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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">Origin of the Angry Piano [Beethoven]</h1>
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<time class="dt-published" datetime="2021-08-29T22:42:00+03:00" itemprop="datePublished">Aug 29, 2021
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<p>My latest classical endeavour is no other than Beethoven, who is unsuprisingly one of the very first composers I listened to (though not the one that brought me over - thanks, Rachmaninoff!).</p>
<p>I’ve had it in mind Beethoven composed for the piano, but had assumed it was his symphonies alone that made him as famous as he is. <em>Wrong!</em></p>
<p>This time around I barged in from Chopin’s nocturnes, which are already quite a long way from the big, sad string symphonies that awed me into Classical music (shortly after Rach’s banger of a second piano concerto that is). Coming back to Beethoven’s sonatas, which are amongst the first Classical pieces I’ve heard, now with much more listening under my belt - really feels like a sort of closure. Only this time around, I didn’t just enjoy them - they <em>wowed</em> me to my core.</p>
<p>The one that prompted me to write this is <strong>Appasioneta</strong>, <em>number 23, opus 57</em> (in <em>F minor</em>). Having already heard some very powerful, passionate piano pieces (Liszt’s brilliant, almost alien piano sonata and Chopin’s moving <em>opus 48/1 nocturne</em> spring to mind), Beethoven’s is <strong>mind blowing</strong>. It starts off strong with an ominous phrase, and quickly explodes in speed and emotion - it is incredibly <strong>raw</strong>. I can’t seem to grasp what exactly is it coming through - is it rage? sadness? power? or perhaps just unbridled, undefined raw emotion?</p>
<p>In any case, it is magnificent. The way a single instrument, powered with a skilled, passionate player (the amazingly talented Igor Levit in this instance) can absolutely thunder through a room with a single instrument is almost ungraspable to me. Listening to the tempo pick up, it feels as if my consciousness itself is shaken - and yet, it’s not just <em>loud</em>. It’s not just <em>fast</em>. It is <em>beatiful</em> - amongst the flurry of notes there’s something truly profound.</p>
<p>Others I’ve listened to and enjoyed (yes, aside from <strong>Moonlight</strong>) are the very first one ( <strong>Opus 2</strong> , also in <em>F minor</em> - in just works!), the eighth ( <strong>Opus 13</strong>, <strong>Pathetique’</strong> in <em>C minor</em>), and the final, 32nd (<strong>Opus 111!</strong> in <em>C minor</em>).</p>
<ul>
<li>
<p>The first, while clearly under Mozart’s shadow, to me already feels very different - it just <em>works</em> in a way I can’t describe.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p><em>Pathetique</em> Feels like a clean glance into Beethoven’s character - it is a flurry of emotion, at times anger and at times calm - to me it feels like him venting his frustration with a particularly annoying individual.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Finally, the last, 32nd sonata feels like Ludvig knows something we don’t, and will never grasp - and we are simply spectators watching that… something unfold. Very profound and very mysterious.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>In the last month or so I’ve been straying from my Romantic symphonies heartland deep into Baroque and Classical territory - previously the two genres I liked the least by far. After studying and connecting with Mozart’s amazingly flowing piano concerti (namely Opuses <em>20,21,24 and 27</em>), and drifting away with Chopin’s nocturnes (as brought to life by the passionate Jan Lisiecky), Beethoven’s raw, all-minor all-oomph sonatas really are a fresh wet slap in the face.</p>
<p>It’s a good thing there’s so many of them - I’ll be following this thread for a while.</p>
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<p>My favorite streaming service (Primephonic) was bought by Apple, declaring imminent shutdown.
Naturally, I switched to Apple’s platform ready to be all condenscending, when it immidiately suggested one of my favorites - Mozart’s 20th piano concerto (K466, in D Minor) brilliantly performed by Seong-Jin Cho.</p>
<p>On the 3rd or 4th listen within that week (I <em>really</em> like that piece), Mozart’s brilliant capacity for <em>classical thunder</em> struck me - not dissimilar to a solo on a Rock/Punk/Metal piece. Sure, it takes it much more time to get there, but Mozart gets seriously intense. It’s odd to think about it, but I feel like today’s musical ‘ <em>hooks</em> ‘ as they are called have clearly existed that far back - listen to how the opening grips you!</p>
<p>Another thing that listening to Mozart always makes me think is how <em>alien</em> his music feels compared to… most everyone else really. Listening to Beethoven, for example (including the sonatas I mention earlier), I feel like I have a pretty good idea of how he felt when writing them - I often stop at a particular phrase thinking <em>‘Who pissed ya off, Ludvig?’</em>.</p>
<p>Most other Romantic composers I enjoy listening to share this trait - Tchaikovski in particular really bleeds out his soul for you (The fourth symphony’s second movements and the piano trio’s first are my favorite examples of this), while even in Brahms’ more restrained music you can feel the underlying emotional currents (think about the <em>yearning</em> in his 4th symphony, and the lonesome sighs of the Clarinet in his Clarinet Quintet).</p>
<p>But Mozart?</p>
<p>You’re chilling and your room and… What exactly do you have to <strong>feel</strong> to craft something as elaborate, as specific (though not any less intense or passionate) as the 20th concert, or the 40th symphony?</p>
<p>I’ve only found this alien aspect in one other composer so far - Franz Liszt.
Another of the pieces suggested was Liszt’s amazing Piano Sonata (S178, in B minor) - which is one of the most unique pieces I’ve ever heard. It’s starkly different from other piano sonatas I know - I remember listening to it the first time and feeling profoundly confused. It felt like an erratic, show off piece. But after finally stomaching it after a few listens, it suddenly revealed it self as carefully, elegantly structured - there’s definetly <em>something</em> organized going on here which I can’t grasp.</p>
<p>It is however, quite mad - phrases are intense, sporadic, and very virtousic. At times it feels almost random, but always circles back and finds itself. I can’t think of another piece that makes me feel the same way.</p>
<p>This time around, I heard Khatia Buniatshvilli’s performance - which I was very glad to find, since her Rachmanninof performances are amongst my favorites.
I’ve heard quite a few performers tackle this unique piece (first by Benjamin Grosevener, followed by Marhta Argerich and Krystian Zimerman, all stunning reneditions), and Khatia’s differs from them greatly. Benjamin’s is very technical, and precise, while Khatia flows with strong emotions - Virtuosic phrases are played with an even faster tempo than called for (!), and then rumble and die down amongst themselves, notes intertwining yet never lost, finally faltering almost to a whisper - uttered softly on the piano. It’s an unbelieveable performance for an intese piece of music.</p>
<p>And just like with Mozart, I have absolutely no idea what does one have to feel to construct something as crafted, as mysterious, as that sonata. Liszt had also worked on it for a long time (unlike Mozart churned them out pretty quickly), so whatever it is he felt has been laying around there for a good while.</p>
<p>One of the most gratifying experiences I have while listening to classical is experiencing both of these things - an intense, unexpected crescendo in an awe-inspiring piece. For once, I feel like not fully-understanding these pieces help bring out just how brilliant they are, and how enriching.</p>
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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">It&#39;s Pretty, Without The Shouting [Mendelssohn, Schubert]</h1>
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<time class="dt-published" datetime="2021-09-05T22:18:00+03:00" itemprop="datePublished">Sep 5, 2021
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<h1 id="what-happened-in-italy">What happened in Italy?</h1>
<p>Today I succumbed yet again to one of the most steadfast pieces in my arsenal - Mendelssohn’s magnificent <em>Italian Symphony</em> (Op. 90, in A).</p>
<p>Mendelssohn was a composer I stumbled about quite in random, largely due to me initally dismissing him as an ordinary, classical era composer in the shadow of Beethoven. It was actually his string quartets I first stumbled upon (the greatly atypical sixth, Op 80 in F minor). At the time I was discovering Dvorak’s masterful, explosive string quartets, and Mendelssohn blindsided me. I kept listening to the rest of the quartets, followed by the piano concerti - at this point already a keen listener.</p>
<p>Mendelssohn is greatly restrained in comparison to my top picks at the time (and now, I guess) - including Mahler, Tchaikovski, Brahms, and - as mentioned - Dvorak. However, I found great elegance in his work - it is always interesting, balanced, pleasant to listen to and thought-provoking.</p>
<p>Then, I found his symphonies. Monikered simply as ‘Italian’, Felix’s fourth seems, on paper, like a by-the-book classical era symphony - 30 minutes long, major key, with the classical structure:</p>
<ol>
<li>Dramatic, fast-tempo opening</li>
<li>Slower, brooding movement</li>
<li>Minuet/Trio dance movement</li>
<li>REALLY fast, REALLY dramatic finisher</li>
</ol>
<p>Smitten with big, <em>LOUD</em> symphonies, I listened to it out of curiosty.</p>
<p>I don’t know <em>what</em> happened to Felix in Italy, but <em>something</em> was going on in there. Supposedly a simple representaion of Italy and its people, the fourth is incredibly rich - vibrant, fast and colorful. It manages to provoke strong emotion (listen to the coda of the first movement, and the opening of the fourth), and inspire imagination. Just listen to the second movement - you <em>instantly</em> feel as in the Italian Alps! how does one convey this <em>with a set of notes</em> <strong><em>this effectively?</em></strong>
I’ve never been to the Italian Alps in person, but I feel like I’ve been now!</p>
<p>Likewise, if I sit in a quiet room and listen attentively to the sixth quartet, I’ll likely choke up with grief - and all done without the excessive <em>yelling</em> that often applies Romantic pieces (close to no yelling at all, really). Mendelssohn walks the line between Classic and Romantic perfectly, strongly conveying what he felt with elegant, precise compositions.</p>
<p>I initally scoffed at biographies of Felix comparing him to Mozart as yet another child prodigy classical genius, but I gladly stand corrected- there’s undeniable genius in the harmony of Felix’s works.</p>
<h1 id="the-swan-song-of-franz-schubert">The Swan Song of Franz Schubert</h1>
<p>Another composer that does this wonderfully is the oft-neglected Franz Schubert.
In the resources I used to discover classical music, Schubert was often hailed for his genius, yet did not seem as famous, as talented or as interesting as his peers. I didn’t pursue Franz’s works for a good while, but find myself coming back to them.</p>
<p>His fifth symphony (D.485, in B flat major) is the very first non-yeller I’ve really enjoyed listening to. Schubert does to Brahms what Brahms does to Mahler - if you compare Brahms’ fourth with Schubert’s fifth (or even ninth), there’s a lot less going on, and it’s going much slower - but manages to say just as much. Schubert’s music is understated, and stands solely on the strength of the composition - there’s no massive orchestration, no jaw-dropping crescendos - simply good, passionate music.</p>
<p>And while Mendelssohn’s compostions are, to me, immediatly <em>Mendelssohn-i</em>, I feel a stroke of genuis runs through each Schubert’s works, not yet fully discovered and realized - I just can’t put my finger on it. I find his String Quintet (D.956, in C major) and his Eighth, unfinished symphony (D.759, in B minor) particularly magical.
Schubert’s music is also surprisingly imaginitve - there’s a great difference between his ominous unfinished symphony and his playful, colorful Trout quintet and Swan Song in the string quintet.</p>
<p>It’s great to have some choices I can listen to at home or at work with people around without fearing heavy judgement - there’s nothing not to like about both of these composer’s incredible works.</p>
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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">Step Into The Void: Liszt&#39;s Piano Sonata [Liszt]</h1>
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<p>I am a symphonic person. There’s no denying it - I’m gobsmacked by sweeping orchestral manuevers. Romantic symphonies, such as Brahms’ 4th and Tchaikovski’s 4th (both likely mentioned here already) are firmly where my tastes lay. To be a good listener, however (and to actually realise what is your ‘home ground’), I’ve heard the essentials of other types of classical as well. I still feel at home with chamber music, and a passionate string quartet never fails to sucker-punch me in the feels. And of course, I’ve heard some essentials of the solo piano - Chopin’s Nocturnes and Beethoven’s sonatas.
Franz Liszt, however, is a composer I’ve had trouble connecting with - and this enigmatic piano sonata is deep, deep piano territory. It is also one of my absolute favourites.</p>
<h1 id="why">Why?</h1>
<p>Liszt’s piano sonata is completely unlike anything I’ve ever heard before, certainly not in any string quartet. It is elaborate, mysterious, and - in my eyes - beyond sublime.</p>
<p>The sonata has… moods. Naturally, music has moods, yes. However, being a keen Romantic (in music and not much else), I usually have an inkling of the composer’s mood or experience when listening to a piece. This is all ground I’ve covered in the <a href="https://ler.pukeko.xyz/classical%20ramblings/2021/09/04/liszt-mozart-piano-oomph.html">Classical Thunder</a> post, earlier in the ramblings. As mentioned in that post, the only two composers I can think of that totally obstruct this to me are Mozart and Liszt. With Franz, however, the obscurity runs even deeper - I not only fail to understand the mood when writing the piece, but the mood stated in it as well.</p>
<h1 id="mood">Mood.</h1>
<p>Liszt’s sonata is exquisitley crafted, and can be disassembled in a myraid of ways - below is my humble, uninformed, likely bluntly wrong and stupid take.</p>
<p>Two moods run through the sonata.</p>
<h2 id="the-oomph">The Oomph</h2>
<p>The first - uttered with a single, suspended note, repeated and followed by a short phrase of suspended chords - feels tense, and dark. It’s not quite insidious, but it makes you hold your breath knowing something greater is about to be expressed. Sure enough, a few loud chords are uttered, and the mood quickly picks up pace, becoming faster and faster, tension rising and rising, almost disintegrating as it goes. Just when it feels like it all falls apart, the second mood bursts in.</p>
<h2 id="the-wow">The Wow</h2>
<p>The tone shifts suddenly, and immediatly slaps from being menacing to… overjoyed?
Stated relatively slowly, this rapture grows more intense, with chords hammered on the piano overpowering the notes of the melody, until reaching an overbearing, strained and emphasised joy.</p>
<p>This crescendo descendes to a simple, pleasant, heart-tugging melody - with sweet notes floating over the piano, as if the great tension and its’ release are finished and we are basking in the aftermath. The distance between this phrase and the suspended, thundering notes of the opening are unbelieveable.</p>
<p>Also, everything mention thus far happens within the first five minutes. Just so you know.</p>
<h1 id="the-cycle">The Cycle</h1>
<p>Amazingly, these two are the <em>only moods expressed throughout the piece</em>. This is a good 30 minutes, and Franz has drawn all his cards within five minutes. What now?</p>
<p>Well, the piece goes on to dance between these moods - the tense buildup to the disintegration, the rapture, the relief, and back into the tension - each revision getting more and more extreme with whatever it’s expressing. The buildup grows faster, louder, stronger, notes blurring into each other - and still distinguishable as the very first ones the sonata opens with. Conversly, the rapture grows the other way - slower, and even more refined and distinguished from its earlier revisions - with the height right about the middle of the piece. The aftermath is almost a whisper, as the listener unwinds from the second cycle.</p>
<p>Finally, the final third or so of the piece is approximately the previous two-thirds, <em>repeated and dramaticized</em>. The fast bits are breakneck speed, the rapture is fired swiftly after, and this whole cycle repeats a final time, greatly compressed and exagerated. Some alteration and variations are evident late in this final cycle in both moods, and finally - in the sonata’s dusk - we fall back to the very opening. A single, suspended note, repeated and followed by a short phrase of suspened chords.</p>
<p>This time, instead of picking up speed again, they dissolve - almost peacefully - and the sonata ends.</p>
<h1 id="aftermath">Aftermath</h1>
<p>This sonata is amazingly succint. Moods and phrases feel familiar as they swing around, intertwine and interact, but they’re never quite clear. With both, I have a vague idea of what they’re expressing, but Liszt never quite lets you pin down where they come from, what they mean or where they lead up to. You’re confined to this small subset of emotion - and it is wrung to its core.</p>
<p>Liszt’s sonata is sublime, and it is fascinating to see how different pianists - one no less talented than the other - interpret this mysterious, emotional piece.</p>
<p>I recommened Christian Zimmerman’s recording (considered the ‘Gold Standard’), and Jorge Bolets’ recording - both are breathtaking and sound incredibly different.</p>
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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">Going Big with Bruckner [Bruckner]</h1>
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<time class="dt-published" datetime="2021-10-08T00:00:00+03:00" itemprop="datePublished">Oct 8, 2021
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<p>It’s always the same.
A quiet, mysterious opening, slowly picking up intensity and volume.
Growing louder and louder, increasing in complexity - new sounds slowly file in.
And somehow, it snuck up on you - you’re bathed in symphonic might, overflowing with emotion.
It’s the Bruckner symphony.</p>
<p>I’ve come to hear the music of Anton Bruckner when following the path of Mahler, and the two do share many similarities - both hail from the proud German-Austrian traditions of Romantic music, and both brought the symphony to previously unforeseen scale. Their music, however, remains quite different.</p>
<p>Anton Bruckner’s symphonies are massive in scale, sound and length - Bruckner often repeats himself, and the tempo is quite slow. Somewhat unusually, they all share a very similar structure and even orchestration - Bruckner had a style and he stuck to it.</p>
<p>Earlier in my classical journey, I was drawn to fast, virtuousic music - and so did not dwell long on Bruckner. As I grew into more diverse style, Bruckner crept up on me.</p>
<p>If you can spare the attention span to listen to him, you will be richly rewarded.</p>
<p>I’ve read online somewhere that ‘<em>Bruckner is not to be understood - but to be experienced</em>’.</p>
<p>His works are extremely rich in texture - the orchestra does not remain idle, and there’s always something going on - the whispering of a wind instrument, low hums of strings, ringing brass. There’s always an atmosphere to decipher, continuously building up and growing bigger, bolder.</p>
<p>And when you reach the core of each phrase, you are surrounded with pure, clean emotion.</p>
<p>And while it may sound all very conservative, Bruckner has some surprisingly modern tricks up his sleeve. He is not afraid to suddenly ditch pleasant tonality, rise suddenly in volume and force, and change the mood at a whim. The third symphony is a good example of this - even relatively early, it sounds very different from a conservative Classical era symphony.</p>
<p>Bruckner was a devout Catholic and an organist, and even though music historians complain that “Bruckner the man has very little to do with Bruckner the composer”, I can hear these influences in his music. There’s always a divine aura to the symphonies, and if you close your eyes, at times you can almost imagine sitting afoot a massive organ, awed by its sound. At other times, it sounds like something of a movie soundtrack, whether released today or in the last decade. Finally, if you’re not aware, you’ll be caught of guard with much more colorful modern maneuvers.</p>
<p>Anton’s music contrasts greatly with many of my favorites - Brahms being particularly different. Where Brahms uses the orchestra in moderation, and constructs powerful and sudden phrases with sudden might - Bruckner builds up the entire orchestra. It also greatly differs from the music of Mahler, who saw Bruckner as a contemporary (and said of him he is a “Half simpleton, half God”) - Mahler’s vast symphonic scale is fickle and intense, while Bruckner’s is restrained and carefully presented. The music of both is amongst the mightiest I’ve ever heard.</p>
<p>Nowadays, I really enjoy listening to Bruckner - it’s somewhat of a break from the rest of the music into the familiar structure of his symphonies - which never fail to awe me in their unique voice.</p>
<p>Just listen to the Adagio of the sixth and see if it does not touch something within your soul.</p>
<p>I heartily recommend giving the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 7th symphonies an attentive listen.</p>
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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">Classical: The Next Generation</h1>
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<time class="dt-published" datetime="2021-10-19T00:20:00+03:00" itemprop="datePublished">Oct 19, 2021
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<p>Classical season has started earlier this month, and I’ve been having a blast - attending two concerts, as well as a rehearsal - which have all been outstanding. As awesome as those have been, tonight has been particularly spectacular - I had the great priviledge of inviting my parents to listen as well.</p>
<p>I’ve known for some time experiencing classical live is a big part of it, but it’s amazing just how much of an impact it’s had on my journey in such a short time - even recordings I already know and love sound totally different!</p>
<h1 id="classicals-not-dead---its-edgier-than-ever">Classical’s Not Dead - It’s Edgier Than Ever!</h1>
<p>The programme this year is about <em>bringing unique, less-often performed pieces to the public</em> - and while I don’t know how objectively true that is, it’s certainly been quite spicy.</p>
<p>The opening was a performance of Tchaikovsky’s brilliant Violin Concerto (played by Joshua Bell), and no other than the (allegedly) riot-inducing <em>Rite Of Spring</em> by Stravinsky.</p>
<p>Now, the violin concerto is a piece I really like (and as I’ve learned, many people of the public and music students strongly dislike), and it was a heartfelt, lively performance followed by a tasty encore of the first of Chopin’s nocturnes (on violin! I didn’t know that was a thing!). While savouring the joy of hearing this familiar piece, I inevitably fell to smugness ( <em>this can’t get better</em> ) and was completely blindsided by <em>The Rite of Spring</em>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It began while I sat in the hall during the break - I love watching the players warm up and trill - when they rolled in <strong><em>the gong</em></strong>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That’s right - <strong><em>The Gong</em></strong>.</p>
<p>It. Was. Unbelievable.</p>
<p>From the strange, entrancing call of the basoon, the sudden harsh <em>growling</em> of the strings laced with tense pizicatto, to one of my new favourite bits of music - the gong.</p>
<p>The gong-man just <em>smacks it</em> and the concert hall bows to submit, heraled by the LOUD cry of strings and wind - absolutely mesmerizing!</p>
<p>The room quivered with power and emotion like I’ve never felt by any work of art.</p>
<p>On my way out, I heard a mother asking her teenage son what he thought of the Rite of Spring.</p>
<p>‘The opening was good’, he condescendingly ruled.</p>
<p>You don’t know where it’s at, kid!</p>
<h1 id="tchaikovski-and-chill">Tchaikovski and Chill</h1>
<p>The next endeavour was a public rehearsel of Tchakovski’s magnificent Fourth Symphony, which has always been one of my very favourites. All the players, as well as the conductor, just waltzed in with their jeans and flip-flops and played the hell out of that symphony.</p>
<p>Hearing a piece I am deeply familiar with was really exciting, and digging into it with the conductor’s corrections was even better.</p>
<p>I learned a lot by how he corrects the orchestra - you’re not <em>rising</em> smoothly here, going <em>too fast</em> there, and suddenly seeing it improve was eye opening.</p>
<p>It was also amusing listening to the complaints of my neighbours (It’s too long! why are they rehearsing for so long!, Oh, look, it’s going to get loud, he’s bringing in the cymbals!).</p>
<p>To top it off, since the concert hall is near my work place, I got some time to go photograph pigeons in that nice fountain and drink green tea. Really helped process things.</p>
<h1 id="classical-next-generation">Classical: Next Generation</h1>
<p>Finally, tonight me and my folks went to hear another concert.</p>
<p>The day had all the makings of disaster spelled all over it: both my folks were busy beforehand (lil’ bro won an award! yay!), I dragged them out too early (no regrets), and the pieces to be played were particularly spicy which my father tends to dislike (describing them as <em>white-hot combs searing into the flesh</em>). We hear Ligetti’s Atmospheres, Bartok’s Viola Concerto and of course, Tchaikovski’s magnifienct fourth. I didn’t spoil anything!</p>
<p>Things went… far better than expected.</p>
<p>The conductor (charismatic Lahav Shani) promptly explained the concept behind Ligetti’s piece - playing all of the sounds at once and using them to manipulate mood - which helped it ‘click’ both for me and my folks. It was a slower piece, and I expected them to be disappointed - only to be suprised to find them pleased.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It wasn’t <em>comby</em> at all! it makes sense! it’s really cool!</p>
<ul>
<li>Dad</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>Bartok’s Viola concerto was a stellar performance by Pinchas Zuckerman, and it was amazing to see both my folks suddenly intrigued at the edge of their seats</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>It’s so beautiful!</em></p>
<ul>
<li>Mum, silently to herself.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>But much like Stravinsky did to Tchakovski, Tchaikovski did tonight to Bartok - The fourth symphony ticked all my boxes. It was rich, passionate, exciting - it was the sypmhony at it’s best. I listened to it with my eyes watering, and my parents were sucked right in. Their eyes lit up like I haven’t seen in a good while.</p>
<p>They each told me they’ve never been to a concert before, and if it weren’t for me they likely would not have gone. Tonight, I was able to give them something back, and share a great passion of mine with them - and see it really connect. I’ll never forget this feeling.</p>
<p>Both have eagerly expressed will to go again, but even if this was a one time thing - I’m overjoyed I was able to give a little something back.</p>
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<h1 class="post-title p-name" itemprop="name headline">The String Quartet</h1>
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<time class="dt-published" datetime="2021-10-27T00:15:00+03:00" itemprop="datePublished">Oct 27, 2021
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<p>Following the great sweep of symphonic pieces I have heard thanks to the Philharmonic’s season opening, I find myself straying back to one of my favourites subgenres of classical music - the string quartet. A successful spin of the great classic tradition, I feel the string quartet embodies the best classical has to offer in a unique, heartfelt form.</p>
<p>As I likely mentioned before, I feel at home listening to symphonies. However, a symphony can feel overwhelming - overflowing with emotion, volume and texture. For me, that’s when the quartets come in.</p>
<p>I find string quartets fascinating because, to me, they represent about as close as you can get to mainstream music from the classical realm. I like to think of quartets (and their cousins, the quintets and sextets) not unlike a band - a few players with their instruments playing a smaller scale of music.
Coming from mainstream music, you can easily dismiss the difference between mainstream and classical sound by pointing out the orchestra (‘Well, we’re not gonna sound like <em>that</em> - there’s a whole bunch of players!’) or the unique instruments (no one here rocks a tuba). Quartet-wise, it can be argued that if you think of a contra bass as a big, twiddly bass guitar, you’re <em>almost</em> there - and now the difference in what you’re hearing is much more likely to stem from the music itself.</p>
<p>But what are you hearing?</p>
<p>The string formations restrict themselves to a single subset of classical sound - there’s string, and that’s it - in stark contrast to both the back-and-forth of strings and wind instruments often heard in symphonic works, and to the virtuousic, often brooding nature of solo piano works. There’s a certain balance that must be kept, and there’s only one type of sound to keep it with.</p>
<p>As a result, string quartets/quintets/sextets are often <em>very</em> harsh on the ear for those who are not familiar with them (and sometimes, to those who <strong><em>are</em></strong> familiar with them - Shostakovitch’s and Bartok’s quartets are prime example) - they screech, squeal and creak, unable to be disguised in the large formation of orchestras nor in the elegance of the piano. Once you surmount that initial repulsion, however, there’s something really special to be heard.</p>
<p>The best example of this I can think of is Dvorak’s <em>very</em> well known (for good reason!) quartet #12 - the American quartet. He composed it while in the United States, and listening to it instantly transports you the the States of that time - think rustic, wide open spaces, a new and optimistic world, with smidgens of Native American melodies. Dvorak pursued the Native melodies beautifully in this quartet and in his Ninth Symphony (also incredibly popular) and predicted many others will follow, which they unfortunately did not. What a shame!</p>
<p>String quartet 12 is the single most atmospheric piece I know.</p>
<p>To illustrate the difference between this form and the symphony, you can compare this quartet to Dvorak’s own ninth, which was written around a similar time and around a similar thing. Both attempt to convey the same feeling, ableit from different directions - the quartet looks inward to the new world from an European view, while the symphony looks back home to Europe ‘ <em>from the new world</em> ‘. The symphony is far richer - right at the opening, it conveys a deep nostalgia - and it meanders about a range of emotions until finalizing in a great triumph in the finale.</p>
<p>The quartet is much more gentle - the opening transports you to the wide open spaces, and it feels much as though you’re overlooking great plains and rolling hills. Rather than expoding with sudden intensity as the symphony does, the mood in the quartet rises and falls much more gradually.</p>
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