Spam Roundup September, 2020

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.

Say what?

Something definitely got lost in the translation in this set.

 - Any intercommunicate you earlier they still purchased the component in your endeavor can be an informed termination.

 - No sure formula existed, everyone would be wishful of some other's mortal.

 - Forbid the near ability to see the results of your cheeks. regain the gross iciness. [I hate that feeling of gross iciness.] 

 - Know your rights as a condom fasten box. [OK, that's enough. Let's move on.]

Here's the vehicle that apparently has
 touched the hearts of users worldwide.

"Lumbering along" still a hit

The brief post I published about a cheap Japanese toy still brings in the most fake comments. The Straco Express Layout, Part 23 - Lumbering Along certainly was never that popular among real people online.

 - This site certainly has all of the information and facts I needed concerning this subject and didn't know who to ask [I don't think anyone was asking.]

I am sure this article has touched all the internet users. [Well, all the artificial ones, anyway.]

Words to live by

But sometimes, even the spambots get it right.

 - You hold the potency for a national leader complex contracts and policies.

I'll need some time to figure out how best to use that potency. In the meantime, keep wishing for some other's mortal.

Elisaveta Blumina reveals the essence of Mieczyslaw Weinberg

This marks the seventh recording of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music by Elisaveta Blumina. And, in my opinion, her performances remain just as true to Weinberg's personality as they did in the first. 

The release features Weinberg's Piano Quintet, one of his most successful -- and authentic -- works. Weinberg composed the work in 1944, while Soviet authorities were paying closer attention to the war effort than the arts. (That would change very soon.) 

Weinberg, in part, emulates his friend and mentor Dmitri Shostakovich. The structure follows that of Shostakovich's own Piano Quintet. But the melodies -- and impudent harmonies -- are pure Weinberg. 

Matthias Bauer recasts the work as one for piano and strings, which greatly changes the dynamic. Instead of five players on equal footing, we have an ensemble and a solo instrument. Without changing the notes, the work becomes a piano concertino. 

It works well in this format. Especially with Blumina as soloist. Her playing is as mercurial as Weinberg's music. In her hands, the piano can sound sarcastic, sentimental, angry, restless, or playful. 

And that facility to not only change moods but give them subtle inflections is equally effective in her performances of the Children's Notebooks. Although supposedly written for children, these pieces are not for beginners! Blumina makes these miniatures sparkle with her playing. 

Another great addition to the growing catalog of Mieczyslaw Weinberg's music. 

Mieczyslaw Weinberg: Piano Quintet, Op. 18 (orchestral version by Matthais Bauer)
Children's Notebooks, Op. 16 & 19
Elisaveta Blumina, piano
Georgian Chamber Orchestra Ingolstadt; Ruben Gazarian, conductor
Capriccio CS366

Beethoven Cantatas show early promise

Leif Segerstam's cycle of Beethoven choral works continues with some of his earliest compositions. In 1790, the nineteen-year-old Beethoven was a court musician in Bonn. He was commissioned to write two cantatas.

Basically, it was "the king is dead, long live the king." The first cantata was to mourn the death of the recently deceased Emperor Joseph II of Austria. The second (logically) to celebrate the crowning of Leopold II. 

Oddly, neither work was performed, and the cantata only came to light in the 1880s. So what does teenage Beethoven sound like? Beethoven. 

The Emperor Joseph cantata foreshadows the brooding and stormy passages of the adult Beethoven. I heard parts that reminded me of his oratorio, choruses from "Fidelio," and elements of the Sixth Symphony.

The Leopold cantata foreshadows the happier Beethoven. In this case, the finales of several symphonies (like the Ninth), and the Choral Fantasy.

These cantatas don't have the depth of any of those mature works. But there's no mistaking who wrote them -- and the immense talent already at his command. 

Leif Segerstam conducts some impassioned performances. I suspect they sound better here than they ever would have in 1790 Bonn.    

Ludwig van Beethoven
Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II
Cantanta on the Accession of Leopold II
Reetta Haavisto, Johann Lehesvuori, sopranos; Thomas Katajala, tenor; Juha Kotilainen, Niklas Spangberg, bass
Chorus Cathedralis Aboensis; Key Ensemble
Turku Philharmonic Orchestra; Leif Segerstam, conductor
Naxos 8.574077

  

#ClassicsaDay #ClassicalBubble Week 4

This month's Classics a Day theme follows a trend. In May 2020 we were sheltering in place. The theme was #ClassicalDistancing -- music for unusual solo instruments best played at home. In June, social bubbles were allowed, and so the theme #ClassicalBubble called for duos. Again, for unusual instruments best played at home.

This month we ease the restrictions even further with a theme of trios. Trios for unusual instruments etc., etc. Here are my selections for the fourth week of the expanded #ClassicalBubble.

09/21/20 Sergei Rachmaninoff - Two pieces for Piano Six Hands

Rachmaninoff was just 17 when he wrote these works for three sisters: Natalya, Lyudmila, and Vera Skalon. The piece was written for intermediate players, making getting everyone seated on the same stool perhaps the biggest challenge.

09/22/20 Vaclav Nelhybel - Tuba Trio Ludus

Nelybel wrote this work in 1975. It is indeed for three tubas, each alternating roles as soloist and accompanists.

09/23/20 Paul Hindemith: Trio for pianoforte, viola, and heckelphone, Op. 47

Hindemith discovered the heckelphone while visiting the inventor's shop to buy a bassoon. The instrument, sort of a bass oboe, never really caught on, and tenor sax is often substituted for it.

09/24/20 Alexander Scriabin: Etude Op. 2 No. 1 for theremin, cello, and piano

Leo Theremin invented his eponymous instrument in 1928. Two antennas translate hand motions into sound. One antenna determines pitch, and the second controls volume.

09/25/20 Anon. Sir John Packington's Pavan for viol trio

Renaissance stringed instruments performed in many different combinations. Many upper-class families had a chest of viols, containing six -- a pair of treble, tenor, and bass instruments.

Kaveli Aho chamber music distill composer's essence

Finnish composer is best known for his large-scale orchestral compositions. And that, to me, made this release of chamber music all the more interesting. What happens when an artist who's used to creating massive soundscapes with a host of timbres is reduced to a few instruments? 

For the best composers (like Aho), the process simply distills their creativity into a potent concentrate. 

What impressed me most about these works was the apparent change in harmonic aesthetics. Densely-layered harmonies were replaced by sparse -- yet still complex -- chords. 

One of the most obvious examples is the 2016 Piano Sonata No. 2 "Hommage á Beethoven." Aho starts with themes from the "Hammerklavier" sonata. The motifs are deconstructed and transformed, at times approaching the density of Aho's orchestral writing.

The work requires a great deal of virtuosity and Sonja Fräki delivers. Her doctorial dissertation was on Aho's piano music, and he composed this work for her. In her playing, I heard the perfect blend of composer intent and performer understanding. It's a standout.

 Aho is both a skilled violinist and pianist. His works for solo violin require much from the performer. Jaako Kuusito performs with assuredness and empathy. 

"In memoriam, Pehr Henrick Noodgern" is suitably elegiac. The Violin Sonata is inspired by Bach, and Kuusito shifts his performance style accordingly. His playing both evokes the past while remaining true to Aho's contemporary writing. 

Also included are other works, such as the Prelude, Toccata, and Postlude for cello and piano. Samuili Peltronen digs right into the meaty cello part, seemingly relishing its many challenges (and delivering some darned fine music-making in the process). 

Whether you're familiar with Aho's orchestral compositions or reading about the composer for the first time, this is a release worth exploring.

Kalevi Aho: Chamber Music 

Samuli Peltonen, cello; Sonja Fräki, piano; Jaakko Kuusisto, Pekka Kuusisto, violin 

BIS