Hang Around the World

Friday, January 6, 2012

Music Set #199 - Beethoven - Symphony No.9

Ludwig van Beethoven

(1770 – 1827)

Symphony no. 9
- aka "Beethoven's Ninth" / "Choral" /《合唱》

* Mvt 1 - Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - digital

* Mvt 2 - Scherzo: Molto vivace – Presto - digital

* Mvt 3 - Adagio molto e cantabile - digital

* Mvt.4 - Part 1 Part 2 - Recitative etc. - digital

Totaling about 74 minutes:

One shorter version, totaling 18 minutes:
* A huge choir - 10,000 singers

'Ode To Joy' scene from the Immortal Beloved movie.

Beethoven, deaf, did not hear the audience applause,

but was absorbed in recalling his hostile father,

who used to beat the hell out of him.

The European Union

= = = = =
Bonus:

* On wine glasses!

* The Muppets!
* flashmob for Bank Sabadell

* The European Union anthem

Kosovo and Rhodesia also adopted it as their national anthems!!

Music Set #198 - Beethoven - Symphony No.5&3

Ludwig van Beethoven

(1770 – 1827)

Symphony no. 5
- aka "Beethoven's Fifth" /《命运》

* Mvt 1 - Allegro con brio

* Mvt 2 - Andante con moto

* Mvt 3 - Scherzo. Allegro

* Mvt 4 - Allegro

Heinrich Schiff conducting
- running 33 minutes

Symphony no. 3
- aka the Eroica (Italian for "heroic") /《英雄》

* Mvt.1 Allegro con brio
* Mvt.2 Marcia funebre: Adagio assai
* Mvt.3 Scherzo: Allegro vivace
* Mvt.4 Finale: Allegro molto

Philippe Herreweghe conducting
- running 52 minutes

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Music Set #197 - Barber - Adagio for Strings

Samuel Barber

(1910-1981)

String Quartet No.1 - Mvt 2 - Adagio for Strings

This music piece can be solemn,

* as sung with mass prayer Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) in Latin

It can be light and heavy:

* heavy metals added to light it up, and to speed it up!

It can be a sad requiem L. Beside at the funeral of US President FD Roosevelt, it was performed in ...

Funeral procession for FD

* mourning those deaths in 911

* trailer theme in the Platoon movie

* end theme in the Elephant Man movie - “I am not an animal! I am a human being! I … am … a man!” Good grief!

Music Set #196 - Bach, J.S.

A biography (1 hour)

Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685 - 1750)

List of compositions by J.S. Bach

The best of Bach
(jukebox of 28 pieces in 2 hours)

Swinging Bach
(2 hours)

Christmas Oratorium
(jukebox of 64 pieces in 2.5 hours)

Mass in B minor
* The English Concert (2 hours)

St Matthew Passion
* Chorus and Orchestra Collegium Vocale Gent (1.7 hours)

= = = = =
Some lighter and shorter masterpieces:

Amazing Japanese
forest xylophone / 森の木琴

Jesus, joy of man's desiring:

This chorale is the last of the 10 movements in cantata
'Heart and Mouth and Deed and Life'.

Youth Orchestra in Argentina

* Piano version
(Myra Hess's transcription was best-received)

Toccata and Fugue in d:

* on organ

* on violin in an orchestra Wow!
* on foot Wow-Wow!
* digitally

c.f. Davy Jones on organ in a "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie

Cello Suite No.1 in G - the prelude

* Ma Yo-Yo

* digital

Well-Tempered Clavier

Two books, each with 24 preludes and fugues
(for all 24 major and minor keys)

* Book 1 Prelude No.1 in C

Goldberg Variations

Work for harpsichord:

- an aria (32 bars) and

- 30 variations of the aria. Here are Variations 1-7

In 'The English Patient' movie, Aria was what she played on a piano slanted by 45 degrees, among rubble.

Vanessa Mae

Prelude from "Partita for violin No.3 in E" :

The Preludio demands advanced bowing technique[citation needed] and consists almost entirely of semiquavers (i.e. sixteenth notes).

Siciliano BWV 1031

Monday, January 2, 2012

Music Set #195 - Bach - Orchestral Suites

Johann Sebastian Bach

(1685 - 1750)

Bach has composed 4 Orchestral Suites.

Orchestral Suite No. 2, movement 7 is this "Badinerie" - a brief and lively dance.

The badinerie has become a show-piece for solo flutists, due to its quick pace and difficulty.

Orchestral Suite No. 3, movement 2 is this beautiful "Air".

Sara Chang
- with all 4 strings

Elman called it
"Air on the G String"

One violinist re-arranged it for violin and piano, and transposed the composition to C major, so that it can be played entirely on G string of the violin.

[Note: a violin has 4 strings: G, D, A and E.]