Hank Reynolds
Dvorak, Serenade for Winds Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) was raised in the small village of Nelahozeves 20 miles north of Prague. The town is situated on the Vltava (Moldau), which runs through Prague and is a significant factor in Czech culture. Dvorak’s father was a butcher … Read more
Fasch, Concerto in D We hit something of a milestone today with our 300th performance pick. Plus it’s a new year (although the second post of the year). So a work that’s upbeat and cheerful seems right, and one by a composer who is likely … Read more
Berlioz, Roman Carnival Overture Hector Berlioz (1803-1869) originally wrote the Roman Carnival Overture as part of his opera Benvenuto Cellini, which is a mostly fictional tale about the historical Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571). The opera was not a success, receiving only three performances initially in 1839. … Read more
Poulenc, Gloria When I last featured Poulenc just a few weeks ago, I mentioned my plan to turn to a larger scale work by Poulenc in the near future. I addressed Poulenc’s ability to express serious musical ideas with an unaffected simplicity. Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) … Read more
Telemann, Overture “Burlesque de Quixotte” I have been occupied with Bach in the past few weeks, preparing our new Composer of the Month series. At the same time, I revisited the music of Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767). The two had a lot in common. But … Read more
Ives, The Unanswered Question I have inserted Charles Ives’s The Unanswered Question this week into the sequence of performance picks that I had planned. Somehow, unanswered questions seem appropriate at the moment, but I will leave it at that and let you make of it … Read more
Tallis, Audivi vocem The text of Audivi vocem is from the service of Matins on All Saints’ Day (November 1). This setting by Thomas Tallis makes use of the Sarum rite chant. The Sarum rite comes from Salisbury Cathedral in England. Various styles of chant … Read more
Fauré, Requiem In program notes for the Fauré Requiem, John Bawden writes: Of the many settings of the Requiem, this is probably the most widely loved. In comparison with the large-scale masterpieces of Verdi, Brahms and Berlioz, Faure’s setting seems gentle and unassuming, yet it is … Read more
Borodin, Polovtsian Dances At the death of Alexander Borodin (1833-1887), his opera Prince Igor remained unfinished. The opera would be completed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov in 1890, and other “completions” would be made as well. The opera has since worked its way into … Read more
Frescobaldi, Se l’aura spira tutta vezzosa Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643) is described in The New Grove* as “the most influential keyboard composer of the first half of the 17th century” whose mature works “are among the most moving and distinctive statements of the early Baroque spirit … Read more