Where's Waldo? Almost to the top at Amazon.

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 21:17

Now this is almost unbelievable and I haven't seen it discussed much yet. Yesterday I posted a little bit about Waldo de los Rios and his interpretations of standard classical works. From what I can gather, and I may be wrong about this, but he is more or a less a borderline obscure artist. Wednesday morning his top ranked CD was in 136,000th place on Amazon. Yesterday afternoon radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh played de los Rios’s performance of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor during his show. As of right now, de los Rios has jumped to 28th place on Amazon.

Olivier Messiaen - Regard de l'Esprit de Joie, from Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus
Alessandro Taverna (Piano)

Robert Schumann - Presto Passionato in g minor, Op. 22a
Alessandro Taverna (Piano)

The Classics and Waldo de los Rios

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 18:28

Usually, I don't care much for the pop remixes of classical works. More often than not, the remix is so far removed from the spirit of the original work that it amounts to nothing more than a mauling of a great work of art. However, I was introduced to the performances of Waldo de los Rios. The album is simply called Classics, and to be honest, I was quite surprised at these remixes. Just listening to them was fun and, for the most, they remained fairly true to the character of the work.

A Chance Discovery

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 14:21

Over the weekend, I chanced upon Bach's Prelude and Fugue in G minor BWV 535. It is not one that I ever remember hearing before, but I have become quite attached to this piece. It has proven to be quite an interesting and fun piece to study and full of all kinds of compositional goodies. Most striking is the middle part of the prelude. Chromatically descending diminished seventh chords and fundamental sevenths create a tonally ambiguous section more typical of late Romanticism than Baroque music.

March 8, 2010.

Elena Kuschnerova is a Russian-born, German-based "pianist who grabs the imagination," according to the late New York Times critic Harold Schonberg, who also praised her Scriabin recordings. Elena studied at the Moscow Conservatory with Sergei Dorensky. She was influenced by the great and controversial Russian composer Alexander Lokshin (1920-1987), who wrote a variation cycle for her. Ms. Kuschnerova established herself in Germany in 1992. Her recitals and CDs encompass a wide range, from Bach to first performances of works composed for her. The following “virtual recital” will include: J.S. Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in c minor, from the first volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier, followed by Intermezzo No. 2 in A Major, Op. 118 by Johannes Brahms. We will then hear Scriabin’s Etude No. 12 in d-sharp minor, Op. 8 and Prokofiev’s March from the opera Love to the three oranges." We’ll conclude with Alexander Lokshin’s Prelude and Theme with Variations. It was written in 1982 and dedicated to Elena Kuschnerova. To listen, click here.

In Pursuit

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Sat, 03/06/2010 - 14:55

He that hawks at larks and sparrows, has no less sport, though a much less considerable quarry, than he that flies at nobler game: and he is little acquainted with the subject of this treatise, the understanding, who does not know, that as it is the most elevated faculty of the soul, so it is employed with a greater, and more constant delight, than any of the other. Its searches after truth, are a sort of hawking and hunting, wherein the very pursuit makes a great part of the pleasure. - John Locke

When in Doubt, Follow the Great Composers

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Fri, 03/05/2010 - 15:40

"If one has the talent it pushes for utterance and torments one; it will out; and then one is out with it without questioning. And, look you, there is nothing in this thing of learning out of books. Here, here and here [pointing to his ear, his head and his heart] is your school. If everything is right there, then take your pen and down with it; afterward ask the opinion of a man who knows his business." - Mozart to a boy who asked him how to learn composition

François Couperin - Air de Diable
Amit Peled (Cello)
Eliza Ching (Piano)

Interpreting Music

Submitted by jsdubois015 on Wed, 03/03/2010 - 16:23

Glenn Gould's 1981 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations is one of my all time favorites, not just of that particular piece, but of every recording I've ever heard. While listening to it yesterday, I began thinking about interpreting music. How can you not think about interpretation when listening to Gould since his were often so far from the beaten path? Nevertheless, it's a topic that comes up often in the music world, usually with much debate. What makes a "good" interpretation? What makes one better than another? How do you go about interpreting a piece of music?

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