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

[Krakalakachkn]

Beethoven

Bach

Aquarium

Mussogorsky

 

 

yah

[Jeannaisais]

Grieg

Bach

Mozart

Chopin

[Corki]

Tie 13: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Greig

 

Tie 14: Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach

 

Tie 15: Aquarium (Carnival Of The Animals) by Camille Saint-Saëns

 

Tie 16: Night on a Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky

[Corki]

So my vote in tie 13 has made it a tie. Time for someone to end the deadlock!

[el Nynaeve]

Grieg

Bach

Mozart

Chopin

 

Same!

[Corki]

Many thanks to Ellianora for breaking the tie! So it is now results time!

 

In tie 13, In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Greig defeated The Moonlight Sonata (1st and 3rd Movements) by Ludwig van Beethoven by 3 votes to 2.

 

In tie 14, Toccata and Fugue by Johann Sebastian Bach easily won its match against The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky by 5 votes to 0.

 

And in tie 15, Aquarium from Carnival Of The Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns beat Piano Concerto #23 In A (3. Allegro Assai) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by 3 votes to 2.

 

And in our final tie of Round 1, our second seed Night on a Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky beat Minute Waltz by Frédéric Chopin by 3 votes to 2.

 

Now we move onto the second round!

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 1

 

 

 

Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner (1)

This piece has some pedigree in this competition - winner in 2010 and 3rd in 2009. The Ride of the Valkyries is the name given to the beginning of Act III of Die Walküre, an opera by Wagner. The composer likes to do things on a grand scale - and Die Walküre is no exception! The music is building up for the lifting of the curtain, which reveals a mountain peak where four of the eight Valkyrie sisters of Brünnhilde have gathered in preparation for the transportation of fallen heroes to Valhalla. It is often used for military-like exercises in film and TV, for example, the 1979 film Apocalypse Now. It's universally known - and a classic!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aKAH_t0aXA

 

 

vs.

 

 

Dies Irae by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The piece was chosen by dapianoplay3r, who nominated as follows: "So I always liked the Requiem when I saw Adameus and watched how he wrote it. Then last year for my level three music class we had to rearrange some famous piece. I chose Twinkle Twinkle and overlaid it with the Requiem. I just loved the Requiem even more since then. I studied it so much that now I think I truly appreciate the depth behind it. It made me appreciate Mozart more then I had originally. I like the 3rd Movement the best but I also really like the 1st, and 9th. Anyway enjoy". The piece was left unfinished by Mozart.

 

 

Voting ends Thursday 24th March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 2

 

 

 

Piano Concerto #20 In D Minor (1. Allegro) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Written by Mozart in 1785, it was first performed at the Mehlgrube Casino in Vienna on February 11, 1785, with the composer as the soloist. The Allegro is the first movement of the concerto, which features 3 movements in all. It is another piece nominated by dapianoplay3r, who says "This is a great piece. I was introduced to it when I played it as part of my orchestra. I really like how it starts so quiet and foreboding. It's one of my all time favourites".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkjRz2Anz6A

 

 

 

vs.

 

 

Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor (Appassionata: I. Allegro Assai) by Ludwig van Beethoven

Composed between 1804 and 1806, the sonata is dedicated to Count Franz von Brunswick. The three movements of the Appassionata are the Allegro Assai, Andante con moto and Allegro ma non troppo, and is approximately 23 minutes long in length. The piece was nominated by Krakalakachkn, who states that "[it is] a beautiful and complex work for piano that is a delight to hear".

 

 

Voting ends Thursday 24th March 2011 at 11pm (GMT)

[Kivam]

Mozart

Mozart

[el Nynaeve]

Mozart

Mozart

[Jeannaisais]

Wagner

Mozart

[Krakalakachkn]

Mozart x2

[Kivam]

 

Down goes Wagner! Down goes Wagner! Down goes Wagner!

 

/cosell

[Adrian44]

Mozart x2

[Corki]

I'll sort this out tomorrow evening as I am out all day tomorrow and I have had a little bit too much wine to drink tonight!

[Corki]

I am finally voting, not that my votes of Wagner and Beethoven are going to make much difference!

[Corki]

Sorry about the huge delay, but I was not going to post while under the influence of alcohol, as I was the last two nights!

 

So, in the first tie, our defending champion and top seed, Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner, lost to Dies Irae by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by 4 votes to 2.

 

And Mozart gets a second piece through, as his Piano Concerto #20 In D Minor (1. Allegro) defeated Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor (Appassionata: I. Allegro Assai) by Ludwig van Beethoven by 5 votes to 1.

 

Time for the remaining ties of Round 2!

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 3

 

 

 

5th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven

Again, another one of those well known pieces of music from the Classical music world. There are so many features that are recognisable, especially the distinctive four-note "short-short-short-long" motif that is used twice. It is interesting to note that the BBC used this motif to introduce their news bulletins, because "short-short-short-long" represented V in morse code - and evoked victory. The "short-short-short-long" motif generates tense moments, but the rest of the piece is smooth, relaxing and also stirring. The piece was nominated by dapianoplay3r, who thinks "it's a great an epic piece of music that really deserves to be in the running".

 

 

vs.

 

 

Swan Lake Ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Composed between 1875 and 1876, the ballet of Swan Lake tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The ballet is over four acts, and fashioned from Russian folk tales. The piece was nominated by dapianoplay3r, who states that "[he] really love this at the moment especially after seeing Black Swan. It's so beautiful really".

 

 

Voting ends Monday 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 4

 

 

 

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".

 

 

vs.

 

 

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".

 

 

Voting ends Monday 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 5

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

vs.

 

 

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 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 6

 

 

 

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.

 

 

vs.

 

 

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.

 

 

Voting ends Monday 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 7

 

 

 

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.

 

 

vs.

 

 

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 Monday 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Corki]

Round 2, Tie 8

 

 

 

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.

 

 

vs.

 

 

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 Monday 28th March 2011 at 11pm (BST)

[Kivam]

Beethoven

Debussy

Beethoven

Rodrigo

Bach

Aquarium

[Krakalakachkn]

Beethoven

Debussy

Rossini

Rodrigo

Bach

Aquarium