Arachnophonia: Staatskapelle Dresden

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia (“Arachno” = spider / “-phonia” = sound) is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record(s) for the item(s) in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student manager Eli (class of 2024) and features several recordings made by the Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra. Thanks, Eli!

Staatskapelle Dresden Orchestra

Staatskapelle Dresden orchestra

While studying abroad, I was lucky enough to be able to attend a concert from the Staatskapelle Dresden, one of the world’s finest and most historic orchestras. Founded in 1548 by the Duke of Saxony, the Staatskapelle is now celebrating its 475th anniversary. The Staatskapelle plays in the famed Semperoper opera house, first built in 1841 in Baroque and Neo-Renaissance styles. Numerous composers have been linked with the orchestra throughout the years (most notably Strauss and Wagner), and the orchestra has held countless world premieres.

Sempoper - Home of the Staatskapelle

In 2009, the orchestra announced that Christian Thielemann would take on the role of chief conductor, a position he still holds. Thielemann, winner of the Richard Wagner Award and recipient of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, is renowned for his balance between technical precision and expressive interpretation. Under his leadership, the orchestra continues to shape classical music and fascinate its audiences.

If you, too, would like to enjoy the Staatskapelle’s signature sound, the Parsons Music Library has quite the collection of their recordings. I highly recommend Strauss’ Alpine Symphony (M1002.S91 op.64 2007 DVD), Eugen Onegin by Tchaikovsky (RM1500.T35 E8 1988), or Mozart’s Requiem Mass (RM2010.M89 1991).

Arachnophonia : Benjamin Britten “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra”

Editor’s note: Arachnophonia is a regular feature on our blog where members of the UR community can share their thoughts about resources from the Parsons Music Library‘s collection.

All links included in these posts will take you to either the library catalog record for the item in question or to additional relevant information from around the web.

Today’s installment of Arachnophonia is by student worker Colin (class of 2021) and features Benjamin Britten‘s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Thanks, Colin!

Benjamin Britten

The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

YPG Britten

“I expect you all know the sound of trumpets. And I expect most of you know about a trumpet player’s personality as well…”

The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, composed by Benjamin Britten, is an educational piece of music that combines the second movement of the Abdelazer suite, “Rondeau,” with commentary by Eric Crozier describing the instruments within an orchestra. Originally commissioned for a British educational documentary titled Instruments of the Orchestra, this piece is unique for its use of a common theme throughout each instrumental section and the conductor’s description of each section aloud before they play the theme.

Britten - Young Person's Guide

Not only does each section in the orchestra perform its own perception of the theme, every individual instrument is highlighted in multiple variations throughout the 17-minute piece. Variation C is led by the clarinets when the narrator states “clarinets are very agile. They make a beautifully smooth, mellow sound.” In accordance with the description, Variation C is played in a moderato tempo where the clarinets have many slurred sixteenth-note runs to emphasize their smooth sound. The piece continues to highlight each instrument individually and multiple sections in pairs until it culminates in a triumphant ending led by the piccolos and flutes. The brass begins to play in half time, 6/8, compared to the rest of the orchestra playing rapid eighth notes in a 3/4 pattern, creating a dynamic between fast and slow that ends the composition in a glorious fashion.

Benjamin Britten

Portrait of British composer Benjamin Britten circa 1949

Young Person’s Guide was also featured in the coming-of-age film by Wes Anderson, Moonrise Kingdom. The piece is played throughout the film to add to the values of wonder and adventure present in the movie, and synonymously contribute to the performances of the child actors.

New CDs added in October!

New CDs for October 2015

Classical

J.B. Cramer – Studio Per Il Pianoforte (84 Etudes in Four Books)
Brahms & Reger – Sonatas For Clarinet And Piano
William Lawes – The Royal Consort
Jane Austen Entertains – Jane Austen Entertains: Music From Her Own
Library

Jane Austen’s Favourite Music – Jane Austen’s Favourite Music: Songs, Piano & Chamber Music from Jane Austen’s Own Music Collection
Jane Austen Piano Favourites – Jame Austen Piano Favourites
Entertaining Miss Austen – Entertaining Miss Austen
The Flautadors Recorder Quartet – Cynthia’s Revels
Alan Feinberg – Fugue State
Chou Wen-Chung – Eternal Pine

Jane Austen Entertains

Vocal/Opera

Thomas Arne- Artaxerxes
Mary Jane Newman – Jane’s Hand: The Jane Austen Songbook
Loyset Compere – Compere: Magnificat, Motets & Chansons

Artaxerxes

Pop/Rock/Country

Peggy Lee – Miss Peggy Lee
Harry Nilsson – The Point
Harry Nilsson – Pandemonium Shadow Show, Aerial Ballet and Arial Pandemonium
Ballet

Harry Nilsson – Nilsson Schmilsson
The Honey Dewdrops – Silver Lining
Now That’s What I Call New Wave 80s – Now That’s What I Call New Wave
80s

Nilsson Schmilsson

Jazz

Herbie Hancock Septet – Herbie Hancock Septet Live at the Boston Jazz
Workshop

Sam Most – From The Attic of My Mind
Terell Stafford – Brotherlee Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan
Jule Styne – Scott Hamilton Plays Jule Styne
Fred Hersch – Solo
Lafayette Harris Jr. – Trio Talk
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis – Live In Cuba
Charlie Haden – Tokyo Adagio
Eric Alexander – The Real Thing

Trio Talk - Lafayette Harris, Jr.

World/Folk Music

Music Rough Guides – The Rough Guide to the Best Arabic Music You’ve Never
Heard

The Moving Violations – Faster Than A Walk: New England Contra
Music

Marti Nikko & DJ Drez – Dreaming In Sanskrit
The Best Arabic Music You've Never Heard

Electronic Music

Bang On A Can All-Stars- Field Recordings

Field Recordings - Bang On A Can All-Stars

New CD’s added this month!

Choral Works

Antoine Brumel | The Brabant Ensemble – Missa de Beata Virgine & Motets

Classical/Opera

John Adams – Gospel According to the Other Mary
John Luther Adams – Become Ocean
Samuel Barber – Vanessa
Unsuk Chin – Rocaná
Henri Dutilleux – Symphony No. 1 | Tout un monde Lointain | The Shadows of Time
Leon Fleisher – All the Things You Are
Kashkashian / Magen / Piccinini – Tre Voci
David Krakauer – Dreams & Prayers
Liza Lim – The Heart’s Ear
Liza Lim – Tonuge of the Invisible
Harry Partch – Plectra and Percussion Dances
Francis Poulenc – Les Mamelles de Tiresias
Yizhak Schotten – Tribute to Lionel Tertis and William Primrose
Antonio Vivaldi – Incoronazione di Dario
Alec Wilder – Woodwind Quintets

Jazz

Count Basie and His Orchestra – America’s #1 Band
Al Basile – Swing n’ Strings
Dirty Dozen Brass Band – Buck Jump
Cornell Dupree – Can’t Get Through
Woody Herman – Thundering Herds, 1945-47
Wynton Marsalis Septet – The Marciac Suite
Lee Morgan – Sonic Boom
Oneness of Juju – African Rhythms: 1970-1982

Pop/Rock

Eddie Kendricks – Ultimate Collection
Led Zeppelin – IV
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Mike Marshall & The Turtle Island Quartet – Mike Marshall & The Turtle Island Quartet
The Moody Blues – In Search of the Lost Chord
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Circle II, 20 Song Collection
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band – Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Vol. III
Elvis Presley – 30 #1 Hits
Sinkane – Mean Love
Sufjan Stevens – Illinois
Andy Stott – Luxury Problems
U2 – No Line on the Horizon

Band instrument works

BBC & RAF Orchestras – D-Day: 50th Anniversary
Marco Blaauw – Angels

Musicals

Woody Allen – Bullets over Broadway
Mark Baron – Frankenstein: A New Musical
Carole King and Gerry Goffin – Beautiful: The Carole King Musical
Alan Menken – Aladdin
Jeanine Tesori – Violet

World Music

African Horns – African Horns
Manu Dibango – African Soul: The Very Best of Manu Dibango

Hear and see our own Richuan Hu in action!

Editor’s update (1/17/13): Here is video of our student assistant, Ruiquan (Richuan) Hu performing with the UR Orchestra last semester. Bravo, Richuan!

As a part of the upcoming concerto performance that features the Music Library’s own Richuan Hu, we’d like to present a previous blog submission that Richuan wrote about his thoughts on studying a famous piano work by Franz Liszt. Please come out to the UR Orchestra concert on Wednesday, December 5 at 7:30pm in Camp Concert Hall, so you can hear Richuan in action as he performs the first piano concerto by Chopin. Richuan is the winner of the 2012 concerto competition!

UR orchestra and Richuan Hu

UR orchestra and Richuan Hu


 

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