Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

In my irregular feature:  You may have seen the popular video of a large and  exciting "flash mob" orchestra and choir doing the "Ode to Joy" and close of Ninth Symphony in a city square in Spain.  Others are now trying it elsewhere.  In fact, the Beethoven Festival that I am co-producing here in Nyack, N.Y. will be attempting it soon here.   For now, a modest-sized version in Connecticut:

Call Him Beat-hoven

Fascinating piece from the folks at RadioLab on the long debate over Beethoven's metronome marking.  The device was invented near the end of his life and he was one of the first to use one.  He went back and adding metronome markings to his first eight symphonies and many have long said that he made big mistakes, got the numbers all wrong--surely, he didn't want them played THAT fast.  Now the radio guys suggest some other theories, suggesting he made have wanted to do that, just to, in his fashion, shake things up. Speedy Van Beethoven. (h/t Barbara Bedway)

Joni Mitchell's Valentine for Ludwig

Perhaps her greatest love song? Certainly, at moment, and perhaps others, her immortal beloved.

Gould Gets a Grammy

One has to wonder what took so long, but Glenn Gould will finally get his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy folks tomorrow--and my friend Tim Page will be accepting for him.   The Great (Eccentric) One:

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

It may surprise you to learn (if you don't know) that the late Leonard Bernstein once said in a documentary--I have seen it--that if he could take only one of his recorded works to heaven with him when he died it would not be a symphony or concerto, by himself or others, or one of his famous theater pieces, but his orchestral version of Beethoven's string quartet opus 131, with the Vienna Philharmonic.  I always wondered if that was just a flip remark, but today in the NYT there's a grief report on a new book that collects one of Lenny's last interviews, with Jonathan Cott, in which he repeats this.  Perhaps this will show why:

Beethoven Welcomes 'Spring'

Researching Journeys With Beethoven, I was amazed to find famed conductor Lorin Maazel not only using Twitter but taking questions there.  So I asked: What's your single favorite movement of a Beethoven piece? His wonderful answer, from Violin Sonata No. 5,  also known as the "Spring" sonata,  is found below--a surprise, however, since it's not orchestral. But it is one of the great 'Spring' treats.

The Beatles Have a Message for Ludwig

As I've noted, we feature recordings of our title tune from time to time, from the creator himself, Mr. Chuck Berry on down.  Now here is vintage live recording of The Beatles with their version, featuring George on vocal and rocking guitar. 

For Valentine's Day: One of the Great Love Letters

Of course, we refer to the famous LvB note to his "Immortal Beloved." The mystery in identifying the woman has provided scholars with one of the great pursuits of our era, still not quite resolved.  Unfortunately, the movie Immortal Beloved, starring Gary Oldman as Ludwig, came up with a ludicrous guess (no spoiler here) but this scene has two things going for it:  Oldman reciting part of the letter and one of the most beautiful pieces ever  (also featured in The King's Speech, see below) on the soundtrack.

Paul Lewis Goes 4th

Always loved this little interview with the great Paul Lewis, talking about playing all of LvB's piano concertos, with special emphasis on how to get the opening of the Fourth right.  Yes, I've seen him do the fourth at Avery Fisher and will see Helene Grimaud do it there next month.

The Great Piano Throw Down!

Probably my favorite two dozen notes in all of music (along with the opening of "Like a Rolling Stone") are the ones that come at the very beginning of LvB's Piano Concerto No. 4.  As many know, they were also revolutionary in their time--the mere thought of opening a concerto with a solo passage!  Somehow, in researching our new book, I came across this three-minute video at YouTube which collects the very varied renditions of those few notes by several famous pianists, including Schnabel, Arrau, Gould,  and Aimard. 

Belush-toven

 John Belushi as Beethoven / Ray Charles.  That deaf and blind boy, can he also play pinball?

Lenny on Ludwig

Terrific excerpt from a Leonard Bernstein talk at Harvard, as he plays a bit of Ludwig on piano (starting with call and response from sonata no. 18) and discusses "expressive" music and its "metaphorical language."Communicating "the unknowable."

A Ninth for the Ages

I posted below more than once  about the cycle of Beethoven symphonies this past week at Carnegie Hall, with Daniel Barenboim leading his remarkable West-Eastern Orchestra of mainly Arab and Israeli young musicians.  I was fortunate enough to attend yesterday's concluding concert, featuring the 2nd and 9th symphonies, and it was incredible.  It was one of the greatest Ninths I've seen (the two middle movements especially fine), and the love from the audience rarely seen.  If you missed it over WQXR, here is how they did the finale, in London at the Proms last summer.

Beethoven-on-Hudson Festival Begins!

Excited to announce that I will serve as co-host and curator of a unique, year-long Beethoven festival based in Nyack, N.Y.  (home of the well-regarded Carnegie Concert Series) but appealing to fans throughout  upstate New York, NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut.

In fact, it is titled "Journeys With Beethoven," after my new book with Kerry Candaele.  It will  include dozens of concerts, film showings, a Marathon at the Mall,  and (we hope) a massive choral sing-out in the park, a rocking Beethoven-palooza, dance, a theater piece, events for (and recitals by) young folks, and much, much more.   I'm assisting Yashar Yaslowitz, who does a great job with the successful Carnegie series.   We're marking the 100th anniversary of the first symphonic recording--naturally, Beethoven's Fifth.

The festival kicks off on Feb. 4 with a free event--the first of monthly get-togethers ("meet-ups with music," we call them)  focused on Beethoven, each one with a discussion, live performances, film excerpts and guests, at Nyack Library.  This first one will be vital, as we solicit ideas from creative artists and others in the community. We even have a Meetup page.

Then a Rivertown screening in Nyack on Feb. 13 of the terrific A Late Quartet, with a panel (including well-known former members of quartets) to follow.   The first two concerts at the library in the festival are March 2 and March 23.  Later: the complete string quartets, Diabelli variations, and Choral Fantasy, all live-streamed nationally and internationally.

And throughout: full public participation, joining in with their own Beethoven music, playing and singing and dancing.   So stay (well) tuned!

Colbert Meets Beethoven

Amazing, from last night, with author of that new book (which I've read, of course), on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

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A Pastoral Solo

As I've posted more than once here--and highlight in our new book--I am a huge fan of Glenn Gould's rendition of the wonderful Liszt piano transcription of The Pastoral symphony.  Others prefer the Katsaris versions of all nine symphonies.  So, on a nice spring day, here's how Katsaris kicks of Symphony No. 6 (more rapidly than Gould).

The Unbearable Rightness of Seeing

Milan Kundera, from The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, where the narrator's father excitedly claimed to have finally understood a Beethoven variation: "I knew what he wanted to talk about, of course. He had been involved with the topic a long time. Beethoven had felt a sudden attachment to the variation form toward the end of his life. At first glance it might seem the most superficial of forms, a showcase for technique, the type of work better suited to a lacemaker than to Beethoven. But Beethoven made it one of the most distinguished forms (for the first time in the history of music) and imbued it with some of his finest meditations.

"True, all that is well known. But what Father wanted to know was, what we are to make of it? Why did he choose choose variations? What lay behind his choice? That is why he called me into his room, pointed to the music, and said, 'Now I know!'"

A Real Page Turner

Some of you may know that Tim Page is one of the leading writers about classical music (not to mention Glenn Gould and Dawn Powell) of our time, starting with The New York Times, then as a Pulitzer winner at the Washington Post before his recent move to Los Angeles and a top teaching gig there.  And a good guy.  So we are especially pleased to reveal that he has written a nice blurb for our new book:  "A passionate, deeply felt and altogether personal account of coming to Beethoven in middle age, after a lifetime's immersion in other musical forms. They understand Beethoven's eternal wildness: As well as we may think we know this composer, he constantly surprises and reinvigorates us."

Gance, from Napoleon to Beethoven

A few months back I brought you a couple of scenes from famed film director Abel Gance's biopic about Beethoven in the 1930s.  I mentioned that I had seen the restored version of his wildly inventive silent epic Napoleon in its celebrated run at Radio City Music Hall back in 1981.   Of course, Beethoven had his own Napoleon complex, dedicating the Eroica to him and then scratching it out when his "hero" declared himself emperor.  Below: another scene from the Gance portrait of LvB.

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

We usually don't take the church part seriously here, but can't resist this unusual vid of part of Beethoven's Mass in C Major, performed in a church in Westchester County, NY, with the only accompaniment by Anthony Newman--the famous Bach interpreter--on organ.  Added note:  I was there and the back of my head shows up in videos (the entire Mass is on YouTube).

When Dick Clark Met 'Beethoven'

Here's the wildest, most star-studded version of "Roll Over, Beethoven," ever, billed as "Dick Clark's All-Star Band" from the 1970s, with to name just a few: Chuck Berry as star (natch),  Pointer Sjsters, Johnny Rivers, Steve Cropper,  Les McCann,  Doc Severinson, Greg Allman,  Chuck Mangione, Seals & Crofts, Donald Byrd, and more. 

Beethoven Festival 2013 Coming!

Excited to announce that I will serve as co-host and curator of a unique, year-long Beethoven festival based in Nyack, N.Y.  (home of the well-regarded Carnegie Concerts series) but appealing to fans throughout  upstate New York, NYC, New Jersey and Connecticut. 

In fact, it is titled "Journeys With Beethoven," after my new book with Kerry Candaele.  It will  include dozens of concerts, film showings, a Marathon at the Mall,  and (we hope) a massive choral sing-out in the park, a rocking Beethoven-palooza, dance, a theater piece, events for (and recitals by) young folks,  poetry and literary readings, and much, much more.   I'm assisting Yashar Yaslowitz, who does a great job with the  weekly Carnegie series at Nyack Library, but seeking broad community input.  We're marking the 100th anniversary of the first symphonic recording--naturally, Beethoven's Fifth.

The festival kicks off on Feb. 4 with a free event--the first of monthly get-togethers ("meet-ups with music," we call them)  focused on Beethoven, each one with a discussion, live performances, film excerpts and guests, at Nyack Library.  This first one will be vital, as we solicit ideas from creative artists and others in the community.  Then a Rivertown screening in Nyack on Feb. 13 of the terrific A Late Quartet, with a panel (including well-known former members of quartets) to follow.   The first two concerts at the library in the festival are March 2 and March 23.  Later: the complete string quartets, Diabelli variations, and Choral Fantasy, all live-streamed nationally and internationally.

And throughout: full public participation.  Organize your own event or  join in with their own Beethoven music, playing and singing and dancing.   So stay (well) tuned!

Barenboim and Beethoven

UPDATE Thursday:  NYT reviews the first concert at Carnegie.

Earlier:  Fine, lengthy piece at The Guardian awhile back on Daniel Barenboim prepping to play all 9 symphonies at The Proms in London this summer, with his famous Israeli-Arab "Divan" orchestra.  We have a good deal on Barenboim, his views on LvB and work with Edward Said, in our new Beethoven book.  He will bring the orchestra to Carnegie also doing the complete Ludwig next week, and I will, of course, be there for the 2nd and 9th symphonies. Trailer below:

Flash Mobbing Beethoven

Amazing video of local orchestra, last year,  in a kind of "flash mob" approach playing the "Ode to Joy" in a square in Spain. Promoted by bank to mark 130th anniversary or something. 

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

One of LvB's most underrated sonatas, here from Daniel Barenboim (who I'll be seeing two weeks from today doing The Ninth with West-East Divan at Carnegie).

Putting Up My 'Archduke'

This may now be my favorite version of "The Archduke," which is saying something.   Pianist Jeremy Denk, who I interviewed for my Beethoven book, and knows a thing or two about all this, calls this movement his favorite music in the world--"the holiest of holies."

Beethoven Rules!

WQXR, the famous and influential classical music station in NYC, does an annual listener poll ranking (and then playing) the greatest 100 compositions of all time.  This year, no shock (to this listener), my man Beethoven took six of the top ten slots, with symphonies 3,5,6,7 and 9 and the "Emperor" piano concerto, including three of the top four.  My #1 pick, and theirs (and enjoy our book): 

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

My weekly featuring, this time with the final movement of his string quartet no. 6--also the final movement of his first opus grouping of six quartets.  It truly pointed the way to all that followed in his quartet writing.  As always, if interested, check out my Beethoven book.

Sunday Morning in the Church of Beethoven

As I noted last week, I am reading the new book on LvB's Fifth Symphony, so to continue that theme, here is a bit of Leonard Bernstein's famous TV special on this from the 1950s (I think all of it is at YouTube somewhere).