JB

As some of my friends and colleagues have heard this before, I have a working theory, or at least pointing out a big coincidence, regarding the names of fictitious special operatives and spies. Consider the following:

• James Bond - the legendary double-0 operative from MI-6 created by Ian Fleming.
• Jason Bourne - the American special-ops agent who suffers a brain washing and must piece together his past in order to learn who he is and who from his own organization has wronged him.
• Jack Bauer - The American special-ops agent on "24."
  

Apparently, if you have an idea for a movie or television show about espionage or an elite member risking life and limb for their country, and want the project to be successful, the first rule is to name the character with the initials, J. B.

A Winterreise Kind of Day

She's Back!

I had to carry over at least one item from my previous blog!

The Dissertation Chronicle, Opus 7

A couple of weeks ago I turned in the first draft of my dissertation proposal to my advisor. I received some helpful comments and had a lengthy, hour-long discussion with my advisor. I am still in the revision stage of the proposal, but forging ahead to actual intensive analysis of the symphonies I have gathered thus far. Over the past week, I made a significant and helpful contact regarding one of my composers. There is a Swede who is interested in music from this time and created a website devoted to Paul Wranitzky, one of the composers I am look at. The site is great for the information provided about the composer, and the list of contributors include notable names in the field of music history. Though the site master is nt a musician by trade or profession (I believe he is a computer programmer), he does good work. I contacted him, descibed my dissertation topic to him, and he has been emailing me symphonies by Wranitzky I need to look at. This is great for me because this will be about ten fewer scores I will have to track down and request from libraries and/or travel to acquire them on my own. I am examining the three symphonies I have received so far, and look forward to receiving the remaining symphonies. Who knows, perhaps this could lead to a new wave in music research.

An OK Computer Kind of Day

A couple of weekends ago, the temprature was milder than it had been, and this brought in a layer of fog that never burned off during the day. It was one of those days where the weather impacted one's productivity. So I put on Radiohead's OK Computer and enjoyed the fog as it provided a silken, yet sullen, screen from the urban view from my balcony. The album is the perfect accompaniment for days like these. The eclectic "Paranoid Android" does not fit at times,
but the beginning of the second half fits well. Then comes the quintology of "Subterranean Homesick Alien," "Exit Music (For a Film)," "Let Down," "Karma Police," and "Fitter Happier" that really set the mood for the day. The combination of this album and the weather, particularly a rainy day makes for great reflection.

Favorite Bernstein Recordings

Alex Ross has posted on the New Yorker site a list of his five favorite recordings with Leonard Bernstein conducting. Though I enjoy the five he recommends, I would replace two of them with other Bernstein recordings. Ross's five are:

1. Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, NY Phil on Sony classical
2. Mahler's Ninth Symphony, Berlin Philharmonic, Deutsche Grammophon
3. Chichester Psalms and Symphonies 1 & 2, Israel Phil, Deutsche Grammophon
4. Shostakovich's Symphonies Nos. 1 & 7, Chicago SO, Deutsche Grammophon
5. Ives's Symphony No. 2 and other works, New York Phil, Deutsche Grammophon

I will begin with those I agree with, numbers 1, 4, and 5. The recording of the Eroica Symphony is perhaps my favorite of all, and perhaps my favorite interpretation of the work. One drawback is that in the coda, the trumpets loudly and triumphantly present the germ of the first theme over a tonic and dominant succession, just as the horns did at the beginning of the coda. This is a practice that began around the time of Toscanini, it appears on his recodring as well, and is incorrect with Beethoven's concept of the struggling hero (meaning Beethoven did not compose this). But that aside, the performance is striking.

The recording of the Shostakovich symphonies, paticularly the Seventh, are imaginative and dramatic. Bernstein manages to get such a full-bodied sound out of the CSO to the likes of Reiner and Solti.

It is no secret that Ives was always intrigued by the works of Charles Ives, and the recordings of the Second Symphony and the other works, including the two contemplations, displays Bernstein's ability to control a full orchestra as if he were seated at the piano. The spirit and whimsical nature of Ives's ceations certainly come to the fore on this recording.

To replace Ross's recommendation of some of Bernstein's own music, Chichester Psalms and the first two symphonies, I recommend his recording of Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony on Sony Classical with the New York Phl, part of the Royal Edition. This is the best recording of the work I have heard, and Bernstein manages to pull all of the passion and energy off of the page.

As for the Mahler recording, I can understand the historical meaning behind this being a favorite, but not a favorite for its execution of the material. Ross's over-the-top poetic first line poses a problem, "Only once did Bernstein stand on the podium of the Berlin Philharmonic---during this 1979 performance of Mahler's Ninth Symphony." True the live recording came from a single night, 4 October 1979, but Bernstein stood before the Berlin Philharmonic and led them in the work again the next night, 5 October 1979. Oh, Alex. The historical nature of the recording is not lost; an American Jew being invited to communist East Germany to conduct the music of a Jewish composer who converted for the betterment and acceptance of his career. Sure, we get that. Bet what about the recording? Well, it isn't as tight as one would expect, there were some instances of miscommunication between conductor, soloists, and orchestra, and this includes a glaring omission of the lower brass in the finale for some reason. Bernstein had his back against the wall coming to Berlin and leading the Philharmonic in Mahler. It is well known that Karajan did not fancy the music of Mahler, and in fact only recorded half of the symphonies, whereas then as now every top conductor must record the cycle at least once. The Philharmonic was not accustomed to performing this music, so Bernstein had his work cut out for him, especially for a two-night engagement.

To replace the Mahler, I recommend the recording of Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony with the New York Phil on Deutsche Grammophon. The late recordings on Deutsche Grammophon are great and this one is worthy of praise. No one could draw more out of the score than Bernstein when it comes to this recording. For the finale, Bernstein clocks in at 17'12", nearly twice the time as most recordings. Though he has been accused of taking things on the slower side, he really plays this to the advantage of the work in this particular case.

Welcome!

Welcome to those of you who were directed here or found me by accident. I intend to continue my previous blog efforts at this new location, and hope you find my exploits humorous and stimulating. The only thing I intend to change between this blog and my old one is the location. I hope you come back to check in frequently. Welcome again.