#TanglewoodaDay - July, 2012

This month the Boston Symphony Orchestra will be celebrating its 75th anniversary of concerts at Tanglewood. And as you can imagine, some legendary artists have turned in extraordinary performances over the years.

The Boston Symphony is making available 75 audio streams of Tanglewood concert archives from 1939-2009. For a limited time, listeners can access these streams for free. Our theme this month is to celebrate with the Boston Symphony this remarkable anniversary.

The Tanglewood Audio Stream Schedule

Simply listen to any Boston Symphony recording (of any era). And you can also simply enjoy the streams from Tanglewood. But be sure to share on Twitter what you're listening to, and what you think of it!

#TanglewoodaDay

#SovietaDay May, 2012

Comrades! In honor of May Day, the theme this month is Soviet Composers. That list alone provides a lot of variety -- Shostakovitch, Prokofiev, Glazunov, and Khachaturian spring readily to mind.

But there are many more to choose from, such as Denisov, Artyomov, Miaskovsky, and Weinberg. And there are many, many more.

But if you'd like to add some variety, feel free to also listen to (and share) Soviet performing artists. You could listen to Richter, Ashkenazy, Gergiev, Temirkanov, or Oistrakh (or any orchestras or chamber ensembles from the Soviet Union).

And if you want a real challenge, try listening to Soviet composers performed by Soviet groups.

#FoolsaDay April, 2012

This time we take the entire month to celebrate April Fool's day. This month, it's all about the funny side of serious music. And there's a lot to choose from.


Classic jokes by classical composers
An obvious choice would be Mozart's >Ein musikalischer Spaß (A Musical Joke). But there is also Haydn's "Surprise" Symphony (#94) and his "Farewell" Symphony (#45).

And there's Beethoven's Rondo alla ingharese quasi un capriccio in G major, Op. 129, "Rage Over a Lost Penny" (they can't all be LOL). Malcolm Arnold's Grand, Grand Overture, and many more.

Comic operas and other amusing entertainment
Pergolesi's La Serva Padrona was composed to get the laughs. Ditto with Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, the output of Gilbert and Sullivan, and countless other operas and operettas throughout the centuries. You can also add J.S. Bach's Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211 (The Coffee Cantata), as well as Henry Purcell's naughty rounds and canons.

Humor in a classical music context
Victor Borge would be a good choice for this category. As would Peter Schickle, writing as PDQ Bach. And there's Anna Russell, Dudley Moore, and the newer classical music comedy team of Igudesman & Joo.

 

Hoaxes and Spurious Works
April Fool's Day usually involves pranks and tricks. So in honor of the holiday's emphasis on misdirection, let's also include spurious works. That wonderful adagio you thought was written by Albinoni? April Fool's!

There are plenty of spurious works to choose from, too. Haydn has a fair number, as does Handel and Bach. And don't forget all of the Baroque works "discovered" by Fritz Kreisler.

So share your favorite musical jokes with us on Twitter, and remember to use the hashtag #FoolsaDay. 

#88aDay Classical Pianists March 2012

The theme for March is classical pianists. It's a theme that's as broad as you care to make it.

Pianists as Soloists

There are plenty of recordings capturing the mastery of 20th and 21st Century artists. You could listen to Glenn Gould, Lang Lang, Murray Perhia, Emmanual Ax, and many other of the modern era. Or you could go back to the dawn of recording and listen to George Gershwin, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Godowsky or other artists from the 1920's.

Many of the virtuoso pianists of the day made their own piano rolls, so they're recordings of a sort. Listen to (and share your experience) with those, if you wish.

Pianists as Ensemble Players

Also, there's no restriction on the type of work the artist performs. Solo piano music instantly springs to mind, but there are also piano concertos, piano trios, instrumental sonatas (for a solo instrument plus piano) and other types of chamber music that could be included.

Pianists as Conductors

Some pianists, like Daniel Barenboim, has a second career as a conductor. You could listen to those recordings too. Not everyone may be familiar with Murray Perahia's efforts on the podium. And if they're conducting a work that features a piano, that's even better.

Pianists as Composers

The virtuoso pianist as composer goes back to the introduction of the piano. Mozart was one. So was Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Prokfiev, Busoni, and many others. Listening to works composed by a pianist would be within the theme (although it should have a prominent keyboard part -- a Rachmaninoff symphony, as opposed to a piano concerto, seems a bit outside the bounds).

So start listening, and sharing your discoveries on Twitter. Use the hashtag #88aDay

#SQaDay February, 2012

The theme this month is the string quartet. Since the time of Haydn and Mozart, the string quartet, perhaps more than any other chamber ensemble, has been considered one of the highest forms of composition.

And there's certainly a lot to chose from. In the classical period alone, there are quartets by Haydn (68), Mozart (23), and Beethoven (16), most of which are considered masterworks

The romantic period begins with Schubert (15), then moves to Mendelssohn (6), Spohr (36) and Brahms (3).

20th and 21st century composers have also contributed to the genre. Ravel, Debussy, and Faure wrote one each (but they're still in the repertoire). Shostakovitch wrote 15. And then there's Elliot Carter (5), Philip Glass (5) and Benjamin Britten (3).

And many others besides: Bartok, Schumann, Puccini, Verdi, Wolf, Sibelius... and many many others, both major and minor.

You can also explore recordings by the great string quartets, even delve into historic recordings.

There's a lot out there to listen to, a lot for you to discover from others sharing their tweets, and a lot for you to bring to other people's attention with your tweets.

Just remember to include #SQaDay as the hashtag. That way everyone interested will know what your listening to (and most likely be impressed by your good taste).

#FilmClassicsaDay January, 2012

This month we present an interesting challenge. The goal is to listen to at least one film classic a day.

So what does that mean? Well, it depends on how you define it. Remember, we're using the field of classical music as our starting point.

So you could listen to classical music that's been used in  movies -- such as Beethoven ("Clockwork Orange") or Mozart ("Amadeus")

You could listen to film music written by classical composers -- such as Sergei Prokofiev, Eric Wolfgang Korngold, Miklos Rokza, and Bernard Hermann (who all wrote "legitimate" classical works and were classically trained).

You could listen to classical Music written by film composers (yes, there is a difference), such as the "Warsaw Concerto" by  Richard Addinsell, or the suite from "Star Wars" by John Williams.

You also might interpret the word "classic" to mean "film classics." So you could listen to classic film scores by James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, Alfred Newman, and others.

As always, what happens next depends on the participants. Just remember to include #FilmClassicsaDay as the hashtag for your tweets!

#XmasClassicsaDay December, 2011

This month the challenge is to listen to music of the holiday season -- but not the same tired old tunes that we always here this time of year. The hashtag may read "Xmas Classics a Day," but we mean classical, not necessarily classic.

So Ralph Vaughan Williams' Hodie - yes. Steve Laurence and Edi Gorme's "Happy Holidays" - no.

Although the theme is classical, we're keeping the definition of Christmas loose. It includes any liturgical music written for use during Advent or Christmas (don't forget all those Magnificats, too).

There are also orchestral works written for the season, and many piano works, too. And there are ballets and dramatic works that have a scene or  two (or perhaps the entire story) taking place around Christmas. Also remember works that involve the seasons or the months of the year -- the December portions of those compositions work, too!

You can select anything from medieval chants to modern choral works. So start listening, and be sure to share with your fellow Twitterers using the #XmasClassicsaDay hashtag. There's a very good chance that you'll be turning others on to some great music they might not otherwise discover.