Opus 109

Song of the Week Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) The Muse, Opus 29, no. 1 The Music     "The Muse" is the first of Medtner's Seven Poems after Pushkin, Opus 29. With motivic connections to the great Sonata-Ballade, Opus 27, and the Piano Quintet in C Major (both compositions which were especially important to the composer)   this song stands out among Medtner's vast vocal output, both in its peculiar and mysterious beauty, and the theme of its text. The speaker sings of her awe and delight as the Muse, the "Mystic Maid," takes the reed from her and plays a most wondrous song. The theme of the Muse was one that Medtner had a lifelong interest in, as can be seen from the title of his 1935 book on music  The Muse and the Fashion . The Performance      I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Elizabeth Schwarzkopf collaborated with, or even knew about, Nikolai Medtner. And I was further surprised at my inability to determine what language she was singing - em...

The Music      This famous aria for soprano comes in the third part of Georg Friedrich Händel's famous Messiah oratorio (1741). It expresses hope in the resurrection that awaits those who believe in Christ.      Being my favorite aria, I naturally chose "I Know that My Redeemer Liveth" for the first song in my new Song of the Week series. The title is fairly self-explanatory - I will be posting a new song (art song or aria) every week on Monday. I will try to keep the comments to a minimum and let the music speak for itself, though readers may be able to tell my favorites in cases of excessive verbiage. Working lately as a piano accompanist, my knowledge of the vocal repertoire has been increasing, but I still have much to learn. That is, in part, the purpose of this "Song of the Week" series - to challenge myself to explore the vocal repertoire more and more. The other purpose is simply to share great vocal music. It's amazing how many gems there are...

     To kick off this blog, I've compiled a list of "essential" music records that I would want with me in the off chance I get stranded on a desert island ( with all my favorite records and a device to play them... What luck!). It should be noted that not every pick is one single piece of music. Most of the picks are quite large works, actually. Similarly, not every record consists of just one CD or vinyl - some of them include two or three. Maybe that's cheating, but I figure the rules aren't too strict on unexplored desert islands in the Pacific ocean.      This article is divided into two parts: this first part is dedicated to works that are primarily choral or vocal, and the second to purely non-vocal ("instrumental") music. Since the greatest instrument of all is the human voice, I have given special attention to selecting my favorite choral works, and these would take priority for me if I had to choose between the two. I. Choral Works 1. S. Ra...