For Your Listening Pleasure

"Sir Jeffrey Tate Conducts Haydn" In 1985 Tate was appointed the first Principal Conductor of the English Chamber Orchestra and began a major recording programme for EMI which included the complete Mozart symphonies as well as a number of Haydn's. Tate's Haydn and Mozart are in a class of their own. Using modern instrumental forces and often adopting tempi which are much broader than we have come to expect from period orchestras, Tate achieves a lightness and lyricism which make every note compelling. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast265

"Vladimir Ashkenazy Plays Mozart" The Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, was completed on December 4, 1786, alongside the Prague Symphony, K. 504. Although two more concertos (K. 537 and K. 595) would later follow, this work is the last of what are considered the twelve great piano concertos written in Vienna between 1784 and 1786. K. 503 is now widely recognized as "one of Mozart's greatest masterpieces in the concerto genre." However, it had long been neglected in favor of Mozart's more "brilliant" concertos, such as K. 467. Details on our archives page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast300

[Project 366 Listener Guide #259] Escape to London and music about or inspired by London and England. Read our fresh take @ http://itywltmt.blogspot.com. Details @ https://archive.org/details/Pcast064Playlist (ITYWLTMT Podcast #64 - 27 July 2012)

"Géza Anda Plays Mozart and Bartók" Hungarian pianist Géza Anda (1921 –1976) was a celebrated interpreter of the classical and romantic repertoires, particularly noted for his performances and recordings of Mozart, he was also a tremendous interpreter of Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms and Bartók. Despite the high regard he had achieved in his heyday, his reputation has faded somewhat from view since his death from cancer at the age of fifty-four. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/MozartBartk

"Québec sait chanter" The title of today’s post, Québec sait chanter (loosely translated as Quebec can sing), makes reference to an old television show from my youth, where host Yoland Guérard would welcome great operatic voices, share anecdotes and would feature their voices in studio. Names like Raoul Jobin, Robert Savoie, André Turp, Huguette Tourangeau and the husband and wife duo of Pierrette Alarie and Léopold Simoneau – most of whom featured today – had their turn on television with Mr. Guérard. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast315

'Father's Day" I don't know if it's just me, but why is it that composers, writers and other artists seem to have strained relationships with their fathers? Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart, Johan Strauss (father and son), Alexandre Dumas (father and son), Emile and David Nelligan, Richard and Franz Strauss... Details on our archives page @ https://archive.org/details/FathersDay_293

"The Summer Solstice" We mark the Summer Solstice with a podcast montage dedicated to "everything Summer" with works from Vivaldi, Samuel Barber and many more. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/Summer_745

[Project 366 Listener Guide #251] In a 2013 interview, Pope Francis mentioned Romanian pianist Clara Haskil as one of his favorite musicians She was renowned as an interpreter of the classical and early romantic repertoire. She was particularly noted for her performances and recordings of Mozart, as well as Beethoven, Schumann, and Scarlatti. Read our fresh take on June 19 @ https://itywltmt.blogspot.com. Details @ https://archive.org/details/pcast107-Playlist (ITYWLTMT Montage #206 - 24 July 2015)

"Géza Anda & Mozart" The debate over which is the best Mozart piano concerto cycle normally revolves around the following: Barenboim, Ashkenazy, Perahia and Brendel. Today, I chose to share examples from another set, that of Hungarian pianist Géza Anda set down with the help of the Camerata Academica of the Salzburg Mozarteum, in sessions from 1961 and 1969. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast208

"Happy Birthday Igor Stravinsky" Igor Stravinsky found recordings a practical and useful tool in preserving his thoughts on the interpretation of his music. As a conductor of his own music, he recorded primarily for Columbia Records, beginning in 1928 with a performance of the original suite from The Firebird and concluding in 1967 with the 1945 suite from the same ballet. Yjos ;osteer guid features recordings he made for Columbia Masterworks in honour of his 80th birthday. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/BirthdayIgorStravinsky

"Double Play: Mozart & Mendelssohn" Today's double play is represented by Mozart and Mendelssohn - Mozart contributes two "double concertos" (flute and harp, two pianos) book-ending a youthful Mendelssohn's concerto for piano and violin. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/DoublePlayMozartMendelssohn

"Mitsuko Uchida & Mozart" Born in Atami, a seaside town close to Tokyo, Japan, Mitsuko Uchida moved to Vienna, Austria, with her diplomat parents when she was 12 years old, after her father was named the Japanese ambassador to Austria. She enrolled at the Vienna Academy of Music to study with Richard Hauser, and later Wilhelm Kempff and Stefan Askenase, and remained in Vienna to study when her father was transferred back to Japan after five years. She gave her first Viennese recital at the age of 14 at the Vienna Musikverein. She also studied with Maria Curcio, the last and favourite pupil of Artur Schnabel. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast205

"Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia & Mozart" A trio of concertos for one and two pianos featuring Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu. In 1776, Mozart composed three piano concertos, one of which was the Concerto in F for Three Pianos and Orchestra ( his no. 7, K. 242). The concerto is often nicknamed "Lodron" because it was commissioned by Countess Antonia Lodron to be played with her two daughters Aloysia and Giuseppa. He originally finished it in February 1776 for three pianos; however, when he eventually revised it for himself and another pianist in 1780 in Salzburg, he rearranged it for two pianos, and that is how the piece is performed here. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast207

"More Mozart 2-3-4" “ This is the second of two listener guides looking at a 2-3-4 sequence of Mozart concertos. The « 3 » spot is occupied by one of Mozart’s four « student » concerti. It is believed these works were composition exercises where Mozart reused movements from sonatas by well-known keynboard virtuoisi of the day. In the case of the K. 40 concerto, the movements are (in order) by Leontzi Honauer, Johann Gottfried Eckard and Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach. Details at our archive page @ https://archive.org/details/pcast288

[Project 366 Listener Guide #245] Our list of `firsts`includes the first symphony, first violin and piano concerti, first piano sonata and first divertimento for strings. Read our fresh take @ http://itywltmt.blogspot.ca, details @ https://archive.org/details/Pcast026Playlist (ITYWLTMT Podcast # 26 - October 14, 2011)