Richard Strauss - Ein Heldenleben op 40
Ein Heldenleben (A Hero's Life), Op. 40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898. It was his eighth work in the genre, and exceeded any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands. Generally agreed to be autobiographical in nature, despite contradictory statements on the matter by the composer, the work contains more than thirty quotations from Strauss's earlier works, including Also sprach Zarathustra, Till Eulenspiegel, Don Quixote, Don Juan, and Death and Transfiguration.
Strauss began work on the piece while staying in a Bavarian mountain resort in July 1898. He proposed to write a heroic work in the mould of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony: "It is entitled 'A Hero's Life', and while it has no funeral march, it does have lots of horns, horns being quite the thing to express heroism. Thanks to the healthy country air, my sketch has progressed well and I hope to finish by New Year's Day."
Strauss worked on Ein Heldenleben and another tone poem, Don Quixote, during 1898. He regarded the two as complementary, saying they were conceived as "direct pendants" to one another. There was speculation before the premiere about the identity of the hero. Strauss was equivocal: he commented "I'm no hero: I'm not made for battle", and in a programme note he wrote that subject of the piece was "not a single poetical or historical figure, but rather a more general and free ideal of great and manly heroism." On the other hand, in the words of the critic Richard Freed:
The music, though, points stubbornly to its own author as its subject, and Strauss did concede, after all, in a remark to the writer Romain Rolland, that he found himself "no less interesting than Napoleon," and his gesture of conducting the premiere himself instead of leaving that honor to the respected dedicatee [i.e., Willem Mengelberg] may well be viewed as further confirmation of the work's self-congratulatory character.
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Antonio Vivaldi - Dixit Dominus
Antonio Vivaldi composed several settings of the Dixit Dominus (The Lord said [unto my Lord]), the Latin version of Psalm 110. They include a setting in ten movements for five soloists, double choir and orchestra, RV 594, another setting in eleven movements for five voices, five-part choir and orchestra, RV 595, and a recently discovered setting in eleven movements for five soloists, choir and orchestra, RV 807, which had been attributed to Baldassare Galuppi. It is said to be one of his "most significant sacred works."
There are three recorded compositions of Dixit Dominus – Psalm 110 in Latin (or Psalm 109 in the Vulgate) – by Vivaldi. Each is an extended setting of the vespers psalm for five soloists, choir and orchestra; one only having been identified as his work in 2005.
Psalm 110 is regularly included in Vespers services, usually as the opening psalm. Dixit Dominus has been said to be one of his "most significant sacred works".
1. Allegro: Dixit Dominus 2:24
2. Largo: Donec ponam 5:13
3. Allegro: Virgam virtutis tuae 2:57
4. Andante: Tecum principium 4:03
5. Adagio - Allegro: Juravit 2:47
6. Allegro: Dominus a dextris tuis 1:58
7. Largo - Allegro molto: Judicabit 3:20
8. Andante: De torrente 3:34
9. Allegro: Gloria Patri 1:29
10. Allegro: Sicut erat 2:42
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Robert Schumann - Piano Concerto Op. 54
The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54, by the German Romantic composer Robert Schumann was completed in 1845 and is the composer's only piano concerto. The complete work was premiered in Dresden on 4 December 1845. It is one of the most widely performed and recorded piano concertos from the Romantic period.
Schumann had worked on several piano concertos earlier. He began one in E-flat major in 1828, from 1829–31 he worked on one in F major, and in 1839, he wrote one movement of a concerto in D minor. None of these works were completed.
Already on 10 January 1833, Schumann first expressed the idea of writing a Piano Concerto in A minor. In a letter to his future father-in-law, Friedrich Wieck, he wrote: "I think the piano concerto must be in C major or in A minor." From 17–20 May 1841, Schumann wrote a fantasy for piano and orchestra, his Phantasie in A minor. Schumann tried unsuccessfully to sell this one-movement piece to publishers. In August 1841 and January 1843 Schumann revised the piece, but was unsuccessful. His wife Clara, an accomplished pianist, then urged him to expand it into a full piano concerto. In 1845 he added the Intermezzo and Allegro vivace to complete the work. It remained the only piano concerto that Schumann finished.
The premiere of the first movement (Phantasie) took place on 13 August 1841 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig with Clara Schumann as the soloist. The complete three-movement version was premiered in Dresden on 4 December 1845, again with Clara Schumann, and the dedicatee Ferdinand Hiller as the conductor. Less than a month later, on 1 January 1846, the concerto was performed in Leipzig, conducted by Felix Mendelssohn.
After this concerto, Schumann wrote two other pieces for piano and orchestra: the Introduction and Allegro Appassionato in G major, Op. 92, and the Introduction and Allegro Concertante in D minor, Op. 134.
1. Allegro affettuoso
2. Intermezzo: Andantino grazioso
3. Allegro vivace
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Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 (Romantic) Op. 85
Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major (WAB 104) is one of the composer's most popular works. It was written in 1874 and revised several times through 1888. It was dedicated to Prince Konstantin of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst. It was premiered in 1881 by Hans Richter in Vienna to great acclaim.
The symphony's nickname of "Romantic" was used by the composer himself. This was at the height of the Romantic movement in the arts as depicted, amongst others, in the operas Lohengrin and Siegfried of Richard Wagner.
According to Albert Speer, the symphony was performed before the fall of Berlin, in a concert on 12 April 1945. Speer chose the symphony as a signal that the Nazis were about to lose the war.
1. Bewegt, nicht zu schnell
2. Andante, quasi allegretto
3. Scherzo. Bewegt - Trio: Nicht zu schnell
4. Finale: Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell
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Antonín Dvořák - Violin Concerto in a minor Op. 53
The Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 53 (B.108), is a concerto for violin and orchestra composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1879. It was premiered in Prague in 1883 by František Ondříček, who also gave the Vienna and London premieres. Today it remains an important work in the violin repertoire.
1. Allegro ma non troppo
2. Adagio ma non troppo
3. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo
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Georg Philipp Telemann (was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family's wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld, and Hildesheim, Telemann entered the University of Leipzig to study law, but eventually settled on a career in music. He held important positions in Leipzig, Sorau, Eisenach, and Frankfurt before settling in Hamburg in 1721, where he became musical director of that city's five main churches. While Telemann's career prospered, his personal life was always troubled: his first wife died only a few months after their marriage, and his second wife had extramarital affairs and accumulated a large gambling debt before leaving him.
Telemann is one of the most prolific composers in history[1] (at least in terms of surviving oeuvre)[2] and was considered by his contemporaries to be one of the leading German composers of the time—he was compared favorably both to his friend Johann Sebastian Bach, who made Telemann the godfather and namesake of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel, and to George Frideric Handel, whom Telemann also knew personally. As part of his duties, he wrote a considerable amount of music for educating organists under his direction. This includes 48 chorale preludes and 20 small fugues (modal fugues) to accompany his chorale harmonizations for 500 hymns. His music incorporates French, Italian, and German national styles, and he was at times even influenced by Polish popular music. He remained at the forefront of all new musical tendencies, and his music stands as an important link between the late Baroque and early Classical styles. The Telemann Museum in Hamburg is dedicated to him.
Georg Philipp Telemann
Essercizii Musici
Part A (12 Solo sonatas)
1. Violin Sonata, TWV 41:F4
3. Flute Sonata, TWV 41:D9
5. Viola da Gamba Sonata, TWV 41:a6
7. Recorder Sonata, TWV 41:d4
9. Oboe Sonata, TWV 41:B6
11. Suite in C major, TWV 32:3
13. Violin Sonata, TWV 41:A6
15. Flute Sonata, TWV 41:G9
17. Viola da gamba Sonata, TWV 41:e5
19. Recorder Sonata, TWV 41:C5
21. Oboe Sonata, TWV 41:e6
23. Suite in C major, TWV 32:3
Part B (12 Trio sonatas)
2. Trio No.1 for Recorder, Oboe, Continuo, TWV 42:c2
4. Trio No.2 for Viola da gamba, Cembalo, Continuo, TWV 42:G6
6. Trio No.3 for Violin, Oboe, Continuo, TWV 42:g5
8. Trio No.4 for Flute, Cembalo, Continuo, TWV 42:A6
10. Trio No.5 for Violin, Recorder, Continuo, TWV 42:a4
12. Trio No.6 for Flute, Viola da gamba, Continuo, TWV 42:h4
14. Trio No.7 for Recorder, Viol, Continuo, TWV 42:F3
16. Trio No.8 for Recorder, Cembalo, Continuo, TWV 42:B4
18. Trio No.9 for Flute, Violin, Cello, Continuo, TWV 42:E4
20. Trio No.10 for Violin, Viola da gamba, Continuo, TWV 42:D9
22. Trio No.11 for Flute, Oboe, Continuo, TWV 42:d4
24. Trio No.12 for Oboe, Cembalo, Continuo, TWV 42:Es3
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Heinrich Schütz - 6 Doppelchorigen motetten
Heinrich Schütz (8 October 8 October] 1585 – 6 November 1672) was a German composer and organist, generally regarded as the most important German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as one of the most important composers of the 17th century. He is credited with bringing the Italian style to Germany and continuing its evolution from the Renaissance into the Early Baroque. Most of his music we have today was written for the Lutheran church, primarily for the Electoral Chapel in Dresden. He wrote what is traditionally considered to be the first German opera, Dafne, performed at Torgau in 1627, the music of which has since been lost, along with nearly all of his ceremonial and theatrical scores.
He is commemorated as a musician in the Calendar of Saints of some North American Lutheran churches on 28 July with Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel.
1. Herr, unser, Herrscher 4:33
2. Ach Herr, staf mich nicht in deinem Zorn 5:34
3. Unser Herr Jesus Christus 8:42
4. Cantate Domino 3:17
5. Ich freu mich des 5:47
6. Deutsches Magnificat 7:48
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Anton Bruckner - Mass No. 3 (Grosse Messe)
The Mass No. 3 in F minor, WAB 28, by Anton Bruckner is a setting of the mass ordinary for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, and organ ad libitum.
After the 1867 success of his Mass No. 1 in D minor, Bruckner was commissioned "to write a new Mass for the Burgkapelle." Bruckner wrote the first version between Septembers 1867–1868 in Linz (just before his move to Vienna).
The first rehearsals, conducted by Johann Herbeck at the court church, the Augustinerkirche, took place in 1868 or 1869, but "were badly attended by orchestral players" and were "generally unsuccessful." Ultimately, Herbeck found the mass "too long and unsingable." After various delays, the mass was finally premiered on June 16, 1872, at the Augustinerkirche, with Bruckner himself conducting. Herbeck changed his opinion of the piece, claiming to know only two masses: this one and Beethoven's Missa solemnis. Franz Liszt and even Eduard Hanslick praised the piece. A second performance occurred in the Hofmusikkapelle on 8 December 1873. The manuscript is archived at the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.
After the third performance (30 July 1876), Bruckner made slight revisions on the Kyrie and the Gloria, and in 1877 on the Credo. He made a further revision on the Credo in 1881, in preparation for performances at the Hofkapelle, mainly to address "difficulties of execution",but also to take into account what he had learned from studying Mozart's Requiem, correcting some instances of parallel octaves if not justified by Mozart's example. In some later performances, Bruckner was in the organ loft rather than on the podium.
In a letter to Siegfried Ochs of 14 April 1895, the composer wrote:
Der Bruckner wird alt und möchte doch so gern noch die F-Moll '[Messe]' hören! Bitte, bitte! Das wäre der Höhepunkt meines Lebens. Aber dann manches anders als die Partitur! Bei Des-Dur im Credo: 'Deum vero de Deo' bitte 'Organo pleno'! Nicht Register sparen!
Translation: Bruckner is growing old and would very much like to live to hear the F minor [Mass]! Please, please! That would be the climax of my life. But then much is to be different from the score! In the D♭ major of the Credo: Deum verum de Deo, please, Organo Pleno! Spare not on the registers!.
In the 1890s Bruckner was still revising the work, but there were very few changes made to the vocal parts after 1868. At a November 1893 performance of this mass, Johannes Brahms "applauded ... so enthusiastically ... that Bruckner personally thanked him."
The composer dedicated the piece to Hofrat Anton Ritter von Imhof-Geißlinghof at "the last minute." Leopold Nowak, however, believed that the piece was actually dedicated to conductor Johann Herbeck.
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Benedictus
6. Agnus Dei
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Antonio Vivaldi - Introduzione al Dixit
An introduzione is a motet for solo voice intended to be sung before certain choral settings of liturgical texts. Eight introduzioni by Antonio Vivaldi survive, each in three or four movements. The texts of introduzioni are non-liturgical, but sometimes paraphrases of liturgical texts. In the Ryom Verzeichnis, Vivaldi's introduzioni are numbered from RV 635–642.
Vivaldi's introduzioni are written for a solo singer, either alto or soprano, accompanied by instruments. The musical structure seems to derive from the text: four of the eight (RV 635, 636, 637, and 642) consist of two arias in da capo form surrounding a central recitative. One (RV 638) has a central aria flanked by two recitatives; another (RV 640) has just two movements – recitative then aria – and a third (RV 641) has four movements (two recitatives, aria, recitative). The remaining one (RV 639) has the structure 'aria-recitative-aria' but Vivaldi interwove the second aria into the first movement of the liturgical work which followed it - the Gloria (RV 588).
1. Allegro: Canta in prato 4:34
2. Recitativo: Sacra fulgescit nobis 0:49
3. Allegro: Avenae restrictae sinceri 0:52
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The Gloria by Francis Poulenc, FP 177, scored for soprano solo, large orchestra, and chorus, is a setting of the Gloria text from the mass ordinary. One of Poulenc's most celebrated works, it was commissioned by the Koussevitsky Foundation in honor of Sergei Koussevitzky and his wife Natalia, the namesakes of the foundation.
Gloria was premiered on 21 January 1961 in Boston, Massachusetts by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Chorus Pro Musica under conductor Charles Münch with Adele Addison as soloist. The first recording (also in 1961), for EMI, was conducted by Georges Prêtre, under the supervision of the composer, with Rosanna Carteri as the soloist. Among later recordings of the music, the RCA Victor recording by the Robert Shaw Chorale in 1965 won a Grammy Award for the "Best Choral Performance."
Francis Poulenc
Gloria
1. I Gloria 2:57
2. II Laudamus te 3:07
3. III Domine Deus 4:35
4. IV Domine Fili Unigenite 1:20
5. V Domine Deus, Agnus Dei 6:27
6. VI Qui sades ad dexteram Patris 6:37
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