This is my first time hearing this, playing on my TV Classical station and it's magnificent. Had to look for Beach on You Tube. Now to find more. She's a marvelous composer.
What is wonderful currently is that women composers are being recorded by fine musicians more than ever before. At the same time, what is most disturbing currently is how little these recordings, even of live concerts, are being played on public radio classical stations. My own local station is finally playing Amy Beach more often. It's not the announcers who are the problem, it's the administrators and boards. I just wrote a letter requesting that my PBS station broadcast modern composers Katherine Hoover and Barbara Kolb, not to mention the two women who have won Pulitzer Prizes in music in 1983 and 2000. And also composers of color - "Blood on the Field" by Winton Marsalis also won the Pulitzer Prize in music.
I simply don't understand why in the 19th century female composers were still not considered legitimate whereas women writers and poets were quite accepted. I am a composer, and don't really see the difference between a composer and a writer. It takes very similar creative skills. I adore Amy Beach's music. Just a fantastic composer! And please no one ever mention her gender! For a great artist, it's irrelevant!
Actually, Beach was fairly well-recognized and celebrated during her lifetime as both a composer and performer, and her skills were certainly considered legitimate. She did extensive concertizing in America and Europe after she was widowed at 43, and was praised by critics. It was mostly just her controlling husband who limited her performance output, not society. Your point would absolutely be true about some other composers (like Fanny Mendelssohn, for example), but not really Beach.
Though I am not well versed in the subject at all, I'm fairly certain female composers were generally accepted in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century. Cecile Chaminade, for example, enjoyed success as a career composer, whose works sold very well in the United States. Though this is speculation, It's possible that the legacy of female composers did not live on because of a lack of performance on the concert stage, thus leaving them virtually unknown after death.This may have been caused by inherent prejudice, or simply because the vast majority of output by female composers does not approach the breadth, complexity, and detail of that of Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, etc.
This beautiful Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 45, was dedicated by Amy Beach for the great Venezuelan pianist and composer Teresa Carreño, whom Amy Beach greatly admired, both were admirable women of her time and were also true and dear friends of each other.
Joanne Polk, thank you thank you thank you for such beautiful renditions of Beach’s work. You bring it to life so beautifully, and I am deeply thankful for it!
Joanne Polk has become my go-to pianist for many composers. Very expressive and the music is well-served by her technical facility. Deeply jealous. ;-)
This is simply sublime!! I read somewhere that Amy Beach's compositions were too 'masculine' to have been written by a woman. I think her compositions are just like a GOOD woman. Stern and sturdy when necessary, but at the same time, beautiful and delicate. Completely playable. Her mass setting? CANTAAAAABILE! Singable as fuck.
@@pilouetmissiou I think what was meant by masculine music was that it was ‘written by a dude”. Amy Beach, a woman, wrote this, however, people like Dvorak couldn’t believe that it wasn’t made by a man so things like this were kinda labeled that way? If that makes sense
I have had the opportunity to listen to this work several times over the years. It is awesome! This recording doesn't capture the depth of sound to match the work, but the music still shines.
It would be interesting to know when Mrs. Amy Beach went to Europe with her husband to which concerts and new composers she attended / heard. In my naif opinion there are some signs of Grieg, Prokofieff and Rachmaninoff not to mention S. Saens. If there is a biography I would be very interested to read it. Amazing - really a remarkable piece. Thank you so much.
She has a wonderful biography by Adrienne Fried Block. She did not go to Europe until 1911,after the death of Dr.Beach. But until then she attended the Boston Symphony.
Amy's husband, DR H.A.A. Beach had died before Amy toured Europe (with Marcella Craft). A wonderful biography: AMY BEACH: PASSIONATE VICTORIAN by Adrienne Fried Block
Beautiful concerto, well-played but recorded with the piano waaay in the back - to the point that it's almost inaudible once the orchestra makes itself heard.
Under the "Show More" it states: Photos of Amy Beach and Joanne Polk. They state that Joanne Polk is the pianist in this composition. If you look at other photos of Amy Beach on other links, you will be able to easily tell that the rest of the older photos are really of Amy Beach. The more that you search about this amazing woman the more you learn about her and you will find many photos or drawings of Amy Beach to confirm her distinctive facial expressions.
@@Comet1808 Yes, all the other photos are of Amy at different ages. The identity of the "Mac Dowell" woman is a mystery. Amy's extensive archive can be found at the University of New Hampshire Special Collections.
Bellissima opera nella grande tradizione romantica....bellissimi temi.. peccato non faccia parte del repertorio dei pianisti ma sono parecchi quelli poco suonati in realtà.... Si suonano sempre le stesse cose di cui non c'è quasi più niente da scoprire talmente l'orecchio e saturato e sa a memoria quello che sentirà....allora è chiaro che va bene, benissimo anche i capolavori di sempre ma andare anche a scoprire cose che ne valgono la pena, ovvio.... Speriam che piano piano, è il caso di dirlo, cose così entrino anche nella nostra familiarità d'orecchio....se no è snobismo...
I am sure many of you are aware of a 13 yr old girl in England who is making a name for herself in the world of classical music. Her name is Alma Deutscher and she started playing the piano when she was 2 yrs old and the violin at 3. She started to improvise little melodies on the piano when she was 4 then started writing them down at 5 yrs old. At six she had composed a piano sonata and at seven a short opera. Since then she has composed a full length opera, "Cinderella", a piano concerto and a violin concerto. When she was 9 she was commissioned to compose a piece of music by the artistic director of the Solent Music Festival in England which was performed by the world famous Endellion String Quartet and which she later rearranged for full orchestra. Her opera, "Cinderella" has been performed on three different continents in three languages. Sony Classical has recently released a dvd of the American debut of Cinderella which was performed by the Opera San Jose in December, 2017. This past August Alma performed her own music at the prestigious Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland after which she went on a cruise with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed on both violin and piano with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , the Vienna Chamber Orchestra the Oviedo Filarmonia Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera Orchestra Orchestra, and the Tokyo Sinfonia. There are many people who don't take her seriously because of her age and her penchant for composing tonal music in the Classical and Romantic traditions rather than in a more "modern" atonal mode. But she is hugely popular and continues to perform at sold out venues worldwide so time and the concertgoers will determine her future relevance.
We'll have to see what she does in the future. I'm always suspicious when it comes to child prodigies, particularly ones marketed as heavily as Deutscher - one can never be quite sure who creates what, and a six-year-old composing something as musically and dramatically advanced as an opera on her own sounds a tad unlikely. And I'm not even talking about the question whether a child _ought to_ be the center of a performance business. These days, I don't think composing style is the issue as much though, as "art music" is not nearly as ideological as it used to be, and there are quite a few neo-romantics about.
Her music is beyond mediocre. It's not that the music is tonal, it's done in such an imitative old style and has nothing to say except empty rhetoric. There are far more talented young composers out there so the attention Deutscher is getting is absurd. She's a "child prodigy" for idiots that know basically nothing about Classical music and for promoters and agents to make some quick money. She'll be totally washed up in 10 to 15 years, mark my words.
"...and a six-year-old composing something as musically and dramatically advanced as an opera on her own sounds a tad unlikely." That determination by you is what I was responding to. Not to the misfortunes of some prodigies or the success of others. Also, comparing the "misfortunes" of Alma Deutscher in the 21st century to those of Mozart in the 18th century is somewhat funny.
america's first truly brilliant composer
This is my first time hearing this, playing on my TV Classical station and it's magnificent. Had to look for Beach on You Tube. Now to find more. She's a marvelous composer.
What is wonderful currently is that women composers are being recorded by fine musicians more than ever before. At the same time, what is most disturbing currently is how little these recordings, even of live concerts, are being played on public radio classical stations. My own local station is finally playing Amy Beach more often. It's not the announcers who are the problem, it's the administrators and boards. I just wrote a letter requesting that my PBS station broadcast modern composers Katherine Hoover and Barbara Kolb, not to mention the two women who have won Pulitzer Prizes in music in 1983 and 2000. And also composers of color - "Blood on the Field" by Winton Marsalis also won the Pulitzer Prize in music.
Before there was Rachmaninoff there was Beach. So beautiful, Ms. Polk . Thanks!
+Mimi Prades yes, after Rachmanioff is Eckhardt Gramatte, Her piano concerto no 1 is the best concerto of all time!!!
oh many thanks to you, i'll listen to it then !
Really beautiful Concerto. Would be great to hear this in the concert hall instead of endless repetitions of the same warhorses.
Outstanding playing from Joanne Polk
I simply don't understand why in the 19th century female composers were still not considered legitimate whereas women writers and poets were quite accepted. I am a composer, and don't really see the difference between a composer and a writer. It takes very similar creative skills. I adore Amy Beach's music. Just a fantastic composer! And please no one ever mention her gender! For a great artist, it's irrelevant!
The point you made about gender is absolute truth! Thank you. Her music is glorious!
only prejudices...
Actually, Beach was fairly well-recognized and celebrated during her lifetime as both a composer and performer, and her skills were certainly considered legitimate. She did extensive concertizing in America and Europe after she was widowed at 43, and was praised by critics. It was mostly just her controlling husband who limited her performance output, not society. Your point would absolutely be true about some other composers (like Fanny Mendelssohn, for example), but not really Beach.
Being a woman was part of her complex reality.
Though I am not well versed in the subject at all, I'm fairly certain female composers were generally accepted in the latter part of the 19th century and early 20th century. Cecile Chaminade, for example, enjoyed success as a career composer, whose works sold very well in the United States. Though this is speculation, It's possible that the legacy of female composers did not live on because of a lack of performance on the concert stage, thus leaving them virtually unknown after death.This may have been caused by inherent prejudice, or simply because the vast majority of output by female composers does not approach the breadth, complexity, and detail of that of Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, etc.
Thank you for playing the work of a brilliant WOMAN COMPOSER. Lifts me up in every way.
so tender, so lyrical, so heart-warming
This beautiful Piano Concerto in C sharp minor, Op. 45, was dedicated by Amy Beach for the great Venezuelan pianist and composer Teresa Carreño, whom Amy Beach greatly admired, both were admirable women of her time and were also true and dear friends of each other.
Joanne Polk, thank you thank you thank you for such beautiful renditions of Beach’s work. You bring it to life so beautifully, and I am deeply thankful for it!
first time listening to this work and that piano entrance gave me chills. incredible composition and performance!
Joanne Polk has become my go-to pianist for many composers. Very expressive and the music is well-served by her technical facility. Deeply jealous. ;-)
wonderful
This is simply sublime!! I read somewhere that Amy Beach's compositions were too 'masculine' to have been written by a woman. I think her compositions are just like a GOOD woman. Stern and sturdy when necessary, but at the same time, beautiful and delicate. Completely playable. Her mass setting? CANTAAAAABILE! Singable as fuck.
Masculine or fminine music are juste terms of our mind not reality...Is music of Chopin masculine music ??? Hum....but it Is Chopin or not ?
Oh dear
@@pilouetmissiou I think what was meant by masculine music was that it was ‘written by a dude”. Amy Beach, a woman, wrote this, however, people like Dvorak couldn’t believe that it wasn’t made by a man so things like this were kinda labeled that way? If that makes sense
I have had the opportunity to listen to this work several times over the years. It is awesome! This recording doesn't capture the depth of sound to match the work, but the music still shines.
Really nice music
Thanks for uploading!
Bravissima!!!
we all share a common love of her lovely music
The scherzo is marked Vivace.
It would be interesting to know when Mrs. Amy Beach went to Europe with her husband to which concerts and new composers she attended / heard. In my naif opinion there are some signs of Grieg, Prokofieff and Rachmaninoff not to mention S. Saens. If there is a biography I would be very interested to read it. Amazing - really a remarkable piece. Thank you so much.
She has a wonderful biography by Adrienne Fried Block. She did not go to Europe until 1911,after the death of Dr.Beach. But until then she attended the Boston Symphony.
Amy's husband, DR H.A.A. Beach had died before Amy toured Europe (with Marcella Craft). A wonderful biography: AMY BEACH: PASSIONATE VICTORIAN by Adrienne Fried Block
Beautiful concerto, well-played but recorded with the piano waaay in the back - to the point that it's almost inaudible once the orchestra makes itself heard.
muy buen registro nada difundido
The photo labeled AB at MacDowell is not Amy Beach (might be Marian MacDowell)
Under the "Show More" it states: Photos of Amy Beach and Joanne Polk. They state that Joanne Polk is the pianist in this composition. If you look at other photos of Amy Beach on other links, you will be able to easily tell that the rest of the older photos are really of Amy Beach. The more that you search about this amazing woman the more you learn about her and you will find many photos or drawings of Amy Beach to confirm her distinctive facial expressions.
@@Comet1808 Yes, all the other photos are of Amy at different ages. The identity of the "Mac Dowell" woman is a mystery. Amy's extensive archive can be found at the University of New Hampshire Special Collections.
Bellissima opera nella grande tradizione romantica....bellissimi temi.. peccato non faccia parte del repertorio dei pianisti ma sono parecchi quelli poco suonati in realtà.... Si suonano sempre le stesse cose di cui non c'è quasi più niente da scoprire talmente l'orecchio e saturato e sa a memoria quello che sentirà....allora è chiaro che va bene, benissimo anche i capolavori di sempre ma andare anche a scoprire cose che ne valgono la pena, ovvio.... Speriam che piano piano, è il caso di dirlo, cose così entrino anche nella nostra familiarità d'orecchio....se no è snobismo...
That b/w photo (with round glasses) is NOT Amy Beach! Too bad it's reproduced as her portrait in so many places!
Who is it ?
I am sure many of you are aware of a 13 yr old girl in England who is making a name for herself in the world of classical music. Her name is Alma Deutscher and she started playing the piano when she was 2 yrs old and the violin at 3. She started to improvise little melodies on the piano when she was 4 then started writing them down at 5 yrs old. At six she had composed a piano sonata and at seven a short opera. Since then she has composed a full length opera, "Cinderella", a piano concerto and a violin concerto. When she was 9 she was commissioned to compose a piece of music by the artistic director of the Solent Music Festival in England which was performed by the world famous Endellion String Quartet and which she later rearranged for full orchestra. Her opera, "Cinderella" has been performed on three different continents in three languages. Sony Classical has recently released a dvd of the American debut of Cinderella which was performed by the Opera San Jose in December, 2017. This past August Alma performed her own music at the prestigious Lucerne Music Festival in Switzerland after which she went on a cruise with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed on both violin and piano with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra , the Vienna Chamber Orchestra the Oviedo Filarmonia Orchestra, the Welsh National Opera Orchestra Orchestra, and the Tokyo Sinfonia. There are many people who don't take her seriously because of her age and her penchant for composing tonal music in the Classical and Romantic traditions rather than in a more "modern" atonal mode. But she is hugely popular and continues to perform at sold out venues worldwide so time and the concertgoers will determine her future relevance.
We'll have to see what she does in the future. I'm always suspicious when it comes to child prodigies, particularly ones marketed as heavily as Deutscher - one can never be quite sure who creates what, and a six-year-old composing something as musically and dramatically advanced as an opera on her own sounds a tad unlikely. And I'm not even talking about the question whether a child _ought to_ be the center of a performance business. These days, I don't think composing style is the issue as much though, as "art music" is not nearly as ideological as it used to be, and there are quite a few neo-romantics about.
Her music is beyond mediocre. It's not that the music is tonal, it's done in such an imitative old style and has nothing to say except empty rhetoric. There are far more talented young composers out there so the attention Deutscher is getting is absurd. She's a "child prodigy" for idiots that know basically nothing about Classical music and for promoters and agents to make some quick money. She'll be totally washed up in 10 to 15 years, mark my words.
@@bomcabedal Think Mozart!
@@a0schu01 ... which is also an example of child exploitation. And one which didn't come out too well as a person, I should add.
"...and a six-year-old composing something as musically and dramatically advanced as an opera on her own sounds a tad unlikely." That determination by you is what I was responding to. Not to the misfortunes of some prodigies or the success of others. Also, comparing the "misfortunes" of Alma Deutscher in the 21st century to those of Mozart in the 18th century is somewhat funny.
There should not be ads in the middle of a concerto!!! Switching to a different channel.
can i look into the comments of one video featuring a female composer or musician and not see absolute bullsh*t lmao. just once?
One of the better more mediocre composers of the 19th Century