Show 109: Romance

[Added on 2015/7/18:  This used to be called Show 9.  I've renumbered the shows, so that this one is Show109.  The July 4th show for this year will be numbered numbered Show201, and so on.  If you didn't figure this out yet, my first show aired the week of July 4th, 2014.]

Part A   (Roughly 1 hour.  This is a trial; this link may not work.)
Part B   (Roughly 1 hour.)

Introduction

The theme of this show is Romance.  Most people think of romance as being, you know, young love, and so on.  But in The Arts, especially literature and music, romanticism has a technical meaning.  It was a movement in literature and art and music that gradually became important in the nineteenth century, when they began to take a great interest in a few identifiable things. 

Firstly, myths and legends of the distant past.  For instance, in Art, people such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti in the early 1800s took as their inspiration ancient Greek and Roman legends and myths, as well as the King Arthur stories.  Magic, heroism, love, and antiquity were all part of the mix that became known as the Romantic movement.

Secondly, stories of distant lands: for us, that would be China, Japan, Arabia, India: even better, stories from the orient of olden times!  The Arabian Nights, and so on.  Already, even for people of Mozart’s time, this trend was beginning, with Turkish music, food, and dancing.

Science fiction was considered romantic in the early twentieth century; so there was great interest in traveling in time, space travel, so Star Trek and things like that would have been utterly romantic.  Jules Verne, and 20,000 leagues under the sea was written around this time.

When you come right down to it, Romanticism was about things far removed from ordinary experience.  I’m going to consider myself at liberty to stretch the meaning of romantic any way I want!  Today’s pieces are going to be romantic for a number of reasons.

Richard Wagner’s Prelude to Lohengrin

The first piece we’re going to hear is the Overture to Wagner’s opera Lohengrin, a story related to the Arthurian legend of Sir Galahad, as well as certain German legends.  This is about a girl, Elsa, who is considered to be unlucky, and whose brother is trying to get her married off quickly.  But she is saved by this mysterious knight, who miraculously appears at the waterfront, in a boat drawn by swans.  It’s from this opera that the Bridal Chorus is taken.  This overture is utterly romantic, but it is quiet, so I’m talking over it.  It represents the pure love of Elsa and her knight.  In the opera, later, —I know, I’m screwing up the music, but, be patient— some of the motifs from the overture are actually sung. 

One more thing.  To get that magical effect in the opening few minutes, Wagner divides the violins up into eight sections.  The Berlin Philharmonic has something like 32 first violins, so we have four in each section, playing really, really high, and very softly.

Brahms: Double Concerto in A minor, ii

This next piece, is not obviously romantic for any reason, but it is a double concerto.  A concerto is a major piece of music for soloist and orchestra, in multiple movements.  They’re usually intended to showcase the skill of the soloist.  A double concerto is one for two soloists.  This one is for violin and cello, the Double Concerto in A minor by Johannes Brahms.  There are usually three movements.  This is the second movement, and I imagine that the violin and the cello are on a date somewhere.  I get a little sentimental about these things.  So here you go!  It is Isaac Stern, and Leonard Rose.

Tonight, you belong to me

If you’ve ever seen the Steve Martin movie The Jerk, a sort of dark brown comedy, there is this utterly unexpected point in the movie where Steve Martin and Bernadette Peters sing this song from the sixties: Tonight you belong to me. 

Mozart: Ah, pardona

Here is an interesting song.  Mozart wrote an opera about the Emperor Titus of Rome, who was famous for his mercy. The opera has rather a tortured history, which you can read in Wikipedia, but there is an interesting sub-plot.  Two young people are secretly in love, Servillia, and Annio.  They are written, by Mozart, for a soprano, and an alto, because the role of the young man, Annio, was originally sung by a male alto.

The Emperor declares that he has chosen Servilia to be his Empress, not knowing that the girl and Annio are an item.  So now, Servilia and her —soon to be ex— boyfriend meet in a sad encounter, and Annio uses the word dearest to his —soon to be ex— girlfriend.  She says, you know, I’m to be the Empress, and you can’t be calling me cupcake, or stuff like that.  I honestly don’t know the tone of the exchange; we know that they’re still in love, but whether she was kidding, or whether she was anxious for his safety, it is not clear.   

Then there is this truly lovely duet, where he apologizes to her, saying, it was just habit.

Ah, forgive, my former love,
that thoughtless word;
it was the fault of lips
accustomed always to call you so.

And she apologizes back, and says:

Ah, you were the first person
whom I ever truly loved;
and you will be the last
to be sheltered in my heart.

Bach: Largo from the Double Concerto in D minor, BWV 1043

People think that Bach wrote dull, sterile music, or at the best, flowery music.  But this movement from the D minor double-concerto for two violins is utterly romantic.  The two violins talk together, and agree, and disagree, and it is just disgustingly cute.  It’s a little long, but it’s lovely.

Delicious

The Millionaire from Gilligan’s Island, also lent his voice to Mr Magoo, the short-sighted cartoon character.  Recently, my wife and I watched this utterly romantic movie, Bell, Book and Candle, starring Jimmy Stewart, and Kim Novak.  Supporting roles were played by Jack Lemmon, Elsa Lanchester, and Ernie Kovacs, and Hermione Gingold. Here is a cut called Delicious! from Dr. Demento’s 20^th anniversary album, featuring Jim Backus, who played the Millionaire, and an uncredited Hermione Gingold.  Beware of hiccups.

Dvorak: Violin Concerto, Movement ii

Here’s a beautiful movement from Dvorak.  It’s from his violin concerto in A minor.  He wrote only one.  This is played by Midori, with Zubin Mehta conducting.

Mozart: Laudate Dominum

This is a lovely movement from a Mozart motet, called Laudate Dominum, sing by the wonderful Hungarian soprano Maria Zadori

Wagner: Prize song from Meistersinger

You’ve probably forgotten that program when I played an excerpt from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg, where Walter, the young Knight, learns to compose a master-song.  Here’s the whole last verse, with a little bit grafted from the finale, to let it end properly.  As you can hear, in the actual competition, everyone gets into the act.  This is sung by Ben Heppner, the same tenor as last time, but a different Opera company.

Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp

The Concerto for Flute and Harp was written for a father-daughter pair; the father played the flute, and the daughter played the harp.  The harp part is generally considered to be much more difficult to play, and we must conclude that the young harpist was a better musician than her father.  This is the slow middle movement. 

Mozart: Dies Bildniss

In Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, an eastern prince is being chased by a dragon, and comes and falls senseless in the land of the Queen of the Night.  Three of the Queen’s ladies revive the prince, and he is shown a picture of the daughter of the Queen of the Night, who she claims has been stolen away by Zarastro, the master of a mystical society.  Later it turns out that Zarastro is the girl’s father, so the whole thing is a sort of custody battle, really.

Anyway, this is the song the prince sings, after he has fallen in love with the picture of the supposedly abducted girl.  He sings, this picture is mighty fine, basically.

They Might Be Giants: Birdhouse In Your Soul

A whimsical lovesong by the well-known group, from the album Flood. 

Paul Simon: Kathy's Song
This is a rather intense song sung solo by Paul Simon, from the Simon and Garfunkel album The Sounds of Silence, consisting of songs mostly written while they lived briefly in the UK.

The Swingle Singers

Bach/Swingle Singers: Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier

The Swingle Singers are a jazz ensemble based in France, founded by Ward Swingle.  They initially sang arrangements of J. S. Bach's instrumental music to Jazz-type scat syllables.  Now they sing a variety of music from the classical repertoire, with a swing.

The Seekers: The Carnival is Over

The Seekers were a famous folk group based in Australia.  One of their earliest hits was The Carnival is Over, actually based on a traditional melody sung by roving German folk singers.

Bach:  Prelude and fugue in G minor, Fretwork

Fretwork is a string ensemble that plays arrangements of the Baroque repertoire. 

Dowland: Go Crystal Teares, The King's Noyse

Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasilieras No 5

This is played by Camerata Brasil, a string band, supplemented by a few woodwinds.  The original was written for an orchestra of cellos.

Mary Hopkin sings:  The Lullaby of the Leaves

Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto, Movt 2: Canzonetta

Tchaikovsky's violin concerto was initially regarded with great alarm, as containing some of the most "unmusical" music ever heard in a violin concerto.  But it has earned its way into the ranks of the most beloved works in this genre.  This is David Oistrakh. 

   

Mahler: Adagietto

This is a well-known movement from Mahler, called the Adagietto.  It seems so frustrated that it can’t make up its mind to go anywhere.