Classically Speaking

Well, the week is almost over, and I promised to post my favorite composer.  I have many favorite pieces and composers, which makes it difficult to decide. I have chosen the composer who wrote many pieces I'd put on my list of favorites...he is also the composer that wrote one of my least favorite pieces of all time.  

Ludwig van Beethoven.  Almost every time I hear or play one of his pieces, I am inspired and I hear something new.  He suprises with his harmonies, plays with rhythms, and has turned obsessive repetition into something transcendent.

I love playing and hearing his symphonies (especially the 7th...and the 3rd...and...basically, all of them).

For the piano, his piano sonatas from early through late are beautiful and engaging in all different ways, and there's the Piano Concerto No. 5 "The Emperor"...especially the moment before the third movement where there is a brief slow quotation of the music to come. I do need to become more familiar with the others.

As a string player, his quartets are also especially dear to me--from the early Op. 18 set, to my favorite Op. 95 "Serioso" in F Minor, to the complex interwoven lines of his last works.

But Beethoven has also written one of my least favorite pieces: The Consecration of the House Overture.  It's boring and uninspired, and I had to play it way too many times when my alma mater was dedicating a new concert hall.  I'll forgive him this one indiscretion, but don't expect to hear that Beethoven piece on any of my programs! (Especially when I have the choice of his other wonderful overtures--all of the Leonore/Fidelo ones, Corolian, and Egmont).

Other favorite pieces of mine include Bach's Cello Suites, Sibelius' Symphony No. 2, Britten's Peter Grimes, Berlioz's Harold in Italy, Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Eugene Onegin, Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8, Haydn's Symphony No. 82 ("The Bear"), Ruth Crawford Seeger's String Quartet, Mozart's Don Giovanni, and for contemporary favorites Peter Lieberson's Neruda Songs and Osvaldo Golijov's Ayre.  And I need to make myself stop adding things to this list, because we could be here a while...but for overall body of work by one composer, Beethoven is my guy.

I'd still love to hear about your favorite composer, so create an account over on the side of the page, and leave me a note.  As for me, I think I need to go home and re-read some of Maynard Solomon's Beethoven biography before the fireworks.

We'll have a new Friday question next week, but for now, have a happy Fourth of July!

Across the state, there are some fun Fourth of July weekend concerts going on this weekend.  Here's a brief tour:

In Huntington, The Huntington Symphony has one of their three summer “Picnics with the Pops” on July 4th.  They’re playing outside at Harris Riverfront Park.  The program is called “Red, White, and Bluegrass,” and there will be fireworks.

In Charleston, the West Virginia Symphony will be performing at Haddad Riverfront Park on the Kanawha River, where there will also be fireworks.  Their program includes patriotic and festive favorites like The Star Spangled Banner and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, with the added bonus of featuring singing by Ryan Hardiman, the WV Symphony Idol.

Listen to Hardiman talk about the process of becoming the WV Symphony Idol

Listen to Hardiman discuss the songs he's singing on the July 4th concert

Listen to Hardiman describe some dream roles and future plans

Now the Wheeling Symphony is teaming up with the Mountain Stage band and taking their show on the road.  They'll be performing in Wheeling on July 4th, at Wheeling's Heritage Port.  The surrounding dates will find them in Clarksburg, Canaan State Park, and Weirton.  For his fourth Fourth of July concert with the Wheeling Symphony, Music Director Andre Raphel Smith is looking forward to the show:

Listen to Smith talk about working with the Mountain Stage Band

Listen to Smith describe his favorite pieces on the program

One of Smith's favorite pieces on the program is Morton Gould's American Salute: Hear an excerpt from Gould's American Salute.

I wish I could go to all of these concerts, but I can only be in one place at a time!  I'll be out enjoying fireworks and music on the river in Charleston.  Are you going to a Fourth of July concert this weekend? I'd love to hear about it--you can share your story by leaving a comment below.  And of course, on Classical Music here on West Virginia Public Radio, we'll have plenty of good music for the Fourth.

Karaoke is no longer confined to singing Dolly Parton or Barry Manilow out at the bars.  Now, thanks to music label Musical Concepts you can sing opera arias accompanied by a full orchestra in your living room.

They could either make for a very fun (or very painful) party. And, they might actually be useful for voice students for practicing.  I know that something similar is done mostly for instrumentalists by Music Minus One, but I'd never thought of the social possibilities.

There are three volumes:

• Volume 1: Tenor and Baritone Arias
• Volume 2: Divas (Sopranos and Mezzo-sopranos)
  

and for those who like the lighter side of opera...

• Volume 3: Gilbert and Sullivan

They also boast of having English and original versions of the texts, synopses and plot backgrounds to help you get into character, and the ability to switch between the full recording and karaoke accompaniment.

Anyone out there own any of these DVDs?  Do singers use them to practice?  Have you held opera karaoke parties?  Would you?

I know that they are on order at the Kanawha County Public Library, so I might just have to check them out soon.

This blog is a chance for us to share reviews, commentary, and interviews with you, but it's also a chance for everyone out there to talk about classical music.  Every Friday, I'm going to post a question to help get this discussion started.  This week, I want to know:

Who is your favorite composer?

At first I thought this was an easy question, but when I tried to come up with answer, I couldn't pick just one...Beethoven? Sibelius? Berlioz? Osvaldo Golijov? JS Bach? Mahler?  And if I spent more than a minute thinking about it, I'd be even less sure!  It's just too hard for me to decide.  So, here's an alternate request:

Who is one of your favorite composers?

Now you don't have to feel bad if you leave someone out--this name can be one of your (many) favorites.  And I'll be flexible; you can list a few runners-up.

To post comments, you do have to create an account, over on the left.  It's pretty quick and painless, and then you can use it to post comments any time you want.

I'll post my answer some time next week--it's your turn first!