April 12, 2010.

A terrible tragedy befell Poland last Saturday when many leaders of the recently reborn country perished in a plane crash. We will commemorate this event with a selection of Polish music. Poland gave much to the world, and classical music is one of its gifts. From the Renaissance, through the 19th century and such composers as Karol Szymanowski, Andrzej Panufnik, Henryk Górecki and Krzysztof Penderecki in the 20th, Polish composers were on the forefront of European music. We’ll hear Chopin’s Ballade No. 2 in F major, Op. 38 played by the pianist Hayk Arsenyan, and then two pieces by Karol Szymanowski: piano Etude Op. 4 no. 1, performed by Hyunjung Chung, and Mazurka no. 1, Op. 50, played by the pianist Martin Labazevitch. We’ll continue with the Allegretto movement from Krzysztof Penderecki’s Symphony No. 2. To conclude, the venerable American pianist Abbey Simon will play (and, in the manner of Glenn Gould, hum) Chopin’s Sonata No. 2 in b-flat minor, Op. 35, with the famous third movement, the funeral march. To listen, click here.

The Distant Guiding Sun

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Mon, 04/12/2010 - 07:32

Being a composer is difficult, and being a perfectionist makes it even worse. It is difficult to compose without, at some point, realizing that there are many great names that have come before you—that your work, whether you like it or not, is going to be judged against that standard. Depending on your particular niche in the classical music world, those names might be more fear-inducing than inspiring. Even Johannes Brahms commented that it was difficult to compose when one hears the footsteps of that giant Beethoven behind him.

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Then and Now

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Thu, 04/08/2010 - 15:14

Studying C.P.E Bach's Essay has turned out to be far more interesting and exciting than I had anticipated. I am completely changing the way I think about music and its theory. One thing is overwhelmingly obvious: music theory can't be divorced from practical application. What I mean by this is that music theory can never become a dry academic study without any immediate, palpable influence on composition or performance. In the Baroque period, and even into the Classical period as well, figured bass was music theory.

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