Month: September 2024

Sibelius’ “The Bard”: Aftertones of the Skald

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Jean Sibelius’ 1913 tone poem, The Bard, Op. 64, inhabits a mysterious, desolate, and austere landscape which is reminiscent of the Fourth Symphony, composed two years earlier. In contrast with Sibelius’ other tone poems, which often relate to the Finnish folklore of the Kalevala, the brief, enigmatic work does not outline a narrative or scene. Instead, with its prominent use of the solo harp, the music evokes the poetry of the Skald, bards …

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Rachmaninov’s Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10: Longing for the Return

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The 1887 painting, Die Heimkehr (“The Homecoming” or “The Return”), by Swiss Symbolist Arnold Böcklin (1827–1901), shows a solitary figure seated with his back to a square reflecting pool. His attention is focused on a shadowy house with a single lit window. The late autumnal landscape suggests the falling veil of mortality, greeted with a blend of quiet anxiety, detachment, and inevitability. It was this painting which inspired Sergei Rachmaninov to write the …

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Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony: The Majesty of Melody

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Sergei Rachmaninov’s First Symphony was nearly his last. During the work’s disastrous premiere in Saint Petersburg on March 28, 1897, the 23-year-old composer hid in a backstage fire escape with his ears plugged as an under-rehearsed orchestra, led by an inebriated and disinterested Alexander Glazunov, desecrated the score. Catcalls erupted throughout the hall, and César Cui colorfully derided the new Symphony as music that would “delight the inhabitants of Hell.” The confidence-shattering …

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Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 449: Magically Peculiar

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In May of 1784, while reflecting on his three most recently completed piano concerti (Nos. 14, 15, and 16), Mozart insisted that he “could not choose between them,” but that “the one in E-flat [No. 14] does not belong at all to the same category. It is one of a quite peculiar kind…” Piano Concerto No. 14 in E-flat Major, K. 499 is intimate chamber music. Unlike Mozart’s later concerti, the wind …

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David Oistrakh Plays a Prokofiev Transcription: “Death of Juliet”

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Sergei Prokofiev’s 1935 ballet, Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, is scored for an immense orchestra. As the tragic story unfolds, youthful innocence, foreboding, darkness, and shimmering light all emerge on a vast canvas set with rich tonal colors. In this violin and piano arrangement, made by the Soviet-Russian violist, Vadim Borisovsky (1900-1972), all of this drama is condensed into two voices. The music comes from the ballet’s final scene, Death of Juliet. In …

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Osvaldo Golijov’s “Tenebrae”: Melismatic Echoes of Couperin

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In Western Christianity, Tenebrae occurs in the final days of the Holy Week, and commemorates the sufferings and death of Christ. It involves the gradual extinguishing of candles, leading to a void of darkness. Metaphorical darkness, light, and space formed the inspiration for Tenebrae, a 2002 chamber work by Argentine composer, Osvaldo Golijov (b. 1960). (The piece was originally scored for soprano, clarinet, and string quartet, and later adapted for strings alone). …

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Liszt’s “La Chapelle de Guillaume Tell” from “Années de Pèlerinage”: Horn Calls and Heroism

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During the 1830s, Franz Liszt embraced the romantic life of the medieval Troubadours. While in a relationship with the Countess Marie d’Agoult, Liszt wandered throughout the countryside of Switzerland and Italy, where he visited “places consecrated by history and poetry,” and found the “phenomena of nature” to be deeply stirring. These travels formed the inspiration for Années de pèlerinage (“Years of Pilgrimage”), a three-volume cycle of 26 pieces for solo piano. The …

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