#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque Week 2

 The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the second week, I focused on composers of the Middle Baroque, running from about 1650 to 1700.

09/09/24 Mlle Bocquet (early 17th century–after 1660): Allemande in D minor

We're not sure of her first name. But this 1660s lutenist wrote ground-breaking music for her instrument. And was a celebrity in Paris.

 

09/10/24 Simon Ives (1600–1662): The Triumph of Peace

Ives was an organist and composer serving in the court of Charles I. He wrote several part-songs (or glees) that were printed in various collections of the day.

 

09/11/24 Elisabeth Sophie, Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg (1613–1676): Dieses ist das Furstenhaous

Elisabeth Sophie was a talented musician who ensured her husband's court attracted talented musicians, like Heinrich Schutz. The 30 Years War forced her to relocate and rebuild her orchestra.

 

09/12/24 Giovanni Antonio Rigatti (c. 1613–1648): Dixit Dominus a 8

Rigatti was a choirmaster at Udine Cathedral. He published 11 volumes of vocal music, mostly sacred.

 

09/13/24 John IV of Portugal (1603–1656): Crux Fidelis

John IV was a great patron of the arts, and a composer himself. None of his music seems to have survived. Crux Fidelis is credited to him, but most scholars now agree it's a 19th-century forgery.

 

Daugherty: Harp of Ages - One of his best

Executive brief: another great Michael Daugherty composition for hard-core fans and non-classical listeners alike. Need a bit more info? Keep reading.

"Harp of Ages" is a concerto written for Courtney Hershey Bress. Bress is the principal harpist for the Colorado Symphony. This recording features the soloist and the orchestra that commissioned the work. And it's Daugherty gold. 

Daugherty has a gift for blending multiple genres into a cohesive and engaging whole. His works are often good-humored. And he includes plenty of pop culture references to reward the alert listener. 

In this case, Daugherty presents the harp through the ages. Each of the seven movements shows the harp in a different role. The opening movement harkens back to ancient Greece, and the instrument's mythic origins. 

The second pays tribute to Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, a Mexican nun and composer of the late 1600s. Other movements reference King David of the Bible, Harpo Marx, and two pioneering jazz harpists, Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. 

My favorite movement is "Uhurua's Harp." Trekkies know that in "Charlie X," (Season 1, Episode 2) Urura sings an improvised song accompanied by Spock on the Vulcan harp. Daugherty's movement turns it into a joyful dance.  And he French Horn occasionally plays Alexander Courage's signature "Star Trek" motif. 

The finale, "Irish Wedding" is a real barnburner. Daugherty serves up Turlogh O'Carolan. Then mixes it with Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" and a dash of Mendelssohn's "Wedding March." It's a rollicking celebration and a real showpiece for the harp. 

Bress is a first-rate harpist, and really delivers here. Daugherty's music has real substance to it, but one has to strike the right emotional balance. Sometimes it's serious and heart-felt. Sometimes it's funny, satirical, or even ironic. When it's done well, Daugherty's music is magical. 

And it's done well here. Andrew Litton ably leads the Colorado Symphony in an inspired performance. Daugherty's music is indeed for everyone, regardless of their depth of classical knowledge. It's just that good. And "Harp of Ages" is one of his best.

Michael Daugherty: Harp of Ages
Courtney Hershey Bress, harp
Colorado Symphony; Andrew Litton, conductor
Naxos 9.70365

De Hartmann Rediscovered Revives Two Masterworks

I admit I was a little judgemental when I received this album for review. The title "Thomas de Hartmann, Rediscovered" put me off. Rediscovered? Where had these guys been? I'd already reviewed two de Hartmann releases from Toccata Classics. 

I should have remembered the adage about books and their covers.

The Thomas de Hartmann Project coordinated this release.  It was the same organization behind the Toccata Classics releases. And were responsible for three albums from the Nimbus Alliance (which I wasn't aware of). So if the album title attracts more listeners to de Hartmann's music, then all the better. 

Thomas de Hartmann was a Ukranian composer who enjoyed an international career. He studied with Anton Arensky, Sergei Taneyev, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Russian Romanticism provided a foundation for his music in the beginning. 

But de Hartmann soon grew beyond it, though. He incorporated Ukrainian folk traditions, mixed with Impressionism, Modernism, and jazz. 

The Cello Concerto was composed in 1935. De Hartmann cites Klezmer music as one of his inspirations. There are no direct quotes. But his melodic contours and harmonic movement pay homage to the style. Matt Haimovitz performs this work with loving care.

De Hartmann said later he wrote the concerto for his Jewish friends suffering Nazi persecution. That was quite an unusual -- and dangerous -- stance to take in 1935 Germany.  Haimovitz's playing evokes a feeling of longing and quiet, desperate hope.

The Violin concerto was composed in 1943. The oppression de Hartmann witnessed in 1935 was now experienced first-hand. He dedicated the work surreptitiously to Jewish violinist Albert Bloch. Bloch was in hiding at the time, evading capture in Vichy France.

De Hartmann described it as "the Klezmer concerto." And so it is -- if you listen carefully. Superficially it appears to be a modern, modelly-constructed work. The melodies have a folk-like quality to them. If you know the context, the references become clear.

Joshua Bell delivers a thrilling performance. His technique leans into the concerto's Klezmer origins. The music no longer has to hide its roots. Bell plays with energy and enthusiasm. 

These are major works created during a time of war and repression. And the violin concerto was recorded in a similar circumstance. The INSO-Lviv Symphony Orchestra had to journey to Warsaw for the sessions. Lviv was under siege by Russian invaders. 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has had one unintended consequence. It's prompted an international interest in Ukrainian music. Which has given the Thomas de Hartmann Project major support. Support to produce albums like this. 

These two works by Thomas de Hartmann await your discovery. And they are masterworks, indeed.  

Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered
Joshua Bell, violin; Lviv National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra; Dalia Stasevska, conductor
Matt Haimovitz, cello; MDR-Rundfunkorchester; Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
Pentatone PTC5187076

#ClassicsaDay #AltBaroque

The Classics a Day team offers a unique challenge for September. Participants are to share music from the Baroque Era on their social media posts. What makes this a challenge is to avoid the big names. So no Bach, Handel, or Vivaldi. (And no Pachelbel's Canon). 

The Baroque Era ushered a sea change in musical styles from the Renaissance. Church modes gave way to major and minor keys (still in use today). Linear polyphony was replaced by a melody with chordal harmony. Viols were traded in for violins. New forms of music were developed: operas, oratorios, cantatas, and sonatas. 

 Many composers contributed to that development -- many more than the Big Three. Here are my posts for this #AltClassical challenge. For the first week, I focused on composers of the Early Baroque, running from about 1590 to 1650.

09/02/24 Pavel Spongopaeus Jistebnický (1550–1619): Králi nad králi, Pane

Jistebnický was one of the most prolific composers of the early Baroque. Over 60 works by this Czech composer have survived, but only one is complete enough to perform. 

 

09/03/24 Jean de Bournonville (1585–1632): Laudate pueri Dominum

De Bournonville was an organist and composer active in early 1600s France. He was director of music at the Sainte-Chapelle du Palais. He wrote sacred choral works, including at least 19 masses. 

 

09/04/24 Heinrich Schütz (1585–1672): Musikalische Exequien, Op. 7

In 1612 Schütz went to Venice and studied with Giovanni Gabrieli. He returned to Germany, bringing Italian Baroque ideas with him. Schütz was the most important composer of Protestant sacred music before J.S. Bach. 

 

09/05/24 Peeter Cornet (c. 1570/1580–1633): Tantum Ergo

Very few of Cornet's music survives. However, in the early Baroque era, this Flemish organist was regarded as one of the best keyboard composers of his day.

 

09/06/24 Nicolò Corradini (c. 1585–1646): Spargite flores

Corradini was kappellmeister for the Cremona Cathedral. He served as organist to Tarquinio Merula, one of the original proponents of the Venetian school that launched the Baroque style.

 

 

Claudio Santoro Symphonies Revel in Brazilian Sound

This is the fourth volume in Naxo's traversal of Claudio Santoro's symphonies. And I'd say it's about the halfway point. This Brazilian composer wrote 14 symphonies. With this volume, seven are now available.

The Goias Philharmonic is ably directed by Niel Thomson. Santoro wrote challenging music. And he saturated these compositions with the musical language of Brazil. 

So it's not enough to play the notes. Musicians have to feel the music to bring out the subtext. And that's what Thomas and the Goias Philharmonic deliver. 

The works on this album document Santoro's turn from serialism to nationalism. The 1951 "Canto de Amor e Paz" marked the change. There are some Brazilian elements present. But the work has a more cosmopolitan character.

That changes with the 1953 Symphony No. 4, "Sinfonia da Paz." The music is energetic, celebratory, and enthusiastically Brazilian. That's also the case with the concise Symphony No. 6 from 1957. Although here the Brazilian elements are reigned in slightly. 

Also included is the Choro Concertante for Tenor Saxophone (1951) and the Fantasia for Violin (1959). Both show Santoro's skill in solo instrument writing. He provides idiomatic and engaging music for each instrument. And both embued with Santoro's nationalist style.   

I recommend this release to anyone not familiar with Santoro. These works illustrate the essence of his style. That style evolved. But his Brazilian heritage can be most clearly heard in these works. Looking forward to volume five! 

Claudio Santoro: Symphonies Nos. 4 and 6
Choro Concertante for Saxophone; Fantasia for Violin
Pedro Bittencourt, tenor saxophone; Emmanuele Baldini, violin
Goiânia Symphony Choir
Goiás Philharmonic Orchestra, Neil Thomson, conductor
Naxos 8.57472