[Car tune] First Impressions

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... just trying to get home in one piece, and without breaking your insurance rates ..."



"First Impressions" by Edgar Meyer
Performance by Mark O'Connor, violin, Yo-Yo Ma, cello, Edgar Meyer, bass.

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[Car tune] Clarinet Concerto: 2nd movement

Rich Capparela's car tune.  Mad about Mozart edition.  :)

"... everybody forgot how to drive over the weekend, so give them a break, let them cut ahead, let them figure out your lane being, it doesn't matter, you know just let off the gas, give them a break, take a deep breath ..."



"Clarinet Concerto: 2nd movement" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performance by Joaquin Valdepenas, basset clarinet, English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jose-Luis Garcia.

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[Salon Series] Benjamin Pasternack

Went to the Pacific Symphony Salon Series concert.

They invite a guest artist to a patron's home, and do a small recital.

Today's guest, Benjamin Pasternack, played the piano in an all Chopin concert.

He said it was hard to pick which pieces to put on the program.

(He could play Chopin for hours.)

So like a course meal, he picked a piece from each section of the menu.  :)

Ballade in G Minor, Op. 23

Chopin started the ballade for piano music.

It is basically a piece with a story, like program music and tone poems.

This piece has a tragic ending.

Waltz in C-sharp Minor, Op. 64 no. 2

Chopin did not invent the waltz, but he changed it in his own way.

It was never meant to be danced to, but he kept the dancing spirit from French, German, and Polish origins.

Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62 no. 2

Chopin did not invent the nocturne, either, but he added the "mystery" element, which later composers pick up.

Scherzo in B-flat Minor, Op. 31

Scherzo means "joke", Haydn and Beethoven used it to relax the seriousness of classical music.

Chopin kept the contrast in the format, and added virtuosic piano work.

This piece starts in a minor key, and ends in a major key.

[Car tune] Romance for Violin #2 Op 50 in F

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... to help you get pass that idiot, who seems to have forgotten where the turn signal is located and needs to be in the exact same space you're occupying at the exact same time, physically impossible, isn't it? ..."



"Romance for Violin #2 Op 50 in F" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performance by Frank Peter Zimmermann, violin, English Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Jeffrey Tate.

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[Car tune] Solemn Vespers of the Confessor: Laudate Dominum

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... just trying to get home and have dinner and see the spouse, kids, the cats, and the dogs ..."



"Solemn Vespers of the Confessor: Laudate Dominum" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performance by Joshua Bell, violin, Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Michael Stern.

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[Car tune] Out Towards the Sea

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... we're in Southern California where the traffic is unicorns and rainbows ..."



"Out Towards the Sea" by Edvard Fliflet Braein
Performance by Iceland Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Bjarte Engeset.

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[Car tune] Canon in D

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... that person trying to cut you off, you know, they haven't got nearly as much class as you ..."



"Canon in D" by Johann Pachelbel
Performance by Cantilena.

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[Car tune] Summer Night on the River

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"...Mondays and Fridays, when either people have forgotten how to drive, or they're only here to drive badly..."



"Summer Night on the River" by Frederick Delius
Performance by BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Davis.

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Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto

Went to the Pacific Symphony's Saturday night concert.

This concert will broadcast on KUSC on Sunday, March 8 at 7 PM (PST).

Listen to Alan Chapman's preview on SoundCloud.

Tori Takemitsu (武満徹) is a Japanese contemporary classical composer.

I've heard that he became well-known internationally before he did so in Japan.

I sang one of a his choral works in college, and I found it very soothing.

This night's "Requiem" had more dissonance, and Conductor Leo Hussain said today's piece is "like watching a beautifully made foreign move, in a foreign language, with no subtitles".

I just love the Tchaikovsky.

If this is what vodka smells like to the ear, I'll intake it anytime.  :)

And this is like a hangover.  ;)

Disclaimer:  I'm playing on the very first violin (1/4) I've used, I've never gotten past the 16th notes, and I haven't practiced for over a quarter century.

The good thing about these classic-romantic composers is that they've been dead for over a century, so their works are very accessible.  :)

I don't see how anyone can guess that this is a violin score.

(I guess the pizz and arco gives it away...)

Anyways, the concert's soloist, Augustin Hadelich, also played the Tchaikovsky with the Pacific Symphony in the summer of 2008.

I remember that concert, the audience gave a standing ovation after the first movement!

Carl had to grab the microphone and tell them that they are getting two more movements, before people sat down.

History repeats, and he got a standing ovation after the first movement again.

Then (left) and now (right).

I guess he didn't get the note that artists can keep using their young photos in the program notes forever.  :)

For an encore, he played Paganini's Caprice #5.  (I recall he played #24 in 2008.)

Here are some additional fun facts I got from the pre-concert lecture with Alan Chapman.

Leo started music by chance, because his home was the only one big enough in the family to inherit his great-aunt's piano.

Augustin, unlike conventional music learners, "hopped" master classes, so he had tons of different teachers.

Alan said Saturday's cold rainy weather was Leo's fault, because he mentioned that the Sibelius piece is a very cold piece and southern California being very warm, causing disparity.

Leo concurred, and thanked us for making him feel at home by emulating London weather.  :)

[Car tune] Sheep May Safely Graze

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"... after all, it's all about the brake lights, and the lack of turn signals..."



"Sheep May Safely Graze" by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performance by Christopher Parkening, guitar, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Paul Shure.

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[Car tune] Rhosymedre Prelude

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"...after all, it is Southern California, it is rush hour..."



"Rhosymedre Prelude" by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Performance by Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, conducted by Neville Marriner.

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[Car tune] Gnossienne #1 & 2

Rich Capparela's car tune.

"...it being Monday and all, you're sure to encounter some people on the way home tonight, who didn't get enough holiday cheer, and they're determined to take it out on you..."



"Gnossienne #1 & 2" by Erik Satie
Performance by John Williams, guitar.

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New Year's Eve Bash Variety Test

Every year, Jim Svejda does a seven-hour The New Year's Eve Bash starting 7 PM PST.



This year, I decided to test my luck with the variety test.  :)


The grand prize is six feet of (266) CD's!
First runner up gets complete keyboard sonatas of Domenico Scarlatti (34 CD's from Warner Classics).
Second runner up gets five Ultimate Decca Collections (25 CD's).


The first three questions are about a performer's pitch.

I don't have good ears, so I just answered "true" to all of them.


The next two questions are about people reciting poems.

I'm not that knowledgeable with poetry, so I answered "true" to both of these as well.


The remaining questions are about if someone mentions something.

I've never been good at picking up words on the radio, so I answered "true" to all of these as well.



So I ended up with "true" to all of the questions, let's see how I do.  ;)