Rachmaninoff

[TC Chris]

Listening right now to a concert broadcast of Rachmaninoff's first symphony. I love it and the CD-R machine is recording. I like recording live performances, even if most of the recordings are compressed and limited for broadcast purposes, restricting the dynamic range.

The story behind it is interesting. Rachmaninoff was a young composer and wrote a big symphony. The first performance in 1897 was a disaster. The conductor was drunk, the orchestra had not rehearsed, and the audience was unhappy. Rachmaninoff fell into depression and stopped composing. He withdrew the symphony. It wasn't heard again until 1945, after his death. And it's generally admired. Me. I'm a great admirer and never miss a chance to rip an off-the-air recording. It's exciting and moving music. And the story teaches lessons about persistence and ignoring first critical reactions.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

Being son of a piano teacher and erstwhile (really lousy) player myself I've always had a soft spot for his concertos. I have them all but of course the awesome "Rach 2" is the favorite, one that I've wished I could play for decades, even providing a theme for a '30s popular hit. For those who have read "Atlas Shrugged" (which I abhor for it's political philosophy but adore for it's storytelling) the composer cited as inspiration to the protagonist Galt is of course a thinly veiled Rachmaninoff. He lived well into the 20th Century at the same time as fellow Soviet citizen Rand and, a true throwback romantic long after Stravinsky, Berg, Ives, even a politically suppressed Shostakovich, had moved on, and was brilliant in that critically "obsolete" vein for all that, much like R. Strauss before him, and Mahler before that. I need to better acquaint myself better with his other works. One benefit of old age is having the time to go back to find out about what one has missed. Unfortunately another earlier throwback romantic, Tchaikovsky, was never able to overcome critics and his untenable situation, what he might have done with 20-30 more years?

[TC Chris]

I need to better acquaint myself better with his other works. One benefit of old age is having the time to go back to find out about what one has missed. Unfortunately another earlier throwback romantic, Tchaikovsky, was never able to overcome critics and his untenable situation, what he might have done with 20-30 more years?

I get most of my "Wow, what was that?" moments from public radio. And when it comes to wondering what if, Sibelius comes to mind. He stopped composing early and burned a bunch of his scores. He's a favorite of mine, the most abstract of the tonal/Romantic composers, so I always wonder what was in his burn pile that we, the listeners, would be saying "Wow" to if we could have heard the pieces.

Tonight on public radio news there was a piece on Florence Price. She wrote that she suffered dual handicaps: gender and race. Completely true. She could not get her compositions played. A bunch of her works were found in an abandoned house in 2009. Now she's getting recorded and welcomed by listeners but it's way too late for her to enjoy the fame.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

Better late than never in those best cases where we don't have to say what might have been.

[hermitcrab]

His second symphony is my favorite along with on a theme of Paganini...

[TC Chris]

That second symphony.... I find it impossible to listen without starting to sing along by about the 2nd movement.

Chris Campbell