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Political Theme Song for Singapore Election Results-Bruckner Symphony No. 7 in E Major WAB 107

The recent election results in Singapore have been termed water-shed for the ruling party People Action Party (PAP), opposition parties especially Workers Party (WP) and all voters. The outcome can mean many things to many some of which includes:

time and tide might NOT heal everything and over time, people might NOT forget. Politics is no longer a once in 5 year event during election campaigning,

whether there is a need to revamp the voting system especially the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system towards a system that moves us towards a more direct form of democracy,

what messages are the voters telling both PAP and the opposition parties on the brand of democracy they want to see in Singapore not only in the future but also in the near future within reasonable bounds,

last but not least, voters were politically emphatic about the voting scene due to the lack of choice in credible alternatives opposition parties in the past but is begining to realize that every vote counts and it starts with their own vote now that we have more credible, brave and altruistic opposition parties.

My position is not a binary one that runs along party lines of PAP or the opposition but how we as citizens of Singapore can participate more actively in the political process rather than treat it as a once in 5 year event. The fault for current state of democracy lies both with PAP as well as our political empathy in the past 30 years or so creating a vacuum of political power dominated by PAP. Perhaps the one party rule in the last 30 years by PAP has been an accidental fortune in that sense. A focused non-partisan rule could have been one of the major ingredients for our phenomenal economic and social growth achieved mainly by well tried and tested economic development model based mainly on foreign investment, regional service centers and export led of certain industrial clusters likes petrochemical, electronics, disk drive, wafer-fab, pharmaceutical and bio-technology. Leveraging our labour cost advantage, investor friendly policies and good industrial infrastructure, the unemployment problem was plugged by PM Lee Kuan Yew and his team. The foresight and gumption of the second generation leaders lead by PM Goh Chok Tong with the advantage of Lee and his team supporting Goh. The single party enabled Goh to execute a unilateral risky but calculated strategic move away from labour intensive to skill intensive by raising wages, skills and infrastructure in one bold orchestrated move and it worked again.

PM Lee Hsien Loong son of Lee Kuan Yew took over the reign from Goh. Lee jr started his reign with an unfair disadvantage having to defend nepotism right from the start. His father's generation was equated to building the hardware. Goh's dispensation built the software. Now that we have a complete solution in computer speak, Lee jr now is now charged with building the heart-ware to bring it from 3^rd world to 1^st world. Besides nepotism, Lee jr did not have a good economic and political developmental template to depend on unlike his dad and Goh. His team actually did not have the full mandate with his dad and Goh still looking over his shoulders closely most probably until recent past with his dad and Goh stepping down by exiting the cabinet formally.

Lee jr filled his team with capable technocrats that mostly graduated in the top tier of ivy leagues and I believe that most were well meaning in wanting to bring Singapore to 1^st world. Besides the unchartered water that Lee jr and his team were maneuvering into, they also had to face an aging and dwindling population as the total fertility rate headed south to reach 1.2. The technocratic team went into short term mode to cure it in a measurable manner that they knew best and with dated advice from his dad and Goh. Tax incentives and more child friendly policies were put in place to very little effect and the team sent in the crash cart and tried to revive the dying patient by immigration on a massive scale. Being a relatively young emigrant country, it was in the process of building a common identity. The mass immigration created a whole host of issues like depressing the wages of the lower strata of society and lead to a growing GINI index that accompanied good news rise in GDP. All was not exactly rosy on the domestic front for example health care cost faced by the population escalated because of a combination of aging population and public healthcare policies like mean testing. The escalating price of private housing spilled into public housing. Transport system was also facing congestion on public roads as the Electronic Road Pricing and Certificate of Entitlement meant to curtail usage and ownership respectively were not only unable to curb the congestion but lead to an increase in transportation cost overall. Public transportation was faced with sardine packed mass transit railway during peak hours mirroring the situation in Japan.

Many initiatives were put in place in the arena of heart-ware like giving the arts and cultural scene a lift and liberalizing censorship laws. These initiatives not only take relatively more time than hardware and software to show results but is also less measurable.

My reasons for choosing Bruckner as the theme song or symphony for this occasion are due to the following historical insights on this piece:

this symphony was the piece that launched the composer Anton Bruckner career into stardom. I sincerely hope that this particular water-shed election results will lead to a right angle turn for our country as a whole,
the second movement Adagio was used to announce 2 historically significant turning points like when Admiral Karl Dönitz announced Adolf Hitler death on 1^st May 1945 and also just before announcing his defeat in Stalingrad on 31^st January 1943. On this note, I do hope that the election results as a clarion call for danger ahead if we maintain status quo and dismiss the election results as noisy crying babies that can be easily pacified and forgotten.

It cannot be business as usual for PAP, opposition parties and the voters all alike and may we have a right angle turn like what Bruckner had with this symphony.

For those that like to have a deeper understanding of Anton Bruckner and Politics, there is a book "Bruckner's Symphonies-Analysis, Reception and Cultural Politics" by Prof. Julian Horton. Cambridge University Press (2004) ISBN-13 978-0-521-82354-8. I have not read the book personally but a cursory browse says it can be quite academic.

Cheers,,,,, Peter Lye

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Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Copyrights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Tchaikovsky-Andante Cantabile Op. 11-Where is the forest?

Whenever I am recommended famous standalone movement, I would diplomatically suggest that perhaps there is more hidden gems to be uncovered in listening to the complete piece instead. I was baffled when one of my friends told he how moving the piece of music Andante Cantabile by Tchaikovsky was and I suddenly held my breath and agreed wholeheartedly for the moment. I could not remember or figure out where this piece was taken from. Upon searching for an answer, I found to my astonishment that I have with me about 10 standalone movements of this piece but not a single complete version. To add injury, for once I did not know the origin of this piece but later found out that it was actually the second movement of Tchaikovsky's string quartet no. 1 in D minor Opus 11. As a consolation, I found out that even great artists like Maisky, Perlman and of course the more commercialized Yo-Yo Ma did not bother to record the entire 4 movements at all. My hunt for my Red October ( you should see this show about USA/Russian submarine warfare ) began and I finally managed to nail down two complete recordings by Emerson Quartet and Borodin Quartet.

The quartet was written by Tchaikovsky early in his musical career in 1871 and even the composer himself paid special attention to the second movement Andante Cantabile in B flat by writing an arrangement for solo cello and orchestra in 1888. There was much consolation to my intellect that my missing this might not have been such a big intellectual suicide after all. If you have not heard the entire 4 movements of string quartet no. 1 opus 11 where Andante Cantabile was taken from, I do urge you to do so as the other 3 movements sort of provide a larger canvas on which the melancholic Andante Cantabile was drawn on. Rest assured that most of you are likely to enjoy listening to the entire piece thereafter. This is why I added "Where is the forest?" to the title assuming Andante Cantabile to be one of the trees in the forest.

There is another interesting twist to Andante Cantabile itself that links Tchaikovsky to the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. Edward Garden wrote in his work on Tchaikovsky and Tolstoy that while Tchaikovsky himself was a great musician, he was not well endowed literary; the libretto of his only opera Queen of Spades was written by his brother Modest Tchaikovsky. Tolstoy himself has on the same account distanced himself from much of anything musical that is beyond his comprehension although he did play the piano when he was young.

The two great Russians met in Moscow in 1876/7 resulting in Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile being added as part of the programme for the special evening of music in honor of Tolstoy. Although Tolstoy has limited appreciation of music, he has a great love for folk music and was moved to tears by the Andante Cantabile during that concert. Andante Cantabile has part of its origin in a Russian or Ukrainian folk song.

Tchaikovsky has fashioned a folk song of humble origin to be part of a great Romantic era music in Andante Cantabile or shall I say String Quartet No. 1.

Cheers,,,, Pete aka http://lkypeter.blogspot.com

Safe Harbor
Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Copyrights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Bach Well-Tempered Clavier BVW840/BWV870-Out of this World Chicken Soup for the Soul

What links Johann Sebastian Bach; the father of classical baroque music, Glenn Gould; a controversial Canadian pianist/interpreter ie player of Bach music, and USA NASA Voyager space mission to warrant this article? Perhaps I have gone bonkers but please hear me out before you put the verdict on me or this article. Unlike my favorite film producer Roman Polanski that like to put his audience in suspense until the end of the show or even leave many poignant questions unanswered, I shall kill your curiosity first.

NASA launched two one way ticket unmanned spacecraft in 1977 to explore the outer reaches of the universe as well as to tell any possible intelligible live form out there that there are humans on planet Earth. One of the means is via the Golden Record on board Voyager 1 and 2. This record contains many multi-media that best describes what we are like. One section contains 27 pieces of music selected across different, geography, culture and historical time lines. 3 of these pieces were composition by Bach out pacing other famous composers like Beethoven with 2 and Mozart with 1. Well-Tempered Clavier BVW870 played by Glenn Gould was one of them. Hope that satisfies your curiosity but continue to read on.

I was very moved when a old friend of mine whom I first met about 10 years ago invited me over to his place for dinner during the recent Chinese Lunar New Year holidays as it was supposed to be their close knit family affair and I was the only non-family. We had a hearty meal over lively conversations which included dry humor by the host that one of couple he knows has started to make love daily recently. Actually, he was referring to the long running Taiwanese serial called "Love" that the couple has become addicted to and will not miss the daily broadcast for the world. The laughter was not spontaneous as with most dry humor and I shall say that those who laugh first most probably are more witty or has simply heard the joke before.

After dinner, some of us proceeded to the music room which has an impressive collection of mainly classical music on both CDs as well as old world vinyl records that most probably numbers in the thousand. This is why I call it chicken soup for the soul as good music and company is equivalent to what food is to our stomach. He also has an equally good sound system that uses old world vacuum tubes instead of modern day integrated circuits and transistors. For my audiophiles audience, I shall not debate on which is better as this is not the purpose of this article. BTW, the entire sound system was vacuum tube based. To spare us the agony of choosing music from his vast selection, he has put aside about 10-20 vinyl records for us to sample and one of the record is Glenn Gould 1975 recording of Bach Well-Tempered Clavier. As the entire composition has some 48 pieces of preludes and fugues that will take hours to go through, we only managed to sample the first 2 which is BVW840. I am familiar with this composition and own two versions of it by Vladimir Ashkensay and Angela Hewitt (2008 version as she made a second recording of the same composition in 2009 as well). I have heard a few of Glenn Gould other recordings but not this composition and was half surprised by his interpretation of it. Since the host has chosen, I chose to be politically correct as I am known to be otherwise more so because of my altruistic and passionate pre-disposition. Being politically correct does not necessities me to not express my opinion and I told the host boldly that this is one interesting interpretation of the composition and told him of the other versions that I have heard. My second nature got the better of me and I continued to mention why it was 'interesting' like the unusually stronger accent on the first note of the right hand motif as well as a more pronounced and less legato treatment of the right hand motif. To save myself, I added that it is not easy to achieve this with a highly sustained and legato left hand motif as it requires the player to divorce his left/right hand as well as very good control over the pedals on the piano. Time passes quickly in good company and music and it was time to take leave as it was getting late.

On my journey home, Glenn Gould's piece kept on making repeated loops in my mind and once I hit home, it was time to re-visit the same composition by Ashkenazy and Hewitt and it confirms the differential that I have heard. Tempo wise, Hewitt's version was well ahead of the pack like catching the 'A' train and it was a little too fast for my liking. Somehow, most recent recordings tend to be faster and Hewitt's version is also the latest of the three. It seems that some musicologist are of the opinion after more evidence has surfaced pointing to a preference for a faster pace by the composer. This itself is a very grey area as the metronome was not invented till much later and the tempo were expressed in language rather than beats per minute which is not scientific. Phrasing wise, Glenn Gould's version does stick out like a sore thumb but not necessarily in a bad way on further listening as it breaks the monotony of the motif and gave a certain life like interpretation to the composition. With the Glenn Gould recording, if you listen carefully, you can hear him humming to himself also.

I hope I have linked the 3 pieces of the puzzle together well enough and last but not least, here are the pictorial representation of 3 albums on CBS Sony, Decca and Hyperion for those who would like to venture further.

192K 24 Bits Linnrecords Mozart Symphony

I have always loved recordings from LinnRecords for their consistent recording and have been buying their SACDs both via internet as well as from retailers. Last night I bought their 192K Studio Master of the above by the late Sir Charles Mackerras conducting the Scottish National Chamber Orchestra and was blown away by it as I seems to be able to turn up the volume and not have the jarring violin and brass. It blew me away....

I compared with the sister recording by the same conductor, orchestra but playing Mozart Symphonies 38, 39, 40, 41 on SACD and certainly there is a difference in the sound.

I am going for 192K to the extend that my finance allows it as it is not cheap as the 192K is USD 27 per CD which is dearer than SACDs.

The equipment I am using for the 192K playback are as follows:

1 .Buffalo NAS Linkstation Quad
2. Gigabit Ethernet
3 .MacMini Core2Duo 2.4 GHz 4GB OSX 10.6.6 iTunes 10.1.1 (AIFF files in 192K 24 Bits)
4. USB Cable-Stock from DAC Box
5. Wyred4Sound DAC2
6. Acrolink 6N-A2200II Interconnect
7. ModWright SWL 9.0 SE Tube Pre-Amp
8. Nanotech Golden Strada #201DCS Interconnect
9. Wyred4Sound Multi-Channel 4 Channel PowerAmp-BiAmp
10. Nanotech Golden Strada #79 Speaker Cables
11. Vandersteen 2ce Mark II speakers

The equipment I am using for the SACD playback are as follows:

1. Marantz SA11S2 SACD Player

2. IXOS Interconnect

3. ModWright SWL 9.0 SE Tube Pre-Amp

4. Nanotech Golden Strada #201DCS Interconnect

5. Wyred4Sound Multi-Channel 4 Channel PowerAmp-BiAmp

6. Nanotech Golden Strada #79 Speaker Cables

7. Vandersteen 2ce Mark II speakers

Beethoven Piano Concerto No 2 in B flat major Op 19-The Half Price Concerto

Having wrote two commentaries on Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1 opus 15 and No. 5 opus 73; his first and last for this genre, sometime back, I am into his piano concerto again. I shall be chronological at least in terms of the date of publicity based on opus number and write about his second concerto opus 19. The reason why opus number is not a good chronological gauge as it is common for composers to publish their work about a year or so later to ensure that they are the only performer and provide little basis for comparative critique especially when the piano is Beethoven's instrument of choice. In fact Beethoven himself said that musical policy demands that one should keep the best concertos to oneself for a time. Actually after more recent discovery of Beethoven's undoubted first piano concerto that pre-dates opus 15 named Piano Concerto in E flat major WoO 4 as no opus number was assigned as it was not published during his lifetime. Perhaps he considered this work too amateurish or juvenile to be associated with it like the phrase "I would not be caught wearing that dress".

Why half price? In selling this concerto to Hoffmeister, Beethoven only asked for 10 ducats instead of the usual 20 ducats as he remarked that he believe that this is not among his best. From this remark, scholars have argued both ways why it is his first attempt in composing the piano concerto genre. Those arguing why it is the first reasoned that it is likely his first attempt as it is less matured in many ways when compared to his piano concerto No. 1 opus 15. Those on the other side reasoned that after having published his piano concerto No. 1 opus 15, this remark is a comparative statement that it is not as good as the previous opus 15.

The concerto opens with a lively orchestra tutti that some remarked that the beginning is fashioned after Mozart flamboyant style while others opined that it is much more reflective of Haydn's gallantry especially the ending of the first movement and the most of the third movement. My favorite portion of this movement is the zesty orchestra tutti that launches this concerto as well as the ending where the soloist displays his ability to divorce his left hand from his right hand to execute the rhythmically polarized portions. On this note, I think that Martha Argerich interpretation of this solo part is my favorite as it sounded so effortless like a walk in the park.

Beethoven's imprint and style is so obvious in this lyrical second movement and to me, it could be connected to his sixth symphony. This is the movement to sit back and soaked up the gentile Adagio like a walk in the beautiful black forest of Germany during spring time.

The finale is the movement that Beethoven has done most modifications from differential in the various manuscripts that survived to the extend that one of them believed to be the original finale has actually been named as a standalone Rondo without opus number Wo4 in B flat major due to the large differential with later manuscripts. Barry Cooper of University of Manchester puts technical brilliance as what sets this movement apart from the rest of the concerto. The resolution at the end of this movement actually sums up not only this movement also the entire concerto nicely.

I have listened to 7 versions of this concerto in writing this concerto and tempo wise, it seems a reversal in trend. The later recordings like the version by Pierre-Laurent Aimard with Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting being the slowest and earlier recordings the version by Alfred Brendel with Heinz Walburg conducting seems a tad hurried. Harnoncourt was a percussionist before taking up conducting and these are the artists that put the most emphasis on the tempo.Here are the versions pictorarily.

The Betrothal-Wieniawski Légende Op 17 in G minor

Henryk Wieniaswki composed this piece out of desperation as Henryk was facing objection from Isabelle Hampton's parents for them to be engaged. It was not recorded what was the nature of their objection was clear but after hearing Légende composed by Wieniawski, her parents changed their mind and allowed the two lovers to be engaged and later marry and have children.

With such a romantic backdrop to this piece, I decided to listen more in depth into this piece and before long, I was humming it. This piece and composer was never on my radar screen of classical music but all that changed after this piece.

I am not going to mention how many versions I have as it would be embarrassing to have and not play and appreciate it. Suffice to all, it does not exceeds using all the limbs of a human being as counters.

This short piece of slightly over 7 minutes can be divided into 3 sections. Quite a rarity for such short pieces in my opinion. The orchestra or piano introduces the pieces for a few short bars before the solo violinist joins in. Perhaps the Henryk wanted to show his sadness in not being able to engage Isabelle. Before you know it, the piece launches itself from G minor to G major whilst maintaining the motif intact. With the transition from minor to major key, the moods brightens so does the tempo. This is perhaps to convey the sweetness of his love for his daughter. The second section ends with a dramatic descending chromatic scale and bring the piece back to the original G minor key. The descend perhaps as a parallel to her parents objection and how this decision could result in a sadness for both Henryk and their daughter Isabelle conveyed in the 3 section in G minor.

I have taken a lot of liberty in interpreting this piece and if you do not agree, I can fully understand. This piece so moved me and I was trying to search for its interpretation but found very scarce information and decided to write one myself.

Some of my recommended recordings IMHO are:
1. Anne-Sophie Mutter/James Levine/Weiner Philharmoniker-Carmen Fantasy-Track 2-DG

2. Itzhak Perlman/Lawrence Foster/The Abbey Road Ensemble-A la Carte-Track 8-EMI

3.Gil Shaham/Lasrence Foster/London Symphony Orchestra-Wieniawski Violin Concerto 1 & 3,
Sarasate, Zigeunrwisen-Track 7-DG

Guys, perhaps this could add to our bag of tricks to get the girl of our dreams or to dream on.

Bach Concertos for 2 Violins in D minor BWV 1043-Perfect 10

After listening mostly to Piano pieces, I have switched to Violin pieces. An article on Gramophone Vol 88 on a mock court to decide which interpretation of Elgar Violin Concerto by soloist Albert Sammons accompanied by New Queens Hall Orchestra under the baton of Sir Henry J Wood for the prosecution and soloist Lord Yehudi Menuhin accompanied by London Symphony Orchestra directed by the composer Sir Edward Elgar himself for the defense. I was at first elated to discover that I actually have the Yehudi Menuhin's version in my collection. I was about to pop the champagne to find that I also have another version of the piece but it was to be by soloist Nigel Kennedy accompanied by City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra under Sir Simon Rattle (recorded before Nigel Kennedy turned to the dark side and became a crossover) and not Albert Sammons. I had a good listen to both pieces and according to the article, Yehudi Menuhin was far too slow but Nigel Kennedy's version was even slower and had a more inconsistent tempi and I take it that Sir Edward Elgar must have approved of Yehudi Menuhin as he was the conductor and he had intended this piece to be emotively played with much headroom for the soloist to vary the tempi.

After scanning through some of violin pieces, I stopped at Bach Concerto to 2 Violins as I was surprised to find that I have 10 full versions of it and many of them by big name artiste and I was surprised myself how on earth did I accumulate this much. Could be my failing memory as a sign of growing old when making purchases or this piece must have caught my fancy sometime in the past as about half were not purchases in recent years. I recalled that while I was younger, I had some intention to use the second movement of this piece for my organ competition but did not. First, let me pen down the versions and thereafter made some comments about the piece as there is something in common with Elgar Violin Concerto as the variation in timing between the various artistes were also wide ranging.

1. Andrew Manze/Rachel Podger,Academy of Ancient Music-Andrew Manze

2. Elizabeth Wallfisch/Catherine Mackintosh,The King's Consort-Robert King

3. Julia Fischer/Alexander Stitkovetsky,Academy of St. Martins in the Fields-Andrey Rubstov

4. Hilary Hahn/Jeffrey Kahane,Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

5. Isaac Stern/Itzhak Perlman,New York Philharmonic Orchestra-Zubin Mehta

6. Baiba Skride/Daishim Kashimoto,Royal Chamber Orchestra-Shunsaku Tsutumi

7. Arthur Grumiaux/Arpad Gerecz,Les Solistes Romands

8. Anne-Sophie Mutter/Salvatore Accardo,English Chamber Orchestra

9. Itzhak Perlman/Pinchas Zukerman,English Chamber Orchestra

10. Yehudi Menuhin/Leon Goossens,Bath Festival Orchestra-Christian Ferras

This piece of work is popular even in current times like in Woody Allen's film 'Hanah and her sisters' and 'Children of a lesser God' and many more. This could have been the reason for being a choice recording by many artiste but most probably not in the recorded to death category.

The first movement is where you will hear the most differential in interpretation by the various artiste. Bach has marked it as vivace which means lively and fast or above 140 bpm according to Harvard Music Dictionary but the metronome was not yet in existence during Bach's time and 140 bpm did not exist in the dictionary then. However, you will find that the more contemporary artiste tend to take it as 140 bpm as the minimum and in Rachel Podger and Julia Fischer interpretation, it was more like catching the A train. Personally, I still like the versions by Arthur Grumiaux, Isaac Stern and Yehudi Menumin albeit the slower tempi, it sort of brings out the sweet aroma of the melody in an unhurried manner. Perhaps Bach meant lively more than fast when he uses the term vivace for the first movement.

I have always been fascinated by Bach music as it was in his era commonly known as the Baroque era that music started to start some form and structure and yet he his music is seems so simple but deeply matured. For example, parts of his Well Tempered Clavier is so simple that it is graded a beginner's piece and yet so deeply matured that it is played and recorded by many grand masters. With being religious, it is sometimes like the Bible that is simple enough for the simpleton and yet has enough mystery and depth to confound scholars through the ages. I think that when Bach personally remarked playing music is as simple as playing the right notes at the right time, he might not meant it as a joke really as some of his music can be so simple to be enjoyed and played by many and yet so deeply profound for the grand masters that want to have a full understanding of it.

Cheers,,,,Pete aka http://lkypeter.blogspot.com

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Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Copy Rights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

"Northern Chopin"-Grieg Piano Concerto in A minor Opus 16

The Nordic countries in Europe normally stands out from people in continental Europe just by being themselves perhaps due to the relatively harsher weather they are subjected to as well as the intimacy they have with nature. Edvard Grieg, a Norwegian composer is noted for two things in my view. Firstly, a large portion of his compositions are either for Piano or based on the Piano that some scholars nick named him the 'Chopin of the North' perhaps like Chopin, he is also a pianist that writes lots of piano based music. Secondly, his unique harmonic skills in infusing Nordic Folk songs into his compisitions in an elegant manner to qualify as main stream classical music. Classical music is used loosely here to refer to music that pass or surpass the theoretical sandbox of musical laws rather than the classical era that pre-dates the romantic era.

My reason for choosing to write on this piece is in line with my aim of creating or keeping interest in classical music alive in Singapore. It saddens me to see shops reducing their classical music sections or doing away with it altogether. Some of you might think it is strange as Grieg is not a household name along the lines of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms or the triple Bs. However, many of us would have heard excerpts of this piece as it is widely used as background music in numerous shows with acknowledgements of it so miniscule that we will surely miss it one way or another. Most do not even bother as copyrights to this piece has expired as Grieg has died for more than 70 years now. Arvid Vollsnes is of the opinion that there are more recordings of this piano concerto than any piano concertos written during the Romantic era. I beg to differ as Google it and you will find that it is most probably either Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov Piano Concertos that occupies this spot and definitely not Grieg. Perhaps it is true in the Nordic part of the world.

Like Beethoven fifth symphony, Grieg Piano Concerto have a very distinct introduction. In the case of Beethoven, some scholars termed it as death knocking on the door. We cannot be totally sure about this as Beethoven himself did not explain the passage. For Grieg, the introduction is what I would term as surprising reality staring at your face. I got this notion from noticing film directors penchant for using this introduction to inject an element of surprise, fear, reality and almost exclusively in a negative sense. Like most minor keyed pieces, it is like starting a painting on a dark canvas metaphorically speaking. The examples are far too many to quote and do keep a look out for it.

In addition to the signature introduction, the first movement also have a too definite ending. It is not uncommon for hear a premature applause or two from the audience at this juncture mistaking it for an end to the paino concerto as the first movement is over 10 minutes. I would like to think that it is mostly a positive premature applause as opposed to a sarcastic applause that they have heard enough rubbish from the performers.

The second movement has a quieter entrance compared to the first movement and also a daring departure from the minor key to a contrasting major key. Most of the opinion that the second movement is thematically an island by itself but try putting on your thematic development facility and stretched your imagination a little further and you can most probably hear the thematic linkages between the 2 movements. This is a very unconventional posture and I am ready for volleys of canon from main stream opinion leaders.

The third and final movement takes a surprising detour to a Rondo like form away from the ABA form in the first two movements but it is done very cleverly by the composer to back link it to the theme of the first movement and leading it to a well resolved finale.

I though that there were only two versions of the Piano Concerto; the original (1868) and the final (1907). To my surprise, there are a total of seven principal versions. Most modern rendition is based on the Final (1907) version. You can still find recordings of the original (1868) version. For the other five versions sandwiched in between, I have not been able to lay my finger on them. Perhaps it is out there somewhere.

With an Opus number of 6, I would think that this Piano Concerto must have been done earlier in Grieg composing career but Opus 6 was assigned to the original version when Grieg was in his twenties with a wife and an infant in tow. The final version was autographed six weeks before Grieg death. This piece of music must have occupied a special sentimentality for Grieg to make life long revisions perhaps as a quest for musical nirvana or it is his favorite composition.

After rummaging through my collection and borrowed or stole some from my friends, I finally assembled the following recordings of this Piano Concerto.

Original Version (1868)

1. Derwinder/Hirokami/Norrkopping Symphony Orchestra

Final Version (1907)

1.Knardahl/Ingebretsen/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

2.Richter/Matacic/Monte Carlo National Opera Orchestra

3.O'hara/Judd/Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

4.Ogawa/Rudd/Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (Bergen premiered this piece)

5.Perahia/Davis/Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

The differential between the Original and Final version lies mainly in the orchestration and only small changes were made in the solo piano part. I could not lay my hands on any of the sandwiched versions to make a comparison.

Of the six renditions listed above, it is not surprising that the one by Richter stands out from the rest. Not only is the dynamic range between ppp and fff being more pronounced, the emotive force is also the strongest without compromising too much on technical correctness. This should not be surprising as Richter has publicly aired his view that he plays what he likes and does not care about the audience. I take it not as a prima donna with a bad attitude but perhaps Richter has discovered that by playing for himself, it will enable him to deliver the best music to his audience. Not many might agree as Richter has quite a character like last minute no show even on very special performances for the diplomatic corp.

Other giants in the list are Perahia who made his name in his Mozart and Beethoven interpretations and Knardahl who is noted for her interpretation of Nordic works. From my listening sessions, the renditions of these two giants sounded a bit main stream with little differential. Perhaps for more popular pieces like this Grieg Piano Concerto, the differential between the great and the greatest is so small that differentiating them calls for skills beyond my reach.

Happy listening.

Cheers,,,, Pete aka lkypeter

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Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Copy Rights of all contents in this blog belongs to Peter Lye unless stated otherwise.

Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Opus 6

Italians are renowned for their flair in design and the Germans for fine engineering. Furniture wise, we normally have great looking Italian pieces that sometimes lacked functionality and durability. German furniture on their hand are normally well engineered and durable but might not be as appealing to the eyes compared to Italian pieces in general. So it would be great to have the Italian conceptualize the design and the Germans to engineer and build it. Why the comparison about furniture on a piece of musical work? I have on hand a great Italian masterpiece in Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 Opus 6 but my favorite rendition thus far is by solo violinist Hilary Hahn who is of Germanic stock. Could be a marriage made in heaven if you consider the combination of Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Japanese conductor Eiji Oue in the same breathe. Swedish being associated mostly with safety like Volvo car ( although Volvo car now belongs to Ford ) and Japanese for their consistent quality of their produce.

Noticed that I have not keyed the title as there are some interesting angle as it can be in either D major or a combination of D major for the soloist and E flat for the orchestra as originally envisioned by Paganini. He originally wrote the orchestra score in E flat major and the soloist part in D major but have the soloist tune his violin half a semitone higher to match with the orchestra. Paganini did not state the reason for doing so but contemporary opinions being either he felt that E flat major being more appropriate tonality wise or because the soloist part is more easily executed in the key of D major. Almost all modern interpretations are done on D major for both the solo violinist and the orchestra.

With the violin being one of the instruments Paganini plays, it is therefore not a surprise that this piece was written with quite a fair emphasis on the solo violinist especially in the first and last movements. The total time for the piece is about 36 minutes with the middle movement occupying only about 5 plus minutes and the longest first movement of about 21 plus minutes. To attain a fuller enjoyment, I would recommend both listening and watching it as the solo violin portions contain a good dose of showmanship ( meaning in both gender ) like double stops in which the solo violinist have to bow on 2 strings simultaneously and portions of the piece that takes the soloists to almost the end of the upper register of the scale for violin and quick alternating notes between the first and last string of the violin.

I have always loved the lower middle registers of the violin where at the hands of a good violiniss and a good violon makes for a very unique tonality which I can only describe as very tunefully close to the human voice. Some like this portion to be played with vibrato but I beg to differ as I love the more ancient playing style with less or no vibrato. This is also one of my reason for preferring Hanh's rendition with less vibrato.

The piece promises lots of cadenza where the soloist is at their own devices with the orchestra silent. Having said that, this is certainly not a sonata disguised as a concerto but the more tuneful blending between the orchestra and the soloist is more prevalent in the brass and woodwind portions with a good dose of accentuation from the percussion group. The string section is mostly deployed in a more harmonic support manner in my opinion.

As this is my first writing on Paganini, it would be good to note that like most warm blooded Italian being more southernly geographically, his life is not short on excitement and uniqueness especially on the romantic front as he was ever quoted saying he is not handsome but when women hear him play, they would come crawling to his feet. Gambling was also one of his many favorite vices. Later in life, he even attempted to make money out of his gambling habit by opening a casino but it lead to financial ruin for him personally and he had to wind it up. The juiciest rumor is about his alleged pact with the devil to grant him special musical talent in exchange for something sinister. It does not help that when asked about it, he was quoted at replying how else could he be so good musically. I am of the opinion that this is most probably an egotistical and mischievous reply not to be taken seriously as he has quite a flamboyant and sanguine character. This alleged rumor could also be one of the reasons why his body was denied a timely decent Catholic burial until a few decades later.

Before penning off, some of the other more noted renditions of this work you might want to listen to besides my favorite by Hahn/Oue/Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra are:

1.Accardo/Dutoit/London Philharmonic

2.Grumiaux/Bellugi/National Orchestra de la Opera Monte Carlo

3.Perlman/Foster/Royal Philharmonic

4.Rabin/Gossens/Philharmonia Orchestra

5.Menuhin/Monteux/Orchestra National de Paris

Happy reading, listening and watching hopefully in that order.

Cheers,,,,, Pete aka lkypeter

Safe Harbor. Please note that information contained in these pages are of a personal nature and does not necessarily reflect that of any companies, organizations or individuals. In addition, some of these opinions are of a forward looking nature. Lastly the facts and opinions contained in these pages might not have been verified for correctness, so please use with caution. Happy Reading. Peter Lye

The Middle Child Sonata-Beethoven Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3 Opus 69

Having laid off writing for a period, a dash of inspiration hits me after listening to this popular and tuneful Sonata. This Sonata occupies the mid-point of the five Sonatas Beethoven wrote for this genre. It is unique in more ways than one besides acting as a bridge between Beethoven's first 2 and last 2 Sonatas that are stylistically quite different. One possible reason being that Beethoven took about 10 years to complete these 5 Sonatas as oppose to about 3 years to complete his 9 violin sonatas.

I shall be a bit adventurous and indulgent to nick named this Sonata as a "Middle Child" Sonata. My reasoning (whether they hold water or not as I consider myself too novice and amateurish in classical music compared to the many esteemed scholars as this is hobby craft and strictly pro-bono in my case) is manifold other than numeracy if you could hold your horses on your comments and read on first.

Of the 5 sonatas Beethoven wrote for this genre, only the 3rd has 4 movements instead of the usual cookie cutter 3 movements. A Scherzo was added as the second movement and this additional movement is no incidental movement as Beethoven has sprinkled it with a number of notables. Instead of a slower or more contemplative movement after the vociferous first movement, this movement is lively without being attention seeking. It nicely continues to develop the theme introduced in the first movement in a very Beethoven manner like he did for his 5th Symphony which was written around the same time. He also put in a gymnastic for the pianist by introducing a changing of hands in the tied note which should be a visual feat for the audience especially for the more visual pianist of our time like the legendary Lang Lang. One of Beethoven's pupil Czerny noted that this was most probably added to create a vibrato effect on the tied note. Of the recordings I have heard so far, only the Hardwood/Berner stated specifically in their liner notes that they are playing according to this notation. Many modern pianists would most probably skip this notation as it is not only more difficult to execute on modern day piano but makes little difference on modern day piano as I am made to understand. On listening to the Hardwood/Berner recording I could not hear the difference but I am only an amateur. If you were to listen till mid way into the second movement, there is a longish single note written to test the cellist's skill and patience as it is also tempered with a vibrato. Must be some tired fingers on the left hand for the cellist for what would seems like an eternity.

Thematic development in this piece is so obvious of Beethoven's work from this period of his life onwards starting perhaps with his 5th Symphony where his art is most finely honed in my opinion. The simple theme from the first movement is fashioned into numerous connected forms that will baffle many. This is most probably further proof that this Sonata is most probably conceived in his mind between his 5th and 6th symphonies other than the Opus numbering suggesting so.

Beethoven is also a master in switching between an aggressive to melancholic tuneful serenity all within the same movement. This is quite evident for the 3rd movement of this Sonata as it starts like a slow boat to China but moves gracefully between melancholy and aggressive but in a less pronounced manner than in his 5th and 9th symphonies. Beethoven might have been a jack the rabbit motor fan if he were to be alive now as his pieces sometimes behave typical of hard ABS braking followed by sudden and strong acceleration forces but leaving his passengers in a magic carpet like ride without being nauseous. All these seems a bit contradictory but have a good listen and you will sase out what I mean.

This Sonata has no clear delineation between soloist and accompanist and this could be deliberate either to elicit the best out of both the cellist and pianist or to set the stage for a struggle between them. Even if Beethoven were to have the intention of setting the stage for a fight between the cellist and pianist, the fight must have been done so with the liquidity and graceful movements of ballet dancers. I have not decided myself on this matter after hearing quite a few versions repeatedly. Would highlight 3 versions where this is more obvious as the pairing is like a pairing of equal musical giants.

1.Rostropovich/Richter (1961)

2.Maisky/Argerich (1997)

3.DuPre/Barenboim (1970)

Rostropovich was vocal enough to warrant losing his entry permit back to his Russia motherland after migrating to US. It was only with a change in Russian leadership that paved the way for his return back to Russia and I am glad that he managed to spend his final moments on earth back in his Russia motherland. He is also the musician that played spontaneously at the Berlin wall when it came crumbling down knowing that it would further complicate his possibility of returning to Russia. As for Richter, he has said it openly that he only play pieces that he likes and not for his audiences when asked why he did not want to complete the recording of all 5 Beethoven's piano concertos. He has also done things like having Stalin walk out half way through his performance as a mark of disapproval of him but he said he was lucky that he did not 'disappear' like many who cross the path of Stalin have a habit of doing so. Many of us did not notice that more people died during the communist revolution in Russia than number of Jews that were murdered during the Holocaust. On the contrary, he was one of the pianist that was performing during Stalin funereal. Richter himself remarked that this must have been a joke of sort as he did not get Stalin approval when he was alive but did so in his death. I have listened to this version of recording but did not sense any struggle for limelight and the two giants seems to gel so wonderfully together. What a surprise.

Maisky himself has also served about 18 months in prison or what they term as re-education camp for god knows what the reason is and thereafter was welcomed into the arms of Israel. He was also a student of Rostropovich. His equal in this case comes from Argentina. Argerich is very talented but has a fast and furious temperament and at about 30% of her concerts were no show for the most trivial of reasons. She blends her spirit with the music and is not straight jacketed by technicalities but have a healthy respect for it. This version makes for interesting listening as you can hear the challenge for lime light in all 4 movements between Maisky and Argerich but it was done so tastefully that it makes for very spirited listening. Perhaps, this was the interpretation Beethoveen intended.

DuPre and Barenboim is a husband and wife teaming but lets not guess who wears the pants at home. DuPre was a highly regarded cellist during her short and challenging life on earth of about 50 years due to multiple sclerosis. DuPre's fame and her health challenges could well be a formulae or excuse for unruly behavior but she is just the opposite as fellow performers, conductors, studio staff have good things to say about her gentle and joyful demeanor. Barenboim is a notable pianist and conductor himself and also a very intelligent and good at managing talented musician. In this recording, I believe that Barenboim had played more or less a supportive part but not without putting himself on the pedestal when the part calls for it without out living his welcome on the pedestal.

Before I pen off, it is widely held belief that the middle child in the family is normally the forgotten child and thus it is not uncommon for middle child to go after the lime light on every available opportunity in my opinion. This is my reason for naming it thus. Other versions worth listening to are:

1.DuPre/Stephen Bishop (1965)

2.Wispelwey/Lazic (2004)

3.Hardwood/Berner (2006)

Good weekend.

Cheers,,,,,, Pete