Maestro 008: feat. Impressionistic Piano Works, Part 1
Maestro 008: feat. Impressionistic Piano Works, Part 1
1.
Anthony Goldstone
"The Bumble Bee" (mp3)
from "A Night at the Opera - Liszt, Gluck, Chopin, et al."
(Divine Art)
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"Flight of the Bumblebee" is an orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899–1900. The piece closes Act III, Tableau 1, right after the magic Swan-Bird gives Prince Gvidon Saltanovich (the Tsar's son) instructions on how to change into an insect so that he can fly away to visit his father (who does not know that he is alive). Although in the opera the Swan-Bird sings during the first part of the "Flight", her vocal line is melodically uninvolved and easily omitted; this feature, combined with the fact that the number decisively closes the scene, made easy extraction as an orchestral concert piece possible.
Nicolas Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as "The Five." Noted particularly for a predilection for folk and fairy-tale subjects as well as his extraordinary skill in orchestration, his best known orchestral compositions—Capriccio espagnol, Russian Easter Festival Overture, and the symphonic suite Scheherazade—are considered staples of the classical music repertoire, along with suites and excerpts from some of his 15 operas.
2.
Marzia Ragazzoni, Fabiana Ragazzoni "Dalle Sei Burlesken, Op. 58 per pianoforte a quattro mani" (mp3)
from "Cuore Ragione Ironia"
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Max Reger was a German composer, conductor, pianist, organist, and teacher. During a composing life of little more than 25 years, Reger produced an enormous output in all genres, nearly always in abstract forms, although few of his compositions are well known today. Many of his works are fugues or in variation form, including what is probably his best known orchestral work, the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart (based on the opening theme of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata, K. 331). He also wrote a large amount of music for organ, including the Fantasy and Fugue on BACH (this piece, based on the BACH motif, is considered one of the most difficult and demanding in organ literature). He was particularly attracted to the fugal form his entire life, once remarking: "Other people write fugues - I live inside them". He composed music in virtually every genre—opera being a notable exception.