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illyrialady
Добавлен 29 май 2010
Extinction Rebellion at the Opera
Extinction Rebellion At The Opera targets Wells Fargo. Wells Fargo is the season sponsor at the SF Opera, 2019-2020 season. Hansel and Gretel have a bigger problem now, and Wells Fargo is one of the causes. The music recording in this video and the lyrics are the property of Lucymarie Ruth, and are used with her permission.
Performance of Evening Prayer from Hansel & Gretel by
At the Opera Affinity Group, Extinction Rebellion,
San Francisco Bay Area chapter, December 7, 2019
Filmed on location in front of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House just prior to a performance of Hansel & Gretel inside.
Lucymarie Ruth - producer
Sophia Santulli - the voice of Gretel
Maxina Ventura - the voice of ...
Performance of Evening Prayer from Hansel & Gretel by
At the Opera Affinity Group, Extinction Rebellion,
San Francisco Bay Area chapter, December 7, 2019
Filmed on location in front of the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House just prior to a performance of Hansel & Gretel inside.
Lucymarie Ruth - producer
Sophia Santulli - the voice of Gretel
Maxina Ventura - the voice of ...
Просмотров: 301
Видео
Josquin - Absalon, fili mi - transcribed for 2 French horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1347 лет назад
Absalon, fili mi by Josquin Desprez transcribed for 2 French horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Missa Mi-Mi - [complete] - transcribed for 2 horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1747 лет назад
Missa Mi-Mi [complete] 1. Kyrie 2. Gloria 3. Credo 4. Sanctus 5. Agnus Dei by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for 2 French horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth 1. Kyrie 1st Kyrie eleison starts at 00:10 Christe eleison starts at 00:47 2nd Kyrie eleison starts at 01:18 2. Gloria In Excelsis Deo Et in terra pax starts at 02:12 Qui tollis peccata mundi starts at 04:47 3. Credo In Unum Deum Patrem ...
Ockeghem - Fors seulement l'actente - transcribed for flute, clarinet, and viola by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1697 лет назад
Fors seulement l’actente by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for Flute, B-flat Clarinet, and Viola by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Ma bouche rit - transcribed for horn, bassoon, cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1177 лет назад
Ma bouche rit by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for French horn, bassoon, and cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Ma bouche rit - transcribed for clarinet, horn, and cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1717 лет назад
Ma bouche rit by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for clarinet, French horn, and cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Missa Mi- Mi - Agnus Dei - transcribed for 2 horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1437 лет назад
Agnus Dei from the Missa Mi-Mi by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for 2 French horns and 2 bassoons by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Prenez sur moi - transcribed for oboe, bassoon, and viola by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1787 лет назад
Prenez sur moi a canon in 3 voices by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for oboe, bassoon, and viola by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Au travail suis - transcribed for oboe, bassoon, cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 767 лет назад
Au travail suis by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for Oboe, Bassoon, and Cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Au travail suis - transcribed for 3 violas by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 847 лет назад
Au travail suis by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for 3 violas by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Au travail suis - transcribed for clarinet, horn, viola by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1287 лет назад
Au travail suis by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for Clarinet in B-flat, French Horn, and Viola
Ockeghem - Ma maistresse - transcribed for viola, bassoon, cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 837 лет назад
Ma maistresse by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for viola, bassoon, and cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Ockeghem - Presque transi - transcribed for viola, bassoon, cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Просмотров 1567 лет назад
Presque transi by Johannes Ockeghem transcribed for viola, bassoon, and cello by Lucymarie Ruth
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564
Просмотров 2137 лет назад
Bach Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564 Carl Weinrich, playing the organ of Vårfrukyrka in Skänninge, Sweden Westminster XWN 18260
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582
Просмотров 5777 лет назад
Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582 Carl Weinrich, playing the organ of Vårfrukyrka in Skänninge, Sweden Westminster XWN 18260
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Просмотров 7407 лет назад
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, BWV 565
Beveridge Webster plays Beethoven Piano Sonata 29 in B flat major, Op 106 Hammerklavier
Просмотров 2,7 тыс.7 лет назад
Beveridge Webster plays Beethoven Piano Sonata 29 in B flat major, Op 106 Hammerklavier
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540
Просмотров 4557 лет назад
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540
Beveridge Webster plays Elliott Carter "Piano Sonata"
Просмотров 4747 лет назад
Beveridge Webster plays Elliott Carter "Piano Sonata"
Ockeghem "Missa Mi-Mi" performed by Berkeley Chamber Singers, Tikey Zes, conductor
Просмотров 1 тыс.7 лет назад
Ockeghem "Missa Mi-Mi" performed by Berkeley Chamber Singers, Tikey Zes, conductor
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Aria in F Major S 587 on organ of Varfrukyrka
Просмотров 4677 лет назад
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Aria in F Major S 587 on organ of Varfrukyrka
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Trio Sonata #5 in C Major S 529 at the organ at Varfrukyrka in Skänninge,
Просмотров 3867 лет назад
Carl Weinrich plays Bach Trio Sonata #5 in C Major S 529 at the organ at Varfrukyrka in Skänninge,
Brahms Quintet in B Minor for Clarinet and Strings, Op 115
Просмотров 1607 лет назад
Brahms Quintet in B Minor for Clarinet and Strings, Op 115
Schubert Auf dem Strom performed by Richard Lewis, Dennis Brain and Ernest Lush 1954
Просмотров 13 тыс.7 лет назад
Schubert Auf dem Strom performed by Richard Lewis, Dennis Brain and Ernest Lush 1954
The Tiger - composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for organ
Просмотров 36011 лет назад
The Tiger - composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for organ
Blessed Winds - composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for woodwind octet
Просмотров 65311 лет назад
Blessed Winds - composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for woodwind octet
The Lone Wild Bird - by Lucymarie Ruth - for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
Просмотров 3,2 тыс.11 лет назад
The Lone Wild Bird - by Lucymarie Ruth - for flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon
"The Tiger" composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for strings
Просмотров 56211 лет назад
"The Tiger" composed by Lucymarie Ruth - for strings
The complete - ? - recording of Bach's works on this Neobaroque Marcussen organ was very worthy: one important thing described by one of my friends is that, in the trio-sonatas, he always played the repeats when indicated. I only regret the way he performed the BWV 565, 552, 538, and 566 on the Holtkamp organ of the General Theological Seminary.
Wow that was out of this world 😮
I couldn't imagine anything more beautiful
Beveridge Webster *1908 a worthy pupil of Artur Schnabel mocked at the too slow speed of Wilhelm Kempf's playing because of his lack of pianistic craftsmanship. Webster manages the first fugue of the 4th movement with aweinspiring 4'44 minutes. Listen from 29:34 . You should also compare with Hj Lim 4'46 minutes and the young German pianistic superstar Laetitia Hahn with an astronomic overspeed of 4'34 minutes. Additionally conductors like John Eliot Gardiner and Roger Norrington proclaimed together with HJ Lim the correctness of Beethoven's indications. Beethoven became deaf but he was not goof!
sublimely beautiful. thank you. And the tempo is perfect
Great playing! But why doesn't he play the repeat in the first movement?
He does, at 2:03
Excellent, I never hear this lovely performance!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Brain truly great. I have the pleasure of doing it with a soprano, very nice as well.
Right tempi or not, I prefer Richter.
Very nice transcription, almost sounds like a midi file, I always enjoyed the way the orchestral strings sounded on midi.
Thank you. I decided on the instrumentation, and then input the notes into the Sibelius music editing program, specifying the instrumentation that I desired. It was simplicity itself. Then I used the program to generate the resulting WAV file. I'm glad you liked my choices.
Dear illyrialady Nice! Your videos should be seen by more viewers. May I repost your channel without changing anything on the clean platform named Gan Jing World? Thank you!
I appreciate your interest in my RUclips channel. Regardless of how I feel about your request, it is against RUclips policy to repost RUclips videos anywhere else. You certainly may share the links to my videos with anyone you wish. I would appreciate that. Best wishes, Lucymarie Ruth.
No matter how much I browse throught youtube, i always come back to this video Probably the best interpretation of this piece here Musically and technically amazing The tempo at the first movement is just perfect (finally some performance on youtube who is actually able to reach beethovens markings)
seems the tinest bit too fast
Nice, Lucy! Very impressive use of your creative gifts. We need more of this social advocacy! Thanks for sharing!
Un critique de l époque avait reproche a Beethoven la proximité des crocodiles et des colombes dans la 2° symphonie. ; cette version me lle rappelle
Magnificent
loely
lovely
my favourite recording of this great work.
This performance is now available for around $4 USD from Amazon Music
Proof that Beethoven's tempo is actually possible.
Possible for some.
Quite remarkable! Thank you!
The horn: One continuous line, with no breath, from 0:17 to 0:48. How?
Good question. Since this was a recording of a public performance, not a studio recording, there has been no touch-up by any engineers. Brain's breath control was extraordinary. I have heard other French Horn players whose breath control rivaled Brain's, and even took lessons from one a long time ago. But what distinguished Dennis Brain from any other horn player, among other things, was his extradinary musicianship when at his best. I never got to hear Brain in person, although I had tickets to a scheduled concert with Brain to appear as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1957. Alas, he died in that awful car crash. There are other recorded instances of Dennis Brain's extraordinary breath control, for example, the recording of Brain playing the first horn part in the Nocturne by Mendelssohn from "The Midsummer Night's Dream" with Paul Kletzki conducting the Philharmonia. That recording is on the Dennis Brain ICON Box Set from EMI Classics. Kletzki conducted the Nocturne at such a slow tempo, which sounds just wonderful if you have a horn player like Dennis Brain !!
A textbook example of a tip that applies for all winds/strings/singers: save at the _beginning_, at the end it'll be too late ;)
That's only 31 seconds. I'd say sny professional wind player has to be able to do that.
@@illyrialady He did the same in Mozart 4th horn concerto, 3rd mov't. Thought to be circular breathing. I was a horn player in the late 50s-early 60s. Brain was our idol and remains as such.
@@davidfoust9767What's your instrument?
Webster's performance is easily the finest interpretation of this sonata...with apologies to Paul Jacobs, Francesco Caramiello, et. al. It has a buoyancy and fluidity that other performances lack, perhaps intimidated by Carter's relentless insistence upon, and praise for, executive precision. For those who think Carter was "all intellect, all the time," he could be quite entertaining after two lunchtime martinis! He was still totally lucid, but could cover a very wide range of subjects with inimitable humor. That is, after a ritual excoriation of copyists (thankfully not present) who did a less-than perfect job on, say, parts for Concerto for Orchestra (at the time, that was his most recent major work).
I have the vinyl LP. My favorite version of this magnificent sonata.
no thanks could be adequate for sending this treasure...Greg Schulte
can I have the score for a non-commercial performance?
Yes. Send an email to lucymarieruth@gmail.com and in my reply I will attach a PDF file of the score.
Thank you for posting this
Lucymarie Ruth - producer Peter Menchini - filmmaker Anton Patzner - sound engineer Sophia Santulli - voice of Gretel Maxina Ventura - voice of Hansel Sandra XR - Gretel in video Lucymarie Ruth - Hansel in video E. Humperdinck - composer Lucymarie Ruth - lyricist Lucymarie Ruth - music editor XRSFBay Arts - gingerbread cutouts and signs
Played this with sharon lykens at morehead state in 1966.
Weinrich was a superb organist...and these recordings from Skannige are, in my opinion, his best. He later recorded most of Bach's major works on the Holtkamp organ at General Theological Seminary in NYC, and...sad to say, neither the organ nor his playing--he seemed to have difficulties maintaining consistent tempi--did him credit.
Carl Weinrich è, secondo me, il miglior interprete che Bach abbia mai avuto. Le sue sono le più belle versioni di sempre: appassionate, vive ed intime.
I could not possibly agree more.
This has got to be one of the greatest performance recorded in the twentieth century.
Anyone remember his brother, Ferguson?
I'm missing the joke. Assume you are alluding to the great HoF pitcher, "Ferguson" Jenkins ( i.e. not Webster)
@@MrKlemps No joke. He had a brother named Ferguson who was my teacher. The two of them had the same education in France at Fontainebleau I think, he told me of how they went to Gertrude Stein's salon, how his brother was friends with Stravinsky and so forth. Ferguson was accompanis for Yehudi Menhuin for a time, a recording of them can be found on RUclips playing granados I believe. He was supposedly as good a pianist but was far more reclusive and not a very happy man. Years later I met his daughter who was also very good pianist and researcher in psychology.
@@rravvia Thank you for that information.
@@rravvia I would be very interested in any information you have regarding this. Beveridge Webster is a distant relative of mine. I believe he was 1st cousins to my grandfather and my known family history does not mention his brother at all.
@@jessicasheehan2292 His daughter is Gail but she probably has a married last name, plus there's another daughter. There is mention of Ferguson in a biography of Menhuin, I believe. I think the story was that Ferguson left the scores for his piano parts for a recital with yehudi on the bus and he was frantic, wanting to jump off a bridge or something, and I believe he actually improvised the accompanyments, which could be rather remarkable, depending on how that went. He never told me about that story although he gave me a stern admonishment, something he did often, about how "we pianists have to do things right", when I had to call him to get a ride to his house because I couldn't figure out how to get the bus there haha. He was quite formative for me although I dropped out of lessons after maybe two and a half years, having progressed from the easiest Bach two part invention to Chopin's third Ballade, which I guess was actually pretty good although, as he put it, I had literally zero technique. Which is actually quite true, but his French pedagogy didn't really help develop technique. That stuff either works up the technique you already have, or conspires to destroy it, with a lot of held notes and what not. I don't fault Ferguson for that, but it makes me wonder about certain famous traditions. But then again, you're always talking about a rarefied world in which preselected, highly gifted students are given advanced training and the truth is very few teachers actually understand the more fundamental aspects, although they think they do. I digress. I think if you do searches for Gail Webster, you'll probably find something that could lead you to her today. She might be around Pittsburgh. Good luck!
I paid a lot of money to transfer my LP of this on to CD. Why doesn't someone reissue this?
I hope there's somebody out there who heard Mr.Webster perform this sonata live at one of the Juilliard School's "One O-ClockConcerts" ca. 1965 or around the time this was recorded. It remains one of the great events of my concert-going life. There were more wrong notes than on this recording but the live piano sound--I believe a Steinway rather than the Baldwin he was contracted to record with--and the mere IDEA that someone was going to play the work at the improbable correct tempi made listening something of an existential experience one seldom encounters in an era in which "perfectionism" is the desideratum.
Juilliard has digitized this concert on its online archive, but access is currently limited to Juilliard community members. (They do have a number of amazing Juilliard String Quartet performances from the 50s and 60s available publicly, however.)
He's amazing....i love him
The composition of the motet, “Absalon, fili mi” (Absalom, my son), is traditionally attributed to Josquin Desprez. But it might be by Pierre de la Rue. I find the technical reasons for the attribution to Pierre de la Rue, as opposed to Josquin, unconvincing. For instance, the low register of the Bassus is supposed to be an indication that the work is by Pierre de la Rue. But Josquin sometimes used a quite low register for the Bassus, perhaps most notably in the “Missa l’Homme Armé sexti toni”. A low-register Bassus was also very characteristic of their predecessor, Johannes Ockeghem, who may well have been the teacher of both. But I think “Absalon, fili mi” could equally well have been written by either de la Rue or by Josquin. It doesn’t matter. It is a hauntingly beautiful motet that we possess, regardless of who wrote it. The text of the motet is an elision of three short phrases from the Hebrew Bible: from 2 Samuel 18:33, from Job 7:16, and Genesis 37:35. The first concerns King David mourning for his dead son Absalom, the second, Job’s sons and daughters, the third, Jacob mourning for his son Joseph. A translation of the Latin text is: Absalom, my son, would that I had died instead of you, my son, Absalom. Let me live no longer. But descend into hell, weeping. Or, KJV: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! I would not live alway. But go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.
I agree: Carl Weinrich was a superb player and the recordings which he made on the organ in Skannige are real treasures...I'm so grateful that they are being posted on RUclips. Unfortunately, Weinrich's later Bach recordings were made using the Holtkamp instrument at General Theological Seminary, NYC which--to my ears--has a harsh, shrill tone. It's these recordings that most people remember, and Weinrich's reputation has suffered as a consequence. It's wonderful to hear him on an instrument that's worthy of his genius.
Mr. Booker, you may already know this, but just in case you don't, one can download for free over an hour-and-a-half's worth of Carl Weinrich playing Bach on the organ in Skanninge taken from the original Westminster tapes in pristine condition here: www.baroquemusic.org/91213Web.html If you can't get to that web page directly, try this next one and do a search for "Weinrich" on that page: www.baroquemusic.org/bmlcatalogue.html
Thank you so much...this is a real treasure, and no, I wasn't aware of it. The sound is just magnificent, and Weinrich's playing is superb. Here's a question for you: in the late '30's, Weinrich collaborated with G. Donald Harrison of Aeolian-Skinner in designing a small Baroque style instrument for Westminster Choir College. Weinrich subsequently made some 78 recordings on this organ. Do you know if they have survived and may be available? They apparently made quite a stir at the time. Thank you again.
I have made 3 transcriptions of Ockeghem's chanson, "Au travail suis". This one has the merit that the 3 viola players can change parts at the beginning of stanzas.
I have made 3 transcriptions of the Ockeghem chanson, "Au travail suis". This is my favorite of the 3.
Played by Carl Weinrich on the organ in Vårfrukyrka (Our Lady’s Church) in the city of Skännige, 180 miles south of Stockholm. Weinrich had a rhythmic sense, and a sense of the harmonic rhythm of a phrase [and of whole sections], that is unsurpassed by any organist to whom I have ever listened. And something wonderful happened to the man when he sat down at that particular organ in Skännige, Sweden.
Played by Carl Weinrich on the organ in Vårfrukyrka (Our Lady’s Church) in the city of Skännige, 180 miles south of Stockholm. Weinrich had a rhythmic sense, and a sense of the harmonic rhythm of a phrase [and of whole sections], that is unsurpassed by any organist to whom I have ever listened. And something wonderful happened to the man when he sat down at that particular organ in Skännige, Sweden.
Superb playing...on a magnificent organ. I think this is Weinrich at his best. He later recorded many of the major Bach works on the Holtkamp organ at General Seminary in NYC. Sadly, neither the organ nor his playing does him credit.
@@mr.booker9263 You are right in all aspects: we can say when he recorded on the Holtkamp organ his playing "deteriorated" and became too much aggressive (as a friend I have here in Brazil says, "he murdered Bach's works") and exceedingly fast (the long trills became almost unperceptible, specialy in BWV 552 and 538). Did he really complete Bach's works in Skänninge, i. e., all preludes, toccata, fantasias, fugues, trios, chorale preludes, concerto transcriptions and spare compositions? The instrument is a Neo-Baroque one by Marcussen: it was almost brand new when Weinrich recorded there.
Played by Carl Weinrich on the organ in Vårfrukyrka (Our Lady’s Church) in the city of Skännige, 180 miles south of Stockholm. Weinrich had a rhythmic sense, and a sense of the harmonic rhythm of a phrase [and of whole sections], that is unsurpassed by any organist to whom I have ever listened. And something wonderful happened to the man when he sat down at that particular organ in Skännige, Sweden.
When Philips Records issued its Great Pianists of the 20th Century 200-CD box set in 1999, 72 pianists were included. Beveridge Webster was not one of them. But clearly, Beveridge Webster was as great a pianist as any of the ones included in the set. He was not a musical household name like Rubinstein, Horowitz, Gilels, Gieseking, Richter, or others that I could name. Beveridge Webster’s first piano teacher was his father (also named Beveridge Webster), the founder and director of the Pittsburgh Conservatory. “In 1921, at 14, he began five years of study in Europe, principally with Isidor Philipp and Nadia Boulanger at the Paris Conservatory. He was the first American to win the school's first prize in piano. He studied with Artur Schnabel in Berlin and toured Europe as a soloist in the late 20's and early 30's.“ As a performing artist of Ravel’s piano music, I believe that he had no peer except for Walter Gieseking. Beveridge Webster “scrupulously studied Ravel’s entire pianoforte output under the composer’s direct supervision from 1926 to 1932. In fact, with Ravel’s approval, and often with his personal participation on the same program, Webster performed all of Ravel’s piano pieces in concert in France and elsewhere in Europe.” Beveridge Webster’s legendary and hard-to-find recording of Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata is an astounding revelation of the shape, the drama, the passion, and the fire, sometimes smouldering and at times an outright conflagration, inherent in this sonata. And of the powerful, luminous yet somber tenderness of the Adagio sostenuto. Beveridge Webster’s recording of the Hammerklavier Sonata puts paid to the ridiculous claims made about this sonata by one of its renowned interpreters, Wilhelm Kempff (who is one of Philips Records “Great Pianist of the 20th Century). According to Wilhelm Kempff (from the Kempff’s own liner notes to his DGG LP recording of the Op. 106 (Hammerklavier) and Op. 109 Beethoven Sonatas), regarding the tempo of the 1st Movement of the Hammerklavier Sonata: "The erroneous metronome marking can easily lead to this regal movement being robbed of its radiant majesty." ... "Beethoven was completely deaf by the time he wrote this work and had lost touch with the world of actual sound." In the first place, Beethoven deaf could hear thousands of times better than Mr. Kempff with his full faculties. The quality of Beethoven’s aural imagination has never been approached by any other musician. And certainly not by Mr. Kempff. In the second place, Beethoven's metronome marking (cut-time, one-half-note = 138), though very fast, is what Beethoven called for, and there are really no valid grounds for disputing it. Indeed, when the first movement is played way too slowly by performers such as Kempff, the movement has no majesty, and is just plain dull and flat-footed. I read a book years ago at the University of California at Berkeley Music Library (unfortunately I don’t remember the reference) that mentioned Beethoven had 3 Maelzel metronomes so that he could check for their continued good operation by seeing if they got out-of-sync with each other over time. I don't suppose it would be fair to say that Mr. Kempff partially formed his opinion of the tempo of the 1st movement based on the fact that he didn’t have the technique to play it up to tempo. Hardly anyone does. Unfortunately, Wilhelm Kempff has continued posthumously through his recordings and through his pupils to influence succeeding generations. Am I being too hard on Kempff? I don’t think so. A misplaced idealism in music, especially when propagated by such a vehicle as liner notes by the critic-performer, is just as harmful to the living reality as a misplaced idealism is in politics or morals. Is the 1st Movement of the ‘Hammerklavier’ regal or majestic as Kempff claims? No, instead it has a highly controlled, brilliant, almost savage passion which nearly overflows the bounds, but never quite does. In astronomer Fred Hoyle's science fiction novel "The Black Cloud", the English pianist Ann Halsey plays the Opus 106 for the Black Cloud that is encircling the sun. The cloud, an extremely intelligent, normally intergalatic creature, on hearing the "Hammerklavier", the first music that it has ever experienced, responds: "Very interesting. Please repeat the first part at a speed increased by thirty per cent." Do you hear that, Mr. Kempff? Beveridge Webster, a consummate professional, loyally follows Beethoven’s metronome markings. Beethoven letter about metronome markings, dated 1817: “TO HOFRATH VON MOSEL. 1817. SIR,-- I sincerely rejoice that we take the same view as to the terms in use to denote the proper time in music which have descended to us from barbarous times. For example, what can be more irrational than the general term allegro, which only means lively; and how far we often are from comprehending the real time, so that the piece itself contradicts the designation. As for the four chief movements,--which are, indeed, far from possessing the truth or accuracy of the four cardinal points,--we readily agree to dispense with them, but it is quite another matter as to the words that indicate the character of the music; these we cannot consent to do away with, for while the time is, as it were, part and parcel of the piece, the words denote the spirit in which it is conceived. So far as I am myself concerned, I have long purposed giving up those inconsistent terms allegro, andante, adagio, and presto; and Maelzel's metronome furnishes us with the best opportunity of doing so. I here pledge myself no longer to make use of them in any of my new compositions. It is another question whether we can by this means attain the necessary universal use of the metronome. I scarcely think we shall! I make no doubt that we shall be loudly proclaimed as despots; but if the cause itself were to derive benefit from this, it would at least be better than to incur the reproach of Feudalism! In our country, where music has become a national requirement, and where the use of the metronome must be enjoined on every village schoolmaster, the best plan would be for Maelzel to endeavor to sell a certain number of metronomes by subscription, at the present higher prices, and as soon as the number covers his expenses, he can sell the metronomes demanded by the national requirements at so cheap a rate, that we may certainly anticipate their universal use and circulation. Of course some persons must take the lead in giving an impetus to the undertaking. You may safely rely on my doing what is in my power, and I shall be glad to hear what post you mean to assign to me in the affair. I am, sir, with esteem, your obedient LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN.” Beethoven letter to Ferdinand Ries about metronome markings in Hammerklavier Sonata, dated 1819: “TO FERDINAND RIES. Vienna, April 16, 1819. DEAR RIES,-- Here are the Tempi of the Sonata. 1st Allegro, Allegro (alone), erase the assai. Maelzel's metronome, [half-note] = 138. 2d movement, Scherzoso. Maelzel's metronome, [dotted half-note] = 80. 3d movement, Maelzel's metronome, [eighth-note] = 92. 4th movement, Introduzione--largo. Maelzel's metronome, [sixteenth-note] = 76. 5th and last movement, 3/4 time. Maelzel's metronome, [quarter-note] = 144. Pray forgive the confused way in which this is written. It would not surprise you if you knew my situation; you would rather marvel that I accomplish so much in spite of it. The Quintet can no longer be delayed, and must shortly appear; but not the Sonata, until I get an answer from you and the check, which I long to see. The name of the courier is De Smidt, by whom you will receive both the Quintet and Sonata. I beg you will give me an immediate answer. I will write more fully next time. In haste, your BEETHOVEN.” But now, you can listen to Beveridge Webster play the Hammerklavier Sonata and form your own opinion. I apologize for the break in the middle of the 3rd Movement: the LP has the same break, an unfortunate and frequent occurrence during the LP era.
I couldn't agree more.
Excellent, and quite right! I agree about Kempff's remarks, and performance, which makes the 1st & last movements tepid. Give me Schnabel, Webster, and also Ashkenazy's first recording, from the 1960s--these performances carry the grandeur beautifully. It is true that Schnabel is messy in I & IV, though it doesn't bother me--I hear what he's doing and respond powerfully. Webster is amazingly accurate as well as right. Schnabel's recording of III is incomparable by anybody else, though, even Webster. Thank you for your musical insights, and for rescuing this gem!
This is often an issue with the octave glissando at the end of the Waldstein. Today's modern pianos boast a much heavier action than the piano Beethoven would have used. This is why Schnabel suggested an alternative to the Waldstein Rondo in his edition of Beethoven's Sonatas. Sure, if asked to perform something on a period instrument, it is completely feasible. But on a modern grand, it definitely wouldn't sound the way Beethoven intended even if possible to execute.
Right on, Kempff lacks the technique to play many of the Beethoven sonatas to tempo, eg the closing pages of Sonata 23, Presto in both semi quavers and quavers - Kempff plays the notes as crochets, also the 2nd movement of the Schumann Fantasie, what a joke - he should have just stayed to the Schubert dances and easy sonatas...😶
Listen the first fugue from 29:34 played in incredible speed of 4'44 minutes. For 144 Mälzel a crotchet are already 4'52,5 minutes sufficient. Please compare it with HJ Lim 4'46 minutes and record keeper Laetitia Hahn 4'33 minutes. Beveridge Webster was a worthy pupil of Artur Schnabel!! He mocked at the slow interpretation and the lack of craftsmanship of Wilhelm Kempf, whose recording pitily he thought having influenced following pianists in a negative way.
Played by Carl Weinrich on the organ in Vårfrukyrka (Our Lady’s Church) in the city of Skännige, 180 miles south of Stockholm. Weinrich had a rhythmic sense, and a sense of the harmonic rhythm of a phrase [and of whole sections], that is unsurpassed by any organist to whom I have ever listened. And something wonderful happened to the man when he sat down at that particular organ in Skännige, Sweden.
Elliott Carter’s comment on the present performance (quoting from the record jacket): “This performance of my Piano Sonata by Beveridge Webster is deeply understanding, living and imaginative and while revealing the wide range of Mr. Webster’s extraordinary personal artistry and command yet remains faithful to my intentions.”
From the early Renaissance, the Missa Mi-Mi is one of the very greatest sacred masterpieces of music, with complex, but always natural sounding polyphony, rhythmically complex and enchanting, and quite mystical. It is one of my very favorite pieces of music, which I first heard when I was 18-years old. The entire Mass is exquisitely conceived and realized by Ockeghem. And the 3 sections of the Agnus Dei contain some of the most touching music ever written. The middle section of the Agnus Dei has some of the most elusive, yet effective canonical writing ever composed, leading into the 3rd and final section, which if any music has the power to bring us closer to God, this is it. The Missa Mi-Mi is written for 4 voice parts, all male. The Berkeley Chamber Singers, however, was a mixed choir, and the entire piece was transposed up a minor 3rd accordingly. This piece, sung by a mixed choir, sounds surprisingly good. In fact, this performance remains my favorite. If you are looking for an all male performance in the original registration, I would highly recommend The Clerks’ Group recording with Edward Wickham above all the others.
Played by Carl Weinrich on the organ in Vårfrukyrka (Our Lady’s Church) in the city of Skännige, 180 miles south of Stockholm. Weinrich had a rhythmic sense, and a sense of the harmonic rhythm of a phrase [and of whole sections], that is unsurpassed by any organist to whom I have ever listened. And something wonderful happened to the man when he sat down at that particular organ in Skännige, Sweden.