danajohnhill.org | Hard Times Come Again No More

As a general rule, I am not particularly fond of transcriptions.  First, transcriptions suggest that the composer didn’t get it right himself, and, second, transcriptions are seldom as good as the original.  Exceptions to the rule certainly exist – most famously Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, which is far superior in Maurice Ravel’s orchestration.  Listen to this excerpt from the last movement, “The Great Gate at Kiev”, first in Mussorgsky’s original piano version, then in Ravel’s arrangement, and notice how much more colorful and interesting Ravel makes it:

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Maurice Ravel, Leopold Stokowski, Franz Liszt, and a handful of others were accomplished musicians who knew what they were doing.  Too often, however, transcriptions are made by instrumentalists or ensembles looking to perform music that wasn’t written for their respective instruments or combinations thereof.  Thus, you often find clarinet sonatas by Brahms performed by flutists, or any piece by anybody performed by brass quartets.  Guitarists are frequent offenders.

For years now, a compact disc has popped up on the play-lists of one of my colleagues that I have resisted adding to my own.  The disc is of the Amsterdam Guitar Trio playing their own transcriptions of Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque and Petite Suite, and Gabriel Fauré’s Dolly.  This is music I love, but couldn’t help but feel the transcriptions gimmicky.  I’ve changed my mind.  After all this time, I have finally come around to liking it.  Those pieces aren’t so serious as to preclude a three-guitar treatment, and hearing it that way is a refreshing diversion.  Listen to this bit from the Petite Suite:

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After years of avoiding this recording, I finally bought my own copy this week.

Debussy: Petite Suite; Suite Bergamasque. Fauré: Dolly, Op. 56. Chopin: Rondo in C Major, Op. 73.  Amsterdam Guitar Trio.  RCA 7800

Filed under: Music, WAYLTL, Work on June 25th, 2010 | No Comments »

Samuel Barber was born a hundred years ago today.  If he had only written Knoxville: Summer of 1915 he would still be important in my book.  It is the perfect marriage of music and text, namely, James Agee’s recollections of his childhood.

But Barber, of course, wrote much more.  Yesterday, for example, I listened to Gil Shaham’s wonderful recording of Barber’s Violin Concerto, which deserves a place in the regular concert repertoire.

Happy Birthday, Samuel Barber.

UPDATE:  When I arrived at work this morning, I noticed that Exploring Music this week is devoted to Samuel Barber.  Tomorrow, in fact, the show will feature Knoxville: Summer of 1915, and the fabulous Summer Music for Woodwind Quintet.  Friday’s show will have the Piano Concerto played by John Browning – a recording I have on CD.

Filed under: Music, Nostalgia, Special Occasions, WAYLTL, Work on March 9th, 2010 | No Comments »

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As I wrote last week, WUFT is dropping classical music–and, apparently, almost all other music besides–to go all talk.  WUFT is part of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism, and, as such, is subject to the College’s demands.  And they are demanding change.  But, as you can imagine, I am personally saddened by this decision.

I am receiving some solace, however, in the outpouring of popular support for classical music, and in the reighteous indignation from listeners who have written letters–published today–to the Gainesville Sun protesting the format change.  There have been op-eds, as well, from Raymond Chobaz, the conductor of the University Orchestra, and from Mickie Edwardson, a wonderful lady and former UF professor, with whom I have had the pleasure of working for years during the station’s pledge drives.  Dr. Edwardson knows tons about opera, and her recording collection puts mine to shame.  She is a fantastic emisary for classical music.  She once gave me a biography of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

I don’t know if anything can change the dean’s mind at this point.  But it makes my heart happy to know that people don’t want to take this lying down.  My new battle-cry:

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Filed under: Music, Work on July 7th, 2009 | 1 Comment »