Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, and Webern

Two great reports on the music of Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff, both from Russia. Prokofiev, known for his piano music, chamber music, concertos, symphonies, and Peter and the Wolf. At the top of his game, his music is energetic, complex, expressive, and demonstrates a thorough knowledge of harmony, rhythm, and drama. At times though, his music lacks in originality, falling into a tonally predictive framework. Perhaps he was overly restricted by his own government and found himself trying to write music to please the leaders. We will never know, but it does seem that way at times. Don't forget to watch the cartoon of Peter and the Wolf! Great stuff and worth seeing. I feel sad to think of a generation that misses out on the gems of the film and music world! (pardon my old geezer tendency).

Rachmaninoff--wow. Cara covered this quite well. Stunningly beautiful melodies, long melodic lines, gripping emotion, powerful and rich harmonic language, all within a traditional Romantic model. He may have been "behind" times with his musical language, but he sure was good at it! Symphonies, concertos, chamber music, choral music, and piano music all glow with Romantic sensitivity. I would urge you to listen to the 2nd Symphony, Adagio and at least once a month to the 2nd Piano Concerto. Good for a "life" reflection moment!

I keep being drawn to the music of Webern. The more I hear and study, the more I like. Using pointillism, serialism, canon and counterpoint, he achieves a beauty of form and expression unlike any other composer. Very special music that is both complex and simple. The lack of a singable, lyrical melody is its charm, its power being that of the opaque and the transparent.

Okay, onward to Stravinsky, Hindemith, and Barok. We need to know a little bit about the Fibonacci series, the Hindemith language, and the 3 periods of Stravinsky. We also need to take some practice tests.

Don't forget that with Naxos, you have the entire "cultivated" repertoire at your fingertips. Go for it. Today is a Philip Glass day for me. What day is this for you?