Beautiful pieces. I'd love to hear Jenny Wong's version.
Posted on 12/08/2017 10:29:39 AM PST by GoldenState_Rose
Jenny Wong is the Associate Conductor of the LA Master Chorale.
Wong says she’s excited to conduct the six motets by J.S. Bach for many reasons, not the least of which is the incredible depth of the music.
“All of us, undoubtedly, who we study Bach’s music, you’re always going to leave it feeling like you can’t study it enough. There’s just so much more to get to know about it. Because Bach’s music there’s such an order to it. And yet, it’s never just because it’s academic. It’s useless to talk about Bach without talking about the reason for which he wrote this. Bach said, ‘The aim and the final end of music is none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.’
“So, when you look at a program like this–which is very different from some of Bach’s other works, like the Passions, the Cantatas, or the Mass in b minor–you have to find and get to the root of why did Bach do this. Why is it in some moments not as dramatic as, say, the Passions? But then you realize that Bach wasn’t trying to be flashy in any way. For him, these pieces–which were occasional pieces–were meant to be comforting for people. To give people hope. And that’s really a big message that I hope audiences will experience in our concert.”
(Excerpt) Read more at kusc.org ...
Most true musicians agree Bach was the principal master.
Certainly he was the master of “busy” music.
But for me lacking in dramatic intensity. I much prefer Beethoven, Brahms and Black Sabbath.
Oh, and Mahler. Can’t forget the last master of the German tradition.
Beautiful pieces. I'd love to hear Jenny Wong's version.
I love Mahler. My personal favorite has always been Das Lied von der Erde.
I enjoy this type of music, more the orchestral parts than the vocals, but I’ve always wanted to be a conductor and be paid large sums of money for waving my arms around.
These Bach chorales are haunting masterpieces.
Most folks don’t realize the depth and breadth of sounds that can be produced with the human voice alone.
If I was limited to one word in describing the various composers, I’d say “solemnity” best describes Bach.
Haydn — “precision”
Mozart — “exuberance”
Sebelius — “pride”
Grieg — “mystery”
Handel — “staid”
Wagner — “sweeping”
Beethoven — “majesty”
Chopin?
I enjoy this type of music, more the orchestral parts than the vocals, but I’ve always wanted to be a conductor and be paid large sums of money for waving my arms around.
...
Me too, but I didn’t care about the money. My Dad hated the idea.
“These Bach chorales are haunting masterpieces.”
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I like Bach, but as I mentioned, it’s the instrumentals that do it for me. String quartets are prob my fave.
“Me too, but I didn’t care about the money. My Dad hated the idea.”
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Only job where having to keep your hands in plain sight isn’t a bad situation.
:D
Ahhhhhh.....Bach!
I would disagree with Handel as “Staid.” His concertos alone are quite daring in many ways; but his music is serious and somewhat in the traditional sense. I would definitely agree that Mozart can be characterized as “Exuberant.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2j-frfK-yg&list=RDipzR9bhei_o&index=6
Bach, Air (”on the G string”, string orchestra)
Complex.
It’s hard to describe Handel in a single word. He could write works as lilting as The Harmonious Blacksmith, as soaring as the Messiah, and as stodgy as some of his later oratorios. Maybe I’ve judged him too harshly ...
Chopin-Romance
Personally, I’m partial to Stravinsky and Haydn.
Agreed. Handel wrote the exuberant Music for the Royal Fireworks and the inspirational yet intensely personal And He Feed His Flock in the Messiah. So it really is difficult to describe any of these great composers or compositions in one word or as the greatest ever. I used to think Bach’s Mass in B Minor was the greatest work. Then I performed the Berlioz Requiem. Two great works but very, very different. How is it possible to say one is “greater” than the other when they are so different?
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