809 - 4 Nov 1847)

I was going to stick with Chopin for a bit longer, but my dad had what turned out to be Mendelssohn's "Spring Song" (Op. 62, No. 6) stuck in his head for several days, so I'm kind of into him now

Day 1

Listened to half of Songs Without Words -- eight volumes, each with six solo piano pieces -- today. Very nice!

Day 4

Fuck it's already day four

Anyway! Finished all of Songs Without Words. It was awesome. I like Mendelssohn. Started on a compilation of string music [string quartets and octet(s), I think] but was kind of zoned out while listening to them, so I might start over

Other things I would like to listen to: his piano concertos, string symphonies, "Italian" symphony, three piano sonatas, incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream, piano trios, quartets, quintets, etc.

Day 6

Listened to the piano trios, concertos for two pianos, cello concerto, string quartets, octet, and two symphonies (1 and 5). I plan on finishing the symphonies tomorrow and then hopefully checking out some of the other works I was interested in

Day 7

Finished the symphonies and listened to the piano sonatas and incidental music for A Midsummer Night's Dream

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Frédéric Chopin (1 March 1810 - 17 October 1849)

Because I couldn't get into him for whatever reason when I listened to him on his birthday and then listened to Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 and 3 maybe a month ago and was like "Oh actually Chopin is fucking awesome"

Current favorite: Nocturne No. 20

It's a really cool piece but also Szpilman playing it live was the last thing broadcast on Polish radio before it went off the air in September of 1939. He played it again in his first postwar live performance in 1945

Day 1

Chopin was an excellent choice and I'm having a great time!

I found Chopin Complete Edition, so I've just been working my way through that. Made it about halfway through disc three today and will start off the next listening session with his less famous, standalone funeral march, Marche funèbre in C minor. I almost added it to my playlist based on the title and the first few notes alone, but I should probably actually listen to it first

Day 2

I got distracted by people and work today and didn't listen to much, but I did listen to the funeral march, and it was wonderful and possibly even more gloomy than the third movement of Piano Sonata No. 2!

Everyone who knows anything about Chopin knows this, so kind of a surface-level fun fact, but his body is buried in Paris while his heart is in Warsaw. After his death at age 39, it was preserved in alcohol, put in a wooden box, smuggled across the border by his eldest sister, and eventually taken to the Holy Cross Church in Warsaw, where it spent over two decades in the catacombs before being placed in a pillar in the main church in 1879

During the Nazi occupation of Warsaw, performances of his music were banned, the Fryderyk Chopin Institute was shut down, and a monument to him was blown up, but the heart was taken by an SS commander for "safekeeping." (I'm a bit hesitant to put any sort of positive spin on that given everything else they did.) It was given back towards the end of the occupation, and after being hidden for some time due to fears that the Nazis would take it again, it was returned to Holy Cross Church

Source

Day 3

I'm on Mazurka No. 35 now after listening to Nos. 1-34 and while they are varied enough that it's completely fine and I especially liked some of the slower ones, ex. Nos. 11-14, I'm looking forward to getting through them

The etudes were really fun! Favorites: "Winter Wind," "Ocean," "Sunshine," "Wrong Note," and many others, looking at the album now and seeing that I added a lot of them to the playlist

Day 5

Listened up to Nocturne No. 12 today and dude the nocturnes are so fucking good

Also my dad thought one of the mazurkas (either No. 49 or KK IVa/7) sounded like ice cream truck music lol

Day 7

Listened up to Polonaise No. 10, or disc 10, track five

I don't have much time left and am feeling a little burnt out on solo, piano, so I'm skipping to disc 16 now and listening to Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 8

I think I may just keep listening to Chopin until I get home on Thursday. I won't have much time to listen to music until then anyway

Okay, I decided against that. But Chopin is a new favorite, and I will definitely spend more time listening to him!

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Gustav Mahler (7 July 1860 - 18 May 1911)

I was going to do him for his birthday week but I want to check him out NOW

I have Kindertotenlieder (literally "dead children songs") on vinyl? lol

I just love the hilariously blunt name. But it does look interesting as well as super depressing. It's five songs with lyrics from Friedrich Rückert's Kindertotenlieder, a collection of 428 poems written after two of his children died from scarlet fever. Apparently Rückert did not intend to publish them; they were only published five years after his death. And three years after Mahler finished composing it, his own daughter died of scarlet fever

So yeah, that is going to be intense and possibly fuck me up a bit. Looking forward to it?!?

Day 1

Listened to his first two symphonies

Day 2

I wasn't in the mood for the third symphony, so I listened to Das Lied von der Erde and the fifth symphony and was like "Aha, now we're getting somewhere!" The fifth in particular is pretty fucking great. Also listened to Mahler Plays Mahler, a very short album that ends with a ~30-minute recording of people reminiscing about him

Day 3

Listened to Symphony No. 9. I didn't like it as much as No. 5, but still great!

Also Piano Quartet in A minor, which instantly gave me chills

Day 5

Listened to Kindertotenlieder and Totenfeier

Day 6

Listened to Symphonies Nos. 6-8 and his orchestration of something by Bach

Day 7

Relistened to Symphony No. 1 and then I realized he actually has a tenth symphony?!? Kind of got used to whole curse of the ninth thing

Ah apparently Mahler started the curse of the ninth thing and fell victim to it. He composed his eighth symphony, then Das Lied von der Erde, which he presented as a song cycle vs. a symphony, then his ninth symphony, and then he died before he could complete the tenth

Some fans of Mahler, including Shostakovich, refused to complete it, but there are several finished versions by other composers

So I guess I'll finish with that! Probably the Cooke version?

I like Symphony No. 1 a lot more now and am currently tearing up over the last movement after relistening to it and the third movement a bunch of times

Well, that's it for Mahler! I'm not exactly a fan, but I do like his style and think I'd probably get more into him if I spent more time on his music

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

His birthday is on June 6th

Very excited! I've been looking forward to this one for a while!

Day 1

Listened to about half of Spartacus (ballet)

Day 7

So....lol

This was a very busy work week and I didn't listen to nearly as much as I wanted to -- just Spartacus, the violin, piano, and cello concertos (one of each), and his second symphony

And I guess either I wasn't into him or not really up for his pretty exuberant style this week

Also feeling kind of burnt out overall. I am bad at sticking with things and it is kind of amazing that I've kept this up for 23 whole weeks, especially given that it often involves spending ~15 hours a week listening to music

Well...better luck next week?

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

I guess I could do Glinka or Elgar this week (their birthdays are on 6/1 and 6/2, respectively), but instead I figured I'd use it to plug what feels like a massive gap in my listening. Bach is so revered that he probably has some pieces that practically everyone has heard without trying, but the only Bach I'm aware of having listened to is the Goldberg Variations and that was long enough ago that I have no real memory of it

Day 1

Listened to the cello suites and then the Brandenburg Concertos. The concertos were AWESOME. Mostly complex, lively, and a lot of fun. Also apparently the harpsichord doesn't bother me if it is not the only instrument lol

Immediately recognized the first movement of Cello Suite No. 1. Apparently it's the stereotypical movie cello music, like if there's a shot of a cellist playing in a restaurant or whatever

Day 2

Listened to some harpsichord concertos today, BWV 1052-1058. Great stuff! I think I'd heard the second movement of Concerto No. 5 in F minor before

The first movement of Concerto No. 7 in G minor, BWV 1058

Day 3

...I need to stop updating this right before I go to bed, when I'm too tired to actually write or link to anything

Anyway! Listened to The Well-Tempered Clavier, BWV 846–893, the Magnificat, BWV 243, Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, and a two-volume set of lute works

This has basically been the dorkiest week yet, describing the harpsichord as "fucking shredding" and getting really excited about lute music

Ah the lute stuff was actually played on a guitar. I am...not familiar with the way a lute sounds and found out by searching for the musician, Göran Söllscher. But in my defense, there was a lute on the album cover

I really like Bach! I kind of thought I might not be able to get into his music because like...serious classical music people are into him, so maybe he's not very accessible? But while I would probably appreciate it more if I actually knew anything about music theory, it's still very enjoyable!

Day 7

Listened to a bunch of concertos and was amused to find that in addition to ones for a single harpsichord, he also composed concertos for two, three, and even four harpsichords!

Well, I got distracted and didn't listen to as much as I would have liked, but I'm glad I finally spent some time on Bach. His music is awesome and he definitely lives up to his reputation!

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)

Because I still feel bad for skipping him in week 16 and will be doing Khachaturian during his birthday week. I was considering Wagner, but it looks like it'll be a busy work week and I don't know how much vocal music I'll be up for. Might still try to listen to Wagner on his birthday (5/22), though!

Day 1

Dude the timpani in this (second movement of Symphony No. 1)

Starting with the symphonies. I'm on the second movement of No. 3 now but might restart it tomorrow. Or just finish it since stopping halfway through isn't too appealing

LOVED No. 1 and kept relistening to individual movements before just relistening to the whole thing

Day 2

Relistened to Symphony No. 1, listened to Nos. 4 and 5

Day 3

Finished the symphonies and listened to the wind quintet and disc two of a complete piano music collection

One of the solo piano pieces was based on the same folk tune as one of my favorites from Bartók's For Children! Reminder to look into that

Between work and adjusting to new medication, I've been pretty tired this week. Looking forward to having more time and energy to listen to music this weekend

Day 7

Oh god it's been days

Anyway! I finished the complete piano music and listened to a two-disc chamber music collection (Diamant Ensemblet). Starting on the string quartets now but probably won't make it very far before bed

It's been a weird week. I basically felt drugged up until Sunday or Monday and since then I've been agitated. Not really conducive to listening marathons. I am glad I went back and checked him out, though, even if it wasn't the best timing, since I really, really liked some of what I heard

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924)

His 180th birthday was on May 12th and he had...the worst fucking moustache

With that out of the way, current favorites!

Sicilienne, Op. 78

Before I really got into classical music, I saw this performed live at a nearby university and got obsessed with it, listening to it 50 times in two days (basically my normal listening behavior, if I'm not forcing myself to listen to new things!)

Pavane, Op. 50

Probably one of my favorite pieces ever, by anyone, though it's taken on a lot more competition this year

And Élégie, Op. 24

Looking forward to listening to his Requiem, songs, and uh...instrumental music. I'm not very familiar with him given I have mostly just listened to those first two pieces over and over again

Day 1

Listened to a (very short, really) compilation of his complete cello works, including the two cello sonatas

Day 2

Listened to the Requiem (Matthew Best, English Chamber Orchestra, Corydon Singers) and the Pelléas et Mélisande and Dolly suites. Very disappointed that that last one is not actually about a cat. Listened to Souvenirs de Bayreuth. Started on the piano trio

Day 3

Listened to the piano trio and quartets. Currently listening to the quintets

Okay I thought I was listening to the quintets but I'm actually relistening to the quartets again (since I put on an album of them earlier and just kept letting it repeat). Just going to go with it since I really like them! The first movement of Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 15

I think I prefer the Trio Wanderer and Antoine Tamestit recording to the one I was listening to earlier (this one). Maybe it's just the sound mixing vs. differences in playing style, but it feels more intense. Might leave both on the playlist for future comparison, though

Alright, finally starting the piano quintets! And done, after relistening to them once or twice

His music feels sort of reserved but also emotional and complex and maybe not exactly suitable for cramming. I guess I'm not going to let that stop me, but I have been relistening to a lot of it. Maybe more than any other composer I've covered, if we're talking entire multi-part works vs. single movements or standalone pieces

Starting on his solo piano music with an album of nocturnes and barcarolles

Day 5

Finished the nocturnes and barcarolles yesterday and then listened to his first violin sonata and about half of his songs

"Tristesse d'Olympio"

Listened to the second violin sonata, his music for solo harp (three pieces), and the Masques et bergamasques suite, Op. 112

One sort of unusual thing about Fauré: no symphonies! He wasn't really into orchestration and preferred to compose songs and chamber music. There is a Symphony in D minor, Op. 40, in his catalogue, but it was apparently destroyed, with the material being reused for his first cello sonata and second violin sonata

Other symphony-less composers: Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Chopin

Listening to Shylock, Op. 57, now

I do want to go back and finish the songs, and maybe I'll listen to one or both of his operas. The prelude for Pénélope is really nice! Also the rest of his solo piano music, since I've already listened to a little over half of it (46 pieces total, 26 of them nocturnes or barcarolles). I also want to give the Requiem another shot

Day 6

Listened to a few songs and then switched to the solo piano music. This is fun! Valse-caprice No. 4, Op. 62

Done!

Started listening to the string quartet but then found out that it was the last thing he composed, so I will save that for last! Instead listened to his three pieces for flute and piano, Fantaisie for piano and orchestra, Op. 111, Le voile du bonheur, Op. 88, Allegro symphonique, Op. 68, Morceau de lecture, Caligula, Op. 52

This is nice! First movement of Shylock, Op. 57

Relistening to Shylock (different recording than last time) and I guess that'll be it for tonight. I'm surprised my headphones haven't died yet since I've been listening to music for like six straight hours

Day 7

Listened to some selections from Prométhée and half of the first act of Pénélope before switching to relistening to favorites from earlier in the week. And before all of that, I listened to another recording of the Requiem (Richard Hickox, LSO, Choir of St. John's College), which I think I might prefer to the first, but mostly I think I just need to keep listening to it; it gets better every time

I am very tired thanks to some new medication, so actually signing off before midnight for once! I like Fauré, his music is really nice! I was about to add that his moustache wasn't that bad, but then I did an image search for him and nah lol. I'm sure it was the height of facial hair fashion in turn-of-the-century France, though

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Today is his birthday (and Brahms', too)!

Current favorites:

This is the piece that really got me into classical music. I randomly got obsessed with it and after listening to it a billion times, I searched for more classical music instead of going back to my usual. Absolutely love the part where the French horns repeat the opening theme

I also really like this:

Started listening to the usual orchestral version and thought I smelled coffee for a second?? Just from reading the word, I guess

Day 1

I guess I'm doing the concertos today! One violin, three piano, two cello. I had to doublecheck that I was listening to Tchaikovsky for Piano Concerto No. 1 because it sounded so familiar and also so similar to Rachmaninoff that I thought maybe I'd chosen an album with piano concertos from both composers. I've definitely heard it before, but not during Rachmaninoff week

Martha Argerich looks so young there! That album came out in 1996, when she was 55. She is 83 now and still going strong!

Holy shit, the solo piano bit that starts at around 4:20 in Piano Concerto No. 2

It premiered in 1881, and in 1889, Aleksandr Ziloti began working on a heavily revised version, with Tchaikovsky objecting to many of his proposed changes. Ziloti's version was published in 1857, after Tchaikovsky's death, while the original wasn't published until 1955

Source

When Tchaikovsky died, he had only completed the first movement of Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75. Sergey Taneyev, a friend and former student, completed the second and third movements, Andante and Finale, Op. 79. The three movements are usually played together

The Cello Concerto was based on a 60-bar fragment found after his death. It was completed by Yuriy Leonovich in 2006. The Cello Concerto in E major is an orchestration of some of Tchaikovsky's Piano Pieces, Op. 72, by Gaspar Cassadó. I haven't been able to find a recording of the former and there isn't one of the latter

Ran into this sort of thing again with his piano sonatas. Leslie Howard completed his unfinished first piano sonata. For complete works by Tchaikovsky, there's just the Grand Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 37, and Piano Sonata No. 2 in C# minor, Op. 13. Listening to all of them now

Listening to the string quartets now, but I am pretty tired and having trouble focusing on them. Stopping on No. 2 and might go back and relisten to No. 1 later

Day 2

Listened to The Seasons, Op. 37a, which was very pretty and charming! Listening to an orchestral version now. Favorite from each version:

Started on the symphonies; I listened to Nos. 1 and 2 tonight. No. 2 was nicknamed the "Little Russian" (Ukrainian) symphony due to its use of Ukrainian folk melodies. Other nicknames: "Winter Daydreams" for No. 1, "Polish" for No. 3, and "Pathétique" for No. 6

Tchaikovsky had three siblings, all younger than him -- a sister, Aleksandra, and two twin brothers, Modest and Anatoly. Edit: Damnit, he actually had six siblings; the article I read about Modest only mentioned the three Tchaikovsky was closest to. The others were Ippolit, Nikolay, and a half-sister named Zinayda from his father's first marriage

Currently reading about Modest and laughing at quotes from letters his older brother wrote to him

I am mad at the fact that you are not free from any of my faults, and this is true. I would like to find absent in you at least one of my own bad traits, and I cannot. You resemble me too much, and when I am angry with you, I am in fact angry at myself, since you always act as a mirror in which I see the reflection of all my weaknesses. Consequently, you may conclude that if I feel antipathy for you, it means that I feel it for myself. Ergo, you are a fool, which nobody ever doubted.

And this:

You had the misfortune to be born with the soul of an artist and you will always be drawn into that world of the highest spiritual joy, but since, in addition to this artistic sensitivity, you are endowed with no talent, for God's sake be on guard lest you yield to this temptation.

Source

I don't know if he was a dick or just very blunt, but either way, I like him!

Also read a bit more about his relationship with Brahms (insubstantial as it was, since they only met twice) and his opinion of his music, which I was curious about after reading this article. Apparently he really gave Brahms' music a shot, which involved a good bit of effort on his part as it wasn't performed in Russia very often during that time period, and respected it despite not liking the vast majority of it

He also really liked him as a person. It probably helped that Brahms didn't like his music either. They both seemed to shrug off the other's criticisms of their work, and it did not prevent them from enjoying each other's company

Source

Day 3

Relistened to some of The Seasons and then continued with the symphonies. I'm on the first movement of No. 6 right now but might save it for tomorrow since I'm pretty tired. Big fan of the dramatic shift in mood about halfway through, though!

I'm surprised by how much I like his symphonies, especially the earlier ones, which seem far less popular than Nos. 4 through 6...or more like 4 and 6. I really started getting into them with No. 2 and then I was completely engaged for the entire ~20-minute first movement of No. 4. My favorites so far are Nos. 3 and 4, and the only one I didn't really like was No. 5. A bit too dramatic for me, maybe

Day 4

Finished the symphonies! I wasn't really into the middle movements of No. 6 but god that last one. I immediately relistened to it twice

Next I think I'll finally start on the ballets, in chronological order: Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. Well, maybe after I listen to the Manfred Symphony, which I forgot about until a second ago. Yeah, listening to that now;

Started reading his diaries. It is slow going because I keep forgetting who people are and having to look at the footnotes to remind myself, but that's gradually getting better. I at least don't have to look up Sasha (his little sister, Aleksandra Davydova), Lev (her husband), and Nata (Natalya Plesskaya, Lev's cousin and Aleksandra's close friend) anymore. Though I guess we'll get a new cast of characters once he

Also he keeps referring to "pas de géants." Given the context, I'm assuming they're some kind of stilts, but I wish I could be 100% sure because it's kind of driving me crazy

Finished the Manfred Symphony. Started on Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-4 since I was having trouble focusing on The Sleeping Beauty, though that probably had more to do with what I was reading while listening to it than the music itself

I will make a real start on the ballets soon; it will take around seven hours to listen to all of them

Listened to the first two orchestral suites

Day 5

Finished the orchestral suites and started on The Sleeping Beauty because I misremembered the chronological order and thought that it was the first. But I guess I might as well start with the longest one!

I could actually watch the ballets, but they tend to not include the entire score and I don't want to miss anything

Finished The Sleeping Beauty. I wasn't that into it but I'm listening to Swan Lake right now and I LOVE IT

Also, a big milestone, five days into Tchaikovsky week: I finally started humming his music instead of just Schubert's and Shostakovich's!

Here is 20a, since of course everyone knows this waltz (No. 2) and the more sinister version of the swan theme heard here (No. 9)

Tried to resist relistening to anything because I want to finish this before I go to bed but of course I failed

Kind of on the fence about listening to The Nutcracker because it feels very familiar, but I've probably only listened to the suite vs. the entire ballet score. On the other hand, it is so strongly associated with Christmas that if I don't listen to it this week, I know I will at some point. Also there is a good bit more I'd like to check out, so it might be nice to spend the time I would have spent listening to The Nutcracker listening to music that is entirely new to me

I guess I'll decide tomorrow

Day 6

No Nutcracker, I guess! Listened to Eugene Onegin and Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, today. The former was pretty cool, and as I didn't make it through Dialogues of the Carmelites and I was probably too zoned out when I listened to L'Orfeo to really count that, I can finally say that I've listened to an entire opera!

Of course I only stopped for a total of maybe half an hour to read the lyrics or look up what was happening in a particular scene, which was obviously not ideal. But it made for an enjoyable afternoon, and I liked it enough that I might want to watch a performance of it at some point, or at least relisten while reading a translation of all the lyrics

Working my way down this section. Listened to Sérénade mélancolique, Op. 26; Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33; Valse-Scherzo, Op. 34; Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56

Day 7

Oh shit, I forgot about the 1812 Overture. Fucking cannons, man. Listening to it soon but got distracted by the Marche slave (Slavic March), Op. 31, which is awesome

Listening to Doráti with the LSO but I got this album at a thrift store yesterday, so that's cool!

Listened to Capriccio italien, Op. 45; Pezzo capriccioso, Op. 62; String Sextet in D minor ("Souvenir de Florence"), Op. 70; The Storm, Op. 76; The Tempest, Op. 18; Francesca da Rimini, Op. 32; and Hamlet, Op. 67 (overture and incidental music). Started listening to The Snow Maiden, but I don't think I'm going to get through it tonight

So that's it for Tchaikovsky week! I like him a lot and enjoyed both the music and reading about him; he seemed like an interesting person!

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

I've been looking forward to this one for a while. He kept popping up a few weeks ago; I saw a billboard advertising a performance of his Ein deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem) and then he was the answer to a Jeopardy question re: one of his pieces (the second movement of his first string sextet) making a Vulcan cry on an episode of Star Trek

All I'm really familiar with is that one lullaby everyone knows ("Wiegenlied," or "Cradle Song") and Hungarian Dance No. 5, but I will fix that soon!

Day 1

Grudgingly adding "Wiegenlied" to the CotW playlist

Found a traditional arrangement with a singer and solo piano but the singer was doing that echoey thing with her voice that kind of makes me want to die. So, an instrumental version and then lyrics with a translation here

I was looking for recommendations since I wasn't sure where to start and found...kind of the opposite of that: listening guides for every single opus number plus links to a playlist of his complete works, including unnumbered pieces! Still cool, though, and I may just use the playlist instead of agonizing over what interpretations to listen to

Started off with his three piano sonatas, Op. 1-3, but not really in the mood, so switching to Symphony No. 1

I'm having trouble figuring out when he actually completed it, but he began work on a symphony in 1854 and premiered Symphony No. 1 in 1876, when he was 46 years old, which is kind of wild compared to the other composers I've read about and covered here. Bruckner completed his first symphony at 42, but he didn't start seriously composing until he was 37, so he got a much later start than Brahms, who published his piano sonatas when he was 20 and seems to have spent his entire adult life as a working musician

Anyway, I like it so far! Currently relistening to the first movement...partly because I'm tired and having trouble focusing, but I also just wanted to hear it again

Day 2

Listening to his three piano trios, two cello sonatas, and three violin sonatas (stopping for the night at the end of the second one)

Day 3

Listened to Ein deutsches Requiem (text and translations) and Hungarian Dances. The former was nice and I ended up relistening to several movements. The latter was fun, and the arrangements for violin and piano are really cool, too!

I'm more into his music today. Maybe I just needed to warm up to him but it probably also helps that I actually slept and ate enough for the first time this (CotW) week

Trying to finish the violin sonatas but I keep relistening to No. 2

Did the same thing with No. 3, but done now!

Tomorrow: Maybe the concertos, and I also want to listen to the rest of his symphonies

Day 4

Finished the symphonies and concertos. Favorite symphony movement:

Listening to the clarinet sonatas now

Tomorrow: I guess more chamber music! Maybe starting with the clarinet sonatas because I only made it to the second movement of No. 1 before my headphones died. I'd also like to check out more of his vocal music

Day 5

Finished the string quartets

Day 6

Spock's dad had it right; this is great!

Finishing up the Amadeus Quartet's Brahms: Complete String Quartets, Quintets, and Sextets

Listening to some vocal music now. This is really pretty

And "Begräbnisgesang" ("Burial Song")!

Not sure what's up for tomorrow, but I do want to check out Gould playing his music

Day 7

Listened to the Three Intermezzi, Four Ballades, Two Rhapsodies, and some of the Klavierstücke. Finishing up with the Seven Fantasien. I was hoping to get through all the Klavierstücke but I am pretty tired

So that's it for Brahms week!

I added 36 tracks to my playlist this week, possibly more than any other week, which is kind of weird because I wasn't that into him. I do like him, but I feel like I just scratched the surface with his music. Not because I didn't listen to enough of it, since I listened to quite a bit, but because whatever I find appealing about his style feels kind of subtle, like something that would require multiple listens over a longer period of time to really sink in. I don't know. His music is interesting. Also it was cool listening to some non-Schubert lieder, which I haven't really done aside from checking out a few Hugo Wolf pieces

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Today is his birthday!

Current favorites:

Also the third movement of Piano Concerto No. 1 and the first movement of No. 3

Day 1

I decided to start with his two violin concertos and immediately got my ass kicked by the first movement of No. 1. This is going to be a good week! I mean, not personally. Personally, it will continue to be terrible. But at least music-wise

Update: Just realized that was actually Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. Not sure how that happened but quietly removing it from my CotW playlist and adding it to my general classical one. Now I'm not sure if I actually listened to both of his violin concertos, so might go back and listen/relisten to them before the week is out

Listening to the string quartets and Sonata for Two Violins in C major now/next because my headphones are about to die and my back-up pair are garbage

Listened to Piano Concertos Nos. 1 through 3. Currently listening to Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution. The sixth movement ("Revolution") is awesome!

I was like "Wow they'd really denounce anyone" because this seems very patriotic, but apparently it was not well-received, particularly his use of quotations from Communist texts, and not performed until 13 years after his death. Also found out that the theme from "Victory" was used in the soundtrack for The Land Before Time, the 1988 children's film with the cute animated dinosaurs??

Reminder to check out the version with Gergiev conducting. Rotterdam, I guess? Or the LSO?

Link to the Rotterdam one for future reference

Listened to the Scythian Suite, which was fun, the Love for Three Oranges suite, Quintet in G minor, and the first two movements of Symphony No. 2 (will finish tomorrow)

Day 2

Actually looked at the track titles and apparently I was just on the first part of the second movement of Symphony No. 2. It has an odd structure -- the second movement (which is also the last) is split into eight parts. It was not well-received and Prokofiev himself found it incomprehensible. He intended to revise it but didn't get to it before he died

Continuing with the symphonies. Currently on No. 3 and it's my favorite so far, particularly the second and fourth movements

Unfortunately I think my good headphones are wearing out; everything sounds way too quiet even at full volume. Ordering a new pair soon but in the meantime I will have to be content with taking a break from slowly deafening myself by obsessively listening to classical music

There are apparently two different Symphony No. 4s. The first, Op. 47, was completed in 1930, and it was heavily revised to create the second, Op. 112. Both used material from the Prodigal Son ballet. Listening to the 1947 one now and will check out the original after that

Finishing up with No. 7 now! Prokofiev apparently added a cheerful ending to it in an attempt to win the Stalin Prize. He succeeded but told conductor and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, "Slava, you will live much longer than I, and you must take care that this new ending never exists after me"

I think Symphony No. 3 is still my favorite, but I would like to revisit 5 and 6

Tomorrow...maybe Romeo and Juliet? I have plans tomorrow night but might as well at least get started on it. I also want to listen to his other concertos and sonatas. And more of his ballet music

Day 3

Listened to the first two acts of Romeo and Juliet today. Someone said that it was like two and a half hours long but not boring and they were right on both counts! It is hard to beat "Dance of the Knights," though. It's exciting every time that theme comes back

Day 5

I had plans yesterday and felt like watching something vs. listening to music when I got home, so finishing Romeo and Juliet now! It's great overall, but from today's listening session, I especially like Juliet Alone

And Juliet's Funeral! Of course Acts 3 and 4 would be my favorites since they're the most depressing ones

Listening to Cinderella now

Think I'll stick with my wired headphones. I'm used to listening to music with them now and it is REALLY nice not having to charge them or think about the battery level at all

Done with Cinderella and on to the piano sonatas

Day 7

So uhh I thought today was Monday

Finished the piano sonatas and currently listening to the Lieutenant Kijé suite. Pretty tired so that will probably be it for Prokofiev week

The style of his solo piano music is interesting (very aggressive at times!) and Romeo and Juliet was awesome. Would definitely like to relisten to some of what I heard this week and listen to more at some point

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Well. I was going to do Carl Nielsen this week, but Wednesday was a bad mental health day and I ended up just listening to the chronological Schubert playlist as part of an attempt to distract myself. Then on Thursday, I found out my sister died Wednesday night. So this is less a usual CotW thing and more me just listening to Schubert because I like him and need the distraction and also I didn't want to throw my week numbers off by completely skipping a week

I'm not sure how much I will write about it and I am not going to try to keep up my usual pace and spend hours listening every day. But I would like to keep track of what I listen to and any particularly enjoyable and/or interesting pieces

Will probably spend a good bit of it working on the chronological playlist, where I'm on D. 264

Anyway

Day 1

Kind of into this second, more angsty setting of "Der Jüngling am Bache"! Which might actually be my favorite Schubert piece (the first setting). I get it stuck in my head A LOT and am currently trying to memorize it because only being able to sing like four lines of it was annoying

Also I am determined to like "An den Mond" because 1) songs about the moon are cool and 2) I just learned how to say "the moon" in German

Der vierjahrige Posten was fun, especially the prelude and the second-to-last song

Relistened to Symphony No. 3 and enjoyed it a lot more the second time around

Listened to 20 Waltzes

Day 2

I listened to and probably posted this during the last Schubert week but holy shit it's so good

Day 3

Working on the chronological playlist tonight, so lots of songs!

I was looking forward to "Trinklied im Winter" and am delighted to find that he went with a trio for it vs. a soloist

What is up with the last stanza though

Der stolzen Frau Färb braun und blau Den Kamm, der adlich ihr schwillet! Nur musst du fliehn Den Hermelin, Der junge Busen verhüllet.

---

That proud woman, She should be black and blue For getting ideas above her station! But you have to renounce The ermine That covers young breasts!

I should probably try to actually finish listening to Winterreise this week. I made it like halfway through before but I am more into his vocal music now. I would also like to keep working on the chronological playlist and listen to more of his instrumental music since the playlist/his catalogue is mostly songs. Maybe relisten to more of the symphonies. I don't know. We'll see!

Day 4

Working on the chronological playlist again. Listening to Piano Sonata No. 2 now. Apparently it's regarded as incomplete because it has only three movements but D. 346 or D. 309A might be the missing movement

I am looking forward to Mass No. 3 but mostly I am ready for some more complex instrumental music. The piano accompaniment for his lieder is very simple and I've heard that thing where it slows down and moves into slighter lower notes at the end like 300 times. Which is not an exaggeration but a completely reasonable estimate

It's actually getting a bit grating, so I think I'm going to take a break from the playlist. Listened to String Quartets Nos. 1-2 and now relistening to Symphony No. 8 and probably No. 9 after that

Day 5

Listened to Symphony No. 3 yet again while driving home today and thoroughly enjoyed it

Worked on the chronological catalogue some more. "Erlkönig" is so good

Might relisten to some more symphonies tomorrow as I feel like I am slowly or maybe not so slowly being driven insane by lieder and could use a break from the playlist

Day 6

Finding lieder less maddening today, so back to the playlist. Nice and gloomy!

Got a full minute into D. 374 before I realized it was actually instrumental vs. a song with an unusually long intro

Day 7

Relistened to some symphonies (6 and 7) and now relistening to some favorites from the first Schubert week

I am going to need a break from him after this. And maybe I should give up on the chronological playlist. I really don't want to ruin his music for myself and it feels like that's where I'm headed if I continue with it

Anyway listening to every last recorded piece of music by your favorite composer is cool and obsessive and all, but it's really not necessary, and it is okay to prefer their instrumental music!

I am not 100% done with his lieder but maybe I could listen to compilations when I'm in the mood for it instead of ALL OF IT

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

Day 1

The generator gave me Christoph Willibald Gluck, an opera composer, and there are no good birthdays or dates of death on my calendar, so fuck it, Shostakovich week

Some current favorites:

This is such a fun piece! It's like a playful chase that turns threatening

I think there's a categorization issue with this one. Like it's actually part of the Suite for Variety Orchestra No. 1 vs. Jazz Suite No. 2?

And the second movement of String Quartet No. 8

I will probably start with his string quartets

I'm excited! I really haven't listened to much of his music but I like what I have heard so much that I basically already consider myself a fan. So uh hopefully I actually end up liking more than a handful of pieces

Day 2

Stopping for the night on String Quartet No. 10

Day 3

Taking a break from the string quartets to listen to his concertos (two each for piano, violin, and cello). First movement of the second piano concerto:

I was not expecting something as dreamy-sounding as the second movement

The first movement of Violin Concerto No. 1 is so eerie!

Also very into the last movement of Cello Concerto No. 1

Everything I've listened to from him, both before and during this, has so much personality to it. Interesting and forceful, even when I'm not particularly into it. I have yet to find anything that gives me that "this music is so beautiful it's killing me" feeling but he is the most entertaining composer to listen to I've heard so far

Listening to his piano quintet and two piano trios now. Will probably start on the symphonies tomorrow; there are 15 of them, so that will take some time (~11 hours apparently)

The fourth movement of Piano Trio No. 2 is fun!

Listened to some waltzes and film scores -- The Gadfly Suite, which I really liked, and the Five Days, Five Nights Suite. One of those had a bit of the Ode to Joy in it, so that was fun

From The Gadfly Suite:

Day 4

Relistened to Symphony No. 9 and then kept going from there. Currently on the last movement of No. 11 and I love the quiet bit that starts at around 8:10

Now listening to No. 15 because I saw someone describe it as "incredibly dark and cruel"

Keeping track of the ones I've listened to

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15] = done!

Relistening to Piano Concerto No. 1 now since I found a recording with Shostakovich on piano (Shostakovich Plays Shostakovich). That'll probably be it for tonight

I guess I might as well listen to all of his symphonies since I made a good dent in them today. I also want to listen to all of his solo piano music, which should take about 5.5 hours. And his non-symphony orchestral music. And his ballets

Well...he was born on August 9th and died September 25th, so whatever I don't get to will be a good starting point for either or both of those weeks

Day 5

I started on the piano music but the house was too loud, so I switched to Symphony No. 4. Really glad I did, because I love it!

While he was composing it, Pravda published three pieces criticizing his music. It was completed in 1936 but not performed until nearly 30 years later, in 1961

Fun fact: Prokofiev died on the same day as Stalin and Shostakovich attended both of their funerals

I am enjoying his symphonies, which is kind of surprising. In general, I'm not that into them, but before this, I listened to and liked No. 9, so I figured I should check out the rest. I guess he would be an exception

On to Nos. 7 and 8 and looking forward to 13 (sometimes referred to as Babi Yar) and 14; they sound interesting!

Day 6

Just started No. 13 and got chills about a minute and a half in, so this seems promising! Looks like the recommended recording is the earliest one, with Kirill Kondrashin, Vitaly Gromadsky, and the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra

PDF with song texts and translations

From the fourth movement:

We weren’t afraid of construction work in blizzards, or of going into battle under shell-fire, but at times we were mortally afraid of talking to ourselves.

Going with Kondrashin for No. 14 as well, but there is a version that's conducted by Bernard Haitink with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, my favorite for Schubert's lieder, with the poems sung in their original languages vs. Russian that I might check that out later

PDF with (Russian) song texts and translations

Feeling kind of burnt out but I guess I might as well listen to No. 12 now and then the last/first three tomorrow

Listened to The Execution of Stepan Razin because I couldn't resist that title. It's awesome! Then The Sun Shines over Our Motherland. Listening to The Song of the Forests now

Oh god there's so much more I want to listen to. More of his vocal music, suites, assorted symphonic works, ballets, incidental music, and piano music, especially 24 Preludes and Fugues. So basically his whole catalogue other than film music and opera, though I would be up for the former once I got through the rest and am at least interested in Lady Macbeth after reading a bit about the history of it. I would also like to relisten to his symphonies

Day 7

I decided to listen to the remaining symphonies in reverse order and am on the first/last one now. No. 3 felt really short (only a little over 26 minutes long) and No. 2 is only like 17 minutes long. Didn't really like either of them, and apparently Shostakovich himself described them as "completely unsatisfactory." So kind of a downer of an ending, though I like No. 1 a lot more than those two and of course none of that changes the fact that I liked the other 12 symphonies, some very much! I think my favorites are 4, 9, and 13, but I definitely want to give the others another shot at some point

Listening to 24 Preludes and Fugues now after getting kind of overwhelmed while looking through his catalogue. And now the Cello Sonata in D Minor and Violin Sonata in G Major

I guess that's it! Summary: BIG FAN

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Reminder: Look for recordings of him playing/conducting his own music. Update: Found some but the sound quality was intolerable

Day 1

Excellent

I was looking forward to his second piano concerto since it seems to be everyone's favorite piece and then I got to the second movement and it's the melody for "All By Myself." What the fuck

I don't like this lol

Update: Was so offended that I ditched him for Schubert, but just for tonight

Day 5

This is wonderfully eerie!

Just listened to all of his symphonies and god I hate the finale of the third one

I'm almost done with him and I've slacked off a lot and also feel like I haven't really dug into his music. I've listened to his piano sonatas, piano concertos, symphonies, cello sonata, Symphonic Dances, some of his vocal music, and some standalone symphonic pieces, but most of what he wrote was for solo piano. I would also like to check out more of his vocal music. So that is the plan for tomorrow

Day 6

Listened to All-Night Vigil and currently about halfway through his solo piano music

I realized that the list from the last entry is actually pretty long and that he really didn't put out much music, at least compared to some of the other composers I've done. I think his opus numbers go up to 45? So yeah, I feel like I haven't listened to much but really there is not that much to listen to

I am kind of ready to be done with him. Earlier I was like, "I didn't think it was possible to dislike someone more than Bruckner." With Bruckner, I at least felt like there was something there if I could just get his music to click for me, but I think I just generally dislike Rachmaninoff's style. He is also sometimes too much for me, while at worst I just found Bruckner dull

I am judging my mom a bit for once saying that she liked him lol. Though at most she's probably a very casual fan; I've never seen her listening to classical music

Anyway, tomorrow: Finish the solo piano music and then listen to Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Day 7

I am so tired but I will say that I like him a LOT more after listening to Moments Musicaux and Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini! Also maybe I just needed to listen to him while hungry, cold, and sleep-deprived? lol

Anyway that is it for Rachmaninoff week!

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Day 1

I decided I would let myself pick composers if their birthday or death date was that week, so here we are -- today is the 198th anniversary of Beethoven's death

Since I listened to all of his symphonies last time, I'm starting off round two with his piano sonatas and concertos

Fuck dude, the fourth movement of Piano Sonata No. 1

About four minutes into this I was like "Yeah, I'd let Beethoven strangle me" and I am delighted to be experiencing that "this music is trying to kill me and I'm okay with that" feeling again so early on

Made it to Piano Sonata No. 9 tonight

Day 2

Currently on the first movement of No. 12 ("Moonlight Sonata") and it's slow enough for me!!! Thank you, Alfred Brendel!

I added some random recording of it to my playlist the first time around, but it was too fast. I mean it was by Jenő Jandó, who is apparently a very well-regarded pianist, but I hadn't listened to any of his other stuff and just wanted to get that track on the playlist as a current favorite despite being kind of burnt out on it

It's just one of those classical pieces you end up hearing over and over again without trying. Maybe in the form of some heavy-handed Classical Hits version of it that smothers all the charm out of it

And despite being sick of it, I somehow also became very picky about the tempo, to the point that I gave up on trying to find a slower version because I couldn't stand listening to so many that felt too fast

But I am very pleased with Brendel's tempo and the charm is back now!

I do much prefer Jandó's interpretation of the third movement of No. 14, though. I read a comment where someone was gushing over it immediately after listening to Brendel's version, which I didn't find particularly moving. Then I put on Jandó's and was like OH I get it now. It feels much more turbulent!

Stopping for the night on No. 17

A little worried I'm going to get distracted or something and JUST end up listening to the piano sonatas. But I am confident that I'll listen to his music every day and not feeling daunted by only being halfway through them. Instead I'm glad there are so many left

Day 3

A little more worried about that now, but I guess I might be able to finish the piano sonatas tomorrow? The last one I listened to was No. 22, so 10 more to go! Then...I don't know. I would like check out the violin sonatas and string quartets and also the piano concertos

Day 4

God the first movement of Piano Sonata No. 30 is fucking incredible

And the opening of the second movement is so cool! I could listen to that first 10 seconds or so over and over again

Brendel actually recorded the complete piano sonatas three times. I'm listening to the most recent one (2010s)

Listening to the last one now!

There was a moment tonight where I thought "I might like Beethoven more than Schubert" and kind of recoiled once the thought really sunk in. I can't handle that big of a change, man. Though I guess if anyone is going to take Schubert's spot it might as well be his favorite composer

Side note: I am kind of burnt out on Schubert because of the chronological playlist, so I might stop that or still try to listen to his whole catalogue, just not chronologically, and maybe focus on the instrumental stuff. I like his lieder but there is so much of it and I mostly prefer his instrumental music

Anyway, done with the piano sonatas!!! So much amazing music. Legitimately feels like a post-concert high

I thought I'd want to switch to non-piano music after this, but yeah, might start on the piano concertos tomorrow

Day 6

Got a bit distracted, but I did listen to the piano concertos on Saturday and the violin sonatas yesterday/Sunday and just started on the string quartets

I love the part at around 5:00 where it gets quiet and then gradually ramps up again. Also, English: quartet, German: Quartett

Stopping for the night on No. 7

Day 7

Currently on No. 14 and just realized it was an hour past midnight. So I guess that's it for Beethoven week #2! I'm kind of too tired to think, so I will finish those tomorrow before moving on to the next composer

Anyway: BIG FAN

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: William Byrd (1540?-1623)

Current favorite:

Saw something about him composing a lot of virginal music and was like "Music about virgins...?" but apparently the virginals or virginal is like a smaller, simpler harpsichord. Though given that he was an English Renaissance composer, virgins/the Virgin Mary probably come up pretty often

My favorite from Disc 1 of Davitt Moroney's Byrd: The Complete Keyboard Music:

Listened to William Byrd: Essential Works while hiking the other day. Favorite instrumental:

Favorite vocal tracks:

"Ye Sacred Muses" is interesting, too. It was written after the death of Byrd's mentor, Thomas Tallis. Queen Elizabeth granted Byrd and Tallis a 21-year monopoly over the printing of music and Byrd retained the monopoly after Tallis' death

I can't find much information about their output during the monopoly, just that their first and possibly only joint project during that time period was a collection of 17 songs, one for each year of Queen Elizabeth's reign, called Cantiones quae ab argumento sacrae vocantur (Songs which by their argument are called sacred). It was not a commercial success

Got about 12 minutes left of Byrd week and not much else to say, so I will just wrap it up here!

I was definitely more into the vocal music than anything, with a few exceptions (most posted above). I listened to more of The Complete Keyboard Music and it kind of started to blur together after a while. It was fun, but I am feeling a little grateful for the Italian influence on English Renaissance music given that I've listened to very little music from that time period and really liked Monteverdi. Much of Byrd's work wasn't dramatic or emotional enough to appeal to me

[composeroftheweek]

This week's composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1790)

Oh thank god. I am so fucking ready for a heavyweight after Saint-Säens and Copland. And MOZART!!!

Current favorites: too many to post videos for them all, but the first movements of Symphony No. 25, Symphony No. 40, and Piano Concerto No. 20 and Serenade No. 13 (Eine kleine Nachtmusik), Lacrimosa from the Requiem

I should probably try to finally watch Amadeus this week. It looks pretty amusing

Day 1

Spent the last half hour trying to decide what recording of Requiem to listen to before settling on Dunedin Consort with John Butt conducting. Apparently it's the closest to a "definitive" version there is, given Mozart died before completing it. A year later, a composer named Franz Xaver Süssmayr finished it, and then other composers followed suit. This recording is based on Süssmayr's version

Listening to his piano sonatas now (1-15 but stopping for the night on the second movement of No. 2). Might not go back to them, at least for a while, because I would like to hear some strings

This is just cool. Like calm and confident

Mozart's first four piano concertos are based on other composers' work, possibly as part of his father teaching him how to compose. This movement is based on Johann Schobert's Op. 17, No. 2

I was excited to find another Schubert soundalike (in name only) but apparently Schobert wanted to eat some mushrooms he picked, was told by two chefs that they were poisonous, had a doctor friend who told him they were edible, and used them in a soup that ended up killing the doctor, him, his wife, and all but one of his kids

Anyway I'm liking his piano concertos! Made it to the 10th one tonight

Day 6

Started on Mozart's later piano concertos tonight and listened to...er...Symphony No. 25, maybe? Not sure since I jumped around a lot

There is something that sounds like a person speaking in it that is freaking me out, though! Might look for another recording later

Day 7

Currently listening to this:

I completely forgot about Amadeus. It's like three hours long and I would prefer to spend the time I have left listening to music, so maybe another time

Okay I've been listening to a playlist of his opera for like two hours while playing chess, so I'm not sure what most of what I listened to was, but it is pretty great!

And finishing with more piano concertos. I got so into this album that I didn't realize it was recorded live until this track (the second to last) vs. immediately being annoyed by the audience noise and finding another recording

Well, that is it for Mozart. The piano concertos were my favorite by far, but I also enjoyed...basically everything I listened to, though I did get bored with the piano sonatas pretty quickly. Despite that, I'm not super into his style. It's a bit too refined? classical-y? for me, I guess