June 17, 2019.Gounod, Stavinsky and more.Charles Gounod was born on this day in 1818.Last year we celebrated his 200th birthday, so this time we’ll skip his anniversary.We’ll also skip Stravinsky who is linked with Gounod the same unfortunate way Tchaikovsky is with Brahms: both were born on June 17th, in 1882.Stravinsky is one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, and we write about him practically every year (see for example, here). Of Johann Stamitz we do not.Stamitz, a German composer of Czech descent, and a leading figure of the Mannheim School, was born on June 19th of 1717.He lived during that musically uncompelling period when Baroque was more or less over but Classical had not yet developed.Historically, his birthday follows that of Bach’s two older sons: Wilhelm Friedemann was born on November 22nd of 1710 and Carl Philipp Emanuel – on March 8, 1714.Not that they weren’t talented, all three clearly were; it just seems that there are times that are more fecund or just luckier, and others that aren’t.Gluck was also born in 1714, but Gluck doesn’t seem to belong to any period.Here’s one of Stamitz’s last symphonies, op.11 no. 3 in E flat Major, composed in 1754 or 1755 (Stamitz died on March 27th of 1757).It’s nice, dynamics are vivid, it requires a virtuosic orchestra to play (the Mannheim court orchestra was one of the finest in Europe).But listen to Haydn’s early symphony, Le Matin, no. 6, composed in 1761 – we’re in a different world!It’s so much more sophisticated, melodically, tonally, the way it develops, and just as a whole compelling piece of music, it’s hard to compare them.Of course, it’s a matter of talent, but also of that something undefinable, something in the air, the esthetics that have congealed in a short period and allowed the geniuses of Haydn and Mozart to flourish.The Stamitz is performed by the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Donald Armstrong; the Haydn – by the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood conducting.
A very interesting conductor, now mostly forgotten, Hermann Scherchen was born on June 21st of 1891 in Berlin.He’s known as a pioneer of 20th century music; his recordings of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and composers of the younger generation, such as Xenakis and Nono are highly valued.In 1911 Scherchen helped Schoenberg with the staging of Pierrot lunaire and went on to perform it in several German cities in his conducting debut.During WWI he happened to be in Riga, conducting the local symphony orchestra and was detained by the Russian forces.Returning to Berlin after the end of the war, he founded several ensembles and a journal, Melos.In 1922 he followed Wilhelm Furtwängler as the director ofthe Frankfurt Museumskonzerte (Frankfurt Museum Society, whose orchestra was one of the best in Germany).The German Wiki writes: “the museum entrusted its concerts to the young conductor Hermann Scherchen , a brilliant musician who, however, disturbed the audience with his commitment to the still unfamiliar New Music of Arnold Schönberg , Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemith.”We love the “disturbed” part.Scherchen continued disturbing audiences throughout much of his career: he premiered parts of Wozzeck in 1924, after WWII conducted master classes in Darmstadt and in 1951 was the first to presents excerpts from Scoenberg’s opera Moses und Aron.He also had a broad classical repertoire; his orchestral transcription of Bach's Art of Fugue became well-known. Scherchen opposed the Nazis and left Germany soon after the Nazis came to power, in 1933.He had an energetic private life and, as the English Wiki states “He died in Florence [on June 12th of 1966], survived by a number of children, from five wives and other women.”Here’s the Finale, Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend of Mahler’s Symphony no. 9.Hermann Scherchen conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (1950).
Johann Stamitz, 2019
June 17, 2019. Gounod, Stavinsky and more. Charles Gounod was born on this day in 1818. Last year we celebrated his 200th birthday, so this time we’ll skip his anniversary. We’ll also skip Stravinsky who is linked with Gounod the same unfortunate way Tchaikovsky is with Brahms: both were born on June 17th, in 1882. Stravinsky is one of the most significant composers of the 20th century, and we write about him practically every year (see for example, here). Of Johann
Stamitz we do not. Stamitz, a German composer of Czech descent, and a leading figure of the Mannheim School, was born on June 19th of 1717. He lived during that musically uncompelling period when Baroque was more or less over but Classical had not yet developed. Historically, his birthday follows that of Bach’s two older sons: Wilhelm Friedemann was born on November 22nd of 1710 and Carl Philipp Emanuel – on March 8, 1714. Not that they weren’t talented, all three clearly were; it just seems that there are times that are more fecund or just luckier, and others that aren’t. Gluck was also born in 1714, but Gluck doesn’t seem to belong to any period. Here’s one of Stamitz’s last symphonies, op.11 no. 3 in E flat Major, composed in 1754 or 1755 (Stamitz died on March 27th of 1757). It’s nice, dynamics are vivid, it requires a virtuosic orchestra to play (the Mannheim court orchestra was one of the finest in Europe). But listen to Haydn’s early symphony, Le Matin, no. 6, composed in 1761 – we’re in a different world! It’s so much more sophisticated, melodically, tonally, the way it develops, and just as a whole compelling piece of music, it’s hard to compare them. Of course, it’s a matter of talent, but also of that something undefinable, something in the air, the esthetics that have congealed in a short period and allowed the geniuses of Haydn and Mozart to flourish. The Stamitz is performed by the New Zealand Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Donald Armstrong; the Haydn – by the Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood conducting.
A very interesting conductor, now mostly forgotten, Hermann Scherchen was born on June 21st of 1891 in Berlin. He’s known as a pioneer of 20th century music; his recordings of Schoenberg, Berg, Webern and composers of the younger generation, such as Xenakis and Nono are highly valued. In 1911 Scherchen helped Schoenberg with the staging of Pierrot lunaire and went on to perform it in several German cities in his conducting debut. During WWI he happened to be in Riga, conducting the local symphony orchestra and was detained by the Russian forces. Returning to Berlin after the end of the war, he founded several ensembles and a journal, Melos. In 1922 he followed Wilhelm Furtwängler as the director ofthe Frankfurt Museumskonzerte (Frankfurt Museum Society, whose orchestra was one of the best in Germany). The German Wiki writes: “the museum entrusted its concerts to the young conductor Hermann Scherchen , a brilliant musician who, however, disturbed the audience with his commitment to the still unfamiliar New Music of Arnold Schönberg , Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemith.” We love the “disturbed” part. Scherchen continued disturbing audiences throughout much of his career: he premiered parts of Wozzeck in 1924, after WWII conducted master classes in Darmstadt and in 1951 was the first to presents excerpts from Scoenberg’s opera Moses und Aron. He also had a broad classical repertoire; his orchestral transcription of Bach's Art of Fugue became well-known. Scherchen opposed the Nazis and left Germany soon after the Nazis came to power, in 1933. He had an energetic private life and, as the English Wiki states “He died in Florence [on June 12th of 1966], survived by a number of children, from five wives and other women.” Here’s the Finale, Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend of Mahler’s Symphony no. 9. Hermann Scherchen conducts the Vienna Symphony Orchestra (1950).