Mozart Horn Concerto no. 4, II and III -Radek Babora'k

Happy Labor Day '17 to all --  Here's a post from a Blog I kept a couple of years ago, the often under-rated horn. Enjoy!



Amy's Post-Worthy-Nesses: Traditional Tuesday: Mozart Horn Concerto no. 4, I...: This post is a continuation of last Tuesday (10/20/15) Movement II: Romance (through 4:20) Opening with horn followed by orchestra imitat...

Shostakovich: Fugue No. 7 in A major (ca. 1950)

Tonight I will share a short piano piece with something very interesting going on. If you read the anything about this piece, you can easily find its interesting quality. I am withholding the information in case you're interested in guessing yourself.

-Tyler

Tallis: Spem in alium (ca. 1570)

Nels heard me listening to this piece and thus commissioned this post.

I know little about Renaissance music, and will simply share the words along with translations:

Spem in alium nunquam habui

Praeter in te, Deus Israel

Qui irasceris et propitius eris

et omnia peccata hominum

in tribulatione dimittis

Domine Deus

Creator caeli et terrae

respice humilitatem nostram

I have never put my hope in any other

but in You, O God of Israel

who can show both anger and graciousness,

and who absolves all the sins

of suffering man

Lord God,

Creator of Heaven and Earth

be mindful of our lowliness

Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Movement 2 (1801)

Whenever I think about Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata I think mainly about the opening movement (this could be due to many episodes of Peanuts).  If we stop only at the first movement then this piece gives a mysterious feel.  However, after listening to the movement all the way through I was surprised to hear the joyfulness displayed in the second piece.  Furthermore, in many pieces the fast, upbeat sections are toward the beginning while here the fast, upbeat sections do not begin until the 2nd movement (and continue on into the final movement). 

 If I were to write a story about this piece, it would be about two lovers whose love is forbidden (think Anakin Skywalker and Padme or Romeo and Juliet).  In the first movement, the male character comes calling for his girl under the moonlight in order to prevent her parents from knowing about their forbidden love.  The girl escapes her room and joins her man.  As the first movement transitions, they both become more comfortable that they are out of reach of those who try to prevent their love.  The second movement is the part of the movie that makes us feel good inside.  The girl and the guy get a few happy and joyous moments of time together frolicking in the woods under the moonlight before one of them turns to the dark side and breaks the others heart on a fiery planet in the third movement.