Spam Roundup March, 2021

There's spam, and then there's spam so oddly written it's somewhat amusing. Here's a roundup of some of the "best" comments I received this month from spambots around the world.

Mixed reviews

Spambots react to my posts in different ways. 

- This is really fascinating. You are an overly skilled blogger.[Overly skilled? I like that!]

- What I do not understand is actually how you are now really much more well-favored than you might be right now. [Oh, please. Stop.]

- I truly love your blog. Pleasant colors and theme. [*sigh*]

"Lumbering along" still rakes in the comments

Spambots seem to love this post, though I'm not sure why. The Straco Express Layout, Part 23 - Lumbering Along is just about a cheap little Japanese toy. Really. 

- I am sure this paragraph has touched all the internet people, it's really really nice article. [I really, really, believe you.]

- I will be dealing with many of these issues as well. [If you have issues with vintage toys, then you really have issues.]

 - I definitely get annoyed whilst other people consider worries that they plainly don't recognize about. [Chill, dude. Not everyone's into old toys.]

 - This kind of clever work and exposure! [Yes, isn't it?]

In conclusion

 - I would respect him additional if he would just fess up. [Yeah, the nerve of that guy! Um, who are you talking about?]

Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help others. 

Words to live by! That's it for this month. And remember -- if you want respect, just fess up.

#ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth Week 4

The #ClassicsaDay team often uses Women's History Month as their theme for March. And for good reason. Classical audiences might be aware that there are contemporary female composers. But perhaps not so aware (with the exception of Hildegard von Bingen), of how many women composed music throughout the centuries.

For March 2021, I decided to cycle through the eras. Each week features a woman from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras, plus one from either the Middle Ages or the Renaissance. And this is just a sampling. Here are my picks for the fourth week of #ClassicsaDay #WomensHistoryMonth.

03/22/21 Leonora Duarte (1610–1678) Sinfonia No. 2

The seven sinfonias of Duarte are the earliest known works for viola by a female composer. During her lifetime she was well-respected as a composer and musician.

03/23/21 Sophia Giustina Corri Dussek (1775 – ca. 1831) - Harp Sonata in C minor, Op. 2 No. 3

Sophia was married to famed composer and pianist Jan Ladislav Dussek. She was a harpist, and her Opus 2 sonatas for the instrument were best sellers in 1790s London and Paris, going through at least three editions.

03/24/21 Adrienne Albert (1941 -) Cuban Stories for Flute, Bass Clarinet, Viola and Piano

Albert began her career as a mezzo-soprano, working with Stravinsky and Bernstein. She transitioned to conducting in the 1980s, then full-time composing in the 1990s

03/25/21 Hedwige Chrétien (1859-1944)- 6 petits préludes récréatifs

This French composer wrote over 150 works. Though many were for piano, Chrétien's catalog includes chamber pieces, orchestral works, and two operas.

03/26/21 Larysa Kuzmenko (1956 - ) Behold the Night, for Choir and orchestra

This Canadian composer has garnered an impressive array of awards and commissions during her career. This work was premiered in 2011.

Christoph Graupner Easter Cantatas intimate and effective

Christoph Graupner wrote over 1,400 sacred cantatas. So there's a lot to choose from -- even for an album of just Easter cantatas. Christian Bonath has done a superb job programming a set of Holy Week cantatas that span decades of Graupner's output. And each one receives a recording world premiere.

Just to run down the sequence:

Maundy Thursday - "Die Frucht des Gerechten" (1733)

Good Friday - "Eröffnet euch ihr Augenquellen" (1727)

First day of Easter - "Der Sig ist da" (1743

Second day of Easter - "Ihr werdet traurig sein" (1719)

Graupner was the Hofkapellmeister of Hesse-Darmstadt from 1711 until his retirement in 1754. These cantatas were composed for the same chapel employing (in essence) the same group of musicians. As expected, Graupner's style remains remarkably consistent throughout this set of cantatas. 

Graupner, like his friend and colleague J.S. Bach, paid close attention to the text he was setting. The key, the voice, the shape of the phrase, and the instruments accompanying are all used to give meaning and context to the text. 

Christian Bonath directs his musicians in nuanced, sensitive performances, showing us Graupner's genius. The Capella Vocalis Boy's Choir has a luminous ensemble sound. The Pulchra Musica Baroque Orchestra provides just the right amount of instrumental support; present, but never overpowering.

Sebastian Hubner, Johannes Hill, and Jan Nerlitschka are all exceptional soloists, and they're well-recorded. This is sacred music designed for the chapel, not the concert hall. The performances are intimate and finely-crafted. 

In his lifetime, Graupner was as famous as Telemann, Bach, and Handel. Recordings like this help restore that reputation.

Recommended. 

Christoph Graupner: Easter Cantatas
Sebastian Hubner, tenor; Johannes Hill, bass; Jan Nerlitschka, alto
Capella Vocalis Boy's Choir
Pulchra Musica Baroque Orchestra; Christian Bonath, conductor
World Premiere Recordings
Capriccio C5411

Paul Wranitzky Orchestral Works worth a listen

Sure -- Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were the major figures in 1800s Vienna. But they were the only ones. Vienna was the center of the musical world, and talent came from all over. Like Paul Wranitzky from Moravia. 

He and his brother Anton found fame and fortune in Vienna. In the 1790s he contacted both royal theater orchestras. He was a preferred conductor of both Beethoven and Haydn. And he was a pretty good composer, too. 

This release is the first volume of Wranitzky's orchestral music. There will probably be many more. Wranitzky wrote over fifty symphonies plus a goodly number of concertos and overtures. A contemporary critic wrote that Wranitzky's music was popular "because of his natural melodies and brilliant style... His works held up very well in comparison with those of Haydn."

The works on this release support that assessment. It includes his "Coronation" symphony, written for the ascension of Franz II in 1792. It's big, it's grand -- and it's pretty darned tuneful. It does indeed compare favorably to Haydn's symphonies of the same year.

His Symphony in B-flat major, Op. 33, No. 1 was written in 1798. It exhibits depth and complexity on par with Haydn's "London" symphonies. It's a more serious work than the "Coronation" symphony and rewards careful listening. 

Also included are two of Wranitzky's opera overtures. Here he seems more inspired by Mozart than Haydn.

The Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice conducted by Marek Stilec deliver some fine performances. Wranitzky's music has an air of elegance and refinement. The orchestra honors that. Their readings have a light, transparent quality to them that still can elicit excitement when needs be. 

All of these works receive their world recording premiere with this release. Definitely looking forward to more undiscovered gems with volume 2. 

Paul Wranitzky: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Czech Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice; Marek Stilec, conductor
Naxos 8.574227

 

New release celebrates individual voice of Elisabetta Brusa

This installment in Naxos' series features two works by Elisabetta Brusa: her second symphony, and "Simply Largo." These are the same performers that recorded her first symphony in Volume Three, and the quality remains high. 

The Ulster Orchestra has a full yet open ensemble sound. The soloists (if not great) are very good, and Daniele Rustioni has clear ideas about where the music should take us.

Brusa's style has been characterized as Neo-Tonal, but I'd consider that an approximation. Her harmonies don't sound all that traditional. Perhaps it's that Brusa doesn't go out of her way to obliterate any sense of tonality. 

The Second Symphony follows a traditional four-movement form. Brusa's style keeps those traditional forms far in the background -- but not so far that they don't provide structure to the music. 

Kudos to the Ulster Orchestra's brass section. As Brusa notes in the booklet, she deliberately wrote their music in the highest register. The physical strain (even with professional players) to hit and maintain those notes give the symphony an edgy tension that's quite effective. 

"Simply Largo" is a totally different type of work. Here, Brusa creates what she calls a "song without words." The melody determines the form of the work. And it just flows. It's a beautiful work, and one that deserves to be heard more often, I think.

Both works receive their world recording premieres with this release. Now that they're available, I'd like to see them show up on classical radio playlists and perhaps even concert programs. 

Elisabetta Brusa: Orchestral Works Vol. 4
Symphony No. 2; Simply Largo
Ulster Orchestra; Daniele Rustioni, conductor
Naxos 8.574263