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McCalmont’s List 4: Chopin: “Raindrop” Prelude, Op. 28, No. 15 (1839) & “Winter Wind” Étude, Op. 25, No. 11 (1836)

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by Neil McCalmont

ChopinGenres: Prelude — a short piece meant as an introduction. Étude — a piece intended for study purposes and to improve technique
Scoring: Piano
Era: Early Romantic
Length: 4-5 minutes each
Will you recognize them? You’ll get the feeling you do
Recommended Recordings: Arthur Rubinstein for “Raindrop” and Maurizio Pollini for “Winter Wind” or Martha Argerich for both

Composer: Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849). Chopin (pronounced SHO-pan) established his reputation as the “poet of the piano,” as all of his works incorporate the instrument, and most of them are solo pieces. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 3: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D (“Titan”), 1888

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by Neil McCalmont

Mahler-GustavGenre: Symphony — a composition for orchestra, usually in several movements
Scoring: Large orchestra
Era: Late Romantic
Length: c. 1 hour
Will you recognize it? Maybe an eerie feeling of familiarity during the 3rd movement
Recommended Recordings: Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic, or Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Composer: Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Mahler was known more as an opera conductor than as a composer during his lifetime, but due to a revival of his music in the 1960s, he has garnered a reputation as perhaps the greatest symphonist since Beethoven. Plagued by anti-Semitic sentiment throughout his career, he still managed to secure the directorship of the Vienna Court Opera, the most prestigious opera house in the world at the time. His turbulent yet successful career continued when he took up posts at the Metropolitan Opera and the Philharmonic Society of New York — now the New York Philharmonic — from 1908 until his death in 1911. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 2: Johann Sebastian Bach — Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 (1721)

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by Neil McCalmont

BACH-JSGenre: Concerto – a composition for one or more solo instruments and orchestra
Scoring: Chamber orchestra
Era: Baroque
Length: 10-15 min
Will you recognize it? Perhaps as what your grandmother played for background music
Recommended Recordings: John Eliot Gardiner and the English Baroque Soloists, or Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750). Bach’s career was strange in that while he was well-known as a keyboardist, he received little recognition for his compositions while he was alive. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 1: Johann Strauss II — The Blue Danube (1867)

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by Neil McCalmont

STRAUSS-IIGenre: Waltz
Scoring: Orchestra
Era: High Romantic
Duration: c. 10 minutes
Will you recognize it? You’ll probably start whistling along.
Recommended Recordings: the Vienna Philharmonic, either with Carlos Kleiber or Willi Boskovsky

Composer: Johann Strauss II (1825-1899): Strauss explicitly disobeyed his father’s orders never to be a musician. In fact, dear old dad unintentionally founded a dynasty of musicians, as all three of his sons went against his wishes and became composers. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List: A compendium of classical music aimed at first-time listeners and the classical music curious

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by Neil McCalmont

BerliozEditor’s Note: this week we’ll begin serializing Neil McCalmont’s fourteen-article series designed to introduce first-time or curious listeners to the classical music genre. The series continues through August. Enjoy and share!

Wherever you have heard classical music — on the radio, in a Bugs Bunny cartoon, or through the piano lessons you may or may not have suffered through as a child — it probably grabbed your attention. It may have been as simple as a pleasant melody or a catchy rhythm, or it may have conjured up an important memory. [Read more…]

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