I've been working on a diary for Mahler's Symphony #9, and I decided, about 4pm, that I wasn't going to get it ready in time for today. And so I'm looking for a graceful way to stall for a week, and, whoa, I think to myself, I know JUST THE THING!
Mozart Queen of the Night figurine.
The Mahler diary will be all the better for it, next week. In the meantime, I'd love to show you a wonderful documentary uploaded to Youtube by Hexephilharmoniker, documenting the recording sessions and production decisions made in recording one of Mozart's greatest works, his Piano Concerto #23 in A Major, with Vladimir Horowitz on piano, Carlo Maria Giulini conducting the Philharmonic Orchestra della Scala.
The real music doesn't begin until clip 2, below the fold...
Mozart's Piano Concerto #23 is probably most familiar to people for the slow second movement, which you may have heard before without knowing what it is. That is in clip 4. Also, watch at the end of Clip 4 when the engineers tell Horowitz that they need to re-record because the orchestra fell behind him. "It's as if they're afraid of you." Giulini points out, "He's a very famous pianist!"
If I had to come up with a word to describe the Concerto #23, the word would be brilliant. I mean that in more than one sense.
bril·liant (brlynt)
adj.
1. Full of light; shining. See Synonyms at bright.
2. Relating to or being a hue that has a combination of high lightness and strong saturation.
3. Sharp and clear in tone.
4. Glorious; magnificent: the brilliant court life at Versailles.
5. Superb; wonderful: The soloist gave a brilliant performance.
6. Marked by unusual and impressive intellectual acuteness: a brilliant mind; a brilliant solution to the problem.
Trivial side-note. In an episode of Doctor Who from the 1970s, Doctor Who (Tom Baker) whistled the fast and tricky main theme from the Concerto #23 first movement. Tom Baker: true Mozart fan! And the best Doctor Who.
NOTE:A new thing I learned today to improve Youtube performance. If you leave your cursor over the clip that's currently playing, it may improve any jerkiness.
I'll be around in comments. But I'm pooped from trying to rush out Mahler's 9th. I respect this particular work too much to cut corners. Next week will be good, and will include a somewhat extended personal narrative by me.
Clip 2 of 5
Clip 3 of 5
Clip 4 of 5
Clip 5 of 5