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McCalmont’s List 14: Claude Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (1894)

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by Neil McCalmont
Last in McCalmont’s List Series

DebussyGenre: Symphonic Poem — an orchestral work based on a narrative
Scoring: Orchestra
Era: Late 19th century / Impressionist
Length: c. 10 minutes
Will you recognize it? The opening flute solo is a staple of classical music
Recommended Recordings: Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or Bernard Haitink and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

Composer: Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Debussy was a maverick of Western music clashing with tradition even as a student. Many of his professors found his early works far too dissonant and experimental. Though scholars largely associate him with the Impressionist movement in the visual arts, Debussy rejected the term for his own music. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 13: Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (1913)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

StravinskyGenre: Ballet — a dance work accompanied by music, usually with costumes and scenery
Instrumentation: Large orchestra
Era: Early 20th century
Length: c. 35 minutes
Will you recognize it? From Disney’s Fantasia (1940)
Recommended Recordings: Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or Pierre Boulez and The Cleveland Orchestra (1969 recording)

Composer: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Stravinsky was one of the most versatile and influential composers of the 20th century, and many compare his impact on music to Picasso’s on art. Having lived with and studied composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov until the latter’s death in 1908, Stravinsky rose to fame with his innovative ballets, The Firebird and Petrushka, culminating in the groundbreaking Rite of Spring. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 12: Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in C, Op. 76, No. 3 (“Emperor”) (1797)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

Joseph_HaydnGenre: String Quartet
Scoring: 2 violins, viola, and cello
Era: Classical
Length: c. 20 minutes
Will you recognize it? Probably not — but the 2nd-movement theme did become Germany’s national anthem during the Nazi Era. It also became a Protestant Hymn titled “Austria.”
Recommended Recordings: Gewandhaus-Quartett or the Amadeus Quartet

Composer: Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) (pronounced hide-in). For generations, Haydn has been looked upon as the grand old man of music and is often referred to as the “Father of the String Quartet” as well as the symphony. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 11: W.A. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in c, K. 467 (1785)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

Mozart-at-PianoGenre: Concerto —a work for soloist(s) and orchestra
Scoring: Piano and orchestra
Era: Classical
Length: c. 25 minutes
Will you recognize it? It was popularized by the 1967 Swedish movie Elvira Madigan
Recommended Recordings: Alfred Brendel, Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, or Mitsuko Uchida, conducting from the keyboard with The Cleveland Orchestra

Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Perhaps the most renowned child prodigy in history, Mozart began composing at age four and was playing the piano and violin for European royalty by age six, alongside his elder sister Nannerl. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 10: Jean Sibelius’s Finlandia, Op. 26 (1900)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

Sibelius_library_AinolaGenre: Symphonic Poem- an orchestral work with extra-musical meaning (typically some sort of narrative)
Scoring: Orchestra
Era: Late Romantic
Length: 7-10 minutes
Will you recognize it? It’s a coin toss
Recommended Recording: Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic

Composer: Jean Sibelius (1865-1957): Sibelius is Finland’s most important composer. He established his reputation as a leading orchestral composer in the 1890s and continued to create masterful works until the mid-1920s, when he retired from public life. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 9: Richard Wagner’s Prelude and Transfiguration from Tristan and Isolde (1859)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

WagnerGenre: Prelude – an introduction to a work, in this case, an opera. (the Transfiguration is the final scene from the opera)
Scoring: Large Orchestra and Soprano soloist
Era: High Romantic
Length: 20 minutes
Will you recognize it? You’ll wish you did
Recommended Recordings: Karl Böhm, Birgit Nilsson, and the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra; or Otto Klemperer, Christa Ludwig, and the Philharmonia Orchestra

Composer: Richard Wagner (1813-1883) (pronounced VOG-ner). Wagner was the most important German opera composer of all time (Mozart was Austrian), as well as one of the most controversial figures in Western culture. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 8: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in c, Op. 67 (1808)

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Beethoven-Thayer's-Copy-1808by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

Genre: Symphony – a composition for orchestra, usually in several movements
Scoring: Orchestra
Era: Classical – Early Romantic
Length: c. 35 minutes
Will you recognize it? I’d be upset if you didn’t
Recommended Recordings: Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic; or George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra; or Otto Klemperer and the Philharmonia Orchestra; or Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic (it’s an important piece, okay?)

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827). What possibly could be said about Beethoven that hasn’t been said already? [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 7 — Franz Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A, D. 667 “The Trout,” (1819)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

SCHUBERT-Wilhelm-August-RiederGenre: Chamber Music (Piano Quintet) – piece for piano and four other instruments; usually two violins, viola, and cello
Scoring: Piano, violin, viola, cello, and double bass
Era: Classical/Early Romantic
Length: c. 35 minutes
Will you recognize it? The fourth movement has achieved fame on its own, so perhaps
Recommended Recordings: Alfred Brendel and the Cleveland Quartet; or Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma, Pamela Frank, Edgar Meyer, and Rebecca Young

Composer: Franz Schubert (1797-1828). Like J. S. Bach, Schubert wrote over a thousand pieces of music and received almost zero recognition for his compositions during his lifetime. In fact, since his music was so rarely performed, Schubert often had to live through the generosity of his friends in order to survive, unfortunately fulfilling the stereotype of the “starving artist.” Many of his works come from the last decade of his life — he died when he was only 31. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 6: Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in c, Op. 110 (1960)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List Series

ShostakovichGenre: String Quartet — piece for four string players; usually two violins, viola, and cello
Scoring: Two violins, viola, and cello
Era: Modern/Postwar
Length: c. 20 minutes
Will you recognize it? Perhaps from your nightmares
Recommended Recordings: Emerson Quartet or Fitzwilliam String Quartet

Composer: Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). Shostakovich was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His fifteen symphonies and fifteen string quartets are some of the most important in their genres. He also wrote brilliant concertos, chamber music, film scores, ballets, and operas. [Read more…]

McCalmont’s List 5: Richard Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks (1895)

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by Neil McCalmont
Part of McCalmont’s List series

Max_Liebermann_Bildnis_Richard_StraussGenre: Symphonic Poem — an orchestral work with extra-musical meaning (typically some sort of narrative)
Scoring: Large orchestra
Era: Late Romantic
Length: c. 15 minutes
Will you recognize it? It may remind you of the Looney Tunes
Recommended Recordings: George Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra or Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Composer: Richard Strauss (1864-1949). Richard Strauss has no relation to the Strauss family of Vienna (of Blue Danube fame), but he does know how to write a piece that puts a smile on your face. He was born to the principal horn player in the Munich orchestra and showed prodigious musical talent from a young age. [Read more…]

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