All Entries Tagged With: "program notes"
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 ‘Leningrad’
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad”
Allegretto
Moderato (poco allegro)
Adagio
Allegro non troppo
There is great debate among musicologists regarding Shostakovich’s relationship with the Soviets. Some interpret his music as railing against Soviet cruelty while others have compiled evidence to show that he was at least somewhat complicit in their activities. Much of Shostakovich’s music is ambiguous [...]
On Folk Music
[originally a set of program notes]
What is easy to sing, has a highly repetitive modal melody, a small range, simple harmony and is immediately danceable?
Folk music!
It’s easy enough to describe but terribly difficult to define, since, although there are common features, the form folk music takes and the purpose for which it is [...]
Rautavaara: Piano Concerto No. 1 Op 45
Einojuhani Rautavaara (b. 1928)
[pronounced: Eye-know-joo-ha-nee Row (rhymes with now)-tah-VAH-rah]
Piano Concerto No.1 Op. 45 (1969)
Con grandezza
Andante
Molto Vivace
Like most composers who have been afforded the luxury of sixty plus years in which to refine their craft, Einojuhani Rautavaara has gone through a complex stylistic development over the course of his career. As Sibelius’ natural successor, Rautavaara [...]
Messiaen: Offrandes Oubliées
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)
Offrandes Oubliées (1930)
When asserting that Messiaen was one of the most influential composer of the 20th century, there is very little danger of overstating the matter. There is simply no other composer that had such a profound influence over such a broad spectrum of artists. Stockhausen, Boulez, Pärt, Grisey, Takemitsu and [...]
Program Notes Catalogue
Miss Mussel writes programme notes for orchestral and chamber music concerts in England and would be happy to create an original set of notes for your next concert. Her preferred method is to write an essay that links the whole program together and discusses overarching themes rather than writing three or four independent notes. [...]
Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 111
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C minor, Op. 111
Maestoso - Allegro con brio e appassionato
Arietta: Adagio molto semplice e cantabile
Beethoven still had five years left to live when he wrote this sonata but in many ways it feels like a definite end. The thirty two piano sonatas has spanned nearly thirty years of his [...]
Beethoven Piano Sonata Op 110
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110
Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
Allegro molto
Adagio ma non troppo
Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo
On paper, Op 110 is a traditional four-movement sonata. In reality however the work is a further example of the dissolution of sonata form within the outer movements as well [...]
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