The Classical Bag and Semi-Informed Intuitive Listening

Y'know it kind of dawns of me, after re-reading some of my posts here, that I may be spending too much time apologizing for my lack of formal musical training and the perceived consequences of my listening appreciation as far as classical music goes. Believe me – nobody is more disappointed than me with the reality of not sticking with the piano studies I was attempting to do in college. I gave it up just as I was starting to make some progress, but maybe not enough progress to justify taking the courses. It was actually a major awakening to my own musical limitations (though some of those limitations were due to external forces way too boring to get into now.........). And certainly not my last time either. However, I never quite gave up on my desire to somehow dig deeper into serious music in spite of my limited understanding of melodic and harmonic theory and its practical application.

Where I may have foundered in my piano and theory courses, the music history courses I took were nothing but pure enjoyment for me. Though I had some excellent exposure to music in high school, it was in college where I first listened seriously to medieval music up through Furtwangler's Beethoven. So, I might not be as steeped in the tradition as a lot of people, but I have spent some time digging through the classical bag over the years. Even though I turned out to be an undisciplined rock and roll creature, I still keep my ears open for any and all inspirational vibrations from the European (and elsewhere) tradition. Here's some examples of music I'd hate to be without for the remainder of my journey (and ones I heartily recommend for the uninitiated).

  Since I mentioned medieval music, I have to give a nod to this LP of music composed by Hildegard von Bingen titled “A feather on the breath of God”. In general, any recordings issued on the Hyperion label are worth taking home, especially if you can find them in good condition for the customary $1 - $2 thrift store price. This album is seriously trance-inducing in the best way possible. No particular religious fervor is necessary to enjoy this music – the experience is transcendent as all good music is, ultimately. 

Now, I may not be “schooled” in this music, but I can tell good intonation when I hear it. It's kind of like knowing the difference between someone playing a saxophone out of tune because of a lack of skill and hearing Eric Dolphy playing a little sharp to get the effect he was after – not due to a lack of skill. That much I knew before I started buying classical records. When it comes to violin players I'm pretty clueless outside of certain big names. I definitely had never heard of Arthur Grumiaux before I scooped up this 1956 mono Philips record (made in Holland). I was also not too familiar with Mozart either. Yet, this LP has remained a favorite over the years. Besides great intonation from Grumiaux and good composing from Mozart – this LP weighs a ton! Must be the heaviest vinyl LP I own – without a doubt heavier than 200g. And, aside from a bit of surface noise here and there – quiet and smooth. Of course I haven't seen any other records from this series out in the wild yet, but I have my eyes peeled. Good stuff!

 

Speaking of intonation and violin players I recently discovered I had a Mendelssohn violin concerto performed by two different performers – one by Heifetz with the Boston Symphony and one by Zino Francescatti with the Philadelphia Symphony under Ormandy. Playing these back to back revealed how Heifetz' performance was full of sparks and showy technical feats at a brisk tempo – exciting. However, the Francescatti performance was not as frantic or showy and Zino's intonation was, in my opinion, more consistent and generally better. It's fun to do shootouts like this, especially with pieces I'm not as familiar with. Can't say I'm too well-versed in Mendelssohn's music so far though nothing I've heard has struck me as boring (still looking for more exciting music from Elgar, alas.......). 

  I am also glad to report that Beethoven's music has not been overplayed by me to the point of non-enjoyment. I really like the fact that I can tell his symphonies apart from each other pretty well by now. I do find the whole business about his even-number symphonies being less interesting kind of odd. Perhaps in the case of the 4^th and 8^th but I have to say I always enjoy hearing the 6^th – known as the “Pastorale”. Here's a nice mono 60s Deutsche Grammophone LP I found recently. Maybe the performance is not as spirited as my favorite Bruno Walter version, but this reading from Maazel with the Berlin Philharmonic is pretty nice. Part of the fun of mono records is listening to how the instruments have been balanced out by microphone placement or by other means. It had to have been a challenge in those days, for sure. Getting the balance of instruments right is an art with music like this. The 3^rd movement of Beethoven's 6^th is especially dynamic with certain instruments spotlighted periodically throughout. I think that Scherzo section makes the symphony for me. 

Now, if there is a piece of music that I can say I am close to being burnt out on it would have to be “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel. I have several version of this piece already – enough that I would never want for another. Then, I saw this LP recently. Well, aside from a fantastic, colorful cover – this reading of Bolero is actually really good too. Yet, part of the fun of collecting classical LPs is being able to appreciate artwork like this. You just don't see that kind of rich red coloring on LPs or labels anymore. The gypsy babe on the cover ain't bad either. Kind of reminds me of Martha Argerich. Once again – solo piano is not my forte (pun intended) and neither is Chopin to be honest. I do like this record though and I bet it has mostly to do with the performer. Being able to tell the difference between jazz pianists is so much easier for me – Monk, Basie, Brubeck, Evans – all of these guys have highly distinctive musical “voices”. Classical pianists are more of a challenge for me. It's a subtle thing. Yet, so far I haven't heard a Martha Argerich LP I don't like. 

 

Lately I've also been attempting to give Schumann's music another chance. I've read a number of negative things about his symphonies that I allowed to influence some of my listening choices. I have to say, although this recording of his 2^nd symphony reveals none too many memorable motifs, the overall experience is still enjoyable enough. I was pleased to hear a recording of the Detroit Symphony under the direction of Paul Paray again. It had been a while since I've played one of their recordings on Mercury. As odd as it might be to think now, Detroit did have at one time a pretty smoking symphony orchestra. Records like this prove it. Glad to have this in the collection and keeping an eye out for more.

 

What is not commonly found in the thrift store bins are offbeat 20^th century music records. Yet, once in awhile the stars align and a record like this emerges:

Once in awhile I'll grab what looks like a modern music record without actually knowing the music at all just to see if my hunch is right. I was spot on this time and this record became a recent favorite. Jan Hanus was a Czech composer from the 20^th century. This LP is simply titled Vol.3 – the recordings come from the 1970s – one with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by Vaclav Neumann and the other piece performed by The Prague Chamber Orchestra sans conductor. Now, as usual, I can't comment with academic profundity about these pieces (Musica Concertante & Notturni Di Praga), but I can say the music is exciting and unique compared to other 20^th century composers I am aware of. I do recall getting this LP along with some more conventional classical LPs from Czech orchestras and performers. Yet, The Music of Jan Hanus Vol.3 was the only volume I saw at the time. Now I have to try finding the other volumes along with the seven symphonies he composed. Great stuff! This is what keeps me hunting down new music. 

As I've mentioned before, all of this home-listening is designed to familiarize myself with as wide a range of music as possible to increase my enjoyment of getting out to some live performances in coming years. My schedule and life responsibilities don't allow for me to do that much, but I am looking forward to some possibilities once the warmer weather arrives. I know there is an adventurous chamber music concert series that happens nearby where I live and I just found out about it at the end of last summer. So perhaps I will be able to hear some live music in the near future. 

And, astoundingly enough I managed to compose an entire entry here without once mentioning the name of Mahler! Oh, crap I've just done it. Bugger. Ah, well - until next time - happy listening!