What a bountiful week! We celebrate five birthdays, and that doesn't even include two great Antons: Rubinstein and Stamitz. So here we go, from the 17th century to the 20th. Jean-Baptiste Lully was born on November 28, 1632. Just two weeks ago we played his Suite from Bourgeois gentilhomme, so if you'd like to listen to it, check it out in the library or click on the entry below.
Sergei Taneyev who was born on November 25, 1856 in Vladimir, may not have been the most talented of his Russian contemporaries, but he was a wonderful pianist (he premièred the first piano concerto of his dear friend Tchaikovsky) and a great teacher of composition. Among his pupils were Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Medtner. Here is his lyrical Canzona, played by the clarinetist Alexander Bedenko and the pianist Roman Rabinovich.
The wonderful Spanish composer Manuel De Falla was born on November 23, 1876. We have many of his compositions in our library. Here is a sample: Jota, from Suite Populaire Espagnole, brilliantly played by the violinist Giora Schmidt, with Rohan De Silva at the piano.
Virgil Thomson, who was famous as a critic at least as much as a composer, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 25, 1896. Thomson spent many years in Paris where he studying with Nadia Boulanger. He was a good friend of Gertrude Stein, who wrote librettos for two of his operas. Here is his Concerto for Flute, Strings, Harp, and Percussion, played by Mary Stolper (Flute) and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paul Freeman.
Alfred Schnittke was born on November 24, 1934. His father was a German Jew who moved to the Soviet Union for political reasons. In 1990, his health failing, Schnittke emigrated to Germany. As a young composer, Schnittke was influenced by Dmitri Shostakovich; later he experimented with the serialism. What eventually evolved was his more tonal "polystylism," a creative blend of diverse styles. Here's his playful Moz-Art à la Haydn, played (and whistled) by the violinist Yuri Korchinsky and the pianist Mikhail Bezverkhny.
November 22, 2010
What a bountiful week! We celebrate five birthdays, and that doesn't even include two great Antons: Rubinstein and Stamitz. So here we go, from the 17th century to the 20th. Jean-Baptiste Lully was born on November 28, 1632. Just two weeks ago we played his Suite from Bourgeois gentilhomme, so if you'd like to listen to it, check it out in the library or click on the entry below.
Sergei Taneyev who was born on November 25, 1856 in Vladimir, may not have been the most talented of his Russian contemporaries, but he was a wonderful pianist (he premièred the first piano concerto of his dear friend Tchaikovsky) and a great teacher of composition. Among his pupils were Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Medtner. Here is his lyrical Canzona, played by the clarinetist Alexander Bedenko and the pianist Roman Rabinovich.
The wonderful Spanish composer Manuel De Falla was born on November 23, 1876. We have many of his compositions in our library. Here is a sample: Jota, from Suite Populaire Espagnole, brilliantly played by the violinist Giora Schmidt, with Rohan De Silva at the piano.
Virgil Thomson, who was famous as a critic at least as much as a composer, was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 25, 1896. Thomson spent many years in Paris where he studying with Nadia Boulanger. He was a good friend of Gertrude Stein, who wrote librettos for two of his operas. Here is his Concerto for Flute, Strings, Harp, and Percussion, played by Mary Stolper (Flute) and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Paul Freeman.
Alfred Schnittke was born on November 24, 1934. His father was a German Jew who moved to the Soviet Union for political reasons. In 1990, his health failing, Schnittke emigrated to Germany. As a young composer, Schnittke was influenced by Dmitri Shostakovich; later he experimented with the serialism. What eventually evolved was his more tonal "polystylism," a creative blend of diverse styles. Here's his playful Moz-Art à la Haydn, played (and whistled) by the violinist Yuri Korchinsky and the pianist Mikhail Bezverkhny.