What are you listening to now?

[Sorrano]

Correction: it was Lionel Newman who was the conductor of that finest of Hollywood orchestras, not Alfred. Too many Newmans; Emil, Lionel, Alfred, Randy!!

Did the Alfred you mention have the letter "E" for a middle initial?

[Sorrano]

For my ear-training course I've recently used a passage from the sci-fi film Interstellar to highlight the use of the minor 7th interval (the minor 7th that features in a dominant 7th [V7] chord).

Before all that, let me say how much I like this film, I'm a sucker for anything that has to do with black holes and relativity!

Anyway, I always try to place my ear-training into real-life contexts otherwise it's all theory, words on a page or some unimaginative teacher who just bangs out a bunch of intervals on the piano in the classroom in the hope that their students will somehow burn the intervals into their inner ear.

In the passage I use, the scene is set by Cooper (the hero) leaving home for an interstellar voyage to save mankind (the Earth is dying - very topical) and has to leave his 9-year-old daughter behind: cue a long sustained low C on the organ and low strings with a sustained minor 7th (B-flat) on the upper strings and winds.

The passage highlights repeated minor 7ths resolving to I6/4 chords and I must say I find the passage very moving.

https://youtu.be/yMpdgnUYVNo?t=259

It took me a second listen to get that. The dialogue was distracting. That is a nice effect, lots of tension.

[Sorrano]

Sorrano, drop "The Magnificent Seven"!! This opening title for "How the West was Won" is superior; influenced by Bernstein, yes, but definitely a better score and with wonderful counterpoint.

Newman was a master orchestrator and, according to many musicians connected to Hollywood, he ran the very finest orchestra. This score is actually far better than the film itself, populated as it is with jobbing actors and a mythological old-coots storyline. A disjointed film because it had 3 different directors and, consequently, lost its way. But it was also famous because of its "Cinerama" technology; sadly the two lines separating the different sections of the screen are still apparent on many prints. An excellent metaphor for the resulting film!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwPI80EALPU

One thing is enigmatic about this opening title music; the drums seem to drop the beat in the raucous sections and Newman couldn't have missed that himself.

The Magnificent Seven score is most notable to me for the Marlboro advertisements on TV. I don't think I've ever watched the movie all the way through, just bits and pieces here and there. I did watch the series that was made, I think it was in the '90's. But it wasn't until then that the opening theme always made me think of cigarettes.

[Schenkerian]

Now one of my favourite pianists Vladimir Sofronitsky playing Chopin's beautiful 3rd Impromptu in Gb.

Having saturated myself in Chopin during the competition this performance is rich and stunning!

I know really nothing about this musician. Brendel always said Alfred Cortot was the Chopin exponent par excellence. Ergo, I bought Cortot playing Chopin but found myself distracted by the inevitable degraded sound quality. You decide:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRv_hh1PLHA

[Sorrano]

For the last couple of weeks I've been listening to Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony, Janson, Karajan, and Celibidache (listed in order of preference). I quite liked all three but did have to have an open mind with the Celibidache version. It works for me because it keeps the intensity of the work alive with crisp attacks, notwithstanding the slower tempo of the other two. Here is a YouTube link: https://youtu.be/dbYmJotXr2w

[Schenkerian]

Dvorak, Piano Trio 4, Op.90, "Dumky"/Beaux Arts Trio. It doesn't get much better than the Beaux Arts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPkMvUAgqo

[Schenkerian]

Tchaikovsky Piano Trio Op. 50, Argerich/Maisky/Kremer. My own CD version of it and I love to indulge and wallow in the emotionalism of it all and those chunky chords. Hit me with it!! Oh yes. To hell with everything!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOlqDzM0U3g

[Megan]

Why don't they compose sublime music like this anymore.

[Schenkerian]

Why don't they compose sublime music like this anymore.

I love Philippe Jaroussky, who also trained as a concert pianist BTW!! I love this work too: particularly the opening Stabat Mater Dolorosa and Quae moerebat et dolebat. Pergolesi was a fine composer who sadly succumbed, like Keats, at the shockingly young age of 26. The Stabat Mater was composed in the final months of his life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzOmPUu-F_M

To partially answer your question; 'because you've probably got to be one of the 5 or 6 of history's greatest composers'. Another part of the answer is "because you have music emulating the 'brutalist' fashion in architecture"!! A third possible answer is that 'it's hard to improve on perfection so you have to try something else'; ergo the drive towards originality and new styles in all things artistic.

[Schenkerian]

Biber, "Missa Salisburgensis a 53 Voci", A splendid work, seldom heard very much these days and it's on the second half of this program from Salzburg Dom in 2016: performance Collegium Vocale 1704.

But first, at 10:57 Monteverdi Beatus Vir SV 268 from Selva Morale e Spirituale. Wonderful music and I just love the ostinato accompanying the chorus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkw6psFziD0

Go to the second half of the program for a performance of the Missa Salisburgensis.

Incidentally, inhabiting much the same sound-world, especially of the Monteverdi and the sackbutt, is this splendid little excerpt from Cavalli's (1602-1675) opera "La Calisto". My grandchildren love this little intermedio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPeOhLuRF6k

[Peter]

Biber, "Missa Salisburgensis a 53 Voci", A splendid work, seldom heard very much these days and it's on the second half of this program from Salzburg Dom in 2016: performance Collegium Vocale 1704.

But first, at 10:57 Monteverdi Beatus Vir SV 268 from Selva Morale e Spirituale. Wonderful music and I just love the ostinato accompanying the chorus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dkw6psFziD0

Go to the second half of the program for a performance of the Missa Salisburgensis.

Incidentally, inhabiting much the same sound-world, especially of the Monteverdi and the sackbutt, is this splendid little excerpt from Cavalli's (1602-1675) opera "La Calisto". My grandchildren love this little intermedio.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPeOhLuRF6k

Wonderful music and the Biber, crikey why is this so unknown? Best listened to and not watched due to the ridiculous gestures of the conductor which is a shame as the church is beautiful.

[Enrique]

How can a human being compose for 53 voices? Normal use was four voices and Bach's B minor mass is written for five voices. However Johannes Ockeghem wrote for a great number of voices, but we are speaking of 53 voices here! For instance one could write C-E-G in one staff, E-G-C in another, ... each of the six permutations in a staff, but I still don't understand.
The new vbulletin interface is very bad!

[Henrik Stromberg]

You won't believe that but I'm watching "Nutcracker youth festival 2021" in Russia. I don't understand anything what they are talking about but kids doing great job! They are not afraid to take even the most difficult works. Amazing!

Here is the link for streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNglRK93JfA

[Sorrano]

How can a human being compose for 53 voices? Normal use was four voices and Bach's B minor mass is written for five voices. However Johannes Ockeghem wrote for a great number of voices, but we are speaking of 53 voices here! For instance one could write C-E-G in one staff, E-G-C in another, ... each of the six permutations in a staff, but I still don't understand.
The new vbulletin interface is very bad!

Don't forget that Thomas Tallis composed the Spem in Allium for 40 voices.

[Enrique]

And Ockeghem one work for 36. But how could they do it?