This Week in Classical Music: May 17, 2021. Miscellanea. The music of Erik Satie provides respite from the drudgery of everyday life: just listen to his Gymnopédie no. 1 in Pascal Rogé’s interpretation. Satie was born on this day in 1866. Wagner’s music is a different world entirely. Richard Wagner was also born this week, on May 22nd of 1813 (are we the only ones who finds it incongruous, both musically and historically, that Wagner was only a year and a half younger than his father-in-law, Franz Liszt?). And the wonderful Jean Françaix, a composer with a great sense of humor, was also born this week, on May 23rd of 1912. He gave us many examples of how to write accessible but sophisticated music, his Concerto for Piano of Orchestra being one of them. Here his daughter Claude Françaix performs it with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Antal Dorati.
Samson François, a French pianist, was born on May 18th of 1924. He was born in Frankfurt, where his father worked at the consulate, and by the age of six he was living in Italy, where Pietro Mascagni gave him several lessons. Eventually François settled in Paris where he studied with Alfred Cortot, Marguerite Long and Yvonne Lefebure. In 1943 he won the first Marguerite Long - Jacques Thibaud Competition. François was famous for his (often idiosyncratic) performances of the music of Debussy, Fauré and Ravel, and also the 19th century Romantics. Here’s his recording of Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. It was made in 1958. François died of heart failure on October 22nd of 1970, at just 46 years old. Another pianist, Alicia de Larrocha, probably the greatest Spanish pianist, was born a year earlier, on May 23rd of 1923 and played till she was 80; she lived till 2009. She was incomparable as a performer of the music of her compatriots, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados, and her Mozart was sublime. Here’s Mozart Concerto no.23 in A major, K.488 with Alicia de Larrocha at the piano. The English Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Birgit Nilsson, one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, was born on this day in 1918. Here’s the post we wrote about her three years ago.
Miscellanea, May 2021
This Week in Classical Music: May 17, 2021. Miscellanea. The music of Erik Satie provides respite from the drudgery of everyday life: just listen to his Gymnopédie no. 1 in Pascal Rogé’s.jpg "Erik Satie, by Suzanne Valadon, 1892")
interpretation. Satie was born on this day in 1866. Wagner’s music is a different world entirely. Richard Wagner was also born this week, on May 22nd of 1813 (are we the only ones who finds it incongruous, both musically and historically, that Wagner was only a year and a half younger than his father-in-law, Franz Liszt?). And the wonderful Jean Françaix, a composer with a great sense of humor, was also born this week, on May 23rd of 1912. He gave us many examples of how to write accessible but sophisticated music, his Concerto for Piano of Orchestra being one of them. Here his daughter Claude Françaix performs it with the London Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Antal Dorati.
Samson François, a French pianist, was born on May 18th of 1924. He was born in Frankfurt, where his father worked at the consulate, and by the age of six he was living in Italy, where Pietro Mascagni gave him several lessons. Eventually François settled in Paris where he studied with Alfred Cortot, Marguerite Long and Yvonne Lefebure. In 1943 he won the first Marguerite Long - Jacques Thibaud Competition. François was famous for his (often idiosyncratic) performances of the music of Debussy, Fauré and Ravel, and also the 19th century Romantics. Here’s his recording of Maurice Ravel’s Gaspard de la nuit. It was made in 1958. François died of heart failure on October 22nd of 1970, at just 46 years old. Another pianist, Alicia de Larrocha, probably the greatest Spanish pianist, was born a year earlier, on May 23rd of 1923 and played till she was 80; she lived till 2009. She was incomparable as a performer of the music of her compatriots, Isaac Albéniz and Enrique Granados, and her Mozart was sublime. Here’s Mozart Concerto no.23 in A major, K.488 with Alicia de Larrocha at the piano. The English Chamber Orchestra is conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Birgit Nilsson, one of the greatest sopranos of the 20th century, was born on this day in 1918. Here’s the post we wrote about her three years ago.