2024 January — June: half a year in music
Scriabin op. 57 (1907) no. 1. Désir & no. 2. Caresse dansée. These two lovely ephemeral pieces both open with an incomplete version of Scriabin’s mystic chord C F♯ B E. The full version of the chord, consisting of an augmented fourth, diminished fourth, augmented fourth, and two perfect fourths, is also known as the Prometheus chord (C F♯ B♭ E A D), used in his op. 60, Prometheus: The Poem of Fire.
Yo-Yo Ma plays Bach, a 1983 album featuring Bach’s arguably less well known Sonatas for viola da gamba/cello and harpsichord. Cello part feels like a knife through warm butter.
Sarabandes from Bach Cello Suites in C major and E major, played by Jean-Guihen Queyras (overall, his is the best recording of Bach Cello Suites I know of). I made a playlist of all Sarabandes from the cello suites, and it’s striking how similar the C major and E major sarabandes are when juxtaposed.
Rounds by Jessie Montgomery (2022), is an excellent contemporary piece for piano and string orchestra. Very Stravinsky-esque, as my composition teacher says. Yet also unmistakably American.
Fauré piano nocturnes. Especially the last one, no. 13, is, according to my composition teacher, “the best thing ever”.
Quando corpus morietur, last duo from Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. Stabat mater dolorosa is the best known duo from this work but Quando corpus morietur, is, dare I say, even more sublime. Also it feels weighty that Pergolesi wrote this work in the final weeks of his life.
Fauré cello sonatas. The slow 2nd movements are always the best.
Fauré piano quartets. Likewise, the slow 3rd movements are the best. Collected in this playlist.
Elliott Carter, Caténaires from Two Thoughts about the Piano. Incredible performance by pianist Conrad Tao.
Agnus Dei from Bach’s B minor mass. What is there to say. Except that I learned from Christoph Wolff’s lecture at the Bach Virtuosi Festival in May that this Agnus Dei is based on an earlier aria, "Ach, bleibe doch", of his 1735 Ascension Oratorio Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen, BWV 11. Which itself quotes another aria, "Entfernet euch, ihr kalten Herzen", from a lost wedding serenade (1725) (or they are both derived from the serenade).
Piano suite Poetry by The Turtle (Holden Mui). This piece was written in 2021 by then a high school senior (!!!), currently an undergrad in math and music at MIT. I was in awe the first time I listened to it, and loved it even more on repeat re-listens. The style is reminiscent of late Romantic composers, and yet its own thing altogether. Feels very youthful and pure. Also it’s very touching that this is a dedication to the composer’s closest friends. Pieces like this remind me that tonal, harmonious music is far from being explored exhaustively. Still so much to be said in this language.
