The Swingle Singers- Going Baroque

Let’s kick off another week with this , which I paid $5 for.  I enjoyed the last Swingle Singers record I posted so I went ahead and purchased this one. 

This was the second album from the Paris based group of singers, led by American Ward Swingle. It was released in 1964 on Phillips records and featured, as the title would imply, songs from the Baroque period.  This era, 1600-1750, marked a period of grandeur, detail, contrast and movement. It was also encouraged by the Catholic Church to offset recent Protestant gains in culture.

I am unsure how much the larger movement influenced music or if the music was just going on at the same time as the period and quite frankly for writing purposes, I am not going to delve in the subject much further.  I will note that this period was sandwiched between the Renaissance and the Classical period and was known for its experimentation and invocation.  Among the things to come out of this period, we have the concerto, sinfonia, opera, classical ballet, common-practice tonality, and the piano.

This album includes works from Handel and Vivaldi, but is mostly made up of hits from the Bach clan, most notably, the patriarch Johann Sebastian, who is perhaps one of the greatest composers of all time.  12 songs.  All vocal with a bit of back ground music provided by a bass/drum rhythm section.  Pretty much what I expected from this.  It should be noted that it was good enough to win a Grammy for Best Chorus.

For a sample, I decided to go with  “Badinerie” by J.S. Bach from his Overture from Orchestral Suite #2, composed somewhere between 1738-1739 and identified as BWV1067 by cataloguists.

Decent record.  Satisfactory.

Concertbouworkest Orchestra under Bernard Haitink- ST

I got this record for $2 to write  post about my favorite place in the world, Amsterdam.  Which brings me to a hot topic as of late regarding my annual vacation.  First off. I am not eligible for vacation until January. I could still go at that time.  Mind you I miss the Christmas spirit which was everywhere last year but I can still see the Light Festival.  Also probably less tourists in January for better or for worse.  Well, the big issue is money.  Just not earning enough right now to justify going abroad.  What to do?  Well, where there is a will there is a way and I have not completely ruled out going but this year it is going to be tough.  Maybe I can pick up a side job here or there. Who knows. I did not think of this until I was done writing this but one down side to these Dutch treats are an absorbent amount of spell check.

What I do know is what I hold here in my hand, which is a souvenir record by the world famous Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam.  Named after the newly built concert hall of the same name, the orchestra began life in 1888 under Dutch conductor Willem Kes.  (Fun Fact: Paul McCartney mentions The Concertgebouw in his song “Rock Show”). It is located south of the Museum District.

In 1895, Willem Mengelberg took over and turned the orchestra into one of Europe’s best. Mengelberg’s illustrious reign ended in 1925.  After this time various conductors led this orchestra thru tours abroad including a 1954 trip to the Americas.  In 1988, Queen Beatrix added the title “Royal” to the orchestra.

Famed conductor Bernard Haitink (born in Amsterdam in 1929), took over the co-conducting duties in 1961 after the death of the popular Van Beinum.  He would became sole conductor in 1964.  Under his watch, the orchestra went thru a prolific recording period, most notably on Phillips Records (which this record is from). They also toured extensively.  Haitink also has worked with the London Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony Orchestra among others.

From what I can tell, this record was made during a 1971 tour of the Americas.  I believe these segments were taken from performances in New York and San Francisco.  The composers represented on this album include Schubert, Brahms, Mendelssohn, Dvorak, Berlioz, Verdi, and Glinka.  Pretty good stuff.  There is a certain vibrancy with this record.  It is not easy to breathe new life into classical pieces but that is what I feel is going on with this record.

For a sample, I went with “Hungarian Dance #1 in G Minor” by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).  Could have gone in any direction but settled on this one for some reason (probably because I have posted Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances before).

Good record.  Satisfactory.  I realized after writing this post how many times I walked by the Concertgebouw not realizing what it was.  I thought this post would cheer me up but it actually had quite the opposite effect.  Well, a trip in January is not out of the cards yet, but boy is it getting harder to reach.

 

Baptista Siqueira- Nordeste/ Jandaia

This was $2 with discount.  I got it for some flavor of Northern Brazil which musicaly is quite different from the parts I have been to.  Why two foreign classical records in the same month you may ask? I am not sure myself.

The Northeast Region of Brazil, affectionately known as Nordeste was the first to be discovered and inhabited by Portuguese colonists.  Known for its hot weather and rich culture and folklore, it also has some of the prettiest natural sights as well as some of the hottest weather in the country.  The region makes up 18% of the coutnry, 28 % of the population and 13% of the GDP.

The composer of these pieces, Baptista Siqueira (1906-1992), was a musicologist and composer that source lists from Paraiba in Nordesste  His father, who had the same name, was a conductor as well. He studied music in Rio de Janerio, wrote books on music, and composed at least three operas, three symphonies, three symphonic poems (which I believe this is one), and a ballet among other works. according to one badly translated source, it is generally noted that the son had a better  life than the father. He also had a brother who was a composer and musicologist.

A link where I got information about this and Siqueira

This is a collection I am guessing of two pieces.  The first piece “Nordeste”, a symphony for the solo piano,in three movements, which I am guessing is a musical tribute to the fore mentioned region and is probably technically more of a concerto.  The second side features a symphonic poem, “Jandaia”, which is a municipality on the state of Golas which is in the center west region of the country. The piano, at least on the first side, is provided by Murillo Santos.  Henrique Morellenbaum acts as the regent.  I am not sure what the role of the regent is but as I am too lazy to take this up any further, I am leaving it at that.  The Orquestra Sinfonica Do Rio de Janerio provides the rest of the instrumentation. Other than this is a Brazilian record from Rio, I am unsure of anything else about it.

Truth be told, I was really taken by both compositions so I included the introduction and first movement of “Nordeste” as well as “Jandaia”.  Both seem to paint a rather lush picture of climate, topography, and geography which I would imagine the region to contain, whether accurate or not.

Anyway, decent little pickup.  Satisfactory.

Dvorak- Slavonic Dances

This was $2.00.  After seeing a performance of Dvorak’s Rusalka, his work had been on my radar.  

When the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) wrote the Slavonic Dances, he was virtually unknown outside of Prague.  After winning an Austrian State prize for composition, one of the judges, Johannes Brahms was impressed and recommended him to his publishing firm, Simrock.  Simrock commissioned Dvorak to write a sequel to Brahms’ Hungarian Dances from 1869.  He first wrote Op 46 in 1878.  Op 72 followed in 1886.  Both were successful and well received.

This record features both Op 46 and 72 as played by the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.  It was released on Vox Records in 1961. The music is pretty stirring and although it used Brahms’ work as a starting reference, the music is purely Dvorak.  For samples, I went with movement #2 from Op 46 and movement #7 from Op 72.

Good little record.  Satisfactory.

Vladimir Golschmann- Mussorgsky (Pictures at an Exhibition)

Welcome to a fresh week of Donkey Show. Kick off the official start of this month’s anniversary celebration with this piece of work.  I bought this record for the same reason I posted it.  I have posted several versions of this work (well really only two-ELP’s and Tomita’s) and I felt that it would be a good idea to someday visit the proper piece. This was $1.60 with discount.

I also recently saw Pictures at an Exhibition performed at Jones Hall last month.  I had not been to Jones Hall since I was on a school field trip in elementary school.  Anyway, it was pretty good time and a pretty moving performance.  Mussorgsky’s piece was accompanied by Stravinsky’s Symphonies of Wind Instruments as well as John Adam’s Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra featuring Tim McAllister on sax..  All three pieces were conducted by Hans Graf, a former Houston Symphony director from Germany.  

Current director, Colombian born Andres Orozoco-Estrada, spoke to the audience beforehand about each piece of work as well as some general music appreciation.  This was interesting and entertaining as well.

Anyway, that night’s performance as well as the version on this album are more of a tribute to Joseph Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) who took Mussorgsky’s piano piece and turned it into the full orchestrated version we know today.

According to Orozco-Estrada’s speech, Ravel wrote the book on arranging for orchestra, quite literally.  In his book, Ravel highlighted both his greatest successes as well as his failures in orchestrating pieces of work. As far as the original work goes, it’s origins have been well documented (or at least documented) in this blog as well as Google.

Pictures at an Exhibition is Ravel’s best known arrangements of other peoples work.  I was amazed at the performance how well someone could completely flesh out such an arrangement from a sole piano piece.  Regardless, it is a fine piece and it is represented well on this album.  The conductor, Vladimir Golschman (1893-1972) was  French born but moved to the US where he led the St Louis Symphony from 1931 to 1958.

This album also features “A Night at Bald Mountain” which I was familiar with but unaware that this was also Mussorgsky’s work. However, I am going with the track that got me to the dance, a piece from Pictures.  I was leaning towards “Limoges/Catacombae” as a sample but somehow decided to go the easy route with what is the highlight of the piece  the epic ” The Little Hut/ Baba-Yaga” and the grandiose and majestic “Great Gates of Kiev”.  Both numbers draw on allusions to earlier movements in the piece.  It serves as a great end to this piece.

Satisfactory Record.

 

 

Mantovani- Plays The Immortal Classics

This week’s theme around here is Continental Music and in a strange kind of way that did not come to me at first, this fits that classical Continental definition.  This was 80 cents.  Like a fish, I was probably hooked by the bright colors on the cover.

This was released by UK’s Mantovani in 1956.  Surprisingly enough the album in not overburdened by strings, which was his big thing.  All (well most of ) the big names of classical music are here; Rachmaninoff, Mozart, Handel, Bach, Chopin, and on of my favorites, Tchaikovsky. Again, I thought it would have been more stringy, but Mantovani held true to original work to which I am ambivalent about. Not to say there are no strings on this album. Several songs are string heavy but not in the over the top style of cascading strings that Mantovani is known for.

For a sample, I went with Prelude in C Sharp Minor by Rachmaninoff and Waltz from String Serenade by Tschaikowsky.

It is a toss up.  If he put more strings on it, there is no guarantee that it would have worked or would have been done tastefully.  On the converse, it does not sound bad as it is.  I tried hard to do the other but I just keep coming back to Meh.

Emerson, Lake, & Palmer- Pictures at an Exhibition

DSCN5094 (1024x1012)This was one dollar.  In posting this album, I was thinking that I had the classical source this came from but I did not.  However, I noticed that the Houston Symphony will be presenting Pictures At An Exhibition on February 23, 25, and 26 next year.  I got my tickets along with two other shows next season.

Info on the Houston Symphony’s upcoming performance

Mussorgsky
Mussorgsky
Hartmann
Hartmann

Modest Mussorgsky(1839-1881) wrote these ten pieces in tribute to his friend, architect and artist Viktor Hartmann, who had died suddenly of an aneurysm in 1873.  A show was arranged to pay tribute to Hartmann’s work and Mussorgsky lent some of his art collection for this purpose.  He also wrote ten accompanying pieces for piano along with linking “Promenade” pieces based on 11 pieces of Hartmann’s work. Today, only six picturess have been confirmed as inspiration of this work.  Also, given Mussorgsky ‘s complicated history, this work was published five years after his death.

Remaining pictures from the Suite

The first orchestral arrangement of this work was done by Russian conductor Mikhail Tushmalov in 1891. The second of note was by British conductor Henry Wood in 1915.  However, the definite arrangement was done by Maurice Ravel in 1922.  At this point Wood withdrew and banned his arrangement.  Most critics praise Ravel’s version but there are those who claim Wood’s is superior.

Cut to more recent times, when prog rockers Emerson, Lake, and Palmer recorded this live version at Newcastle City Hall in 1971.  Performed as one complete piece, their effort uses 4 of the suite’s original pieces as well as the “Promenade”.  Original pieces as well as lyrics were also added.

DSCN5095 (1002x1024)The band’s label was not really happy to release an album of classical music so it was shelved in favor of their second album, Tarkus.  After that album’s success, the execs allowed this to be released on a budget label. The band would release another live album with Pictures At An Exhibition.  I posted it when Keith Emerson died last year.emrson_lake_and_palmer_lp_cove_0_1457707958

Earlier post on Keith Emerson

DSCN5096 (1024x627)

The album is pretty good progressive rock and roll.  One of my main criticisms, since it is one continuous piece, is that it is hard to recognize where pieces start and end.  This being said, it is a good album.  A studio recording of the Nutcracker Suite is also included.KeithEmerson

For a sample, I went with what I am assuming is part of “The Great Gates Of Kiev”.  Hartmann designed the gate for Tsar Alexander II to commemorate his escape from assassination.  Hartmann felt that it was his best work. It is the last number of the suite and I believe it is the most famous.   Here is an excerpt from this piece which runs a bit on the long side.

Hartmann's design and inspiration for the piece
Hartmann’s design and inspiration for the piece

Satisfactory Record.

 

R J Benninghoff – An Evening With Chopin

DSCN4862 (800x797)This record had been staring at me for some time during multiple visits to Half Price. This was one dollar. If show tunes were one sub theme this month, modern interpretation of classical music was the other.  I think the Captain America looking cartoon on the record caught my attention when I saw this record.  The other characters on the cover are Chopin with George Sand, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Heinrich Heine, Lord Byron, and Novalis.  George Sand was the pseudonym of Amantine Lucile Dupin.  She had numerous affairs with artists including Chopin and was not a 19th century transvestite as I originally thought.A-963801-1312054971.jpeg

I was unable to find out much of anything of pianist, writer, and arranger R.J. Benninghoff.  From what I can tell, he is from Indiana.  I believe he worked in Nashville as a song writer and a session man  According to one source, he liked to use the word groovy, he worked on Bob Dylan’s “Rainy Day Women”, and he was a handsome young man. Sometime in the late 60’s he became the leader of the house band for Minaret Records (most of his band mates also played on this album).  I believe during this period, he was in Valparaiso, Florida. He also put out a few more other classical/rock hybrid albums.  Sometime in the 70’s, Minaret Records started to fade and Benninghoff returned to Indiana.  I believe he is still alive.

This record, released in 1976, is a collection of tunes written by Benninghoff, augmented with pieces of Chopin.  The pieces are all tied together and grouped in sets.  It is a real ambitious project.  When I first heard this album, I thought it was really great. The second time I listened to it, I thought it was pretty good.  Kind of the opposite effect of the New York Rock and Roll Ensemble record I posted, but I still feel that this is an excellent record.  No matter my opinion, this was a pretty bold concept which was pulled off in a good manner.  The Chopin pieces really tie the songs together. My favorite numbers include the “Magic Land” set, “Show Don’t Know”, “Here Comes The Night”, and the song I picked for a sample. Besides piano, rocksichord, and organ, Benninghoff also arranged and produced this.  I do not know for sure who sang, but I am assuming this was Benninghoff as well.

DSCN4863 (800x782)

For a sample, I went with a set that includes ” Waltz-Op 64 #2, Part 1 / In-Stra-Mental / Waltz-Op 64 #2, Part 2 / The Love Of Women / Waltz – Op 64 #2, Part 3″. Both original pieces are quite good and they mesh with the Chopin tunes.

I think this is Benninghoff
I think this is Benninghoff

I do really like this record. Top Rated.

 

Wendy Carlos- Switched On Bach

DSCN4851 (800x797)This was a dollar.  It looked pretty interesting.  At the time, I knew who Wendy Carlos was from her soundtrack work but did not know who Walter Carlos was, as this record is credited to him on the back.  I wondered if they were any relation.  tumblr_nim7t1qmQc1tbsgsko1_1280

Carlos, born in Pawtucket, RI, in 1939, studied music composition at Colombia University.  It was there she met Robert Moog.  While working at a studio, and composing bits and jingles here and there, Carlos advised and assisted Moog on the development of the Moog synthesizer and was an early pioneer in this field.  Her first attempt at a music career came in 1968 with this album, which was a surprising success.  From here, Carlos parleyed this into soundtrack work, including the electronic music from Kubrick’s “Clockwork Orange” (including the ominous opening music) and ” The Shining” as well as Disney’s “Tron”. She also continued recording including a follow up to this album as well as an anniversary edition.

Wendy’s Webpage

Oddly enough, in the 1988, Carlos collaborated with Weird Al Yankovic on an updated version of Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.  I tried to find a copy online but was unsuccessful.  Furthermore, it is out of print and copies of this record run from $89 to $250.alb15

Carlos was also one of the first people to undergo sexual reassignment surgery as she was born Walter.  She underwent the procedure in 1972.  It was the success of this album that enabled her to get the surgery.  She continued using Walter for professional purposes until coming out in 1979.

UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: (AUSTRALIA OUT) Photo of Walter CARLOS; Walter Carlos posed with analogue synthesiser (Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns)

This album was released in 1968 and became a huge hit.  It hit #10 on the Billboard Top 200 chart.  It also topped the Classical albums chart from 1969 to 1972.  It sold over a million copies by 1974 and in 1986, became the second classical record ever to go Platinum.  Of course purists hated it.  They always do. Younger listeners dug the record however, and as stated above, it made a star out of Carlos.  It also brought success to Robert Moog and his synthesizer.  After this record, his services and his instrument became in demand. DSCN4852 (800x795)

The album itself was tedious to make as the music had to be recorded one note at a time.  Carlos described this as giving a detached feeling to the making of the music.  The early synthesizer also went out of tune frequently.  Supplementary keyboards were provided by Benjamin Folkman. Furthermore, the album was produced by Rachel Elkind.  Both of these were old friends who collaborated on Carlos’ early work.

The album itself is pretty good.  It does have a Clockwork Orange feel to it.  There were several good spots to choose from for a sample, but in the end, I went with “Prologue and Fugue No 2 In C Minor” from Book I of “The Well Tempered Clavier”.  13

Satisfactory record.

The Musical Heritage Society- The Art of the Bassoon

DSCN4304I am not sure why I bought this anymore other than to add some weirdness to the site.  It was $1.80.  Perhaps the caricature on the cover playing the bassoon influenced the purchase in some form.Bassoon_breakdown_medium

The Bassoon, a double reed woodwind instrument, came into modern form in the 19th century and was derived from the earlier fagotto.  I read a whole history of the instrument but could not focus without asking myself why by God am I reading this.  Basically, there are two modern designs;the German Heckel and the French Buffet.If you want to know anything else, you can learn on your own below.

Wiki link to the Bassoon

This baritone timbred instrument has been used frequently in orchestral works.  According to the back cover of this album, there are less frequent solo pieces for the instrument.  It is also not really used in jazz at all. And while Wikipedia suggests its use in Pop music is even less, notable examples of bassoon use can be heard in Donovan’s “Jennifer Juniper”, The Turtles’ “Happy Together”, Smokey Robinson’s “Tears of a Clown”, and the novelty number “Winchester Cathedral”. yny-bassoons-700x375-1372437479

Its use in classical music is extensive, on the other hand.  Notable pieces include Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, Bizet’s Carmen Ent’acte to Act II, Beethoven’s 9th, Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra, Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice , Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition as directed by Ravel, and Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf.  In the last piece, the bassoon represents Peter’s grandfather.

What to say about this album?  It contains three orchestral pieces with prominent bassoon and three duet pieces between bassoon and piano.  My biggest criticism of this album is that it is hard for the non-bassoon fan to distinguish where each piece begins and end.  My second criticism is that it is bassoon-centric but I knew that going into the album.DSCN4305

For a sample, I wanted to choose one of the piano pieces as they were shorter in length.  However, I failed to record them individually.  Furthermore, I am not listening to this album again so as a sample, here is a 6 minute selection of pieces, namely,  Fernand Oubradous’ Divertissment for Bassoon and Piano, Jacques Ibert’s Arabesque for Bassoon and Piano, and O. Miroshnikov’s Scherzo in G Minor for Bassoon and Piano.  The back cover draws attention to the last piece in particular.  Incidentally, the bassoon on the album is played by Gerhard Hasse.  I could not find any information on him other than a $125 album of his bassoon work listed on E-Bay.bssnprog1

I get it, the instrument has a rich low sound but there is not enough on this album to make it interesting to me other than the strange looking guy on the cover.  Meh.

 

UPDATE 5/19/2017-  Just when I thought this album was behind me, I have recently been asked by a music journalist from Serbia to digitally record the tracks from side 1 of this album as I believe he/she is working on a story about Stephan Malek, the guitarist who accompanied Gehard Hasse on the first side.  Mr Malek, if I am understanding it correctly, is a very well known Serbian musician who may or may not be well recorded within his own country.  I also believe he is talented on a few different instruments other than guitar.  Ah, the joys of broken English.  Anyway, as I never want to disappoint a person who checks out my blog, here are the two tracks that feature Mr Malek’s guitar, Johnann Friederich Fasch’s Concerto for Bassoon, Strings and Continuo and Carl Andres Gopfert’s Sonata in C Major for Bassoon and Guitar Op 13.  I am not sure there is any guitar in the first piece but it is quite prominent in the second.