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The classical music thread


mjmooney

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Didn't know this thread existed. Bought a keyboard end of November to help with music theory for guitar and boy did it help but I've pretty much ditched the guitar and practice piano every day. I'm about 3rd way through Canon in D which I already loved but it's so useful for progressing as it gets harder as it goes but still beginner friendly and really helping with left hand right hand at same time

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I'm currently on Mendelssohn's 3rd. Has one of my favourite finales.

I will allocate Prokofiev's 5th symphony for "next man up"

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So there I am, listening to Nielsen's 5th in the car, when I suddenly hear a percussion part that's reminiscent of Ravel's 'Bolero'. But wait, there's more. A little clarinet melody. And it's very reminiscent of Bolero. Ripped off? But a quick Google reveals that the Nielsen predates the Ravel by several years. Obviously, I'm not the first to have noticed it: 

Quote

If you are a regular listener to classical music, the following might have happened to you. You are listening to a piece of music that you have never heard before, and suddenly, you are struck by musical lightning: this passage sounds so familiar! Even when you don’t know why exactly, it is as if you heard it before – a ‘déjà entendu’. Something of the kind happened to me when I heard Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony for the first time. While at first I couldn’t quite figure out the resemblance, a bit later I realized what it was: Maurice Ravel’s Boléro. The high-pitched clarinet solo towards the end of the first movement did the trick, together with a very generous serving of snare drum.

This listening experience tickled my musical memory and my musicological curiosity at the same time: could the two compositions be related? Ravel’s Boléro was composed in the summer of 1928 and premiered in the Paris Opera on 22 November 1928. A quick search taught me, however, that Carl Nielsen’s Symphony premiered in… 1922. Might it be that Ravel took some cues for his Boléro from Nielsen’s Fifth Symphony instead?

MPH

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Bolero is a piss take, it's the electronic dance music of its day.

A steady beat, a tune to hum and a crescendo.

Ravel nicking a bit off Nielsen for Bolero could be a giggle between mates, or a dig?

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If you could wear out CD's by over playing them, then my copy of this 1977 recording of Mahler's 2nd Symphony by the Chicago Symphony would have been dust in my hands. I bought this when I was about 15 and I must have listened to it a thousand times just in that year. Multiply that by 10 for the section from the 5th movement time stamped here.

*Niche nerd alert. The low brass section was Jay Friedman, Principal trombone (unbelievably still there having joined the orchestra in 1964) Frank Crisafulli 2nd trombone (now deceased) James Gilbertson 3rd trombone , Bass trombone Edward Kleinhammer (deceased.) The brass section was marshaled, led, and pinned together at both ends by Arnold Jacobs, the legendary tuba player and pedagogue - and by Adolph (Bud) Herseth on Principal trumpet. Both of whom are no longer with us but who's legacies live on in American and indeed world brass playing.

The 4th movement "Urlicht" sung by Marilyn Horne is divine. I was fortunate enough to meet her once and plucked up the courage to talk about this recording. She was beyond gracious and kind and a really good laugh.

Here she is along with the brass section creating a truly divine experience.

 

Edited by TheAuthority
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On 11/05/2023 at 02:49, mjmooney said:

I really must get into Mahler 2. I just tend to play 1, 3 and 5 (Kubelik versions) to death. Worn-out CDs, indeed. 

Playing it in June with the Seattle Symphony. I think it should be on their live feed thingy. If you're interested I'll see if I can get you a free password.

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