Classical Music - It's a Knockout (Winner: William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 7

 

 

 

Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy

Claire de lune is the third movement from the Suite bergamasque by Claude Debussy. It is one of his famous piano pieces. He started the suite in 1890, but didn't finish it until 1905. "Claire de lune" means "moonlight" in French, and name of the piece comes from Paul Verlaine's poem of the same name. The piece was nominated by Jeannaisais, who says that though "[she has] never played this song, I listened as my sister practiced it for performance and it is definitely one of Debussy's best pieces in my mind".

 

 

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Piano Concerto No. 1 1st Movement by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Composed between November 1874 and February 1875, it was also revised in 1879 and 1888. Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist, was heavily critical of the piece, but later retracted them and became a fervent champion of the work. The piece has been nominated by dapianoplay3r, who nominated it because "[he] didnt used to like this that much but I played it in the orchestra at the end of last year. It's great to play and now I really like it".

 

 

Voting ends Saturday 19th March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 8

 

 

 

Piano Concerto No 15 in B Flat Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart composed the concerto for performance at a series of concerts in Vienna in the first quarter of 1784, where he was himself the soloist in March 1784. Many pianist consider this concerto to be the most difficult of Mozart's piano concertos because of its many quick scale patterns and its many fast chord patterns moving up and down. Nominated by Ellianora since it is "upbeat, bright with a brilliant violin accompaniment".

 

 

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Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel (4)

Coming 4th in 2010, Canon in D automatically qualified for the contest. Canon in D is such a beautiful, elegant, yet simple song that tugs at the soul and, I'm sure, conjures up the image of a wedding (for the ladies). It happens to be Pachelbel’s most famous piece of music, and the exact date of composition is unknown, but it was rediscovered in the 20th century. It is one of the greats from the Baroque period.

 

 

Voting ends Saturday 19th March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Kivam]

Debussy

 

Mozart

[Jeannaisais]

Debussy and Mozart as well

[el Nynaeve]

Debussy

Mozart

 

Corki, I should point out the video is for Piano Concerto 20, yet the title says Piano Concerto 15.

[Talya]

Tchaikovsky

Mozart

[Krakalakachkn]

Wow...I don't know how I completely missed this thread until now. Curses!

 

 

Debussy

 

Mozart

[mottlee]

debussy

 

Pachelbel

[Corki]

Seems I made a bit of a mistake with the 8th tie! Sorry! Sorted out now.

 

Anyway, time for my votes, and then I will wrap these two ties up.

 

For tie 7, I vote for Debussy.

 

And for tie 8, I vote for Pachelbel.

[Corki]

So, the final scores of the doors!

 

In tie 7, Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy eased to a 6-1 win over Piano Concerto No. 1 1st Movement by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and booking its place in Round 2.

 

And we lose our first seed in tie 8, where the number 4 seed Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel lost to Piano Concerto No 15 in B Flat Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by 5 votes to 2.

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 9

 

 

 

William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini (3)

It's the Lone Ranger! Yes, this piece of music was used for that classic. Coming from the opera William Tell, Rossini uses the whole orchestra for this wonderful piece of music. It comprises of four parts - The Prelude, The Storm, The Ranz des Vaches and the famous The Finale. Very recognisable and very enjoyable. A great start to the opera! Because of the media link limitations (weird...), I have linked the first half as the second is probably the more famous.

Link to first half

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utDlBcPgjrk

 

 

 

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Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet

One of the most famous arias from Bizet's opera Carmen. It is sung by the matador Escamillo, and describes various situations in the ring, the cheering of the crowds and the fame that comes with victory. The piece was nominated by _wolfbrother_, who "love the piece" and "listen to it the whole time". He thinks it is "nice and flowing from start to finish".

 

 

Voting ends Monday 21st March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 10

 

 

 

The Nutcraker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet composed by Tchaikovsky and premièred in 1892. The original production was not a success, but the twenty minute suite extracted from the ballet was. It features 8 numbers from the ballet. The piece was nominated by Talya, and her sample is the Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy. She "just love this music, mainly from when I was young and ballet took up a lot of my life outside school. It's My favourite Ballet of all time, and the music not only reminds me of that time, but also makes me feel good, it's light and makes me want to dance!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7-HisQ6tqU

 

 

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9th Symphony (2nd Movement) by Ludwig van Beethoven

Symphony No. 9 in D minor is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven and completed in 1824. It is one of the best known pieces of Classical music, and has been addapted for use as the European Anthem. It is known as the "Choral Symphony" as it the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony. dapianoplay3r has picked the second of the four movements from the Symphony. He says "this piece is great. I listen to it all the time and I like how intricate but simple it is. I posted a video which makes it really clear how everything is moving so you can see how complicated it is but how well it works".

 

 

 

Voting ends Monday 21st March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 11

 

 

 

Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo

The Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra. Written in 1939, it is probably's Rodrigo's most famous work. The piece was nominated by Kivam, as it is one of his favourite pieces. He also views it as a "quintessential piece of Spanish classical music" (which I agree with). He thinks it is a "powerful and dramatic without being overwrought (Miles Davis once said that the softer you play it the stronger it gets, and the louder you play it the weaker it gets), subtle and moving". The clip comes from one of his favourite films, Brassed Off.

 

 

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Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber

Adagio for Strings came fourth in the 2009 contest, but crashed out in the first round in 2010. It is Samuel Barber's most known piece of music. Composed in 1935, it forms part of Barber's String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11. It's a really flowing, easy-going piece of music to listen to - brilliant to relax to. It really does show off string instruments to their best. In recent years, the world of dance music has covered the song, like William Orbit, Armin Van Buuren and Tiësto.

 

 

Voting ends Monday 21st March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 12

 

 

 

The Great Gate of Kiev by Modest Mussorgsky

This happens to be Corki's favourite piece of classical music, which it has been for quite some time. It has reached the second round in both 2009 and 2010. The Great Gate of Kiev is the rousing finale to Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, where he cleverly depicts various scenes with the music. The Promenade that links each picture (i.e. the walk between the pictures) features prominently. It sounds like a great procession is going through in celebration. A great piece of music to end the musical imagery from Pictures at an Exhibition.

 

 

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Der Holle Rache (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Time for a bit more opera. To give the piece its full name, Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Hell's vengeance boils in my heart) is the second aria sung by the soprano role Queen of the Night from Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. It is viewed as one of the great opera arias because of it is highly memorable, fast paced and menacingly grandiose. The vengeful Queen puts a knife into the hand of her daughter and orders her to assassinate Sarastro, the Queen's rival, on pain of denying and cursing her if she does not comply. It has been chosen by Ellianora because it is "upbeat, bright with a brilliant violin accompaniment".

 

 

Voting ends Monday 21st March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Kivam]

William Tell

Beethoven

Aranjuez

Mussogorsky

[Jeannaisais]

William Tell

Beethoven

Aranjuez

Mussogorsky

 

Agreed!!

[el Nynaeve]

William Tell

Beethoven

Aranjuez

Mozart

[_wolfbrother_]

Toreadors

Beethoven

Aranjuez

Mozart

[Corki]

Tie 9: William Tell

 

Tie 10: 9th Symphony

 

Tie 11: Adagio for Strings

 

Tie 12: Great Gate of Kiev

[Corki]

Results time!

 

Tie 9 was won by the third seed William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini, which easily beat Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet by 4 votes to 1.

 

There was an easy win in tie 10, where 9th Symphony (2nd Movement) by Ludwig van Beethoven beat The Nutcraker Suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky by 5 votes to 0.

 

I personally disagree with the result in tie 11, but Concerto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo won through over Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber by 4 votes 1.

 

But I do agree with the result in tie 12, where The Great Gate of Kiev by Modest Mussorgsky defeated Der Holle Rache (The Magic Flute) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by a narrow 3 votes to 2 victory.

 

Time to conclude the rest of the first round!

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 13

 

 

 

The Moonlight Sonata (1st and 3rd Movements) by Ludwig van Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14 in C♯ minor is better known as the The Moonlight Sonata. Completed in 1801, Beethoven dedicated the piece to his 17-year-old pupil, the Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The name of "Moonlight" Sonata originated in 1832, when the music critic Ludwig Rellstab compared the first movement to moonlight shining upon Lake Lucerne. Nominated by dapianoplay3r, he says he has "always loved to play Beethoven on the piano and the 1st movements is something I always go back to. If I could play the 3rd it would be amazing but it's a bit out of my league". Anyway he hopes we enjoy how the pianist plays the piece in his video clip.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjmTMgERioY

 

 

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In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Greig

This piece of music comes from Greig's piece of work called Peer Gynt, though it was originally written for Henrik Ibsen's play of the same name. The sequence illustrated by the music of In the Hall of the Mountain King is when Peer sneaks into the Mountain King's castle. The piece then describes Peer's attempts to escape from the King and his trolls. For those in the U.K. Alton Towers used the piece on their adverts.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 14

 

 

 

The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky

The music for the 1913 ballet The Rite of Spring was composed by the Russian Igor Stravinsky. It premièred at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The piece is split into two parts - the Adoration of the Earth and The Exalted Sacrifice. It is viewed as a piece of the 20th century because of its innovative complex rhythmic structures, timbres, and use of dissonance. The piece was nominated by AMD44, who views it as "a very revolutionary piece of music. [it is] considered savage by some at the time but definitely full of passion and primitive rhythms". The piece is also featured in Disney's Fantasia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjX3oAwv_Fs

 

 

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Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach

Time for something different as we now have a bit of organ music - and probably the most famous piece of organ music. Just listening to it shows it is a rather difficult piece to play, but it is a joy to listen to - and shows off how the organ should be played. It has proved to be a popular piece of music to be used by other artists. It is the battle of pieces that have appeared in Fantasia, as Toccata and Fugue, which is the first piece to feature.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 15

 

 

 

Piano Concerto #23 In A (3. Allegro Assai) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart's Piano Concerto #23 In A was finished around 1786, which was around the time when The Marriage of Figaro premièred. The piece comprises of 3 movements, and dapianoplay3r has picked the third movement - Allegro Assai. It is a vigorous and cheerful rondo, which moves through a variety of keys. It has been nominated by dapianoplay3r because "he just likes the song. It's so happy and free". He doesn't have any other reason for liking it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYnP2-zJQaI

 

 

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Aquarium (Carnival Of The Animals) by Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns's musical suite of fourteen movements was composed in February 1886 while he was in Austria. It has many famous pieces from it, including the Aquarium. It is a rich piece of music, played mainly by the flute, with support from the strings. Throughout the piece, there is the glissando-like runs in the piano, giving the shimmering effect of water. A beautiful piece of music.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 1, Tie 16

 

 

 

Minute Waltz by Frédéric Chopin

The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin composed Waltz in D flat major in 1847. It is commonly known as the Minute Waltz and is for a solo piano. It is dedicated to the Countess Delfina Potocka. The piece has been nominated by Jeannaisais, who, as a fellow piano player, says "it is one of my favorite pieces to play, and it is also quite impressive when you can get it up to speed, which I never did when I was younger, but it's definitely a life goal".

 

 

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Night on a Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky (2)

Our runner up from 2010. Mussorgsky composed the piece, but it was arranged and played after his death by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. A witches' sabbath is the theme of the piece. The music definitely gives the feeling something evil is going on - and I think it is one of the best pieces of music to depict wind. The piece has been used many times in popular culture, with Disney's Fantasia the most notable.

 

 

Voting ends Tuesday 22nd March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Kivam]

Beethoven

Bach

Aquarium

Mussogorsky

 

(and don't whine about Barber . . . it was the right choice )